Just my point: P 7
Then the trembling, timorous voice would rise and turn intense, strident, hurt, raw and snap suddenly into vehement anger and disbelief, wronged, refused, misused, abused. The details appear, the story fleshes out, episode on episode, meeting after meeting, fuelled on passion, high drama, explosive scenes, accusatory words. The gift of precious intimacy sidelined into bitter tears and fury.
We see our patients in extremes, caught at the sharp edge of life, where relationships have ended or turned sour, where mutual love and respect have changed with the passage of time, where the thrill, the raised heartbeat, the unstoppable attraction have turned to disappointment and dismay, trust gone, love lost. These are low times as human beings, lonely times too, when companionship dissolves, friendship disappears, intimacy only a memory, the present hard to accept, the future a question, certainty suddenly unknown.
We have a variety of roles – as practitioners, supporters, facilitators, listeners – and to share the details of hard and difficult times is not easy for us. We are human too and our hearts are affected by suffering, trauma and the breaking of normal bonds. These real-life trials test us to our limits as well as the patient’s and we must be strong as well as them, to help them through the rough roads that lie ahead.
The role of the heart xin 心 in Chinese medicine is not so easy to define. In philosophical texts xin 心 is often translated as mind, rather than heart, indicating it is more than just the receiver of feelings, but also the tracker of thoughts and mental states. It is intimately connected with mental-emotional issues and at the same time is leader in a wu wei 無 為 way, leading by non-action, by being rather than doing.
This is not an easy idea for us, used to solving problems by direct action rather than a change of attitude. And here we come to ghosts, a word voluntarily and deliberately used by my patient in the state referred to above, just after the insertion of P 7, known as xin gui 鬼 心 Ghosts in the Heart as well as its official name da ling 大 陵 Big Mound. It is the fourth of Sun Simiao’s thirteen gui 鬼 ghost or demon points. Here the ghost was the woman the patient was haunted by and obsessed with, despite obvious indications the relationship was not beneficial to either of them.
And the point P 7 itself? It is such a full-throated, maximum volume point, entirely focused on the heart. We must remember that in the classics the antique or five element points of the heart are those of the pericardium channel. P 7 is taken as the yuan 原 source point of the heart. We may of course use heart points, but for the deeper side of protecting the heart at its core, remember that the three pericardium or heart protector xin bao 心 包 points – P 5 gui lu 鬼 路 Ghosts in the Road, P 7 gui xin 鬼 心 Ghosts in the Heart and P 8 gui ku 鬼 窟 Ghosts in the Cave – are all gui 鬼 ghost points to expel ghosts or demons, and no heart point is.
This point is the yuan 原 source point, indicated by da 大 , big, great – and sometimes tai 太 great, supreme, as in Lu 9 tai yuan 太 淵 Great Abyss beside it –resourcing from the source itself and restoring health even in great imbalances. It is a big da 大 mound ling 陵, an earth point in itself, but here built up in the mound of raised flesh in the palm of the hand right beside it.
We can find this powerful body of earth, ling 陵, in GB 34 yang ling quan 陽 陵 泉 Yang Mound Spring and SP 9 yin ling quan 陰 陵 泉 Yin Mound Spring on either side of the great protrusion at the knee. These are also both yuan 原 source points that are full of power for their particular meridians.
This mound is one of many man-made mounds we have in this area of North Jutland in Denmark, some from the Viking times, others from far further back to neolithic times. Such burial mounds can be found across different continents and cultures, a common way to keep connection between the living and the dead.
Ling 陵 is a mound, a hillock, a tumulus, a burial mound that was made for eminent people, to give them a visible tomb where they could be more easily connected to the land of the living long term. Ancestors, buried within the mound, were considered present, even though invisible, and times were allocated within the yearly calendar to gather there at the tomb – the living and the dead – to celebrate their memory and continue their connection to the family and this world.
Here on the meridian dedicated to protect the heart the function is to cleanse and to clear – to keep the integrity of the heart and not allow its invasion by gui 鬼 ghosts or demons in the old language or to allow its sphere of influence to be lost in haunted memories, obsession or uncontrolled and unquelled desire.
P 7 da ling 大 陵 Big Mound is then a key point to retain the precious authenticity and purity of the heart and is a most wonderful protective point in deeply disturbing, undermining and shocking mental-emotional states. Exaggerated and uncontrollable emotional response is a key feature of this. In Chinese this is known as dian kuang 癲 狂, a doubling of the yang so the emotions are forceful, unrestrained and volatile.
At its extreme this can cover all kinds of manic-depressive disorders, psychosis, epilepsy and madness. Importantly the patient is no longer themselves, hence the old concept of possession. Treatment is to recover their authenticity and individuality, so they can once again express their own heart unfettered, unbound, free.
Traditionally P 7 is a point particularly appropriate where there is heart fire as it purifies, cools and refreshes heart blood. This will directly affect the shen 神 spirit, bringing a welcome measure of calm and stability that had been sorely missing before. Cutting out or at least substantially reducing alcohol and stimulants will very much help this aspect. Similarly it cools and clears in heat such as phlegm heat that gives irrational, violent and abusive behaviour. Hysteria and insomnia are eliminated or at least substantially mitigated. Nights become agents of rest and healing.
In the longer term the deep sadness of constant depression is alleviated and fear and panic – often key touchstones of this point – become much less severe and more manageable. Importantly P 7 also moves in stagnation such as stuck blood in the heart that gives cardiac pain, palpitations and tightness in the chest and shoulders.
With such a focus on the regulation of qi and blood to the heart and the quelling of heart fire, this point can be surprisingly effective, even in serious cases, if the patient is open to change and able to summon the will to withstand and alter the negative patterns that have taken hold. In my case the patient suddenly started referring to his partner as his ex, an indication of definite distance and a part of the past. A new phase was beginning.
For those cases where the situation has been occurring for a long time and stagnation is an important factor, I would combine P 7 with Liv 3 tai chong 太 衝 Great Rushing. For those who would benefit from a clearer understanding of their situation, but who have been unable to fully grasp it, I would add yin tang 印 堂 Seal Hall. This helps to calm and focus the heart mind xin 心 and any calm and clarity is a massive support to their efforts to change.
If there is interest in qi gong, yoga or meditation classes, learning these through group work can be very helpful and lessen the feelings of isolation that are common. Reintegration is different for different people. Some prefer to work alone, some with others.
It is interesting when you rediscover a point, as I have recently with this one. We have so many at our disposal – the choice is vast – and it is wonderful to use and see a particular point working in such a directed and focused way, creating a path through a wild landscape of chaos and disorder. It is a magical reminder of the power of the point itself and brings gratitude for the whole system of deep healing that we use every day.
