What Is Your Skin Trying To Tell You?
In Chinese medicine, the imbalances we encounter are layered. They are not only connected to our physical bodies, they also allow us a glimpse into our emotional and inner worlds.
In the past years I've struggled with perioral dermatitis and finally now my skin is doing so much better. The dermatitis was brought on by a period of extreme stress while I went through divorce and experienced narcissistic abuse at work.
Dealing with it became so much more than looking after my skin. It compelled me into developing a much deeper relationship to myself, my needs and my boundaries and it let to me building a life that supports me.
You can listen my whole healing journey with dermatitis on this podcast episode.
Here are a couple of things that helped me
On a physical level, dermatitis or eczema involves the skin and immune system. In Chinese medicine, the skin is associated with the Lung energetic system and the ability to release thoughts and emotions.
When emotions are being purged and released via the skin, this can invite you to ask:
How can I support myself better through times of stress?
How can I create more space to process emotions, thoughts and difficult situations?
And what might help my nervous system to be regulated?
Respecting my boundaries
The skin is also our outer boundary. When symptoms appear there you can use this to reflect on your own boundaries.
Am I over-giving?
Am I neglecting my needs?
Am you not speaking my truth?
Do I let others cross my boundaries in order to be accepted or loved?
Am I listening to the signs of my body?
On a deep level the Lungs and the skin are connected to a part of our soul that's called the Po.
In Chinese medicine the Po is described as the aspect of our soul that is most closely related to the physical body. Po is the embodiment of our soul.
It’s the part of us that responds before our mind has found thoughts and words. It’s when we intuitively know what’s right or wrong, good or bad, safe and unsafe and our body responds by softening or hardening.
The Po is an embodied intelligence. Our bodies contract or expand, opens or protects, before we even consciously understand.
I realized on my journey that I've often ignored this physical intelligence. Even though my body contracted and said no, I said yes in order to be loved or accepted.
This journey invited me to build an entire new relationship with my body, to listen, to respect and the to act upon those intuitive body insights.
If you recognise you might have ignored your body as well, it could help to ask:
Where have I ignored or overridden this wisdom of my body?
Where have I learned to disconnect from what my body is telling me?
At the deepest level, a skin condition can invite us to cultivate again a relationship to our body, to its wisdom, and to the constant communication it sends us.
What helped me tremendously on my journey to reconnect to my body and voice my needs was meridian yoga, singing and playing the harp.
Based on my experience I created a new course called "Woman who sing themselves home". In the course we will explore ways to connect to our body, listen to its needs and create the safety to express freely our needs and boundaries. The course starts 7 October. You can read more below.
Comments