“The heart’s ailment requires the heart’s remedy,” remarked Zhang Jingyue, a renowned physician from the Ming Dynasty. He believed that diseases resulting from unresolved thoughts can only be cured when emotional desires are met and satisfied.
Traditional Chinese medicine and emotional healing
There are various psychological therapies in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Most of them are based on the principle of the five emotions: sorrow suppresses anger, fear suppresses joy, anger suppresses thought, joy suppresses worry, and thought suppresses fear. Depending on the emotional imbalance, one emotion is used to correct and counteract the disease caused by another. For instance, anger is used to treat diseases caused by excessive contemplation, while shock is employed for ailments due to excessive joy.
However, “Emotional Compliance Therapy” stands out. It involves accommodating a patient’s emotions and wishes, and addressing their psychological needs. When emotional problems are resolved, physical ailments tend to either heal or become easier to treat. This therapy is particularly effective for diseases that stem from unfulfilled desires or frustrations.
Whether in governance, household affairs, or medicine, understanding and accommodating human desires and resolving emotional knots are pivotal to addressing core issues.
To understand Emotional Compliance Therapy better, let’s delve into some ancient therapeutic tales.
The silent suffering of a child
Children too can develop psychological illnesses due to unresolved thoughts, but these are often hard to diagnose and recognize.
During the Ming Dynasty, a 6-month-old baby suddenly became gloomy and lethargic, showing a disinterest in breastfeeding. Upon examination, the renowned physician Wan Mizhai remarked: “The child’s complexion doesn’t show any signs of illness. He doesn’t seem to have symptoms of a cold or an internal ailment. Could it be that he’s upset about something, which is affecting his spleen and causing these symptoms?”
Upon reflection, the child’s parents recalled sending away the child’s playmate three days earlier. The nanny also noticed that ever since the playmate left, the child had lost his cheerful demeanor and displayed a lack of interest in breastfeeding.
Wan Mizhai promptly asked the parents to bring back the playmate. Upon their reunion, the baby quickly returned to his cheerful self. The child’s father, in gratitude, exclaimed how they would never have pinpointed the source of the problem without the doctor’s insightful diagnosis. The baby missed his playmate, leading to his depressive symptoms. But being less than a year old, he couldn’t express himself, leaving his family clueless about the root cause.
Gold in the medicine pouch
A salt merchant, who was struggling financially, fell ill after the authorities confiscated the salt he was selling. Desperate and overwhelmed with worry, he coughed up blood due to his distress.
In his fragile state, he sought help from a local renowned doctor, Qian Tongwen. After understanding the merchant’s plight, Qian prescribed a medicine. While packaging the remedy, he discreetly placed half a gold ingot inside.
Upon discovering the gold, the merchant thought there was a mistake and returned to Qian. The doctor, feigning ignorance, said: “Is this my gold? If I’d given it to you, I would’ve mentioned it.” Overjoyed by the unexpected fortune, the merchant drank the prescribed medicine and promptly recovered.
Having lost his livelihood, the merchant’s life was adrift with no anchor. The unexpected gold lightened his heart, and his emotional healing took place. Through this kind-hearted gesture, Qian Tongwen effectively employed “Emotional Compliance Therapy.”
Translated article
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