Thus her "disease" was not only on the level of the body but also on the level of her "soul" or psyche. She could not digest her experience and thus was unable to reap the harvest of her "labor." The joy of motherhood was unavailable to her and this was exhausting her every bit as much as her inability to assimilate the food she was eating. But her lack of nourishment came not only from her inability to digest food but also from an inability to emotionally digest the profound transformational experience of birth.
It was clear to me that one of the main causes of Sharon’s exhaustion was lack of nourishment. Despite the fact that she had been longing to give birth to a child, her exhaustion and emotional lability made is impossible for her to receive pleasure from her baby. She was weepy and overwhelmed by day and restless and worried at night. Sharon was exhausted all the time and having trouble digesting food. I offer the case of Sharon, a young mother who came to me with postpartum fatigue, as an illustration of how the deep wisdom and poetry inherent in the language of Chinese medicine can become an integral part of the healing process. Healing is a result not only of the accurate placement of the needle but also the accurate placement of the word, for, as Diane Connelly says, "every word stirs the life force." Just as needling the points redirects the coursing of the ch’i through the body, articulating the point names can offer a new possibility or direction to the soul. Names such as "Cloud Gate," "Supernatural Tower," "Spirit Burial Ground" and "Dove Tail" reflect the fact that acupuncture points are not only links to the energy of particular meridians but also doorways to specific aspects of a person’s soul. We refer to the complex of imagery and meaning expressed in the point name as "the spirit of the point." When we choose to include the "spirit of the point" in planning a treatment, we allow the ancient wisdom and beauty contained in the point name to become a part of the treatment process. Another way Five Element Acupuncturists use poetry to touch the soul is through the names of the acupuncture points themselves. These images give us a way to heal not only the physical but also the soul level of disease. One of my patients expressed this beautifully when she said, "Understanding that I am 'fire' brings my life together in a new way and yet it's as if this is a truth I've known ever since I was a child." Connecting to these images reorganizes the loneliness, confusion and chaos of disease into meaningful patterns of change. The elements, fire, earth, metal, water and wood are primordial images embedded in our ancient collective consciousness. The language of Chinese medicine uses imagery and metaphors drawn from nature to speak about healing and disease. Poetry, myth, fantasy, metaphor and imagery are ways we call to the soul and bring her back to the realm of matter. Language and soul are related through their shared origin in the pneuma or breath of the divine. Psyche or soul is the link between matter and spirit, personal and transpersonal, mortal and divine. In James Hillman’s words, "soul" is that "unknown component which makes meaning possible and turns events into experiences." The Greek word for "soul" was "psyche" - that which imbues matter with the divine breath of life. This truth touches people’s souls, despite superficial cultural differences. I have come to understand that there is a universal truth that underlies Chinese medical concepts. After thirteen years of practice, I am still in awe at the healing power of the poetics of Chinese medicine, but I am no longer surprised. Even without any precise knowledge of Chinese philosophy, people were anxious to begin using Chinese terms to describe their lives and healing processes. When I first began to speak about Chinese medicine to my patients, I was surprised at how many people resonated deeply and immediately to its language. Fathomless, it seems to be the origin of all things." "The Tao is like an empty bowl, Which in being used can never be filled up.
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