-IBIS-1.7.0-
tx
mental/emotional
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/ADD
Mind-Body
metaphors and correlations
Wild excitement usually connected to identifying with a secondary process which disturbs the environment while still being capable of communicating with it. (Mindell, 1988, p. 177)
An important characteristic of altered states is that many of them cannot be dealt with sufficiently without entering into them. At one end is consciousness and awareness, while at the other there is literally no control. Everyone's psychotic corner can be accessed by touching upon a central, mythical, painful issue. (Mindell, 1988, p. 164)
Cognitive processes of manic patients manifest typical state-dependent memory and learning characteristics: able to recall verbal information learned during their manic state better during their next period of mania; known as 'affect state dependency' which is encoded by endocrine system hormones. (Rossi, 1986, p. 141)
Beta-adrenergic receptors were studied in vitro in lymphocytes obtained from patients with major affective disorders and controls. Results indicated decreased lymphocyte beta receptor functioning in depression and mania. This decrease may be an index of changes in brain beta receptors in mania and depression, or may simply reflect homeostatic regulation of peripheral beta receptors in response to stress-induced increase in circulating catecholamines. (Locke, 1983, p. 166)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Julian Scott has written and lectured on four primary patterns and their characteristics:
Heat Shi (Excess): energetic with strong underlying constitution; very active, restless, talkative, often destructive; can be very affectionate and warm; anger is strong and straight forward; overheated and often visibly red; tend to insomnia, with waking early, often 5 a.m.
Heat and Phlegm Shi (Excess): restless, irritable, shouts and has tantrums; often violent, malevolent and willfully destructive; tend to get stuck in anger state; sexually precocious, often have genital or anal fixation; difficulty concentrating and tend to space out due to influence of excessive Phlegm; Phlegm clouds the Heart and impinges upon the ability to discern right and wrong
Middle Warmer Xu (Deficiency), including Spleen Qi Xu (Deficiency): these children can be fearful but love to talk about violent and cruel acts, though they usually do not act them out; love to play destructive games, guns and video games; can be cruel to siblings and rude to parents; they are manipulative and can create disturbances at school as a means of getting energy; often feel as if the world owes them, they have poor boundaries at home, and frequently drain Qi from their parent(s); love does not flow in family; eyes are often dull or resentful; frequently a history of becoming weakened by illness; inclined to be thin, they usually have a poor appetite and poor sleep habits, together with their strong thirst and inclination to excessive consumption of fruit juice and cold drinks, their habits and lifestyle further weaken their Spleen; this is aggravated by their aversion to exercise and inclination to retreat into intellectual activities.
Kidney Qi Xu (Deficiency):. these are tall, thin, beautiful children with poise and sensitivity; they tend to be artistic, excitable and volatile; their eyes are bright in contrast to their pale face and frail bodies, though their face may get red when they get stimulated; they crave sugar and are easily overstimulated by how it fuels their unstable Fire; the Water does not adequately control the Fire in these children and overstimulation causes the Fire to flare and rush up, causing their face to become red; they are easily overstimulated by and become hyperactive after watching television, going to a party, or simply being tired at the end of the day. (Scott)
Liver ~ Gan is the home of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; stores and cleanses the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); opens into the eyes; expresses itself in the nervous system; and reflects emotional harmony and movement.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement.
» Liver Shi (Excess) signs include discontent; anger; priapism; pain in lumbar region and genitals (Seem, p. 28); muscular tension; excessive sex drive; insomnia; moodiness; excitability; genital diseases; red, tearing eyes; compulsive energy; and bitter taste in the mouth.
Heart ~ Xin houses the Shen (Spirit) and reveals itself through the brightness in the eyes; governs Fire and Heat; rules the Xue (Blood) and its vessels and directs the circulation; opens into the tongue and controls speech; and relates to the integration of the organs and the personality.
» Healthy expressions are warmth, vitality, excitement, inner peace, love, and joy.
» Heart Xu (Deficiency) signs include sadness; absence of laughter; depression; fear; anxiety; shortness of breath (Seem, p. 28); cold feeling in the chest and limbs; palpitations; cold sweat; inability to speak; memory failure; nocturnal emissions; and restless sleep. Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Empty Fire, acute and chronic.
» Heart Shi (Excess) signs include false or facile laughter; sobbing; agitated spirit; insomnia (Seem, p. 28); frightful dreams; anxiety; tongue feels numb and heavy; heavy chest; hot sweat; and orange-colored urine.
» The Heart is the Emperor of the bodily realm so that when the Heart is disturbed all the other organs will be disrupted.
» Mental signs of Heart channel disorders include insomnia, anxiety, and all Shen disturbances. (Seem, p. 28)
Mental signs of Triple Warmer channel disorders include emotional upsets caused by breaking of friendships or family relations; depression; suspicion; anxiety; and poor elimination of harmful thoughts. (Seem, p. 28)
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); governs the Xue (Blood); resolves Dampness, and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel balanced and centered.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence
» Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; easy bruising; pale lips; loose stools; and muscular weakness.
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen. This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise, overexposure to external Dampness, and excess consumption of sweet and/or Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen.
» Mental signs of Spleen channel disorders include mental sluggishness; vertigo; melancholia; obsessions turned toward the past; fixed and rigid ideas; sleepwalking; agitated sleep; and nightmares. (Seem, p. 27)
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will) and supports the core vitality; expresses ambition and focus; produces the bone marrow and thereby much of the immune system; and displays the effects of aging, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress.
» Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); hearing loss; fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Often chronic anxiety may induce Xu (Deficiency) and then Fire within the Kidney. (Maciocia, p. 250) Overwork, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).
therapies
lifestyle considerations:
Develop a stable routine at home; reduce the amount of confusion and day-to-day stimuli; set specific mealtimes and bedtimes. (Zand, et al, p. 269-270)
Limit television watching and video games; emphasize exercise and creative activities.
Counseling and behavior modification:
Work with a counselor to discover if there are any family relationship problems that may be triggering ADHD behaviors, especially poor boundaries.
Help a child understand the problem he is wrestling with, how to set goals and standards, and how to recognize and evaluate his behavior. Such programs teach internal controls that can be used in various situations. The child will learn to provide rewards for accomplishments, and how to learn from mistakes. The parent(s) need(s) to work with the doctor or counselor in developing behavior modification programs. The program needs to be clear, easily understood, and easily executed by all who are involved in it - the child as well as the adults. It is essential that these interventions be undertaken with care and compassion, in a calm and loving environment. The child should be a willing participant. Make certain that both parent(s) and child understand that these programs are meant to help, not punish. (Zand, et al, p. 269-270)
Try assigning a small, quickly finished task, and gently insist that it be completed. Then make sure to thank and praise your child when the job is done. (Zand, et al, p. 269-270)
Engage the child in projects he enjoys to help him learn to focus attention. Learning to focus will alter his response to the world, little by little. Parents always need to remember that, in addition to having a nervous system imbalance that makes sitting still a torture, a bright hyperactive child becomes bored easily. Parents need to work with the child to help him actually finish a project. Finishing a project will provide a sense of competence and increased self-esteem. Mastery and completion of a task call for praise. (Zand, et al, p. 269-270)
Parental changes:
Parents should seek counseling for themselves to gain support and understanding and to help decrease feelings of frustration and isolation. Parents can learn how to be with and support the hyperactive child, and how to feel calm and connected even when the situation seems out of control. Parents also need to learn that it is important for them to take some time off without feeling stress or guilt for leaving a "difficult" child with competent other. (Zand, et al, p. 269-270)
Parents MUST take time out from the situation. After an afternoon, evening or weekend off you will come back refreshed and more calm and loving. Everyone will appreciate the benefits of some time apart.
Chinese pattern therapeutics:
Heat Shi (Excess): these children need to watch less television, play video games far less often, if at all, use computers less, and exercise more (Scott)
Heat and Phlegm Shi (Excess): only a small percentage have a true Shen Disturbance, which will become more apparent as the treatment reduces the Phlegm component and the child might become more scary (Scott)
Middle Warmer Xu (Deficiency), including Spleen Qi Xu (Deficiency): parents need to establish and maintain stronger and clearer boundaries; as the child becomes stronger with treatment, they will ask for love when they need it, such as during illness, not just when they want it (Scott)
Kidney Qi Xu (Deficiency): encourage child to do gentle exercise and rest more; encourage creativity; eliminate television or stimulating activities for at least two hours before bedtime; go to bed early; avoid sugar and limit activities that overstimulate (Scott)
theotherapy:
Adonis, Dionysus, Eros, Pan, Perseus (Lemesurier, p. 100)
hypnotherapy:
'affect bridge': 'Go back in time to when you last experienced that emotion.'
When a series of memories is recalled through this affect bridge, one arrives at the forgotten traumatic source of a personality problem that had previously been unavailable to the person. The affect bridge functions as a state-dependent pathway to the endocrine hormone-encoded source of a problem that can now be accessed and reframed therapeutically. (Rossi, 1986, p. 141)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (see process interview: psycho/neurological system)
see also:
the shadow and physical symptoms
converting a symptom to a signal
state-dependent learning
subjective inquiry approach
body reveals: the spirit
exploratory or mechanistic?
theotherapy
hypnotherapy
process paradigm
footnotes
Flaws, Bob. A Handbook of TCM Pediatrics: A Practitioners Guide to the Care and Treatment of Common Childhood Diseases. Blue Poppy Press, Boulder, CO, 1997.
Scott, Julian. The Acupuncture Treatment of Hyperactivity and Attention Deficit Disorder. Northwest Regional Acupuncture Conference, November 1996.
Zand, Janet, Walton, Rachel, and Rountree, Bob. Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY, 1994.