The Seven Emotions in Chinese Medicine

Emotional related diseases factors, which effect the organ associated with the emotion as well as organs that have a Five Element relationship with that elements emotion.

The Seven Emotions are:

• Joy
• Anger
• Grief
• Worry and Pensiveness
• Fear
• Fright

Joy (Over-excitement, Manic) - Heart and Fire Element

Slows the Qi - Fear controls Joy (Water controls Fire)

• Palpitations
• Insomnia
• Unclear Thinking
• Mania, Disturbed Shen (possibly manic, risk-taking)
• Heart Attack

Example: Migraine headache caused by sudden joy from receiving good news.

Anger (Rage, Resentment, Frustration) - Liver and Wood Element

Makes Qi Ascend - Grief controls Anger (Metal controls Wood)

• Vertex Headache
• Dizziness
• Blurry Vision
• Blood Pressure is Raised
• Stroke
• Internal Wind (trembling from anger or an onset of Wind symptoms such as a seizure)
• Pain in the Costal Region Especially in the Liver

Liver attacks Spleen and Stomach

• Spleen Qi Xu
• Rebellious Stomach Qi
• Bleeding

a. Nosebleeds common because Qi is ascending
b. Vessels Burst Because Spleen is Weak

Liver counterattacks Lung

• Asthma

Liver can harm Gall Bladder (Yin Yang paired Organ)

• Inability to make decisions (I'm so angry, I can't think straight)

Grief or Sadness - Lung and Metal Element

Weakens, Depletes, or Dissolves the Qi - Joy Controls Grief (Fire controls Metal)

• Tightness in the Chest (SOB)
• Excessive Crying
• Asthma
• Frequent Colds and Flu (Wei Qi is weakened)
• Skin problems

Grief Affecting the Heart

• Zong Qi is weakened affecting Heart

Metal counterattacking Fire

• Circulation Becomes Impaired

Worry and Pensiveness - Spleen and Earth Element

Stagnates or Knots the Qi - Wood controls Earth (Anger controls Worry and Pensiveness)

Harms the Heart

Son depleting the Mother, and ultimately the Shen

• Palpitations
• Spleen Qi Deficiency
• Heart Blood Deficiency

Fear - Kidneys and Water Element

Makes Qi Descend - Concentration and thinking controls Fear (Earth Controls Water)

Note: Less sudden, more chronic and internal than fright

Kidneys are weakened when living in fear

• might lose bladder control

Harms Liver and Gallbladder

Water not nourishing Wood)

• Depression
• Indecisive
• Confused
• Lack Courage

Harms the Heart

Water not controlling Fire

Heart Fire blazes out of control

• anxiety, restlessness

Fright (Terror, Shock) - Gallbladder and Wood Element

Fright Confuses or Scatters the Qi - Grief controls Fright (Metal controls Wood)

Note: There is a difference between fear and fright: Fright: startling, scared by things that are present. Fear: deeper, more chronic; scared by things not present

• Indecisive
• Confused
• Lack Courage

Harms the Kidneys

Son depleting mother; Wood depleting Water

• Long-term fright turns to fear (child abused once causes fright; ongoing abuse leads to fear of when it will happen again)

Harms Liver

Gallbladder and Liver are Yin Yang paired organs

• become angry at what frightened us (a mother becomes angry with a child that loves to startle her as a joke)

Harms the Heart

Wood fails to nourish Fire, Fright unroots the Shen