Emotions and the Liver

What Emotions are Related to the Liver?

According to the Chinese, one of the functions of the liver is to make sure qi moves in harmony throughout the body. Qi can be thought of as energy, vital force or substance. Qi is the essence of life. The liver helps move qi up and down the body and harmonizes it. The flow of qi is also greatly related to the emotions. When the liver works well and qi flows free and unrestrained, then one feels happy, creative, focused with a calm mind.

Liver qi Stagnation:Photo Credit aJ Gazman

Liver Qi Stagnation can result in emotions of heaviness in the chest, depression, obsessive thoughts or sensation of overwhelm. Exercise and movement of the body is always a great way to dissipate any type of stagnation.

Hyperactive Liver Qi:

Hyperactive Liver Qi can result in emotions of anger, frustration, irritability and disturbed sleep. Calming and detoxifying activities are helpful to balance a hyperactive liver qi state. Consult Dr. Emily Chan ND for more specific personalized protocols to support your liver or constitutional imbalances. 

Please See My Previous Blog Article for Herbs that Support the Liver.

The Liver and Mindset Patterns:

Here are some insights based on numerology and spiritual teachers about imbalances involving the liver. Numerology is a study that connects certain themes to numbers. Each English Alphabet is assigned a number, for example, A=1, B=2, C=3 and so forth. The numbers are added up based on alphabets that make up a word and then the numbers are reduced to a single digit. Below are certain themes for some conditions related to the liver. Use these to guide your healing because they may be areas that open up insight to your journey in life and health. 

Alcoholism (44/8 Numerology Number) Alcoholism relates to difficulty standing up for personal beliefs. There may be a tendency to either abusing power or the opposite of that which is fear of using healthy empowerment from within. High expectations can lead to overwhelm which then lead to procrastination often results in internalized or externalized anger towards self or others.

Liver Cancer (56/11/2 Numerology Number) The liver is a place that is a filter for our emotions as well as a garbage collector of emotions. Liver cancer is associated with feelings of inadequacy, lack of emotional intimacy and difficulty releasing or expressing emotions. There is also a tendency to frustration over knowing and seeing what ought to be, but being unable or having no control over making them what ought to be.

Cirrhosis: (55/1 Numerology Number) Cirrhosis is associated with the energy of resistance to change or moving forward which leads to being stuck. The stagnation results in dead liver cells hanging around and hardening. Another reason for the stagnation may be due to loss of direction and bearings of where they are in life, so that they are caught between being frozen and moving forward in life.

Liver Issues in General including Toxicity may be related to a theme of being stagnant and stuck in life, not sure a greater purpose is. There may be a deep sense of loss or depression over not fulfilling something meaningful, which stems from not valuing yourself. When one cannot value and love themselves, it is also difficult to value and truly love others which can result in people pleasing behaviors that often end in frustration and resentment. 

To remedy these patterns:

1. Start knowing your worth.
2. Value and Love Yourself
3. Tap into gifts you already have and how your uniqueness can solve a problem
4. Focus on doing good out of love and not from a place of need
5. When you focus on solving a problem or connecting to a greater purpose…and if you can get to a place where solving that problem is greater than your fear, you will move forward with momentum, freedom and joy.

If you are looking for herbs and foods that support the biochemical detoxification of the liver, please see my other blog post here. 

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The Vis Medicatrix Naturae

What is the Vis Medicatrix Naturae?

This is Latin for the Healing Power of Nature and one of the naturopathic principles. When going through the healing process, one must trust that the body has an innate ability to heal. What we choose as an avenue to heal, whether it be diet, exercise, counseling, nutritional supplements, body work etc are used with a goal to support the healing power of nature which we will call “the Vis”. Someone with a stronger Vis will be able to recover with much more ease than someone with less Vis, given the same condition. But this does not mean that someone with a weaker Vis cannot build that up. This is one of the goals of naturopathic medicine.

The Vis is not just a physical life force, or strength. It is also emotional and spiritual. All aspects of life are tied in together. One leading cause of stress is not doing what aligns with one’s inner values. This discrepancy can cause one to feel internal tension. This situation can lower one’s Vis and make it more difficult to have the motivation to live a happy and healthy life. Success is doing what one believes in.

How do you measure or quantify it?

The bio-impedance analysis test BIA, which we run in our office is a way to partially quantify the Vis. Since it is an abstract principle, it is not something that can be completely quantified in all aspects but this test particularly quantifies more of the physical aspect of a person’s vital force.

The BIA machine measures capacitance, resistance, charge, body water etc. When a person’s cells can keep the membrane potential as negative as it should be, the cells function optimally. The machine calculates through a series of measurements something called a phase angle. The higher the phase angle, the stronger the person is, and better able to recover from illness quickly. Studies also show that the more muscle mass a cancer patient has, the higher their survival rate.

How do you influence the Vis?

There are many ways to to influence the Vis and generally this is what we go into detail with a naturopathic consultation. We find specific supplements to give your body the correct signals to heal. As we discussed above with BIA testing and the goal of creating healthy cell membranes, fish oils and vitamin D are some supplements that will achieve that.

From a mind body perspective the Vis can be enhanced by a loving relationship, healthy thoughts, discipline, healthy lifestyle etc. It can be drained out by just the opposite of the above. Sometimes freedom to do whatever one want feels good at first. However the unleashing of self to go after the type of pleasure that does not support one’s wellbeing eventually becomes binding and depletes the Vis. 

For example sometime it feels good to dwell on negative thought patterns, or to have yet another piece of sugary food after a difficult day. But if it does not align with your inner goal to be happy and healthy, then there is actually no freedom in the indulgence. True freedom is having the discipline to do what it takes to allow yourself to live the way you want to. Success is doing what you believe in. So give yourself the gift of encouraging the Vis Medicatrix Naturae within yourself and remember to give thanks for what you already have abundantly.