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Sweet dreams, nightmares and falling dreams: What TCM says
By Zhang Qian |
January 6, 2009, Tuesday
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THE ancients believed that dreams could predict our future. Today, most people discount that, though our dreams do tell us about our desires, fears and emotional states.
Traditional Chinese medicine has been studying dreams for more than 2,000 years and holds that recurring dreams can give strong indicators of our health, even pinpoint an organ that's out of whack.
In TCM, internal energy balance is everything, but most of us don't notice a slight imbalance if we don't have symptoms. The five major internal organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys) may, however, give us warnings in our dreams that all is not well ?? if we remember them.
If that happens repeatedly and there's a pattern, pay attention and check it out.
Generally, happy and pleasant dreams ?? and no surprise here ?? indicate that qi (energy) is flowing well and there's no major problem.
Recurrent nightmares and troubled dreams ?? when we are angry, agitated, terrified, sad ?? usually mean there's trouble with the flow of qi.
Interestingly, if there's an invasion of "pathogenic energy" in the genital organs, people may dream of sex (though they may dream about it other times as well).
"In traditional Chinese culture, dreams are connected to the five internal organs; it is believed that dreams can reflect the condition of those organs," according to Dr Hu Weiqin, former physician to some of China's leaders, including Marshal Zhu De. There is a section on dreams in his book, "Jiang Zhongyi Jinxing Daodi" ("Cherish TCM Forever"), published in 2008.
Here are some dream alerts from Dr Hu:
If you dream that you are angry with friends or family, and occasionally feel dizzy during the day, there may be excessive yang (hot energy) in the liver. This could be caused by fatigue. TCM doctors would commonsensically recommend getting enough rest and relieving stress.
If you dream that you are falling from high places, you had better check your kidneys. Kidneys refers to the reproductive and urinary tract system.
The traditional philosophy of wuxing (five elements) in Taoism helps explain the way TCM interprets dreams.
The ancient Chinese believed in a close correspondence between the five elements ?? wood, fire, earth, gold and water ?? and the five internal organs ?? liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys.
Similarly, there is linkage among the five elements, five organs, five colors (blue, red, yellow, white and black), five voices (shouting, laughing, singing, crying and moaning), and the five emotions (anger, happiness, worry, sadness and terror).
Taking all those elements into consideration ?? plus yin (cold) and yang (hot) internal energies ?? a skilled TCM specialist can get clues to your health through your dreams.
This was first described 2,000 years ago in "Huang Di Nei Jing" ("The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor"), a TCM classic.
Just as many people may incorporate outside sounds, like a knocking at the door or ringing of a bell, into their dreams, so the imbalance of energy that the body feels unconsciously may be translated into dreams according to the TCM classic.
When the yin energy in the whole body exceeds the yang by too much, people may dream they are terrified of being caught in a flood; when yang exceeds yin by too much, people may dream they are burned by fire; if both yin and yang energy are too strong, people may dream about fighting and conflict.
If there's too much energy and blood flowing to the upper body (torso and above), people may dream of flying; if there's too much in the lower body and lower extremities, people may dream of falling.
If people feel hungry, they may see food in their dreams; if they are too full and eat too much, they may dream about giving things away.
The colors and scenes in your dreams may suggest the health of your organs.
According to "The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor," if you dream of white monsters killing people, you may suffer deficient energy in the lungs; if you dream of struggling in the water while a boat is sinking, there may be a deficiency in kidney energy (including reproductive and urinary tract system).
If you dream of being terrified in a dark forest, your liver may be low on energy; if you are caught in a fire, your heart energy may be deficient; and if you often feel hungry in your dreams, you may need to strengthen your spleen energy (spleen refers to digestive system).
Your movements in your dreams may not only reflect your activities during the day, but may also speak for your organs. If there's too much energy, especially yang energy, in the liver, you may find yourself in a state of agitation in your dreams.
If there's too much energy in the lungs, you may dream about weeping or flying. If heart energy is too strong, you may laugh in your dreams, but in a frightening way; if there's too much spleen energy, you may dream about singing, or find your body is too heavy to move.
If there's too much energy in the kidneys (reproductive/urinary tract system), people are usually terrified in their dreams.
Dream health warnings
According to "The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor," when pathogenic energy invades the organs, it may be reflected in recurring dreams.
Here are some affected organs and resulting dreams:
Heart: Dreams of mountains covered in mist, fog or smoke.
Lungs: Dreams of flying and weird objects made of metal.
Spleen: Hills, marshes, a house damaged by storm.
Kidneys: Being in an abyss or deep lake.
Bladder: Wandering around.
Stomach: Eating.
Large intestine: Large field.
Small intestine: Crowded path.
Gall bladder: Quarreling.
Genitals: Sex.
Neck: Beheading.
Legs: Walking but unable to move forward.
Thighs: Kneeling.
Traditional Chinese medicine has been studying dreams for more than 2,000 years and holds that recurring dreams can give strong indicators of our health, even pinpoint an organ that's out of whack.
In TCM, internal energy balance is everything, but most of us don't notice a slight imbalance if we don't have symptoms. The five major internal organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys) may, however, give us warnings in our dreams that all is not well ?? if we remember them.
If that happens repeatedly and there's a pattern, pay attention and check it out.
Generally, happy and pleasant dreams ?? and no surprise here ?? indicate that qi (energy) is flowing well and there's no major problem.
Recurrent nightmares and troubled dreams ?? when we are angry, agitated, terrified, sad ?? usually mean there's trouble with the flow of qi.
Interestingly, if there's an invasion of "pathogenic energy" in the genital organs, people may dream of sex (though they may dream about it other times as well).
"In traditional Chinese culture, dreams are connected to the five internal organs; it is believed that dreams can reflect the condition of those organs," according to Dr Hu Weiqin, former physician to some of China's leaders, including Marshal Zhu De. There is a section on dreams in his book, "Jiang Zhongyi Jinxing Daodi" ("Cherish TCM Forever"), published in 2008.
Here are some dream alerts from Dr Hu:
If you dream that you are angry with friends or family, and occasionally feel dizzy during the day, there may be excessive yang (hot energy) in the liver. This could be caused by fatigue. TCM doctors would commonsensically recommend getting enough rest and relieving stress.
If you dream that you are falling from high places, you had better check your kidneys. Kidneys refers to the reproductive and urinary tract system.
The traditional philosophy of wuxing (five elements) in Taoism helps explain the way TCM interprets dreams.
The ancient Chinese believed in a close correspondence between the five elements ?? wood, fire, earth, gold and water ?? and the five internal organs ?? liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys.
Similarly, there is linkage among the five elements, five organs, five colors (blue, red, yellow, white and black), five voices (shouting, laughing, singing, crying and moaning), and the five emotions (anger, happiness, worry, sadness and terror).
Taking all those elements into consideration ?? plus yin (cold) and yang (hot) internal energies ?? a skilled TCM specialist can get clues to your health through your dreams.
This was first described 2,000 years ago in "Huang Di Nei Jing" ("The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor"), a TCM classic.
Just as many people may incorporate outside sounds, like a knocking at the door or ringing of a bell, into their dreams, so the imbalance of energy that the body feels unconsciously may be translated into dreams according to the TCM classic.
When the yin energy in the whole body exceeds the yang by too much, people may dream they are terrified of being caught in a flood; when yang exceeds yin by too much, people may dream they are burned by fire; if both yin and yang energy are too strong, people may dream about fighting and conflict.
If there's too much energy and blood flowing to the upper body (torso and above), people may dream of flying; if there's too much in the lower body and lower extremities, people may dream of falling.
If people feel hungry, they may see food in their dreams; if they are too full and eat too much, they may dream about giving things away.
The colors and scenes in your dreams may suggest the health of your organs.
According to "The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor," if you dream of white monsters killing people, you may suffer deficient energy in the lungs; if you dream of struggling in the water while a boat is sinking, there may be a deficiency in kidney energy (including reproductive and urinary tract system).
If you dream of being terrified in a dark forest, your liver may be low on energy; if you are caught in a fire, your heart energy may be deficient; and if you often feel hungry in your dreams, you may need to strengthen your spleen energy (spleen refers to digestive system).
Your movements in your dreams may not only reflect your activities during the day, but may also speak for your organs. If there's too much energy, especially yang energy, in the liver, you may find yourself in a state of agitation in your dreams.
If there's too much energy in the lungs, you may dream about weeping or flying. If heart energy is too strong, you may laugh in your dreams, but in a frightening way; if there's too much spleen energy, you may dream about singing, or find your body is too heavy to move.
If there's too much energy in the kidneys (reproductive/urinary tract system), people are usually terrified in their dreams.
Dream health warnings
According to "The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor," when pathogenic energy invades the organs, it may be reflected in recurring dreams.
Here are some affected organs and resulting dreams:
Heart: Dreams of mountains covered in mist, fog or smoke.
Lungs: Dreams of flying and weird objects made of metal.
Spleen: Hills, marshes, a house damaged by storm.
Kidneys: Being in an abyss or deep lake.
Bladder: Wandering around.
Stomach: Eating.
Large intestine: Large field.
Small intestine: Crowded path.
Gall bladder: Quarreling.
Genitals: Sex.
Neck: Beheading.
Legs: Walking but unable to move forward.
Thighs: Kneeling.
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