Mental Health
In Chinese medicine thinking, excess of emotion can cause illness. Experiencing emotion is a perfectly normal and healthy expression of being alive, but problems arise when difficult emotions stay with us for long periods of time and become ingrained. Emotions can change our physical body, especially when something happens in life that we struggle to assimilate, or which causes us to suffer strongly for a long period of time. We are capable of carrying emotion in our bodies.
On the other hand, having a long-term physical illness can affect the way we view the world, colour our emotions and moods, and contribute to forming our beliefs. The way the body and mind influence each other can create a loop that seems unbreakable and can leave us in a hopeless place.
Luckily our bodies are a fantastic resource of information and possibility. Learning to listen to the messages our body is conveying to us can provide an opening to begin unknotting unhappiness.
Chinese medicine works with physical and energetic imbalances, and can be a wonderful circuit-breaker for the body and mind. We recommend acupuncture and herbal medicine as a support for your journey towards a more contented and fulfilling life.
What to expect
Don’t worry, you don’t need to spill your whole story. In your consultation we explore physical cues and symptoms which give us clues about the way your body is dealing with emotion. For example if you have a racing heart and trouble breathing when you are anxious, if you wake at 2am and lie awake worrying for hours, if you feel like punching something when your angry, if you have tension creeping up into your neck and head when stressed; all of this helps us to understand and support your body, and take a load off your mind.
Your journey
Chinese medicine can be a wonderful support for your journey. However, it is your journey, and we find that those who seek additional support have longer-term results. We recommend exploring other avenues as well such as counselling, exercise, meditation, yoga or other mind-body practices and lifestyle changes. We work with you to create a treatment plan that empowers you to move towards lasting change.
This 2018 study investigated acupuncture as a treatment for persistent, disturbed sleep in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury with accompanying PTSD. Improvement in both objective and subjective sleep measures were found.