According to the “Book of Rites: Li Yun”, it states: “What is human emotion? Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire, these seven are innate and do not require learning.” This indicates that these seven emotions are inherent to every individual and can be expressed or experienced without formal education. The seven emotions refer to “joy (xi), anger (nu), worry (you), thought (si), sadness (bei), fear (kong), and shock (jing)”—the most fundamental and frequently occurring emotional changes in humans. When these emotions fluctuate excessively, they can lead to an imbalance of yin and yang, and disharmony of qi and blood, resulting in various diseases. As stated in the “Huangdi Neijing: Suwen: On the Correspondence of Yin and Yang”: “Anger harms the liver, joy harms the heart, thought harms the spleen, (sadness) worry harms the lungs, (shock) fear harms the kidneys.” The “Huangdi Neijing: Suwen: On Pain” states: “All diseases arise from qi. Anger causes qi to rise, joy causes qi to relax, sadness causes qi to dissipate, fear causes qi to descend, shock causes qi to become chaotic, and thought causes qi to stagnate.”
Joy is associated with the heart. When one is joyful, the circulation of qi and blood accelerates, the mental state improves, appetite increases, and creativity and imagination flourish, even enhancing disease resistance. Regularly maintaining a cheerful disposition can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, “excessive joy can lead to a slackening of qi and harm the heart” because the heart governs the spirit and houses the mind. Overjoy can result in insufficient heart qi and poor blood circulation, manifesting as palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, excessive sweating, chest tightness, dizziness, and in severe cases, mental confusion or uncontrollable laughter, which can even threaten life.
Anger is associated with the liver. Moderate anger can help release suppressed emotions and assist in the smooth flow of qi, maintaining internal balance. However, “excessive anger can cause qi to rise and harm the liver” because the liver governs the smooth flow of qi and stores blood. Excessive anger can lead to liver stagnation, hyperactivity of liver yang, liver fire invading the stomach, and other conditions, presenting as chest and rib pain, dizziness, flushed face, vomiting blood, and coughing blood. In severe cases, it can trigger stroke, myocardial infarction, or gastrointestinal bleeding, endangering life.
Worry (sadness) is associated with the lungs. When facing setbacks in life or work, moderate crying can help release negative energy and alleviate deep-seated sadness, allowing one to face challenges anew. However, “excessive worry (sadness) can dissipate qi and harm the lungs” because the lungs govern qi, the skin, and respiration. Excessive sadness can lead to lung qi depression, depleting qi and harming yin, manifesting as emotional depression, colds, cough, hoarseness, shortness of breath, blood-stained phlegm, and various skin diseases.
Fear (shock) is associated with the kidneys. Under normal circumstances, fear (shock) can be beneficial as it heightens alertness and helps avoid danger. However, extreme fear can lead to “chaotic qi and harm the kidneys” because the kidneys govern the yin and yang of the body and store essence. Excessive fear can result in kidney instability, insufficient nourishment of the brain, and chaotic qi flow, presenting as incontinence, nocturnal emissions, sudden fainting, and in severe cases, death from shock.
Thought is associated with the spleen. Thought is a state of intense concentration and contemplation. While history encourages everyone to think regularly for personal and societal progress, excessive thinking can lead to “stagnation of qi and harm the spleen” because the spleen governs transformation and transportation, and excessive worry or anxiety can lead to spleen dysfunction, insufficient qi production, and other conditions, manifesting as decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, diarrhea, dizziness, palpitations, anemia, and menstrual irregularities.
The “Huangdi Neijing: Suwen: On Regulating Menstruation” states: “When qi and blood are not harmonious, various diseases arise.” As long as yin and yang are balanced, and qi and blood are harmonized, the body will experience fewer illnesses or none at all. The seven emotions and desires must also be regularly self-regulated, as excess can lead to deficiency; harmony is the best state.
1. Adjusting Emotional Changes Can Treat Illness
As stated in the “Dongyi Baojian”: “To treat the disease, one must first treat the heart, correct the heart, and then rely on the Dao. This allows the patient to eliminate doubts, all false thoughts, all grievances, and all regrets… Once clarified, the heart will naturally be pure, and the disease will naturally heal; if this is achieved, the medicine need not reach the mouth, and the disease will be forgotten.” Wu Shiji in “Liyue Pianwen” states: “The feelings of desire cannot be cured by medicine; the diseases of the seven emotions should be treated with emotions.”
Traditional Chinese Medicine has always emphasized the importance of psychological factors in treatment and has established and accumulated many scientific methods for psychological therapy.
2. Emotional Counteracting Therapy
The “Suwen: On the Correspondence of Yin and Yang” and “Suwen: On the Five Movements” both point out: “Anger harms the liver, sadness overcomes anger; joy harms the heart, fear overcomes joy; thought harms the spleen, anger overcomes thought; worry harms the lungs, joy overcomes worry; fear harms the kidneys, thought overcomes fear.” This method of correcting emotional abnormalities is a principle of TCM mental therapy, which is the basic spirit of “emotional counteracting”.
Consciously adopting another emotional activity to control or adjust the disease caused by certain stimuli can achieve the goal of curing the disease.
3. Emotional Transference Therapy
Emotional transference aims to divert the patient’s attention from the disease, shifting focus elsewhere or changing the surrounding environment to avoid negative stimuli, allowing the patient to transfer emotions to other people or matters, or through conversation and learning to change their emotional state. This is known as emotional transference. The “Clinical Guidelines for Medical Cases” states: “The stagnation of emotions is due to hidden feelings not being expressed… The entire stagnation is based on the patient’s ability to transfer emotions.”
Specific methods should be tailored to the individual and the illness, employing different approaches such as singing, calligraphy, or painting to cultivate emotions, thereby achieving the goal of curing the disease.
4. Following Emotions and Desires Therapy
The “Suwen: On Transforming Essence into Qi” states: “Inquire about the patient’s emotions frequently to follow their intentions.” This is also a form of psychological therapy.
In human society, basic material needs such as food, clothing, and shelter are essential. When these needs are unmet, it can lead to changes in mental and emotional states. Relying solely on persuasion and emotional transference may not achieve therapeutic goals; social support is also necessary. Zhu Danxi once said: “It is said: Food and sex are the greatest desires of humans, and they are of great concern; the desire for food is particularly critical to the body.”