The emotions of each yin organ can affect its overall functions through the psyche. The mind has the power to heal the body on its own. This is why I sometimes focus on nourishing the mental-spiritual aspects of the 6 yin organs as well as the 6 yang organs. The organs discussed in the Yin organs are the heart, the liver, the lungs, the spleen and the stomach, and the Kidneys. The Liver houses the Ethereal Soul, the Heart houses the mind, the Lungs house the Corporeal Soul, the Spleen houses the intellect, and the Kidneys house the willpower.

The Heart and The Mind

The Heart is the residence of the mind, or the Shen, which represents the entire sphere of the mental and spiritual characteristic of the human being. Because of the mind, the Heart is where mental activity and consciousness resides. The state of the Heart such as the Heart qi, Heart yin or Heart yang deficiency can affect a person’s psyche. If the Shen is not rooted which can cause insomnia. 

The Liver and The Lungs

The Liver houses the ethereal soul. Anger is one of the emotions that affects the Liver more so than any of the other internal organs. In acupuncture, an angered state stagnates Liver qi, especially if it’s repressed. You see the smooth flow of Liver qi is what pretty much affords us an emotionally balanced life. 

The Lungs house the corporeal soul. Worry, grief and sadness tend to cause deficient patterns of the Lung. Worry knots the Lung qi whereas grief and sadness depletes Lung qi.

The Spleen and The Kidneys 

The Spleen has a similar function to the pancreas in allopathic medicine, but it houses the intellect. Pensiveness negatively impacts the Spleen because it stagnates qi in the Stomach and Spleen. This stagnation causes poor digestion with a feeling of distention. Worry is similar to pensiveness, but pensiveness has a focus on constantly thinking of a person or an event. The Kidneys house the Willpower. They can be negatively affected by fear resulting in a deficiency of Kidney qi. 

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Ever experience some of these emotions and then wonder why you’re experiencing discomfort in any of these organs such as shortness of breath, rib side discomfort, poor bowel movement?

I focus on nourishing a person’s mental state via the spirit points on the bladder meridian relative to each internal organ. I tend to use herbal formulas to treat the pattern which is usually the result of the diagnosed emotional imbalance. It is so important to sit with an acupuncturist, follow acupuncture is my life on every social media platform, and listening to our podcasts on every podcast platform. 

This is the end of the Yin organs on your psyche. For the rest of the series, I will explain how it all connects and can lead to big problems with regard to your health. By the end of his series, you will know how all 12 internal organs affect the psyche.