Tui Na and Your Emotional
Health
In
Traditional Chinese Medicine the body, mind and spirit cannot be divided and so
the unique whole-body treatment in Tui Na can also be a useful
treatment correcting any imbalances in the body's energy before symptoms and
disease can develop. It also works to restore emotional harmony as well as
physical health. This is why after a Tui Na treatment many people
"feel good". Many people in China use Tui Na regularly to
keep healthy and to deal with some specific illnesses.
Tui Na
is performed on
the clothed body and the patient is either lying on a couch or sitting on a
chair. Therapists using a variety of strokes or movements will control the
intensity and direction of pressure in an exact way. The unique rolling
movement in Tui Na is one of the most difficult strokes to learn and
students have to practice sometimes for many months on a rice bag before they
are allowed to practice on the human body.
Stress
Tui Na
is of course
very useful for treating stress.
It
distributes the energy around the whole body. It is believed that Tui Na moves
the strong energy in the tense muscles to the weaker areas, thus making a more
balanced body. When your Qi (energy in the body) flow
is balanced you feel relaxed and comfortable. Tui Na is especially
useful for stiff shoulders and tense neck muscles.
Emotions
In Traditional Chinese Medicine each major organ is
linked to an emotion. By balancing the energy in the organ, the relevant
emotion will be calmed. When your emotions are out of control, you would usually turn to
your doctor or perhaps a psychotherapist. But perhaps some people would not
like to be seeing a psychotherapist or feel nervous about discussing their
problems with others. With Tui Na one does not need to tell the
therapist anything one does not want to. The treatment of Tui Na can
deal with the problem itself — although if one does need to talk, then the safe
space is there to do so. An
active dialogue between the therapist and the patient will help to get a better
effect.
How the major organs rule your emotions
Each
major organ — the heart, the stomach, the spleen, the liver, the bladder, the
kidneys, the lungs, etc. — is
linked to a relevant emotion.
The heart
is linked to joy, excitement and sadness. If the heart is out of balance, the
patient may dream a lot at night and often forget something important in the
day.
The
stomach and spleen are connected with too much thinking or worrying — over
anxiety. When the stomach is out of
balance there is often a lack of energy. The patient often feels very tired and has no interest in doing
anything at all.
The liver
and gall bladder are linked to anger. In Chinese Medicine the eyes are
connected with the liver, and many people who suffer from anger often suffer
from eye problems. The gall bladder rules decision-making and too much energy
here can lead to rashness, while if there is too little it can bring about
indecision. Where there is a history of depression, the therapist would look to
the liver.
The
bladder and kidneys are linked to fear of all kinds, from simple anxieties and
phobias to vague fears and worries.
The lungs
are connected with feelings of grief and sadness. When there is a history of
grief, the therapist would look to the lungs.
Tui Na
is used in
almost all the hospitals in China and very popular among Chinese people. It is
a useful and valuable method of restoring Qi balance, when emotional and
physical health is out of balance. Tui Na is one of the remaining
secrets of Chinese Medicine.
1. According to the passage, which
statement is TRUE about Tui Na?
A. Tui Na is a whole-body treatment and can't be
divided into different parts.
B. Tui Na can be used
to balance the diseases before they can develop in the body.
C. Tui Na can bring back not only physical health but
also emotional health.
D. Tui Na only makes people "feel good" but
do not actually cure disease.
2. How can the emotion be calmed?
A. By linking the organ to an emotion.
B. By telling the therapist anything one does not want to.
C. By discussing their problems with others.
D. By balancing the energy in the relevant organ.
3. When the stomach is out of
balance, .
A. the patient will have a stomachache
B. the patient will have a lot to worry about
C. the patient will have nothing to do
D. the patient will not feel like doing anything