OBSERVATION OF THE MIND, SPIRIT AND EMOTIONS

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OBSERVATION OF THE MIND, SPIRIT AND EMOTIONS

Chapter contents

INTRODUCTION

The Chinese character “Shen” has many different meanings in Chinese medicine, the main ones being, of course, Mind and Spirit. It should be remembered here that I translate as “Mind” the “Shen” pertaining to and residing in the Heart, while I translate as, “Spirit” the total of the Five Spiritual Aspects, i.e. the Ethereal Soul (Hun) residing in the Liver, the Corporeal Soul (Po) residing in the Lungs, the Intellect (Yi) residing in the Spleen, the Will-Power (Zhi) residing in the Kidneys and the Mind (Shen) itself residing in the Heart.

!Remember: I translate the Shen of the Heart as “Mind” and the complex of Hun, Po, Yi, Zhi and Shen itself as “Spirit”.

The Mind and Spirit are formed from the Prenatal Essences of the parents and are nourished by the Postnatal Essence of food and water taken in by the body. For example, Chapter 32 of the “Spiritual Axis” says: “The Mind and Spirit result from the transformation of the Essence of food and water.”¹

Chapter 9 of the “Simple Questions” says:

Heaven provides human beings with the five Qi [air] and Earth provides human beings with the five flavours [food]. The air is absorbed through the nose, and is stored in the Lungs and Heart. It ascends to make the complexion bright and lustrous and the voice sonorous. The food is taken through the mouth, and is stored in the Stomach and Intestines. After the food is digested and absorbed, the food Essence is delivered to the five Yin organs and therefore nourishes the Qi of the five Yin organs. When the Qi of the five Yin organs is in a state of harmony, the body can transform properly, body fluids are produced normally and the Mind and Spirit are formed.²

The Essence, Qi and Blood are the material foundation of the Mind and Spirit and, conversely, the Mind and Spirit are the external manifestation of Essence, Qi and Blood. Chapter 18 of the “Spiritual Axis” says: “The Stomach is in the Middle Burner, it opens into the Upper Burner, it receives Qi, excretes the dregs, evaporates the fluids, transforming them into a refined essence. This pours upwards towards the Lungs and is transformed into Blood … Blood is the foundation of the Mind and Spirit.”³ All the above quotations highlight the relation between the Essence, Qi, Blood and the Mind/Spirit.

The “Great Dictionary of Chinese Medicine” says: “Human life originates from the Essence. It is maintained by Qi and manifested through the Mind and Spirit. Qi, Blood and Essence are the material foundation of the Mind and Spirit. Therefore, when Qi, Blood and Essence are sufficient, the Mind and Spirit are healthy. If there is deficiency of Qi, Blood and Essence, the Mind and Spirit suffer.”⁴

Our physical features reflect the state of the Mind and Spirit and therefore the state of the Mind and Spirit can be gauged through the observation of the physical features.

As we know, Qi is a subtle life force which is manifested simultaneously in the body in all its physiological activities and in the Mind and Spirit in its emotional and thinking activities (Fig. 2.1). For example, the pathological condition of Liver-Qi stagnation manifests with physical signs such as abdominal distension and simultaneously with emotional signs such as depression or mood swings.

Fig. 2.1 Relationship between the body and the Mind and Spirit in Chinese medicine

Therefore, the Mind, Spirit and emotions reflect the state of the internal organs and of Qi, Blood and Essence and, vice versa, the state of Qi, Blood and Essence influences the Mind, Spirit and emotions. Observation of physical features such as the lustre of the complexion and hair, the vitality of the eyes, the tone of voice, the body movement, the pulse, the tongue, etc., help us to assess the state of the Mind, the vitality of the Spirit and the emotional state.

THE THREE ASPECTS OF THE SPIRIT

When observing and assessing the Spirit of a person, we should examine three separate aspects:

• the embodiment of the Spirit

• the vitality of the Spirit

• the lustre of the Spirit.

The embodiment of the Spirit

Observation

The embodiment of the Spirit represents the outward physical manifestation of the Spirit in the body. If the embodiment of the Spirit is strong, a person will have good energy, a strong and solid body build, well-developed muscles, eyes with lustre and a lively expression, agile movements and keen reflexes. The whole body appears to be full of life. If the Spirit is weak, a person will have a weak or emaciated body, lack of energy, eyes without lustre, a dull complexion, slow movements, unsteady walk and slow reflexes. The whole body seems to lack vitality. In severe cases, there will also be mental confusion or lethargy, wasting muscles and a weak body with dull skin.

Clinical significance

The embodiment of the Spirit is the reflection of the Spirit in the body. If the embodiment of the Spirit is strong, it means that Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood are still abundant, pathogenic factors are not so strong, and there is no severe impairment of the internal organs yet. If the embodiment of the Spirit is weak, it shows that pathogenic factors are strong, Upright Qi is exhausted and the internal organs are depleted.

The vitality of the Spirit

Observation

The vitality of the Spirit is its manifestation in the general vitality of a person: the “energy” radiated by people which reflects their Spirit. Observation of the vitality of the Spirit is an integral part of the observation of the Spirit. If the vitality of the Spirit is vibrant, then a person will have a clear mind, high energy, a strong voice, regular breathing, clear thinking and quick reflexes. If the vitality of the Spirit is dull, a person will have low energy, a weak voice, dull expression, lethargy, apathy and, in severe cases, mental confusion.

Clinical significance

The vitality of the Spirit reflects the state of the Mind and Spirit and the relative strength of Qi and Blood of the internal organs and that of pathogenic factors. If the vitality of the Spirit of a person is vibrant, Qi and Blood are abundant, the internal organs are strong, pathogenic factors are weak and the disease is mild. If the vitality of the Spirit is dull, it indicates that Qi and Blood are deficient, the internal organs weak, pathogenic factors strong and the disease severe.

The chapter “Key to the Four Diagnostic Methods” of “The Golden Mirror of Medicine” says: “In the beginning of a disease, the state of the Spirit is important. The reason is that if the Spirit is strong at the beginning of a disease, it means that pathogenic factors cannot defeat the Upright Qi, as it is still strong. If the Spirit is dull, it shows that the Upright Qi cannot resist pathogenic factors as it is deficient.”⁵

The lustre of the Spirit

Observation

The lustre of the Spirit refers to the lustre of the complexion, hair and eyes; the Spirit is reflected in their lustre and observation of them is an essential part of the observation of the Spirit. If the lustre of the Spirit is bright, a person will have a normal, glowing complexion, clear sparkling eyes, shining hair, a lively expression and lustrous, supple skin. If the lustre of the Spirit is dull, a person will have a haggard complexion, withered, lifeless hair, dull eyes and a listless expression and dry, withered skin.

The chapter “On compulsory observation of the Spirit while observing a disease” in the book “Origin of Medicine” (Yi Yuan, 1861) says:

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