How To Make Healthy Decisions: On Fear, Trust, Expression, And The Gall Bladder

We have been collectively doing much inner work – shifting our consciousness, paying attention to our bodies and what they are telling us (usually because distress, pain, or dis-ease has arisen), lots of strong releasing of what no longer works for us (which we will be continuing to do on a large scale), and now our journey as righteous, sovereign beings owning our wholeness and our place in this world continues!

Lately, I’ve noticed patients battling with themselves on how to forge forward, now that many realizations of healthier decisions have been identified.  We are trying to make sense of how to move onwards, productively and proactively, with our newer, improved, selves.  Many of us are now carving out new pathways, and are trying to figure out the most effective ways of doing that.  So, it is no coincidence that, in my treatment room, I am now seeing more headaches and body tension/pain in the Gall Bladder channel (as identified in Traditional Chinese Medicine), and specific chakras that are vibrating intensely (on a Reiki level.)

The Gall Bladder, in Chinese Medicine, stores and secretes bile, and has an interdependent relationship with the Liver, which produces the bile.  Because of that, any disruption of the Liver’s spreading and flowing activity will affect the Gall Bladder’s bile secretion.  The Gall Bladder’s channel begins at the outside of the eye, encircles the sides of the head, connects with the Liver and Gall Bladder organs, runs down the side of the body, down to the little toe.  That is the way simplified version of its course, because in reality, it intersects with other channel points along the way on both the front and back of the body, encircles the genitals, and emerges on the sacrum!  Suffice to say, the Gall Bladder covers a lot of ground, physically and energetically.

As I often mention to patients, there are both physical and emotional/spiritual aspects to the organs in Chinese Medicine, and even, with each acupuncture point!  The Nei Jing,  otherwise known as the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, is a classical text that is often reviewed and referenced in acupuncture studies.  “The Nei Jing says that the Gall Bladder rules courage and decisiveness.  Behavior characterized by anger and rash decisions may be due to an excess of Gall Bladder Qi.  Timidity and fear of particular places and things (such as a dark room or bugs) may be a sign of Gall Bladder disharmony and weakness.” (The Web That Has No Weaver, Kaptchuk, p. 95.)  The expression, “Having the gall to do something” takes on a new meaning now, doesn’t it?

So, when we are dealing with issues around decision making, don’t be surprised if you experience headaches on the sides of your head, frontal headaches above the eyes, pain in the the flanks and chest, pain anywhere along the Gall Bladder channel, vomiting, resentment, indecision, unclear vision, or bitter taste in the mouth.  By stimulating Acupuncture points to either drain the excess of the Gall Bladder, or tonify its deficiency, you will be able to rebalance your Gall Bladder’s decision-making abilities straight away (as well as relieve some physical discomfort!)

On the Reiki tip (and, remember, Acupuncture and Reiki are totally unrelated modalities, although they both work with the energetic and physical bodies, check the above links to find out how they differ), many chakra imbalances are at play when we are grappling with our decision-making process.  Because everyone is different, certain chakras may be very alive, whirling and twirling with chaos and movement for some, while, for others, chakras may be more calm, tense, guarded, open, or responsive.  Fear and lack of trust have been common themes, lately, and it is due to the fact that many of us are breaking new ground in how to establish new patterns, breaking old ones, and trying to decide which act can be a productive leap of faith vs. a lost cause.

When I do Reiki chakra rebalancing work, I often feel the fear and lack of trust in the Third/Solar Plexus Chakra, which makes sense, considering it’s our place of power and trusting our “gut”.  Aside from a Reiki session to help balance your energy centers (chakras), you can assist your Third Chakra by trusting your intuition (instead of questioning it), and imagining a vibrant, yellow ball of light whirling in that chakra, slowly building in strength.

Because decision-making is also a form of expression, I often feel movement, or tense guardedness in the Second/Sacral Chakra, which is home to our creative expression, cultivating healthy relationships, our sexuality, and reproductive organs.  You can get help this chakra rebalance by dancing, laughing, and enjoying connections with loved ones.

There are often other chakras involved, as well, such as the Fifth/Throat Chakra (that deals with speaking our truth), and the First/Root Chakra (that deals with survival and grounding); but, like I said, everyone is gloriously different, and so certain energy centers may perk up more than others!

The truth?  You really don’t know until you take the leap.  But the one who can give you a clue as to whether to take it, or not, is your Higher Self.  Your Higher Self is the more advanced version of you that is an extension of your earthly self, but is totally connected to Source (or whichever way you identify your Higher Power); and therefore, your Higher Self can see further than you can in this plane, and operates at a higher vibration (it doesn’t operate on lower vibrations like fear, mistrust, and anger.)  This is why meditation is so key, because it helps you quiet your monkey mind, give your lower vibrations a reality check, and open yourself to hear what your Higher Self has to say.

A quick way to connect with your Higher Self is to check in with your Heart.  By simply placing your hands over your Heart, quieting your thoughts for a moment, and checking in with your Heart, you will notice that when you ask your question about the best decision to make, your answer is most authentic to your integrity.  After placing your hands over your Heart, and stilling your mind for that moment, finish the sentence, “My Heart is telling me _________.”  Your Higher Self and Heart never lie.  Don’t second guess the information you receive, either.  That’s part of reinforcing the higher vibrational information you receive – by acting on it, whether it makes sense or not (because it will, later.)

What decisions are you contemplating,
and how is your body communicating with you on how to handle them?
What does your Heart say?
(Tip:  Don’t get stuck in your head, because a decision made without the Heart is not a fully informed one!)

Ready to take the leap with you!

 

 

 

 

 

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