“From conception, an inherent intelligence ceaselessly engages and adapts our innate terrain to life’s stresses, shocks, and trauma. We can only learn from this intelligence (and rarely improve on it) if we recognize and respond quickly to its messages. Respect the symptom, respect your nature; don’t kill the messenger.”
(Hammer, 2010)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) touches every layer of a person’s being—body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Those living with PTSD often experience anxiety, flashbacks, emotional dysregulation, hypervigilance, and a sense of disconnection from the world and from themselves. Acupuncture, particularly through Classical Chinese Medicine and Five Element traditions, offers a profound, holistic approach to healing trauma. More than just providing a temporary sense of calm and relaxation, though this benefit is not to be underestimated, this approach is not merely symptom relief—it is soul-level recovery.
The Shen and the Trauma Imprint
In Chinese medicine, like other healing modalities, trauma is considered to be held within the cells, tissues, and fascia of the body. Unique to Chinese Medicine theory, trauma also impacts the “Shen”—the spirit housed in the Heart. When a trauma is experienced, however big or small, and resources are not available to help one through the experience, the situation can fragment or obscure the Shen, leading to symptoms of anxiety, disorientation, emotional numbness, and a deep sense of disconnection. Acupuncture has the ability to restore coherence and communication between the body and the spirit, allowing the person to feel at home once again and more connected to those around them.
Heart Shock: Revitalizing a Stopped Process
One lens for understanding PTSD in this system is the concept of Heart Shock, discussed at length by psychiatrist and Chinesese medicine practitioner, the late Leon Hammer as well as Ross Rosen. Heart Shock is a diagnostic and clinical pattern that refers to a disruption of the Heart’s ability to contain the Shen due to overwhelming emotional experiences. This disturbance is often felt on the pulse by an acupuncturist as a chaotic, slippery, or faint quality on the radial artery of the wrist. Unresolved Heart Shock can manifest years after the inciting trauma, embedded in the physiology of the body. Treatment focuses not just on calming symptoms but on removing blockages and stagnation and moving Blood and Qi.
PTSD can also be understood as a disruption in self-regulation, with trauma altering the body’s neurophysiology. Chinese medicine offers a method for reorganizing internal experience. Patterns of dysregulation in the pulse, respiration, and emotional states are observed and addressed through acupuncture and herbs, helping to resolve defensive postures that were once protective but have become maladaptive. Through careful listening to the pulse and using subtle, individualized point combinations, acupuncture helps guide the system back into rhythm—one that allows the body to feel safe again.
Trauma affects not only the Heart system but also the Liver system (associated with repressed anger), the Kidney (associated with fear), and the Spleen (associated with worry and overthinking). Trauma is not just in the story of what happened—it is in the body’s regulatory systems that were helpful at the time but continue to be affected later in life, likely leading to weakness in those organ systems.
Recognizing trauma patterns allows practitioners to craft precise and individualized treatments that meet the patient where they are, even if they themselves are not yet aware of how difficult events from their past are affecting symptoms in the present. Common symptoms in adults related to adverse experiences in childhood include chronic pain, heart disease, digestive issues, inflammation, auto-immune issues, headaches, depression, anxiety, and more. By treating the root of these conditions, the trauma from the past, a person will likely see improvement in these conditions as well.
The Five Elements
When considering the five elements of Chinese Medicine, trauma is viewed through the lens of spiritual evolution. Each of the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—reflects an aspect of our consciousness- a lens through which we view the world we live in. Trauma affects these aspects, often changing a person’s connection to purpose, boundaries, belonging, and ancestral lineage. Treating PTSD in this system is less concerned with relieving distress in the patient but about restoring integrity to the soul.
A few (very generalized and simplified) examples:
- Water element addresses deep fear and existential insecurity.
- Fire element reconnects the person to joy, intimacy, and the capacity to be seen.
- Metal element helps one let go of grief and reclaim self-worth.
Through this work, acupuncture has the potential to become a path of transformation.
The Bridge Back to Wholeness
What sets acupuncture apart in treating PTSD is its ability to access the nonverbal, energetic imprints of trauma which often lie beyond the reach of pharmaceuticals and cognitive understanding. It also invites the body to recognize support and safety in its environment. From this newly experienced place of safety and trust, a return to one’s essential self becomes possible.
If you or someone you love is living with PTSD, acupuncture—especially in the hands of a skilled practitioner trained in trauma-informed methods—can be a life-changing support.
References
- Jarrett, L. (1998). Nourishing Destiny: The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine. Spirit Path Press.
- Rosen, R. (2012). Heart Shock: Diagnosis and Treatment of Trauma with Shen-Hammer and Classical Chinese Medicine. Singing Dragon.
- Hammer, L. (2005). Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies: Psychology and Chinese Medicine. Eastland Press.
- Fruehauf, H. (2006). “The Heart and Pericardium in Chinese Medicine.” ClassicalChineseMedicine.org. https://classicalchinesemedicine.org/the-heart-and-pericardium-in-chinese-medicine/
