The 5-element theory from the ancient Chinese system of healing can add a further understanding of how trauma creates health problems in the physical body.
A simple understanding of the 5 Element Theory
The Five Element Theory is the foundation of the ancient Chinese system of healing. It includes awareness of the meridian system, 5 elements of life, emotions and the relationships between the organ systems and symptoms.
The five elements are Wind, Fire, Water, Metal and Earth. Each of the elements relate to a pair of meridians, emotions, and organs. All symptoms in the body will relate to one of these elements.
Here is an image showing the relationships between the elements, organs and emotions:
According to the Five Element Theory, the health of the organism / body is dependent upon the flow of the energy through the body via the meridians. If a meridian is blocked or weak, the functionality of that organ or the related organs and give rise to symptoms in the body.
How this relates to trauma
A trauma can be defined as an experience that is overwhelming to the individual that cannot be fully felt, integrated, and released. In other words, a part of the individual gets frozen in time and the flow of energy gets blocked. As emotions are energy-in-motion, this translates into emotions being held within the body.
When you feel an emotion, you are simply feeling the flow of energy through your body. If the emotions are blocked or repressed, the flow of the energy gets compromised and the related organ system become compromised leading to symptoms. The symptoms are the body’s way of signaling to you, that there is a problem that needs to be resolved. Once the emotion is felt, the trauma is resolved, the energy moves, the flow of energy is restored, and symptoms can resolve.
A trauma does not have to be a huge event. It can be a small incident. Yet if many small incidents collect over time, the body can reach its toleration point and then one final event can break the camel’s back . . . so to speak.
Ongoing stresses in your life can have the same impact as a trauma. Such as ongoing financial stress, work related stress, family stress, or relationship issues. When you are stressed about a situation, you can contract physically, emotionally or energetically, which also leads to reduced flow of energy.
Complimentary with other approaches
Our modern system of medicine looks at a symptom as something that needs to be gotten rid of. It does not generally appreciate the symptom as a signal from the body that something needs to be resolved. Medications are given that relieve symptoms, yet the underlying imbalance is often not resolved.
This can be very helpful for intense symptoms, yet, unless the underlying imbalance is resolved, the imbalance may lead to additional symptoms or worse symptoms. Also, medications normally have side effects which can create additional problems.
Even dietary, exercise, lifestyle changes, herbs and supplements can be complimented by resolving trauma for the greatest results.
The interrelationship of the organ systems
Another factor to consider is the interconnected relationship between the organ systems. For example, unresolved grief, impacting the lungs and large intestine, may lead to anger which impacts the liver and gall bladder. The symptoms the show up may be related to the liver and gallbladder, but the underlying cause is the grief.
In the Chinese system, all spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical symptoms can be traced to one of the organ systems. Stay tuned for additional blogs addressing this!
How this applies to Fibromyalgia
In the case of fibromyalgia, there are often multiple traumas. Often a build up over time of small traumas that eventually lead to a breakdown.
When we have traumas and suppressed emotions, our mind attempts to create a mental understanding of why we feel the way we do. This can lead to unconscious beliefs, that block our happiness and health and undermine our authenticity, vitality, and passion. The most commonly held underlying belief is, “there is something wrong with me” or some variation of that.
From my perspective a well-balanced treatment plan for fibromyalgia, would include a way to resolve the underlying trauma(s). Resolving the traumas not only lead to a reduction in symptoms, but also a greater sense of inner peace, empowerment, and fulfillment.
I often get referrals from medical doctors and holistic practitioners to assist their patients with resolving the underlying emotional and psychological imbalances. They deem this to be an important part of a patient’s treatment program.
It is rewarding to see that there is a growing awareness of the importance of healing the heart and emotional wounds in the field of fibromyalgia and other chronic health issues.
Assistance is available
If you would like some one on one help in this area, I offer a free Discovery Session to explore your situation and see if we would be a good fit. You can request the Discovery Session via this link. All sessions can be done via phone, skype or zoom!
I will also be unveiling group programs sometime this year, so stay tuned!
May you grow in health and happiness.
Bindu
