-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
mental/emotional
Bipolar Disorder
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
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-depressive 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; likewise, with depression and recall; known as 'affect state dependency' which is encoded by endocrine system hormones. (Rossi, 1986, p. 141)
Antinuclear factor (ANF) was present in serum of 30% of 53 patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital for mental depression. Clinically, ANF positive depression closely resembles manic-depressive psychosis but tends to be more resistant to treatment. (Locke, 1983, p. 164)
The presence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) was investigated in a group of patients suffering from recurrent affective disorders. There was no increase in ANA in patients treated with lithium, as compared with patients not on lithium, or controls. (The prevalence of ANA in the normal population is 9%). (Locke, 1983, p. 167)
Lithium carbonate may have a tendency to produce antinuclear antibodies. (Locke, 1983, p. 71)
50 patients with manic-depressive psychosis, 120 neurotics, and 100 healthy controls underwent the toxoplasmin intradermal test. The highest percentage of reactors was with manic depressive psychosis (67%), and this group showed a higher intensity of reaction. Patients with depressive neurosis accounted for the highest number amongst the neurotics (56%). It is concluded that the percentage of reactors is higher among patients with depressive mental disorders, and also that this percentage increases with mental deterioration in patients. It is further concluded that the greater the severity of the psychiatric disease, the poorer the hygienic habits and the higher the contact with parasites. (Locke, 1983, p. 164)
The production of the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) is controlled by a gene complex on chromosome six. These HLA provide the best possible histocompatibility conditions. Various diseases with a noticeable autoimmune component and frequent occurrence within the family showed a statistically significant correlation with specific HLA. Nevertheless, results obtained are contradictory. In 8 studies of HLA in manic-depressive patients, 17 antigens were being recognized, which occurred with a different frequency when compared with controls. (Locke, 1983, p. 183)
For example, one study showed significantly more manic-depressive patients than controls were found to have HLA-A3, HLA-B7, HLA-Bw16, while significantly fewer had HLA-B8. (Locke, 1983, p. 185)
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:
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 Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry eyes, skin, and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down. Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to the Shi (Excess) conditions of Liver Wind, Liver Yang Rising, and Liver Fire Blazing.
» Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216)
» 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.
» Liver Wind derives from Liver Yin Xu (Deficiency) and/or Liver Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) and their subsequent inability to embrace the Yang, and can manifest as joint stiffness, dizziness, tremor, paralysis, convulsions, rashes, itching, and neurological problems.
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)
Pericardium ~ Xin Bao is the Minister who protects the Heart, the Emperor, and maintains the order of the Heart energy; and as such may be adversely affected by emotional stresses internally or invasion of Heat externally. The Pericardium is said to be the origin of joy and sadness.
» Healthy expressions are joy, happiness, and healthy relationships.
» Weakness, dysfunction, and illness are associated with confusion, delirium, nervousness, and psychosis.
» Mental signs of Pericardium channel disorders include depression, sexual perversion, aversions, and phobias. (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)
» 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)
» Mental signs of Stomach channel disorders include depression; death wishes; instability; suicidal tendencies; mentally overwrought; doubt; suspicions; tendency to mania; and slowness at assimilating ideas. (Seem, p. 27)
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; produces the Marrow which generates the spinal cord and "fills up" the brain; nourishes the brain to sustain concentration, clear thinking, and memory; carries the constitutional endowment from the parents; and displays the effects of sexual dissipation, overwork, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress; likewise any severe disturbance in the complementary relationship between the Kidney and Heart expresses itself in emotional dys-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); 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. As always, Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Empty Fire.
» 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).
» Mental signs of Kidney channel disorders include anxiety, fear in the pit of the stomach; sadness; mental and physical fatigue; antisocial tendencies; and laziness. (Seem, p. 28)
therapies
imagery:
Taueret journey: rebirth (Scully)
Mut and crone journey (Scully)
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?
hypnotherapy
process paradigm
footnotes
Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.