reflexology physical

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Reflexolo gy Ph ysic al, Mental, Emo tional and Spir i tu al Effects

byElena Barbiero(more info)

listed inreflexology, originally published inissue 200 - November 2012

The idea that Reflexology can be used not only as a tool to address physical ailments, but also

spiritual ones, has taken ground in the last few years. Is there some truth in the above? According to

my experience as a Reflexologist, I can say positively yes. How does that happen? Reflexology

stimulates energetically the main organs in the body; this is turn has a domino effect on the

emotional/mental body, but not only. The emotional / mental / physical / spiritual bodies are

entwined; addressing an energetic imbalance will inevitably also affect the spiritual essence of the

individual. Let me explain how I reached this conclusion, how this affects the individuals life and why I

believe that the above is indeed true.

Reflexology is as popular as ever and is used for a variety of issues and ailments: it has proven very

successful in addressing allergies, during pregnancy and in some cases it has been recommended by

doctors as a support therapy for chemotherapy. One of the most exciting developments of the last

decade is that allopathic practitioners are quietly, but consistently, endorsing complementary health
http://www.positivehealth.com/author/elena-barbierohttp://www.positivehealth.com/author/elena-barbierohttp://www.positivehealth.com/author/elena-barbierohttp://www.positivehealth.com/articles/reflexologyhttp://www.positivehealth.com/articles/reflexologyhttp://www.positivehealth.com/articles/reflexologyhttp://www.positivehealth.com/issue/issue-200-november-2012http://www.positivehealth.com/issue/issue-200-november-2012http://www.positivehealth.com/issue/issue-200-november-2012http://www.positivehealth.com/issue/issue-200-november-2012http://www.positivehealth.com/articles/reflexologyhttp://www.positivehealth.com/author/elena-barbiero


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practices as a valid complement to mainstream treatments: many NHS hospitals and practices are

now offering complementary therapies in situ.

Reflexology works according to the same principles of acupuncture and acupressure, except that the

energetic correspondences to the organs are found on a map on the soles of the feet. The basic

principle is that every area of the hand and foot is directly connected, energetically, to a specific area

of the body. Is there a correspondence between physical health and emotional health? It is to say,

could it be that illness is caused in some cases by an emotional/mental imbalance that weakens the

functioning of the organs? Could one say that stress (which is emotional in essence) weakens the

immune system, through generating a continuous flight-or-fight response? This makes sense: but,

could we link specific organs to specific emotions?

Chinese medicine has acknowledged the correspondence between the physical and the emotional for

thousands of years. This is a simplified list of the Five Elements System correspondences, where the

organs of the body are believed to be the seat of an associated emotion:

Wood Element Correspondences:

Yin Organ: Liver

Yang Organ: Gallbladder

Sense Organ: Eyes

Tissue: Tendons

Emotion: Anger

Virtue: Kindness

Fire Element Correspondences:

Yin Organ: Heart/Pericardium

Yang Organ: Small Intestine/Triple Burner

Sense Organ: Tongue

Tissue: Vessels

Emotion: Anxiety

Virtue: Joy

Earth Element Correspondences:


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Yin Organ: Spleen

Yang Organ: Stomach

Season: Late Summer

Sense Organ: Mouth

Tissue: Flesh/Muscle

Emotion: Worry/Pensiveness

Virtue: Equanimity

Metal Element Correspondences:

Yin Organ: Lung

Yang Organ: Large Intestine

Sense Organ: Nose

Tissue: Skin

Emotion: Grief/Sadness

Virtue: Courage

Water Element Correspondences

Yin Organ: Kidney

Yang Organ: Urinary Bladder

Sense Organ: Ears

Tissue: Bones

Emotion: Fear

Virtue: Wisdom/Awe

Interestingly similar references exist in Western languages: in the English language alone, we can find

quite few. To have a heart of gold; to stomach something; to have a gut feeling; love from the heart;

butterflies in the stomach; to lose face; liverish; brain power; heartache; bilious. There are also many

expressions that refer to communication and body language: hair-raising; in safe hands, to curl ones

lip, give someone the eye; clear-eyed; to get a kick out of something; with open arms; feet of clay.


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One could say that Western culture, at a purely intuitive level, also acknowledges a link between the

organs of the body and emotional states. This connection, sadly, has long been denied by a training in

the past centuries that taught doctors to see the body as a disconnectedassembly of parts, rather

than as a wholewith the mental/emotional/spiritual bodies; whats more, any reference to energy,

energy flow, intuition has been obliterated. Psychology and psychiatry have been taught as a separate

branch, when in fact there are strong signs that some disorders of a psychological nature may have

root in the physical and vice versa (lack of the vitamin B complex for example is responsible for

depression-like symptoms). As previously mentioned, there are encouraging signs that things are

indeed evolving towards a more balanced view and I hope a small contribution such as this article may

help in that direction.

So, can a reflexology treatment that addresses imbalances inphysical organs, also be beneficial on

the mental/emotional level? I would say most certainly yes: in my practice I have often treated people

for a physical ailment, who then reported shifting rather dramatically on the mental/emotional level,

reaching an enhanced level of understanding in other areas of their lives. It can be a release from

fear, or a conscious acknowledgement of an emotional state, or enhanced motivation. Each individual

is unique, therefore the energy will work in a unique way for each individual.

The reason why one can use reflexology to address emotional/mental states such as anger,

depression, sadness etc. is that the stimulation of the points corresponding to organs, not only

stimulates the physical organ energetically; an energetic stimulation encompasses the physical, and

also addresses the emotional / mental patterns associated to the organ.

Id like to go a step further: not only it is possible through reflexology to access each organ and the

emotion associated energetically: its also possible to access spiritual energy, through clearing the

energy in the major chakras, which correspond to major vital organs in the body. The whole system is

interconnected, and a domino effect is more or less inevitable: it can only be stopped by the

individual, consciously or unconsciously. Indeed, it has to be the individual who by choice aims at

living spiritually, or not. Its as simple as that.


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Accessing spiritual energy is done through addressing imbalance in the chakras, which are the

gateway (energy entry points) for that kind of energy. There are seven main chakras in the human

body, and each has a specific function: they each correspond to vital organs in the body. The sole of

the foot carries an etheric map of the organs of the body, so its relatively simple to locate the specific

points to stimulate the chakras, and therefore address underlying issues connected to each chakras

function. This is a list of correspondences between organs and chakras that I have personally found

very useful:

Chakras

Root: grounding, physical incarnation Coccyx, intestines, elimination, piles

Sacral: sexual energy, creativityGonads, reproductive organs, bladder

Solar plexus:power, seat of the etheric brain Digestion organs, liver, stomach, gallbladder, kidneys

Heart: compassion, ability to love empathy heart, lungs

Throat: communication metabolism, thyroid, thymus

Third Eye: intuition pituitary, sinus, eyes

Crown: spiritual awakening vibrational energy, spine (auric)

Addressing problems in the physical areas indicated above will also have a domino effect on the

spiritual body. Its difficult to quantify scientifically (at this moment in time with the technology we

have) what effect this may have; empirically, I can say that when this happens there is usually a


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shift, that can be psychological or mental or emotional, that then has deep repercussions of how the

individual generally sees his / her life. The intention of the therapist is key and helps supporting the

individuals energy: you may wish as a therapist for the individual to reach a better level of spiritual

understanding, and through the energy of universal love, its likely that the individual will.

One may for example suddenly see a particular issue from a different point of view: a mental shift has

taken place, where the individual is now able to consider another perspective. One may find that

certain dietary habits do not serve the body: a change in diet and nutrition and in health and fitness

brings new energy. One may feel more creative and be able to externalise that creativity with a new

activity or hobby, which in turn will bring more balance. One may also find the boundaries of certain

relationships restrictive, and seek a new dynamic. Another may overcome an addictive pattern.

The above are a few examples of how a positive spiritual shift may affect the individual: of course

there are also negative shifts, which is what happens when an individual slowly falls into addiction

(drug, alcohol, food, sex, etc.), or when the individual gradually divorces the emotional body from the

mental/spiritual body, and so on, gradually but surely losing touch with his/her true essence.

Reflexology can successfully reverse a negative shift.

At the end of the day, living spiritually doesnt mean to be part of a church or a spiritual

congregation, although that may well be the mean one decides to use. Living spiritually is living

ethically, supporting justice, respect and connection to others. Living spiritually means to have

reached a level of development where the person evolves from a basic satisfaction of needs to a wider

understanding, openness and compassion. The soul is thirsty for spiritual knowledge: you can go to

church ten times a day, but if your heart is closed and you actively discriminate against people who

follow other beliefs, you are probably less spiritual than most. Bigotry is not spirituality.

There are emotional / mental reasons why illness manifests, a link that also Western medicine has

made with the concept of psychosomatic illness; there are also sometimes spiritual reasons why

illness is manifested on the physical plan. I personally support an integrated approach to health, open

to the integration of allopathic and complementary methods. When you look at the complexity of theworkings of the body, the immense magnitude of the task at hand strikes you: there are things that

are still not properly understood or explained. Integrating an approach that mixes the knowledge of

the body and the awareness of the importance of energetic matters is in my opinion the way forward:

even a simple practice such as reflexology, easily learnt and very safe, can be of great help in daily

life, and can open doors that we didnt even know were there. Are we humans having a spiritual

experience, of spiritual beings having a human experience? Ill leave you to answer this question.

Bibliography

Pitman Vicki, MacKenzie Kay. Reflexology a Practical Approach. Stanley Thornes Ltd. Cheltenham UK.

1997.

Gillanders Ann. Reflexology a Step by Step Guide. Gaia Books Limited. London. 1995.

Dychtwald Ken. Bodymind. Jeremy P. Tarcher Penguin Group. New York. 1986.

Sha Zhi Gang Dr. Soul Mind Body Medicine. New World Library. Novato, California. 2006.

Slate Joe, PhD. Aura Energy for Health Healing and Balance. Llewllyn Publications. Minnesota. 2000.


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Resources

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researchers.html

www.atcm.co.uk/

www.acupuncture-online.com/tradition3.htm

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