Alleviate feelings of guilt
Lately clients have been coming to me to help alleviate their feelings of guilt. The guilt they experience is a deep, all-consuming emotion that is hard to shake. I guess this is a fitting sentiment for the season we are in: fall. This is a time of inward-directed emotions, slowing down, and processing. According to the Internal Classic of Chinese Medicine, “The forces of Autumn create dryness in Heaven and metal on Earth; they create the lung organ and the skin on the body… and the nose, and the color white, and the taste spicy…the emotion, the grievance, and the ability to make a crying sound.” This is part of the theory of the five elements of Chinese Medicine; ancient practitioners translated the five elements they found in nature of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, into human psychology, physiology, and pathology.
The metal element, for example, is associated with the Autumn season. Autumn conjures up images of dryness as the leaves change color and then fall to the ground. The environmental influence of the metal element is dryness, which is also the path to disease it represents, as we see the link between nature and the human body. When dryness enters the body, it usually affects the lungs. The organs associated with the metal element are the lungs and the large intestine. The dryness affects the mucosa that lines the large intestine and lungs and causes sinus problems, asthma, poor digestion and weak immunity. Spicy-tasting foods are associated with the metal element and protect and purify your organs. Spicy foods like chilies protect the lungs; mucilaginous foods like licorice and slippery elm coat and protect the large intestine. Fibrous foods cleanse the colon; Green algae contain chlorophyll that cleanses the lungs.
The emotion of the metal element is grievance. What is interesting to note is that “guilt” is not an emotion associated with any of the five elements. Grievance is a contracting force, making us look inward and evaluate. We can focus on our sorrows and resolve them. What then is the difference between grievance and guilt? Grievance is a sadness expressed by a loss. It is a healthy and functional emotion; grievance clears repression, heals areas where disease might otherwise develop, and strengthens the inner foundation of health (Pitchford 2002). Guilt is linked to a sense of self and a negative view of it, which may be why it is not found in TCM. Ancient TCM practitioners and patients did not have the same exclusive view of the self that we have today, but rather a more socially constructed paradigm (Macocia 2011).
Guilt is a negative emotion that takes us to a dark place in our psyche. It’s a place to wallow, and in a way, it’s forgiving. Instead of functionally feeling our grievance, going through the process of assessing its source, sharing our feelings with others, and allowing ourselves to heal, it’s easy to find ourselves feeling guilty—guilt for what we’ve done or what we could have done. differently. These are dramas that play out in our mind; the mind surrenders to its fantasy and we stop living in gratitude for the present moment. It may be more difficult to understand our grievance and move forward with courage and faith.
I recommend that my clients practice positive thinking exercises, deep breathing, and meditation. Yoga advises us to seek answers within ourselves by calming and concentrating the mind. When we meditate we experience the infinite joy of the present moment and the abundance of the universe. The practice of Yoga helps us to withdraw inward and renew our connection with our divine Self. Relaxation gives us the chance to let go of all our worries and tap into the inner resource of peace and comfort.
