I’ve been reading Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies by Dr. Leon Hammer, a book synthesizing Chinese medicine with Western psychology. I’m finding some perspectives that touch directly on the concerns I raised in the last post:
Nobody denies that assuming responsibility for oneself is the ultimate issue in growth and development. The physician must identify energy leaks, and the patient must seal them by changing his lifestyle. It is, however, only one step and cannot be taken until the organism and person are strong enough. This strengthening is a collaborative process and must often begin with help from an outside source. Chinese medicine provides this outside source in many ways.
… Characterological signs of disharmony are among the earliest possible indications that the natural function of the phase is being disrupted. Generally, they precede by a considerable period of time the signs and symptoms usually associated with disease of these systems and may be thought of as early warning indicators. In relation to the spectrum of the disease process … it will be seen that: the psychological states appear early in the process; the familiar changes in pulse, tongue, eyes, and color come to the surface in the middle states; and the diagnostic criteria for Western medicine appear toward the end of that process. Should the classical signs and symptoms conflict with the personality indicators, the latter will, in my opinion, give the more enduring information about the true energy dilemma, and the former will suggest the more immediate energy imbalance. Both must be dealt with in their own good time. The Chinese tend to treat the more obvious first and the more subtle later. The Japanese do exactly the opposite. Both systems work.
