Emotional distress has long been a serious problem that many members of the modern society face. It’s so easy to dismiss a person’s suffering as the inability of that person to cope with problems and setbacks. It’s an easy habit to rationalize away someone’s pain.
But when a person becomes emotionally-compromised, that person’s ability to make sound decisions become hindered.
In certain instances, people fall into depression if the distress is not dealt with. One of the most common causes of emotional distress is the loss of a loved one by way of ending a relationship or death.
Different people have different ways of coping up with the loss. Some can easily move on and flourish, but not everyone has the emotional support network needed to surmount heartbreaks. To some great extent, people even commit suicide because they are simply unable to pick up the broken pieces and to carry on.
Most western medicine treatments focus on repressing symptoms, the most common of which, is the pain. In contrast to western medicine, alternative medicine puts an emphasis on a holistic healing process.
What is an acupuncture?
Acupuncture is one of the most widely used treatments when we speak of alternative medicine. It is a treatment that involves pricking the skin with needles with the purpose of alleviating pain.
The science of loss and heartbreak
Psychologically, when a person goes through a heartbreak, the mind tends to replay the same thoughts of loss and yearning over and over. This is what psychologists refer to as a maladaptive feedback loop.
When you interact with someone you love, your body releases hormones called “dopamine” and “serotonin” which are both responsible for that euphoric sensation we feel. With enough interactions, we eventually learn to associate happiness with that person who triggers the release of these hormones.
When we lose that person, that’s when it feels like we’re simply unable to feel happiness. We’ve already taught our body that we need that particular person to feel good.
How does acupuncture help in relieving emotional stress?
Several clinical studies have proven that the needles used in acupuncture are able to help trigger the release of dopamine and serotonin. And in the same manner that we learn to associate the feel-good feeling with the person we’re with when the feeling sets in, we can also teach our bodies that it’s possible to feel happy even without the presence of that person.
Edited by: Jessa (Jan. 29, 2019)
