Traditional Medicine and Emotions

Emotions exist for a reason and are meant to be felt. Sometimes, though, we get stuck too deeply in an emotion, for too long. Or, we don’t feel emotions that we think we should. That’s where Traditional Medicine comes in. Acupuncture helps us to process emotions without disregarding or stifling them. It smoothes out the edges. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine:

• Anger, rage, frustration and feeling stuck point towards an imbalance in the Wood element

• Too little or too much joy signal our Fire element needs attention

• Worry, shame and guilt come from Earth

• Grief and sadness—or lacking these emotions—show our Metal imbalance

• Fear or lack of fear comes from Water

What about the two “new emotions” that are making a splash on screen—Anxiety and Embarrassment?

Anxiety can be rooted in any of the Elements, as it has different causes and symptoms for everyone. One possible way to think about it is a Fiery energy that is moving upwards, a vibrating energy gone awry that feeds into spirallng Worry. As an acupuncturist, I’ll work with you to determine how your anxiety feels and come up with a treatment just for you. Acupuncture can work wonders for anxiety.

Embarrassment can stem from shame, which is guilt turned inward on ourselves. This can lead to excess Worry about other people’s judgments, injuring our Earth energy.

It’s okay to talk to your acupuncturist about your emotions. We aren’t therapists, but the things that you feel helps us to get a more complete picture of what’s happening for you so that we can help you start to feel better.