Organs and Emotions
By Ian Kennedy
Within the traditional practices of natural medicine such as acupuncture from China, Japan and Korea, as well as the Ayurvedic practices from India, emotions and the connection to organs is well established. Today in the contemporary sciences there has been the discovery of what is known as neuropeptides which originate within the organ and has an impact on a persons emotional responses.
From a Bioregulatory view point emotions and organs and the limbic system within the brain all have their place in the manifesting of feelings and the emotional reactions people have. Emotions are accumulated primarily though our five senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling stimulates feeling about the environment and the situation we find ourselves. These are the stimuli to what we call emotions.
It is fair to say that there is not one organ that is more important than another of course because the body needs the harmonies function of all the organs to maintain optimal homeostasis and life. However, the liver is by far the organ that has the most biological importance with over five hundred physiological functions associated with it.
Without good liver function life ends rather quickly. It is also the organ that can regenerate itself without much intervention. The liver is associated with action, accomplishment and the powerhouse of doing and the source of the wood element in the alchemical cycle of the five element within the body. The positive emotions generated from the liver are kindness and generosity. It is also related to the season of spring that abounds with energy, growth, movement and the essence of life.
Conversely, the liver is know for the emotions of anger, frustration and aggression, stubbornness, depression and indecisiveness.
If the liver becomes misbalanced or overly stressed a person may experience these type feelings without an outwardly reason for such a reaction. The liver also like the other organs within the body, holds memory and the memory of the liver is largely memories of old frustrations and resentments from past disappointments or failures.
Often cleansing the liver in different ways can elevate these feeling and take stress off the organ and the person. Topical Caster oil packs as well as liver/gallbladder flushes that are common in biological treatments can have a powerful and positive impact on the liver itself and the emotions produced by it.
Depending on the situation every emotion we experience is appropriate and vital to our survival. Emotions are indeed a survival mechanism. It is only when emotions become out of balance or are produced for no apparent reason can then be seen as a sign of the organ becoming overly stressed or that the person is in some way overwhelmed with a life situation. In the practice of bioregulatory medicine the concept of “when in doubt help the liver out” and you will always assist the person in a return to a balanced emotional state and the organ back to its optimal function.