Grief
(Heart break)

A “broken heart” is considered to be the experience of some kind of shock or blow to the “heart”, like a loved one dying or our partner or friend suddenly disappearing. Equally it could be a long term emotionally painful situation that wears away at us reducing our ability to feel confident, secure, and hold on to a sense of our own value and love ourselves.

The Western Medical approach to a “broken heart” or “grief” is considered to be in the domain of psychology or psychiatry and not considered a real medical complaint. The patient is generally referred for counselling or psychotherapy and in some more extreme cases to a psychiatrist. Generally, a “broken heart” is lumped into the “stress/depression” camp and counselling might be recommended and more often than not – anti-depressants might be prescribed to lessen the emotional pain and help the person through this difficult time. 

The Five Element acupuncturist sees a “broken heart” as a very real experience and no less painful than a broken leg! It is normal for us to get knocked emotionally in our lives but if we cannot recover from the trauma it as a sign of an imbalance in the person. All living beings are governed by the natural laws we observe in nature and the cause of the seemingly irreparable “broken heart” experienced by the presenting patient will have a cause in one of the five elements that produce our outer and inner reality. Practitioners of this ancient healing tradition have the skills to diagnose the unique cause of each person’s ‘heart break’ and the subsequent acupuncture treatment has not only the potential to sooth the emotional pain – but all levels of suffering.