The Metal Element, which includes our Lungs and our Colon, is the Element most profoundly impacted by the Covid 19 virus. The classical literature of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine[1] refers to the Lung’s function as “receiving the inspiration of the heavens”. It helps us find the presence of a spiritual guide in turbulent times. These same texts refer to the Colon as being responsible for “the drainage of the dregs”. It helps us let go of what is no longer useful. Together, they regulate the coming and going of inhale and exhale, receiving and letting go and all the rhythms …

Trauma Training Tip Our blood is the substance associated with the Wood Element, and in particular the Liver Organ. When we experience “too much, too fast, with inadequate support,” our heart communicates a sense of life threat to the kingdom of the body via the blood pulse. The blood carries the Heart’s message of pending threat to every corner and crevice so we can respond in a comprehensive and coordinated way. One of the many roles of the Liver is to “restore the blood.” It cleanses it of toxic substances and restores its inherent regulation. If the blood is overwhelmed …

Trauma Training Tip The Lunar New Year on January 25, 2020 marked the beginning of the Spring or Wood season in Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (AAM). Sap starts running in the trees, we feel a spring in our step, and the promise of spring fills the air. The Wood Element mirrors the role of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), which supports our capacity to “get up and go.” AAM ascribes the spiritual quality of benevolence to the Wood Element. Our SNS is always “on” and available to fulfill its function to protect and defend us by helping us orient to …

Trauma Training Tip Our bones and teeth are the tissues associated with the Water Element. Researchers at Columbia University, using mice as subjects, have made some fascinating discoveries about the role of our bones in the self-protective response; and in whole-body regulation. Their research focuses on the role of osteocalcin, a bone-derived hormone. They conclude that the stress response is initiated by osteocalcin, which then signals the adrenal gland to initiate the “fight or flight” signal in the body. Osteocalcin is clearly a “Water” hormone. Their research demonstrates its role in supporting pre-natal brain development, cognitive functions such as learning …

Trauma Training Tip Winter – a season for deep rest and thoughtful contemplation. Its organs are the Kidney and the Bladder. The Kidney’s emotion is fear. Its tissue is the bones. Its sense organ is the ears – it supports our capacity to hear even what we are afraid to hear. It also stores our genetic potential or essence (called the Jing in Chinese) and thus plays a critical role in the transformation of the impact of ancestral or inherited traumatic stress. The Kidney provides the power for us to take action when the Adrenal Gland, which sits on top …

Trauma Training Tip The skin and body hair correspond with the Metal. In presence of threat, our skin wakes up with “goose bumps” and the hair on the back of our neck may stand up. Our skin is our largest organ, our fundamental armor and our essential container. It keeps the outside world out and the inside world in. Our skin’s role in the Self Protective Response is to alert us to something new in our external environment. It has richly sensate experiences about the nature, location, quality, and kind of touch it likes or dislikes. In fact, it is …

Trauma Training Tip Autumn. The air becomes crisp and clear. The loss of light inhibits chlorophyll production — and allows the inherent beauty of the leaves to show. Like the trees that show their splendor, we too are supported to see and know our value — and own essential, gem-like nature. The Metal Element’s organs are the Lung and the Colon. It represents both the beginning and the conclusion of the cycle of creation. We measure the beginning and ending of a life with the Lung’s function — it carries our “first” and our “last” breath. The Lung houses the …

Trauma Training Tip The “flesh” is the tissue associated with the Earth Element in Acupuncture and Asian Medicine. While our skin communicates sensations from the outside world, our muscles communicate sensations from our inner experience. If we have an experience of a failure of self-protection – our muscles will hold that story. What we believe and how we feel about that failure will be stored in our muscles. They may be braced or collapsed, or feel weak or invisible. They may experience “unexplainable” pain. They can lose their capacity to control the amount of energy necessary to effect a particular …

Trauma Training Tip August. We enter the 5th season in the Lunar Calendar – Late Summer. The air is thick. Our bodies may feel dense and heavy. It is the season of the Earth Element, and the Stomach and Spleen. In the context of the self-protective response, the Stomach and Spleen are responsible for “digesting the gristle” and “harvesting the lessons.”  When we experience a life-threatening event, our organs of digestion are temporarily shut down so all our energy can go to our muscles and joints to mobilize our fight or flight response. It can be challenging to “digest” or …

Trauma Training Tip This month, I would like to explore the complex dynamics of shame in trauma physiology. Shame has a profound influence on the Heart in acupuncture and Asian medicine – and the function of the Ventral Vagus nerve in neurobiology. Its function is to create contraction. You may have never heard someone say that shame has a pro-social component. Shame is actually part of our survival physiology. Its job is to shape behavior to comply with cultural norms. We are pack animals. We need to belong to a group to survive, we need to learn the rules, and …