Understanding the Impact of Emotions on Physical Health: An Acupuncturist’s Point of View on the Mind Body Connection

Chinese doctors have long-known about the link between mind and body, and the powerful effect emotions can have on our physical bodies. Because of this mind body connection, our emotional and physical health are inextricably linked. Our bodies respond to the way we feel, whether we’re happy or sad, anxious or calm, etc.

In a very concrete way, the state of our emotional well-being dictates the state of our physical health. Or to put it another way, emotions can cause physical disease.

So how does it work?

Modern physics tells us that everything is made up of atoms with a positively charged nucleus and negatively charged electrons revolving around it. In between there is lots of empty space. This gives rise to everything we experience in this material realm – objects, plants, animals, etc., including humans. This is the field of particle physics.

However, just as light can be thought of as both a particle and a wave (or frequency), so too can all of existence.

The universe and everything in it can be seen as made up of energy or vibration/frequency. From the densest stone or metal to the lightest air in the tangible realm, but also sounds, thoughts, ideas, information, emotions and even the vacuum of space can be seen as (potential) energy and vibration. It’s simply the density or frequency of vibration that is different.

With this view then, every part of the human body and the human experience can be seen as energy or frequency; from our skin and bones, to our thoughts and emotions, and our consciousness.

One way to view life, I believe, is to think of the human experience as about experiencing energy and allowing it to move through us, hopefully in a smooth, graceful way. When we have a thought – energy is moving through us. When we experience an emotion – energy is moving through us. How easily and fully we allow the energy to flow through us determines how we experience something, and whether it is pleasant or not.

As we experience life and these energies come into us, they create the emotions that we feel. Sometimes emotions are unpleasant and even hard to experience. We may feel sadness and even anger when a loved one passes away, or a relationship ends. We might feel fear when money is tight or we lose a job. Unpleasant as they may sometimes be, these are what create the richness of life experience, and the opportunity for growth.

Since emotions can often be challenging and unpleasant, both for ourselves and the people around us, they are often kept inside and bottled up. We are taught by our parents or society that we shouldn’t express emotions.

Many of us have never had anyone model the positive expression of emotion. We probably all heard the phrase “big girls and boys don’t cry” when we were kids. It’s practically ingrained in our culture to suppress emotions and to just grin and bear it. But the reality is, if we resist an emotion and don’t allow it to pass through us – if we don’t truly and fully feel and experience it completely, with all the pain and tears that might accompany it – the emotion can get stuck and buried within us.

When we resist feeling these emotions and they become stuck, this then requires us to use energy to keep the emotion buried away and at bay.

How the Mind Body Connection Manifests in Your Life

Emotions which are stuck in us can build up over time, and can manifest as both psychological and physical problems.

We often feel very tired because we are unconsciously expending so much energy to keep these emotions from boiling over. I like to use the analogy of a manhole cover in the street, and underneath are all the emotions from our life we haven’t fully felt and let go of. Over time we end up having so much bottled up emotion underneath this manhole cover that we are using all our strength just to keep the lid on. It’s physically exhausting, and unsustainable.

Since our physical and emotional bodies are so closely linked, when your emotional body is out of balance, for example when you are stressed, anxious or upset, your physical body may develop pain or disease in an attempt to communicate that something is wrong.

Some of the more common physical symptoms that have been known to be caused by emotional imbalance include:

Sometimes it can feel like we have to work hard to keep a lid on our emotions.

• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Fatigue
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Lower back pain
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Asthma
• Weight gain or loss

These are the common ones, but in my clinical experience, pretty much any physical condition one might have can be caused (or exacerbated) by emotional distress. From musculoskeletal pain (especially chronic, unremitting or frequently recurring) to autoimmune disease, digestive disorders, to anxiety and depression, etc.

How Do You Improve Your Emotional and Physical Health?

To free ourselves of the detrimental effect emotions can have on our bodies, we need to learn/remember that emotions are a perfectly normal, natural and good thing, and not something to be avoided all the time. And we need to move toward them, instead of away from them, to start to get in touch with them and release them.

First, shift your focus to one of feeling in the body rather than thinking in the head or mind. Setting aside quiet time on a regular basis to do this is important. If you tend to have a hard time connecting with emotions, it can be helpful to shift your attention to the physical sensations you are feeling in your body.

Observe internally any feelings or sensations of tightness, pain, or just general uneasiness. These can be access points to stuck emotions. Your mind may wander or send you all types of thoughts to distract you from doing this. Just hang in there and as much as possible, stay calm and focused.

Next, acknowledge whatever arises in a non-judgmental way. Don’t worry about understanding it or figuring out where it stems from right now. Just feel it, fully, and allow it to continue for as long as your body wants it to. This may mean crying uncontrollably for several minutes. Just trust that this is a natural cleansing process taking place in your body. Resist the temptation to stifle it, label it, or judge it or yourself for having that emotion or reaction. Just feel it from a compassionate and loving place.

Let go of resisting the feeling, and let it be fully felt and pass through you. Trust that it will subside. When you do, it will dissipate and you’ll feel a sense of relief and lightness, more comfort in your physical body, and with time and practice, more peace, joy, and happiness.

Here are some helpful tips to help you deal with your emotions:

Express your feelings:

Tell your loved ones when you are struggling with emotions. Remember, they are normal, natural and legitimate. Talking about your emotions will help you release them. Sometimes your friends and family aren’t able to help you to deal with your emotions, or they are going through the same difficulty. In this case, find a professional for help. If the idea of talking to someone terrifies you, try writing them down in a journal, or even just on a scrap piece of paper. The important thing is to get them out into the open.

Live a balanced life:

When you eat healthy meals, exercise regularly and get enough sleep, it will go a long way to help your emotional health. When emotions do come up, they will be much more easily dealt with in a healthy, well-rested person. Try to focus on the positive things in life. Make time for things you enjoy.

Spend time relaxing and de-stressing:

When we are relaxed and feeling safe, that’s when we are able to let go of things. Starting some kind of practice to facilitate this is a great idea. This may include meditation, yoga, stretching, gardening, swimming, dancing, cooking, or just consciously breathing deeply for a few minutes.

Massage and Bodywork:

Massage and bodywork help open up tissues that can be storing these unprocessed emotion, allowing for smoother letting go.

Acupuncture:

This is a personal favorite of mine, of course. Acupuncture especially can help us get in touch with our emotions and release them. It helps us to let go of holding down the manhole cover in a safe and more controlled way. It often happens during treatment that someone will start crying for no apparent reason. They might not necessarily even know why or what they are/were upset about. This is perfectly normal. It is simply the beautiful wisdom of the body releasing stored emotions which couldn’t be let go earlier.

The more we can say yes to feeling emotions, regardless of what they are – joy or sadness – the healthier we’ll be physically, and the richer our lives will be in general. If you think emotions might be lodged in your body affecting your physical health, feel free to give me a call and we can discuss how I might be able to help.

For more on this topic, I highly recommend the documentary film E-Motion: The Movie. And an excellent book on this is Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want, by Ronald J. Frederick.

E:Motion: a documentary film exploring the impact of emotions on physical health.

Living Like You Mean It: An excellent book on how emotions impact our lives and how them can become a positive force.