-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
digestive system
Crohn's disease/regional enteritis
psychospiritual approaches

metaphors and correlations

• Feeling of oppression and defeat; overexacting parents; great need for affection. (Hay, 1984, p. 160)
• Fear; worry; not being good enough. (Hay, 1984, p. 170)
• Inflammation: fear; inflamed thinking; seeing red; anger and frustration about conditions in one's life. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-1)
• Colitis patients are most afraid of living their own lives, realizing their own personalities. Taking up one's own position vis-a-vis others inevitably entails a certain degree of isolation and thus a loss of symbiosis. It is out of this fear of loss that they 'sweat blood' via the intestine, and via the unconscious are sacrificing the symbols of their own life, namely blood and slime. Accepting responsibility is their task of transformation. (Dethlefsen, p. 137)

Chinese psychophysiology:
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; governs the Xue (Blood) and holds it in the vessels; and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel balanced and centered.
»
Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence.
» Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; easy bruising; pale lips; loose stools; muscular weakness; and, indirectly, obesity. Spleen Xu (Deficiency) increases the susceptibility to "invasion" by the Liver.
» The excessive use of the mind
in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen and may lead to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis). This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise, overexposure to external Dampness, and excess consumption of sweet and/or Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen.

Liver ~ Gan is the residence of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); controls the muscles, especially their contractility; and reflects emotional harmony and movement.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement.
» Liver Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry stools, skin and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down. Liver Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) predisposes to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis) and Xue (Blood) Heat. Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to the Shi (Excess) conditions of Liver Wind, Liver Yang Rising, and Liver Fire Blazing.
» Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216)
» Liver Shi (Excess)
signs include discontent; anger; pain in lumbar region and genitals (Seem, p. 28); muscular tension; excessive sex drive; insomnia; moodiness; excitability; genital diseases; red, tearing eyes; compulsive energy; and bitter taste in the mouth. Chronically suppressed anger can implode and give rise to Fire in the Liver and Gall Bladder with symptoms of irritability, bitter taste, headaches, etc., and a tendency to "invade" the Spleen and Intestines.

Small Intestine ~ Xiao Chang receives and transforms food by separating the Clear (Pure) from the Turbid (Impure), with the Clear becoming bodily fluids and the Turbid becoming urine - this function also operates on the emotional, mental, and spiritual levels; regulates quality of Xue (Blood); and is responsible for digestion and nutrient absorption.
»
Healthy expressions are love, joy, and the ability to discriminate; and, as the Princely Fire, warmth, vitality, and excitement.
» The Small Intestine is affected by sadness which grips a person and destroys the mental clarity and capacity of sound judgment for which this organ is responsible. (Maciocia, p. 273) Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with cruelty, hate, indiscretion, and impatience.

Large Intestine ~ Da Chang governs transformation and conveyance of waste from food to form stool; relates to strength and sustainability as the Yang aspect of Metal.
» Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with sadness, grief, and worry. Worry depletes the Lung Qi which fails to descend and assist the Large Intestine in its functions.
»
Healthy expressions are righteousness and courage.
» Stagnation of Qi in the Large Intestine produces spastic abdominal pain and constipation, with small stools alternating with diarrhea.

Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; governs Water to regulate body fluids; provides the "Fire of Life" through its Yang functions for the digestive processes and the functions ascribed to the adrenals; and displays the effects of aging, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress.
»
Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); hearing loss; fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Often chronic anxiety may induce Xu (Deficiency) and then Fire within the Kidney. (Maciocia, p. 250) Overwork, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).


therapies

imagery:
• luminous blue (Chavez)
• understanding the worm (Chavez)

affirmation:
• I love and approve of myself.
• I create my own joy.
• I choose to be a winner in life. (Hay, 1984, p. 160)
• I am wonderful.
• I am doing the best I can.
• I am at peace. (Hay, 1984, p. 170)

(Inflammation)
• My thinking is peaceful, calm, and centered.
• I am willing to change all patterns of criticism.
• I love and approve of myself. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-1)

psychotherapy:
• In cases of stomach disorders and digestive complaints, ask some related questions:
» What is it that I am unable or unwilling to swallow? Assimilate? Let go of?
» Is something eating me up inside? What am I feeling so sour about?
» How am I handling my feelings? How am I coping with my aggression?
» To what extent am I avoiding conflicts? Am I longing for the conflict-free time of childhood when I was secure, loved, and cared for? (Dethlefsen, p. 134)
• Those who are prone to inflammations are attempting to avoid conflicts. The following questions may be helpful:
» What conflict am I failing to see? hear? feel? move?
» What conflict am I dodging? What is my relationship to it?
» What conflict am I failing to admit to?" (Dethlefsen, p. 108)

process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
• What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: digestive system)

related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
converting a symptom to a signal
imagery: precautions
imagery: techniques
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
hypnotherapy
process paradigm


footnotes

Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.