Holding up

Over the course of many years I have come to rely on the symbolic language of the body. The body does not lie and it usually gives a very accurate signal of what is really going on beyond physical symptoms and the common categorisation of modern medicine.

Take back pain, for example. There are of course multiple reasons for it and I am not even making an attempt of explaining the many, many factors that can lead to one of the most common physical complaints. But there is always an  energetic component to it, which in turn will point to emotions, blockages and other expressions of the egoic mind. Like with all other physical symptoms, underlying causes may be the basis for many other factors  that ultimately lead to a physical manifestation. So let us look at the different types of back pain to give you an example.

Pelvic back pain has to do with worrying about money or security. It is in the area of the first chakra, which is related to our own position within our immediate environment, our family and those we care for. I have a neighbor who is sometimes coming to see me for her lumbago, which I treat with a few acupuncture needles. The issue is always a problem with her youngest daughter, who is emotionally unstable and a drinker. Issues that have to do with family, physical safety and well-being will always play out in this area and the prevailing emotion is pride.

Lower back pain  is related to the area of the second chakra and has to do with issues of power and control. The feeling of getting betrayed by someone, the literal “stab in the back”, is related to feelings of getting overpowered by someone, or not having one’s own expectations fulfilled. The predominant emotions of this area are blame and guilt.

Pain in the upper section of the back is related to lack of emotional support. It is about feeling unloved, lonely or isolated, but also holding back love and affection. The spine in this area is very stable, so the most common cause of pain and irritation in this area is muscular irritation. I have a patient who has recurrent pain and discomfort  in the area just below the left shoulder blade and this pain has to do with the loss of his wife, who divorced him a while ago.

Pain in neck and shoulder is very common. There are many reasons, but what I always see, is a stubbornness and inflexibility to see things from any other viewpoint. It is an expression of resistance and holding on to a certain path or strategy. Pain in the neck is always related to suppressed anger.

This is just a quick introduction to a subject that I find incredibly insightful and rewarding. The body does communicate with us and the more we learn it’s language and how things are related, and in particular what we do to cause our energies to block up and disrupt our own health and well-being, is an important step to re-establishing health, sanity and liberation of body, mind and soul. For the purpose of a holistic diagnosis it is essential to check for the underlying cause – as well as identifying promoting factors – on all level of being. Whenever an underlying issue is being recognised and accepted, this will become the  foundation for healing.