Emotions in your body
The below is a somewhat brief overview of the psycho-emotions associated with each organ or meridian. When a meridian, function or organ energy is impacted it will present as an imabalnce a mentally, physically, emotionally or even spiritually. Left too long, an imbalance will begin to affect other meridians and/or organ systems.
An imbalance can present either end of the spectrum as an excessive or unreasonable lack; for example a kidney imbalance can present as an excessive, unreasonable fear or a unreasonable lack of fear. Problems with the liver can present as excessive anger and irritability or it can present as a type of apathy, a strange lack of (reasonable) anger or drive.
The meridians and organs are married together into yin-yang pairs or into one of the five elements (except for fire, which has four aggregates). While the psycho-emotional and physical psycho-somatic aspects of these married meridians work together and often reflect each other’s state, it is important to not only treat both meridians in the pair but also work with other corresponding meridians which to support the treatment.
If you observe the five element meridian diagram, each meridian pair nourishes and controls another meridian. When a meridian pair is a strongly imbalanced or deficient, this can affect several other meridians. Left untreated for too long, this state of imbalance becomes more profound and begins to affect more meridians.
Lungs and Colon
The lungs are where we hold our grief, identity and our capacity for renewal and energy. If our lungs are tight or tired we cannot refresh ourselves by breathing in new energy and breathing out the things we don’t need, the necessary circulation for an efficient system. The capacity to breathe also presents our capacity to transform.
Holding on and being unable to let go is the classic indication of colon issues. People who can’t let go of things that have happened, things that were said to them or traumas that have impacted their life. This is a common psycho-emotion with one of the biggest physical symptoms of having difficulty with bowel movements.
Colon and lung also present controlling and obsessive thought patterns and behaviours are indicated here. The lungs and colon can also present with anxiety (energy that won’t circulate or pass through the enteric nervous system (second/gut brain) and also holds grief and sadness.
Stomach & Spleen
The psycho-emotion of the stomach and spleen is worry. There are different types of anxiety and worrying is one of them. When this happens it affects the stomach; it knots up, we lose our appetite from stress and have trouble accepting or digesting food and integrating life situations and experiences. Traumas can play on an endless loop, affecting our thought and emotional patterns and present as unreasonable reactions. Stomach and spleen can be seen as the centre of our being and when they are disrupted it can seem like our whole life goes on hold. This can mean no appetite, no nourishment and eventually no energy. The stomach is where the most primary of alchemy occurs where food is turned into energy and the spleen is the transporter of nutrients.
Heart
Our inner most treasures and emotions presents as the heart. The heart belongs to the fire element which is also represents joy, passion, our capacity for expansion, trust, being social, loving and personal warmth. How we allow ourselves to connect to the beautiful things in life are associated with the heart.
Pericardium or Heart Protector
Sometimes more appropriately known as the heart protector and classically it was referred to as the bodyguard of the inner-sanctum. The heart protector is one of the most important functions and meridians – it commands our sense of inner-self, inner strength, identity, personal boundaries, capacity for intimacy, trust and self-esteem. Some more conventional schools of Chinese medicine appropriately refer to it as the heart protector and classically it was referred to as the bodyguard of the heart. The job of the pericardium is to protect the heart – the innermost sanctum of our emotions and being.
When the heart protector is imbalanced, damaged or deficient it cannot do it’s job. Without this protector we can lose our boundaries we let the wrong people into our heart with potentially disastrous consequences. We lose our sense of identity, our boundaries and we may trust the wrong people, then allowing the heart to be easily invaded and hurt. Conversely we may become inappropriately defensive and excessively armoured, being unreasonably careful and not allowing ourselves relationships we deserve.
These factors also means that the pericardium often indicates people’s relationship with themselves and the capacity to love and take care of oneself.
The Triple Burner Meridian
The triple burner is one of the more unique meridians in the Chinese medicine system and is not an organ but a function, governing certain faculties and circulating energy. They are in fact like intermediaries for the body’s source vitality; they are the gatekeepers, distributors and protectors of our energy.
Psycho-emotionally and psycho-spiritually it pertains to outer, social boundaries and social relationships. Because the triple-burner is associated with the heart and pericardium it is also affected by the emotion of joy. Considered to regulate consciousness, stabilizing the mind and being associated with benevolence and kindness.
Energetically the triple burner controls the body’s protective outer energy shield.
Small Intestine
At the end of the digestion process, the small intestine sorts out what to keep. What is useful and discards waste products. It also does this energetically, mentally and emotionally. A person with an imbalanced small intestine may present as confused or unable to navigate through the clutter of what is useful or not. It is not necessarily the same as being indecisive (as indicated by liver and gallbladder) but rather being unable to sort apart useful and non useful things in their life.
Bladder & Kidneys
The bladder is the longest meridian in the body, starting at the eyes, splitting off into multiple channels and finishing at the feet. It is like the body’s energetic irrigation system with all other meridians passing through it.
Fear is the main psycho-emotion of the bladder and kidneys (water element). Because the bladder meridian also influences our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and how it can affect all the other meridians, we can see how damaging fear can be for us on all levels.
The bladder has a powerful command over our sleep and energy and without this all our psycho-emotions can suffer. Classically it is said that an unhealthy bladder meridian will ‘diminish one’s moral character’ with emotions such as suspicion, jealousy etc.
Anxiety and fear pertains to these organs (especially in the kidneys) and lack of drive and decision making capacity. Kidneys govern our source vitality, our willpower and drive. The classics also say that this is the storehouse of our life force.
The relationship our kidneys have with the heart is paramount for our mental health. They are water and fire respectively and must be vital and flow in harmony for an emotional equilibrium. The body’s water element must be able to control and harmonize the fire and neither can be in excess or it will present via a mental health dysfunction.
Liver
The Liver is considered the commander of the body. When it is healthy we have a good drive and make decisions clearly. It also indicates good emotional health and neural function. The liver is important for our body’s necessary state of free flow; of qi, vitality, blood, energy and emotions. When it becomes stuck — many of these crucial functions also become arrested. This can then present as
When vitality and emotions do not free flow, the person becomes stuck and repressed emotions fill up like a reservoir. This reservoir often presents in one of two ways; irritable, anger, hostility and aggression or depression with feelings of hopelessness and timidity or a complete lack of drive to do anything. An example is someone who hasn’t been able to get over something and all their feelings pent up to be released now and then, often in an unhealthy expression.
Gallbladder
The gallbladder is married to the liver in terms of anger and irritability, etc. It also pertains to courage, decision making, judgement, frustration and taking initiative. Some say that recreational drug use, especially cannabis significantly impacts the liver and gallbladder. Most of us would have personally seen the common effects of long term cannabis use has on someone’s drive, decisiveness and initiative. Gallbladder also affects brain health, function (think brain fog and memory issues) and and has been linked to ADHD and hyperactivity.
The Central Channel
The central channel is an important energy channel emphasized in various energetic meditation practices such as yoga and some systems of qi gong. It is known as chong or qong mai in Chinese medicine.
As its name suggests, it runs within the body’s central midline starting at the perineum to the highest point of the skull though these terminus points may vary from one system to another.
The central channel is associated with identity, self-love, self-acceptance. It deals with intergenerational traumas, deep emotional healing and cellular memory. It is often recognised as having our core identity and unique source code. This meridian balances our love and logic.
More recently, the central channel has been found to correspond with the vagus nerve, affecting many brain aspects, digestion, breathing and wellbeing.
The Primal Yin Meridian
This meridian is known as ren mai in Chinese medicine and also parallels as a nadi in various yogic systems. It runs along the front of the body’s midline, beginning at the perineum and finishing just below the bottom lip before it continues as du mai, the primal yang meridian. It governs many faculties such as digestion and metabolic assimilation of nourishment. It also runs through the areas where people work with the heart energy in meditation, yoga and qi gong, etc.
It is associated with our mother or feminine archetype and therefore aspects such as nourishment; self-love, one’s capacity to be caring, creativity or conception of new ideas, children etc.
A common psycho-emotional issue of having a disrupted or imbalanced primal yin meridian is the nourishment from our parents, whether it was not enough, too much or even abusive. This often manifests as a insecurity and a poor sense of self-love, often expressed in toxic expressions or behaviour.
You can sometimes see someone who has a problem with their primal yin; they hunch over to protect their heart space and make it feel safer.
The Primal Yang Meridian
The primal yang meridian is known as du mai in Chinese medicine. It starts at the perineum and travels up along the spine over the head, finishing at a point between the upper lip and the nostrils at the philtrum. It also has parallels as a nadi in various yogic practises (also with variable starting and terminating points).
The primal yang channel can relate to our masculine force, our father or fathering archetype. It affects our transformational cycles, being grounded, risk taking, being upright in the world, survival issues, confidence and drive in the world, our willpower.
Common psycho-emotional issues from having a imbalance or negatively effected primal yang meridian often presents as a lack of confidence; not a self-love type of confidence but the confidence to stand in the world and be upright, be individual, have determination, confident enough to transform and take risks. When this meridian is weak it can present as being easily overwhelmed. When affected in other ways, it can present as present as being emotionally or mentally rigid, unable to reasonably relinquish control, being impulsive and taking unreasonable risks. The primal yang meridian pertains to the brain and can also present as mental or cognitive difficulties.
As with primal yin, you can also sometimes see primal yang issues in someone’s posture. The spine may be excessively and unnaturally extended (think of people ‘posturing up’ before a fight) or where it is weak they may be hunched, dragging their feet along instead of a purposeful gait.