[WhollyViber] 7 Emotions of TCM and Homeopathic Correlations

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The Seven Emotions Of Traditional And Their

Homeopathicity - Author: Berno, William A.

 

In Traditional (TCM), the seven emotions are joy,

anger, melancholy, worry, grief, fear, and fright. We all experience

these emotions during our lives, but when they come as a shock or

with great intensity they challenge our ability to maintain

mental/emotional equilibrium. When this occurs, an individual's

susceptibility will manifest these overly dynamic stresses on the

physical level with pathological changes in the body.

 

This over-sensitivity to a stress in homeopathic language is

considered one's diathesis or constitution. A constitutional

weakness puts the body into a condition that makes the tissues react

in a special way to certain extrinsic stimuli. The seven emotions,

even though not on the physical plane have their physical correlates

and make the individual susceptible to certain physiological changes

and vulnerable to certain diseases.

 

This article will parallel the seven emotions of TCM with their

respective organ pathologies to the ho meopathic polycrests that

exhibit similar idiosyncrasies.

 

In homeopathy we know that the symptoms that take highest priority

are the mental/emotional. It is also interesting that in TCM it is

recognized that the seven emotional factors are of greatest concern

to the physician because they directly affect the primary organs of

the body as well as the qi (energy) and blood. These organs are the

Liver, Heart, Lung, Spleen and Kidney, called Zang fu (internal

organs).

 

The ancient physicians gave the following correlates to the seven

emotions: Anger injures the liver, Joy injures the heart. Grief and

melancholy injure the lung. Worry injures the spleen, Fear and

fright injure the kidneys.

 

As far as the movement of qi is concerned: anger will cause the qi

to excessively rise up; joy will cause the qi to move very slowly:

grief will absorb or consume the qi; fear causes the qi to go down

or decline; fright scatters qi to go in.

 

Looking at the major polycrests that exhibit anger and the

connection to the Liver, Nux Vomica best parallels the TCM Liver

patterns. The Nux Vomica person is recognized in modern parlance as

the " type A " personality; that is, driven, impatient, competitive

and overly ambitious. Getting ahead is the goal of the Nux and

causing a detour to this force could lead to outbursts of anger.

 

The aggressive personality of the Nux can exhibit tendencies from

irritability to angry rage and even violence. In TCM, this

pathological emotion of anger is defined as Liver-Fire blazing

upwards. The Liver's function in is to ensure the

smooth flow of qi throughout the body. This smooth flow of qi also

keeps in check the smooth flow of the emotions. The qi of the liver

has a direct effect on all the other internal organs and their

functions.

 

When the qi of the Liver is disturbed, symptoms associated with this

pattern are irritability with outbursts of anger, headaches,

dream-disturbed sleep, and constipation with dry stool. All of these

symptoms are found in the Nux Vomica pathology. The Nux Vomica

patient has headaches and migraines that are worse from noise, light

and mental activity or vexation. They have difficulty sleeping and

wake between 3 and 4 AM and find their minds filled with thoughts

about their business and work related tasks. Nux Vomica has the

keynote of constipation with ineffectual urging. The body fluids are

dried up by the Liver Fire causing constipation with dry stools.

 

The diet of the News Vomica and the Liver-Fire blazing patient is

also very similar. They both consume excessive amounts of alcohol

like fried foods, meal and other stimulants such as coffee.

 

As stated above, the emotion of anger causes the cue to rise up

excessively. This upward flow of cue is expressed physiologically in

symptoms of the head such as red face and eyes, headaches,

dizziness, dream-disturbed sleep and irritability.

 

The second emotion, joy holds a wide variety of interpretations.

Simply, excessive joy causes pathology. In the ancient text, Simple

Questions chapter 39 states: " Joy makes the mind peaceful and

relaxed, it benefits the Nutritive and Defensive Cue and it makes

Cue relax and slow down. " Then in chapter 2 it says: " The

Heart...controls Joy. Joy injures the Heart. "

 

In TCM, the heart is the " monarch " or " ruler " of the internal organs

and it houses the mind. What " houses the mind " means is that if

there is a good blood supply to the whole being. If there is a

deficiency of blood, there will be weak and scattered thought. Heart

blood deficiency could show symptoms such as poor memory, dull

thinking, depression and, in extreme cases, unconsciousness.

 

The excessive joy of good news, such as winning the Lottery, can

precipitate palpitations or even heart attack. In the 1960s, we

witnessed hysterical joy exhibited by teen-age girls at a Beatles'

concert. There is also another interpretation of excessive joy found

in Fujido's Etymological Dictionary that considers the, " joy or

pleasure derived from eating. " This is the painful joy of overeating

when a person has a difficult time walking, or breathing and can do

nothing but lie in a stupor waiting for balance to return.

 

The homeopathic polycrest Argentum Nitricum fulfills many of the

criteria that express pathological joy. The parallel in TCM to

Argentum Nitricum could be Phlegm-Fire harassing the heart. The fire

aspect of the pattern is substantiated in Argentum Nitricum as this

remedy is one of the hottest polycrests.

 

Phlegm is caused by the Spleen being deficient and unable to

transform and transport fluids. The Phlegm then blocks the Heart

orifices and disturbs the " house " of mind. Argentum Nitricum has a

lot of stomach and digestive problems which could lead to the

formation of phlegm. Argentum Nitricum has distension, flatulence,

rumbling, diarrhea, and eructations, all of which point to poor

digestion.

 

Phlegm-Fire harassing the heart has other symptoms that correspond

to Argentum Nitricum: insomnia, mental confusion, fears, anxiety and

nervousness. They both have palpitations and Argentum Nitricum has

violent palpitations with the feeling that the heart will be

projected out of its proper place. Phlegm-Fire has, as one of its

main symptoms, rash behavior. Argentum Nitricum has strange and

violent impulses such as jumping from a height, or putting a

screwdriver or wire into an electric socket.

 

Phlegm-Fire harassing the heart exhibits a tendency to hit or scold

people and Argentum Nitricum can have frightening impulses as to

hurt his/her own child.

 

The uncontrolled laughter, crying or shouting of the Phlegm-Fire

harassing the heart greatly parallels the picture of a teenage girl

at a Beatles' concert overcome by joy and her inability to control

her mental, emotional, or oven physical impulses such as bladder

control.

 

In contrast, mental depression and dullness are symptoms of Phlegm-

Fire harassing the heart as Argentum Nitricum exhibits problems with

concentration and brain degeneration. It is also interesting that

the tongue patterns are similar, i.e., red on the tip with red

points. This type of tongue in TCM is an indication of heart fire.

The Argentum Nitricum tongue is red, painful and has prominent

papillae on it.

 

The third emotion, grief, also includes melancholy and sadness.

Grief injures the Lung. The function of the Lungs in TCM is that of

governing the qi. In this aspect, the Lungs control the Defensive qi

which battles against exterior pathogenic factors as they try to

enter the body. When this Defensive qi is weak, the other major

organs are in jeopardy. The Lungs, considered the " delicate " organ,

are a fitting parallel to an emotional situation of sadness and

grief. Sadness causes a situation dealing with the deficiency of the

Lung qi.

 

In the polycrest remedies that deal with grief, it can be seen how

the Lung functions are an integral part of the picture. Ignatia,

which is one of the primary " grief " remedies, shows many Lung signs

in its pathology. There is the incessant sighing and dry spasmodic

coughing without signs of illness. The feeling of the lump in the

throat, referred to as globus hystericus, when there is really

nothing there, is an indication of difficulty with the breathing

caused by the stress of grief.

 

In TCM, the Lungs are expressed through the skin. The Lungs receive

moisture from the spleen and spread it to the skin and body hair. In

the ancient text, Miraculous Pivot, it says: Qi refers to the

substance that originates in the upper jiao (lungs), spreads the

essential part of water and food, warms the skin, fills up the

body and moistens the (body) hair, like irrigation by fog and dew.

 

So the connection between Lung function and skin is a special

consideration in remedies of grief. In the remedy, Ignatia, there

can be itching, or nettle-rash. The skin can also be sensitive to

draughts of air.

 

In looking at the skin as an expression of the Lungs, Staphysagria

is a remedy that has ailments from suppression and grief which shows

skin as one of its areas of weakness. Staphysagria can have eczema

of the head, ears, face and body. Staphysagria has thick, dry scabs

that itch violently and the person will scratch them until they

bleed. Staphysagria also has pedunculated figwarts. Roger Morrison,

in his book Desktop Guide, states that Staphysagria has " psoriasis

from grief or suppression of anger or other emotions, especially in

children. " He goes on to state that Staphysagria has unhealthy skin

that is " easily infected. "

 

Natrum Muriaticum, one of the major grief remedies, has some

definite correlates to the lungs and skin. In Boericke's Materia

Medica, the skin symptoms included skin that is " greasy, oily or

with dry eruptions near the scalp. " There are " fever blisters and

urticaria that itch and burn. " There are " warts on the palm of the

hand and eczema that is red, raw and inflamed. "

 

Natrum Muriaticum exhibits asthma in the evening which is worse

between 5 and 7 pm. This is an interesting correlate in terms of TCM

because of the Chinese clock. The Chinese clock shows the relation

of the different channels to the correspond times of the day and

night. The time for the kidneys is 5 to 7 pro. Even though the lungs

are responsible for the intake of air, in TCM it is the Kidneys that

are responsible for receiving the qi.

 

This means the lungs take in the qi or air and it is the Kidneys

that pull the qi deep into the body. The ancient text, Direct

Guidebook of Medicine states: " The lung is the governor of qi and

the kidney is the root of qi. " If the Kidney qi is strong then

respiration can be free, smooth and deep. If the qi is weak there

will be signs of shortness of breath and asthma. Natrum Muriaticum's

evening asthma is a direct expression of the physical pathology

caused by the emotion of grief.

 

Worry, the fifth emotion, is the emotion that injures the Spleen. In

TCM, the Spleen is responsible for the transportation and

transformation of food. This refers to the digestion and absorption

of the nutritional intake into qi and then the transmission of this

qi to other parts of the body.

 

The Spleen also deals with the transformation and transportation of

fluids. If there is a malfunction in this process a pathological

situation called " Dampness " occurs. Dampness has it's clinical

manifestations as edema, diarrhea, and phlegm.

 

The Spleen influences the digestive process and also controls the

muscles. A malfunction in this aspect of the Spleen causes muscle

weakness, and tiredness. Weakness of Spleen qi also causes bleeding

because another function of the Spleen is to control the blood and

keep it circulating in the vessels. Hemorrhaging occurs when Spleen

qi is weak.

 

The mental aspect of the Spleen in TCM is in the use of the mind in

concentration, memorization, and studying. A pathology arises when

there is excessive use of the mind in these functions including over-

thinking, pensiveness and worrying.

 

The polycrest in homeopathy that best exemplifies the Spleen

patterns is Calcarea Carbonica (fair, fat, flabby and freezing). The

obesity, flabbiness, and the ease with which the Calcarea Carbonica

puts on Weight is indicative of the Deficiency of the Spleen Qi.

When the Spleen is unable to transform and transport nutrients, this

incomplete digestion is stored in the body as dampness.

 

The vertigo or dizziness that the Calcarea Carbonica experiences can

be a direct influence from the dampness of undigested foods. In this

situation, the dampness is referred to as phlegm which obstructs the

head, preventing the qi from rising. As mentioned above, during

pathological worry, the qi becomes knotted and stagnant. This

stagnation prevents qi from rising to the head and causes dizziness.

Also the stagnation of qi in the lower jiao (intestines) is

manifested on the physical level in Calcarea Carbonica by

constipation. Their stagnant state is so overwhelming that they have

no discomfort from the constipation. They actually enjoy this state

of stagnation as they lie and wait as the quintessential couch

potato.

 

The major cause of Calcarea Carbonica's problems stems from becoming

overwhelmed from overwork. The Calcarea Carbonica person is very

responsible and hard working. They take on too many responsibilities

and become overwhelmed, collapsing on the physical and/or mental

levels. Over-thinking and the worry of hearing bad news exacerbates

the problem.

 

Calcarea Carbonica's fear of insanity is a direct link to the

formation of excessive phlegm in the system. In TCM, it is said that

phlegm obstructs the orifices of the Heart. Above we talked about

the Heart housing the mind. If the house of the mind is obstructed

by phlegm, then thinking will not be clear. Excessive phlegm

blockage can bring about situations such as mental confusion, and

lethargy (which is an aspect of Calcarea Carbonica) and also more

serious conditions that include mental illness, schizophrenia, manic-

depression and/or epilepsy.

 

The sixth and seventh emotions of TCM are fear and fright which

directly effect the Kidneys. The Kidneys in TCM form the foundation

for life. They are referred to as the " root of life. " The Kidneys

store our " pro-heaven qi. " This means the energy we derive from our

parents at birth. The Kidneys also store the qi that feeds all the

other organs.

 

Another important function of the Kidneys in TCM is the housing of

the Will sewer. When this Will Power is weak, individuals will

manifest problems of mental depression and fear because they have

lost a direct connection with their essence.

 

Kidney essence is the source of and includes both Kidney Yin and

Kidney Yang. Kidney Yin forms all the fluids with which the body is

nourished. Kidney yang is called " the fire of the gate of vitality, "

and is the basis of all the yang qi (fire) of the whole body, which

keeps the organs and tissues functioning. This is a good example of

the wholeness expressed in TCM. The immaterial (Kidney essence)

manifests the material (Kidney Yin and Yang) and in return, is

supported by it. If there is a weakening of Kidney qi because of

overwork or imbalance, the pathology of the Kidney, fear and

fright, will arise.

 

Losing the connection with Essential qi is the same as losing the

connection with reality: losing the connection with one's own

source. Life is oneness, wholeness and what happens when an

individual " forgets " this truth? Wholeness is seen as pans and this

confusion is the beginning of problems in maintaining balance on

mental, emotional and physical planes.

 

A metaphor may make this more clear. Let the ocean represent

wholeness. A young wave, not realizing its connection with the

unbounded ocean, will have a sense of fragmentation, loneliness and

fear confronting the millions of other larger and more domineering

waves. In reality, the young wave is the ocean. In a state of

ignorance of its true nature, the wave feels to be a small

nothingness.

 

In the ancient Vedic text, The Bhagavad-Gita, it is said that, " fear

is born of duality. " This means that whenever there is a sense of

two, there is a sense of fear because two creates the possibility of

confrontation. Confrontation can express itself as good vs. evil,

right vs. wrong, success vs. failure. When duality is born out of

ignorance, fear is its off spring.

 

Because the human condition has its limitations and the senses have

their boundaries, what is perceived as true is not always true.

Taking wholeness as parts is " ...their passions exhaust their vital

force. They do not know how to find contentment within themselves:

they are not skilled in the control of their spirits (shen or vital

energy). They devote all their attention to the amusement of their

minds. " (1)

 

When the human being does not strengthen his or her vital force

through a balanced mental, emotional and physical existence, the

foundation of life, Kidney Qi, becomes weak and the foundation of

society, the individual, begins to deteriorate.

 

With the surfacing of Quantum Physics more people realize the

possibility of a Unified Wholeness which manifests as different

forms but in its essential quantum state is unchanged. Materialistic

thought or particle thought or Newtonian departmentalization masks

the truth of a Wholeness that expresses itself in different forms,

sometimes as particle, sometimes as wave, sometimes beyond the

measurement of matter as pure energy. This could be called the

`homeopathic state' where non-matter brings balance to matter.

 

The ancient text of Traditional Nei Jing, comments

on the will of the sage: They were tranquilly content in nothingness

and the true vital force accompanied them always; their vital

original spirit was preserved within; thus, how could illness come

to them?

 

They exercised restraint of theft wills and reduced their desires;

their hearts were at peace and without any fear; their bodies toiled

and yet did not become weary. " (2)

 

In much of the world today, the vital force is not preserved, the

will is not restrained and desires are not reduced, hearts are not

at peace and many are not without fear.

 

The polycrest Arsenicum Album with its essence of fear,

apprehension, dread, fear of death, and fear of being alone all

point to the TCM emotion of fear represented in weak Kidney qi.

 

The restlessness of the Arsenicum Album person indicates that there

is an extreme discontentment inside. They have lost their connection

with " true vital force " which is a state of peace upon which rides

all aspects of life.

 

The Arsenicum album depends on others, not out of companionship, but

because company can assuage the fear of being alone. The fear of

being alone shows a deep pathology of the Will. Aloneness is an

impossibility in a unified state of Wholeness as there is no

separation.

 

The fear of death that lies at the core of the pathology of

Arsenicum shows a complete deterioration of Will. From their anxiety

about health to the fear of committing suicide, the Arsenicum Album

fills the TCM emotional state of fear and fright.

 

These seven emotional states do not have to lead to pathology if

they are kept in balance. The Quantum Physician is a holistic

practitioner who sees the body, mind and spirit not as

fragmentations, but as one pure energy form that needs to be kept

flowing and in balance. A continuous flow has no beginning or end.

With flow there is no stagnation. With balance the paradox of one as

many is kept in check and fear does not arise. The material and

nonmaterial are not at odds, they are not a duality, but different

expressions of the same Quantum Truth.

 

It is truly a blessing that Samuel Hanneman had the intelligence,

energy, and compassion to assemble this vast array of healing

knowledge. It is my belief that continued research and comparative

studies in Homeopathy and Traditional will allow

practitioners a more precise tool to arrive more quickly and

accurately to the correct remedy and bring alleviation to the

suffering of our fellow human beings.

 

REFERENCES

 

1. Vieth, 1. pg. 98: The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal

Medicine, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1949.

 

2. ibid. pg 98.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

1. William Boericke, Homeopathic Materia Medica, Boericke & Tafel,

Inc., Santa Rosa, CA, 1927.

 

2. Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of , Churchill

Livingston, Edinburgh, London, Melbourne and New York, 1989.

 

3. Xinnong Chong, (ed.), Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion,

Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, China, 1987.

* Author : Berno, William A.

* Article Title : The Seven Emotions Of Traditional Chinese

Medicine And Their Homeopathicity

* Publication Name : Prover, The: The Journal of the

Chiropractic Academy of Homeopathy

* Volume & Number : V. 6; N. 3

* Publication Date : 10-31-95

* Page : p. 51-55

 

Material appearing in The Prover is for informational purposes only

and should not be considered advisory or prescriptive. Always

consult a licensed health care provider about using any such

information as therapy. The Global Homeopathic Alliance

2001

 

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