The regulation of emotions in times of crisis

La Dra. Cassandra es graduada de la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina. Ahora se dedica a la medicina natural y tradicional, empleando técnicas sencillas para mejorar hábitos e implementar prevención.

In the last edition, we talked a little about the increase in intense emotions as well as the violence seen during the summer and how lifestyle can influence it. This week, I give you a simple and effective technique for processing intense emotions.

This exercise has been used with great success to mitigate emotional trauma during catastrophic events such as natural disasters and wars.

This technique has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine which identifies energy pathways throughout the body which are called meridians. Meridians are associated with different organs as well as different emotions. Five of these meridians end in the fingers, and as such, each finger corresponds to a different series of emotions:

• The thumb is associated with grief and sadness.

• The index finger corresponds with fear, terror and panic.

• The middle finger has a well-known association with anger and rage.

• The ring finger corresponds with worry and anxiety.

The pinky is associated with shame or a lack of self-esteem.

When we are experiencing these emotions in a dysregulated or intense way, we can wrap the finger with the other hand and apply gentle pressure (like a hug) while breathing deeply. Deep, slow breathing also decreases the heart rate and blood pressure. It activates the parasympathetic system which relaxes the body and allows for both metabolic and emotional processing.

When done in combination, deep breathing and finger holds have shown great ability to process intense emotions during times of crisis. It is a very easy technique to do, and even when you can’t remember which finger corresponds to which emotion, you can spend a couple of minutes simply breathing calmly and doing the technique with each finger.

• I hope this technique can help you or a loved one, and I wish you a lovely, healthy, and safe summer.