WOOD...active, productive, busy, wanting to please. These are the qualities, or general personality traits, of the element of Wood, according to TCM.
What may happen when Wood is blocking another element? When Wood blocks Earth, it uses its outward flow of energy to create defenses against sensitivity. Earth is too emotional and susceptible to being hurt, so Wood puts up walls to keep people at a distance. It still wants to please and to be good, so it focuses on being loving rather that letting love in. Wood works tirelessly under the pressure of obligation and expectation to prove itself, either to others or to itself. They feel that they only have worth so long as they are doing what is expected of them. It is usually never enough, so they never stop doing. They become more and more isolated because actions feel more important than deep relationships. The defensive walls rise higher because they feel like they are pouring out love but not getting it in return. They become increasingly more depleted because they work so hard and don't give themselves the opportunity to rest and replenish.
What may it look like when Wood is the one being blocked? When Metal is blocking Wood, it is like a toxic, over-bearing parent (Metal) trying to break a spirited child (Wood) down into submission. Metal uses shame, guilt and suffering to control Wood. Wood becomes heavy, depressed, unmotivated and obedient. Wood tends to worry and overthink every action, to the point that it never gets anything done. Wood is trying its best to make Metal proud, but doesn't know how.
What happens when Wood is opened? When Wood is opened and the threat of consequences is lifted, Wood feels like it can do anything. There is nothing holding it back, telling it no, or dictating how it should live its life. A Wood person may get the urge to do something crazy or destructive, something they were never allowed to do while Metal's influence was so strong. The question that Wood needs to process is, "If I can do anything, why not do bad things?". However, there is a deeper question to be asked. Wood is in charge of manifesting our deepest held beliefs, which are formed in Metal. The true question is, "What do I deserve?". When we believe that we deserve suffering, Wood will manifest a life of suffering by making bad decisions, and when we believe that we deserve good things in life, Wood will manifest happiness by making good decisions. The reason people believe they deserve suffering is because of Metal's shame, guilt and toxicity. When all of that is removed, Wood no longer has a desire to make bad decisions because something better is hoped for.
Wood is in charge of storing blood. At any point in time, the liver holds about 1/4 of the body's blood. It requires this vast volume because it has such a demand for nutrients. Like Wood's personality, the liver is given a lot of responsibility and works very hard to get everything done. It plays a role in detoxification, blood building, circulation, hormone balance, digestion, blood sugar balance, joint health, as well as many other processes. When the liver becomes blood deficient, it doesn't have enough resources to complete all of its tasks, so it starts cutting corners. Any of the liver's many functions can be deranged by lack of proper blood flow. Blood tonics are sometimes necessary to build up the blood of the whole body. At other times, there is sufficient blood elsewhere, but it is not flowing to the liver properly. Vascular tonics are helpful here, to move old venous blood out and get fresh arterial blood in. Antispasmodics and nervines can also be helpful if the liver is too tense to allow blood flow.
In addition to emotions, there are many other correspondences to each of the five elements. For example, Wood's quality is solidity, its movement bends and straightens, the season is spring, the direction is east, the color is green, the taste is sour, the climate is windy.
For an explanation of the theory of the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, please see our past post entitled, "A Simple Introduction to The Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine". Past blogs as well as future blogs continue to explore individual elements of the Five Elements theory and how they relate to our emotions. We're excited to share more with you soon!
[The information in this blog is used with permission and taken directly from the transcript of "The Mind-Body Connection in TCM' by Paige Hill of Oak Leaf Herbal. It is for educational purposes only.]
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