Overcoming Trauma with Acupuncture: What Does Blood Have to do with it?

Chinese Medicine teaches us that memory is stored in the blood. For all of those emotional entanglements that remain stuck in our minds and our bodies that may or may not have led to physical aches and pains, there is an answer.

Think back to an emotional experience in life and remember how your body felt. Was it
a smooth experience or was it too much to handle? A smooth experience can create
a memory that makes us feel warm and happy but what happens to our bodies when
emotions, good or bad, are too much to endure?

To answer this, I must give you a lesson in how Chinese Medicine works. In theory, there
are channels in which our energy and blood flow to keep our bodies in balance and provide nourishment to our organs. When everything is as it should be, the channels remain clear and healthy. However, when strong emotions are felt and are not completely processed, a blockage forms. A good analogy is that of a freeway which allows cars to travel to their destination. All is well until there is an accident and suddenly all of the cars get backed up and the freeway becomes a parking lot.

Some emotions are so intense that our bodies shut down and our channels become
blocked putting our organs unexpectedly at risk. Our bodies, as brilliant as they are, will re-
route our blood by creating new vessels. These new vessels, called luo vessels in Chinese
Medicine, will store those emotions until we are ready to process them.

These vessels show up in our bodies in different ways. One such way is spider veins. Little
varicosities full of stuck emotion just waiting to be resolved. And you have the power to
overcome and resolve them.

Our emotions are there to serve and guide us through life. Honoring and trusting our
emotional selves allows for the opportunity to be the healthiest we can be. If you’ve suffered a trauma that leaves you with varicosities, take a moment and ponder what emotions need to be addressed and released.

Finding an acupuncturist that can help navigate and break up the physical blockages will
enable the journey for emotional healing to move forward and will help return the body to a state of optimal being.