by Five Element Acupressure holistically addresses body, emotions, mind and spirit/psyche/soul, with greater awareness of the underlying emotional issues that affect your physical ills. The goal is a greater quality of life, improved wellness. It focusses on the WHOLE person not merely the symptoms.
The Five Elements (Wood, Water, Metal, Fire or Earth) refer to seasonal phases or flows that we all have. Ideally, we want these to be in balance. However, we have one Element that is constitutionally out of balance. This is called the CF – the Constitutional or Causative Factor. It is a person’s specific Elemental root imbalance. It can be viewed as one’s Achilles’ heel – one’s default disposition – in both physical body and psychological temperament (similar to say, our Meyer’s Briggs ‘type’). The CF determines how a person interacts with the world in both balanced/positive and imbalanced/negative ways.
One can be born (innate/inherited) with a certain CF and/or early developmental influences (e.g. trauma, parenting, shocks) can determine or enhance the CF. Regardless, the CF impacts or causes other Elements’ imbalances to occur (as all Elements are related).
One’s CF is determined by assessing pulses, COSE (colour, odour, sound, emotion), and other secondary signs or indications. Once determined, treatment choices are made to support (strengthen/weaken) the CF imbalance. For more information on Acupressure visit Articles section.
Here are a couple short videos which explain the Five Elements Theory/Model and how the elements relate to qi/organ imbalances. The Five Elements Around You
Wu Xing Explained: The 5 Elements in Chinese Philosophy
This lively hosted video illustrates the connectedness among each of the 5 Spirits, their corresponding organs, dis-ease and the selection of acu-points!
The Power of The 5 Spirits in Chinese Medicine
For an in-depth look at Five Elements theory: The Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture
