Free Flow, No Pain

There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine, “bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong”, which means “no free flow, pain; free flow, no pain.” It refers to the understanding that blockage creates trouble. Whether in our muscles, body systems, emotions, or thoughts, energy that moves without obstruction is able to do its proper job. The prevailing rule of life is that it wants to move; stop the movement, and life gets uncomfortable.

When there is trauma or injury, the body tends to shut down around the hurt area. It’s like putting up police tape to keep curious intruders away from a danger zone, for their own protection but mostly to protect the area of concern. The problem is that attempting to protect a hurt place by shutting down around it means decreased blood flow to that part and decreased movement by it, which leads to increased pain, which makes the body shut down more, which makes it even harder to heal.

After a while, the body gets used to not moving properly or easily, and we begin to think that’s normal. (It’s not!) In addition, the trauma is still lodged in the body, with no way to leave because the body has closed it off, so it continues to have detrimental effects long past the original event. When one part is no longer doing its share, other parts must compensate to pick up the slack, taking on jobs they’re not really good at. They get worn down, stop being good at their primary job as well, and at this point, we’re on a downhill slide.

One way to look at free flow vs. pain is via physics. Physicists describe light in terms of particle and wave: a stationary point in time and space, or a pattern of movement through time and space. This model can be applied to describing energy as well, since light is a form of energy. (And energy and matter are simply different forms of the same thing, as Einstein proved with E=mc2.)

When light, or energy, appears as particle, its characteristics include structure, mass, and form; it is tangible, palpable, concrete; and it can be seen. As wave, it is described as movement, vibration, force, consciousness; it comprises thoughts, ideas, belief systems; and it is what we experience.

When energy gets stuck, it’s like a particle: stationary and palpable. Whether an injury produces a physical or emotional response (usually both), that response ties up the energy and slows or stops it in place. Consider how much energy is engaged when there is so-called “negative” tension – for example, holding tightly to a thought or emotion such as anger. There’s a charge to that tension; release the tension, and the charge is freed up, made accessible for constructive use.

And here we come back to the other form of energy, the wave. It’s important to release the charge by letting it “catch the wave” and exit the body. No need to re-experience the original trauma - you already went through it once, and doubtless it wasn’t much fun the first time around. Re-traumatizing is neither beneficial nor desirable.

We tend to try to ignore, resist, or mask pain when we encounter it. But if pain is the body’s way of calling attention to something that is off-kilter somewhere, rather than resist it – which only creates more suffering – can we use it as an opportunity to look closer at where we are not “flowing freely,” in the bigger picture of our life? Restore the free flow, the pain will diminish or disappear – what could be better than that?

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© 2008 Jenny Chapin
Valley Acupuncture & Healing Arts - Greenfield, MA - 413-522-3816