The Mind/Body Connection
The Mind/Body Connection
When we speak of health we must look at the mind/body connection – the mind and body are completely linked and one affects the other. If we look after our body this will benefit the mind, and vice versa. When people get sick, we must ask where the problem lies – is it bad lifestyle, bad diet, etc, or does it stem more from emotional upset, stress, or unresolved emotional issues. Emotions such as grief, guilt, anger, worry etc, or events such as a shock or trauma, the death of a loved one, relationship problems, etc, can all have a profound effect on our health.
In Chinese Medicine, particular organs of the body are linked to specific emotions:
Anger/bitterness/resentment: Liver/Gall Bladder
Grief/Sadness: Lungs (also Heart)
Love/Joy/Excitement: Heart
Fear: Kidneys
Worry: Spleen/Stomach (digestion)
Emotions are a natural part of human existence, and no human being ever escapes feeling sad, angry or worried sometimes. The emotions only become causes of disease when they are particularly intense and, most of all, when they are prolonged over a long period of time, especially when they are not expressed or acknowledged. Everyone feels anger at times, but if someone harbours anger towards another person for years, this emotion can become a cause of disease.
The body speaks its own language, and over time we can learn to understand this language. Disharmony in the body can tell us a lot about our mental/emotional state.
Some examples (not always the case but generally speaking) are:
Pneumonia: unresolved emotion, grief
Eye problems: not liking/choosing not to see something in your life
Constipation: can’t release the old and unwanted and welcome the new
Joint stiffness: a loss of flexibility in your life, difficulty with changes in direction
Heart disease: a lack of joy (or can be too much excitement continuously), a closing off of the giving and receiving of love
Breast problems: some imbalance between nurturing self and others, issues with femininity/sexuality
Cancer: can be deep unresolved emotions such as guilt, grief, resentment or shame. What’s eating away at you? What part of you is unexpressed in your life?
In summary, unresolved emotional states can greatly restrict your energy, lower the functioning of your immune system, and create a myriad of different health problems. This is where wholistic therapies like homeopathy can help, taking into account the full spectrum of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
An interesting article to read can be found at http://www.tldp.com/issue/175-6/Nourishing%20the%20Energy%20Body.html