Yet their role is more important in our lives than most realised. The emotions have a physical effect on the body and impact our actions and thinking. In many ways, they are the primary guiding force that makes us who we are. All of our actions are at some level directed by our emotions. We tend to move towards pleasing emotions and away from those that cause pain.
Often, we feel that our emotions are beyond our control, the good news here is that just as they affect our thoughts and actions. Our thoughts and actions can create our emotions, for instance, some people have heard how laughter is good for health and have deliberately chosen to read, listen to and watch only those things that make them laugh and bring them joy. This has been known to help them recover from severe illness. In fact, it is possible to live healthier, happier lives by choice.
According to Chinese medicine, strong emotion can disrupt the normal circulation of body energy or Qi, an example of this is butterflies in the stomach, stage fright or hot flushing when we are embarrassed.
In some cases, strong emotion is repressed and bound-up as tension in various parts of the body. This is often because it is painful, and we try to avoid feeling it. One important point is that this tension may become locked in and remain there for years. Even though the event that caused the emotion is long gone, the tension remains like a physical memory.
Acupuncture is one of the most powerful ways to release this tension and allowing the energy to circulate properly. This can bring a sense of lightness and a great relief from the weight of past burdens. After Acupuncture treatment some people report that they feel unexplained strong emotions that have no apparent cause. This is usually the release of previous bound-up emotion and will dissipates soon leaving the person feeling better afterward.
In homoeopathy, emotions play key role in selecting the right remedy to overcome the illness, and we often find that a well prescribed a homoeopathic remedy will not only cure the illness that they sought treatment for but also greatly improve the temperament in general.
