All Ways Well - Acupuncture & Wellness in La Center
  • Home
  • Book Now!
  • Blog
  • About
    • Covid19 Information for Patients
    • About Rebecca
    • Traditional Chinese Medicine - Ancient Methods for Modern Times
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Medicare Chronic Low Back Pain Acupuncture Benefit at All Ways Well
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Treatment
    • Virtual Fullscript Dispensary
    • DAO Labs - Order online!
    • Rasa Adaptogen Tea - order now!
    • Auto Accident Acupuncture
    • Gift Certificates
  • Resources For Patients
    • Food Allergies & Elimination Diets
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Amazon Store
  • Contact

The Shen Mind Connection

1/9/2019

Comments

 
Picture
Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at things differently and while it may be a little confusing, there is usually some common ground that can be found upon examination and explanation. One such area is the idea of the mind. The mind in Traditional Chinese Medicine is commonly referred to as the shen. 
​
In Chinese medicine, the shen is interpreted as the spirit or consciousness. The shen lives in the heart organ system and it is considered to be one of the vital substances of the body. The shen is said to preside over the activities that take place in the spiritual and mental planes. So, for many TCM practitioners, shen is actually referring to the mind. And if we look at serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, the shen or mind is where the dysfunction actually appears. Chinese medicine refers to this as being “misted” or “clouded”. However, it should be noted not all practitioners agree the mind and the consciousness are the same thing.  This is because many of our mental processes are considered subconscious. 

As stated, the theory is that the shen lives in the heart. So if a person has a disturbed shen, there may be anxiety, stress, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations and more.  Many people with a disturbed shen experience insomnia. Chronic insomnia can then lead to actual mental illness. If we follow this logic, we can see how the shen (in Chinese medicine) and the mind (in Western psychology) are related and somewhat interchangeable. 

When we approach the shen from the standpoint of Western psychology, it is hard to deny there is a lot of shen disturbance in the modern world. This can be anything from anxiety, depression and addiction to the aforementioned serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia. A person with balanced shen will present as healthy, harmonious and level-headed. A person with disturbed shen will present with a lack of spirit or emotion, illogical reasoning and symptoms of mental illness. 

Ultimately, we want to have a balanced shen. This means we may have emotional responses to external stimuli or internally generated thoughts or feelings and we are capable of controlling and recovering from these situations without much incident.  Somebody who has a disturbed shen, would not know how or be able to deal with a similar situation and may act out irrationally while drawing attention to themselves. An example would be when a person with a balanced shen becomes angry or cries for some reason. They tend to feel relief after the emotion has passed. While somebody with a disturbed shen may continue the irrational behavior for quite some time without ever feeling that relief and they might need intervention to return to a somewhat balanced state. 

Maintaining a healthy shen also means that we maintain a healthy body.  A strong shen is fundamental to good health.  When the shen is weak, the body will eventually fail.  To keep the shen healthy we should focus on maintaining a positive mindset, getting enough rest, seeking peace, connecting with nature, meditating and showing compassion. This means we ultimately need to avoid overwork, chronic stress, an erratic daily schedule, lack of sleep and volatile emotions such as anger, hatred and resentment. This may seem pretty logical, but based on the amount of shen disturbance/mental illness in the world, it is clear we have lost our way to some degree.  

The good news is the cumulative shen of the planet can be changed over time and we can all have a hand in making that change.

Comments
    Book Now!

    RSS Feed

    Authors

    Rebecca M H Kitzerow is a Licensed Acupuncturist practicing in La Center, Washington. With over a decade of experience she has won 10 Nattie consumer choice awards from Natural Awakenings Magazine since 2014.

    Rebecca practices a variety of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques including Tan Acupuncture, Kiiko style Japanese Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedies, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Foot Reflexology, Cupping and Gua Sha. Rebecca strives to help people Be Well and Stay Well in every way.

    Archives

    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Acupuncture
    Affordable Care Act/Obamacare
    All Ways Wellness
    All-ways-wellness
    All Ways Well News And Updates
    Antiaging
    Anti Aging
    Archive
    Arthritis
    Car Accident
    Chinese-herbs
    Chinese-herbs
    Diet And Nutrition
    Diet-and-nutrition
    Digestive
    Electro Acupuncture
    Facial-rejuvenation
    Fertility
    Find Your Well
    Find-your-well
    Foot-reflexology
    Goodell Pt
    Healthcare
    Healthy Living
    Healthy-living
    Heart Health
    Herbs
    Infertility
    Intermittent Fasting
    Japanese-acupuncture
    Menstrual Irregularity
    Motor Vehicle Accident Treatment
    Mthfr
    Mva
    Newsupdates06fb9f432f
    Pain
    Physical Therapy
    Postpartum Recovery
    Preventative Medicine
    Preventative-medicine
    Psoriasis
    Psoriatic Arthritis
    Seasonal
    Stress
    Wellness

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Hey Paul Studios, BeGreen_Studio, Pawel Pacholec, 1950sUnlimited, toulupaliaqaz, Joelk75, OnTask, Robert Gourley, cnu_sports, Mitya Ku, FootMassagez, 401(K) 2013, Mariana Heinz, @EdwardTerry, fishhawk, liverpoolhls, torbakhopper, Boemski, dolomitibl, Driscolltheque, Dave n Laura, Vaping360, MVWorks, Life Mental Health, MVWorks, mikefats, Scot Nelson, jfl1066, wZa HK, ruurmo, Guadalupe Cervilla, Army Medicine, GViciano, torbakhopper, adrigu, Saulo Cruz, Ben Cumming, marniejoyce, kcxd, JasonCorey, kanenas.net, Live to Create Photography, gm.esthermax, Unique Hotels Group, Zenspa1, mysiana, Tobias Lindman, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Kristoffer Trolle, swanksalot, Bill Selak, Parker Knight, stimpsonjake, Gedankensprudler, SuperFantastic, tonynetone, marniejoyce, JeepersMedia, Illusive Photography, 'Ajnagraphy', Iban Torras, scotted400, gtall1, dvanzuijlekom, BPPrice, Skley, torbakhopper, Renato Ganoza, anka.albrecht, QUOI Media, Public Domain Photos, Instant Vantage, Victor Tongdee, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, sportEX journals, Nadja Tatar, angela n., marniejoyce, MVWorks, Karolina Kabat, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, UofT, ginnerobot, tracilawson, haven't the slightest, My Photo Journeys, Pierre Willemin, Florena_Presse, SuperFantastic, colindunn, zzkt, TraumaAndDissociation, ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd., marniejoyce, Tomás Fano, freestock.ca ♡ dare to share beauty, Archives New Zealand
  • Home
  • Book Now!
  • Blog
  • About
    • Covid19 Information for Patients
    • About Rebecca
    • Traditional Chinese Medicine - Ancient Methods for Modern Times
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Medicare Chronic Low Back Pain Acupuncture Benefit at All Ways Well
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Treatment
    • Virtual Fullscript Dispensary
    • DAO Labs - Order online!
    • Rasa Adaptogen Tea - order now!
    • Auto Accident Acupuncture
    • Gift Certificates
  • Resources For Patients
    • Food Allergies & Elimination Diets
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Amazon Store
  • Contact