Unexpected Ways

Dear Patient,

Sometimes we feel our emotions in unexpected ways.

Recently I was talking with a patient about grief. After a year of great loss, she wondered if she was truly moving through the process of healing, because she wasn’t experiencing what she thought of as typical signs of grief, like feeling sad or crying.

Instead, she described waking up very early in the morning with her arms crossed over her chest, her breathing labored. I assured her that these too are manifestations of grief.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, each of the internal organ pairs has an associated emotion. Grief is associated with the Lungs and Large Intestine, organs which are all about letting go and releasing. Labored breathing is a sign that the Lungs are processing grief.

Additionally, each of the 12 organs corresponds to a 2-hour window of the day when its energy is most active. Lung time is 3-5AM. Labored breathing during those early morning hours is another sign that the Lungs are working overtime.

Finally, the first two points on the Lung channel are on the upper chest—points this patient was protecting with her hands by crossing her arms over her chest. And getting even deeper into channel theory, the palm of the hand is on the Pericardium channel, and the Pericardium is the protector of the Heart and all emotions. So this patient unconsciously used the protective power of the Pericardium channel to support and preserve the energy of the Lungs as it processed grief. Ah, the wisdom of the body.

There’s no singular way to feel your emotions. Trust that your body is doing its best, even when those emotions show up in unexpected ways.

Love and gratitude,

Your Acupuncturist