The Relationship Between Psychology and Physiology: The Holistic View of Mind and Body in Traditional Chinese Medicine
The relationship between psychology and physiology
Traditional Chinese medicine theory places great emphasis on the relationship between the mind and body, that is, the relationship between form and spirit, and the relationship between psychology and physiology. The *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine) states: "Heaven nourishes man with the five qi, earth nourishes man with the five flavors. The five qi enter through the nose and are stored in the heart, enabling the five colors to be bright and the voice to be clear; the five flavors enter the mouth and are stored in the intestines and stomach. The flavors are stored to nourish the five qi. When the qi is harmonious, life arises; when body fluids are formed, the spirit naturally arises." "The heart is the great master of the five viscera and six bowels, the abode of the spirit. Its storage is firm and strong; evil cannot tolerate it. If it tolerates evil, the heart is injured; if the heart is injured, the spirit departs; if the spirit departs, death occurs." These two passages explain the mind-body relationship from two perspectives: firstly, the physical form precedes the mind; the mind is the result of physiological activity; secondly, the mind has a certain influence on physiological activity, as the saying goes, "Those who possess spirit prosper, those who lose spirit perish." This means that the central idea of the *Neijing* regarding psychology and physiology is: when form and spirit are together, one becomes a human being; if form and spirit are separated, the physical body alone dies.
Modern medicine believes that human psychological activity is inseparable from physiological (primarily nervous system) activity. This is because our nervous system is a highly developed material organization with a complex structure and specialized functions. The cerebral cortex alone contains approximately 14 billion nerve cells. If we add together the nerve cells distributed throughout the body, the entire nervous system contains about 30 billion nerve cells. These nerve cells are interconnected through countless nerve fibers, forming diverse and intricate connections. Human psychology is the result of this nervous system activity. However, within the entire nervous system, different parts play an equal role in psychological development. The peripheral nervous system (sensory and motor nerves) connects the brain and spinal cord, responsible for the storage, processing, and handling of information. Human psychology and complex behaviors originate in the cortices of both hemispheres of the brain.
The *Neijing*, a treasure trove of traditional medicine, provides a further detailed analysis of the two aspects of form and spirit, and their interrelationship. Regarding form, it focuses on analyzing the five viscera, the six internal organs, the extraordinary organs, and the five sensory organs and nine orifices. The five viscera are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, and also include the pericardium, the chest (danzhong point), and the gate of life (mingmen point); the six internal organs are the gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, triple burner, and bladder; the extraordinary organs are the brain, marrow, blood vessels, gallbladder, and uterus; and the five sensory organs and nine orifices are the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, tongue, anterior genitals, and posterior genitals. Regarding the concept of "Shen" (spirit), it is believed to include Shen (spirit), Hun (soul), Po (corporeal soul), Yi (intention), Zhi (will), Si (thought), Lü (deliberation), and Zhi (wisdom). The individual meanings of the constituent elements of Shen are as follows: "The origin of life is called Jing (essence); the interaction of two Jing is called Shen; that which follows Shen is called Hun (soul); that which emerges from the body along with Jing is called Po (corporeal soul); that which governs things is called Xin (heart); that which the heart remembers is called Yi (intention); that which the intention holds is called Zhi (will); that which changes because of Zhi (will) is called Si (thought); that which yearns far because of Si (thought) is called Lü (deliberation); that which deals with things because of Lü (deliberation) is called Zhi (wisdom)." According to the *Neijing* (Inner Canon), the important organs of the body and certain elements of Shen also have a specific corresponding relationship. For example, the five Fu organs correspond to the five emotions and five Jing: the heart corresponds to joy and Shen; the liver to anger and Hun (soul); the spleen to thought and Yi (intention); the lungs to worry and Po (corporeal soul); and the kidneys to fear and Zhi (will).
Modern medical psychology posits that initially, objectively existing events or phenomena act upon our sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, etc.), triggering activity in the nerve tissues distributed within these organs. Here, the conversion of physical energy into chemical energy and then into neural energy is realized, initiating nerve impulses. These nerve impulses, carrying information about the actual events or phenomena, are then transmitted along relevant neural pathways to the lower parts of the central nervous system (spinal cord, medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, cerebellum, diencephalon, subcortical ganglia, etc.), where the information undergoes preliminary analysis and synthesis. The transmission of nerve impulses continues, eventually reaching the highest part of the central nervous system-the cerebral cortex. The actual events are analyzed, synthesized, processed, and modified by the nerve cells in the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex, generating impressions of these events and attitudes towards them. The cerebral cortex then issues various commands, inducing diverse behaviors and activities. These behaviors and activities, in turn, feed back to the cerebral cortex, which, based on the feedback, issues new instructions. This cycle repeats continuously, constantly improving and enhancing a person's cognitive and activity levels. Therefore, it is evident that psychology-including impressions, attitudes, and thoughts about objective things-is a product of the complex activities of the nervous system, primarily the brain, and the activities of the nervous system are the material basis of psychological activity. Psychology cannot exist independently of matter; it can only arise, form, and develop under the influence of the material world, through material, i.e., physiological processes. Therefore, the maturity of the nervous system, and the perfection of its structure and function, inevitably have a significant impact on human psychological activity.
However, the influence of psychology on physiology is enormous. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that the "seven emotions" (joy, anger, worry, pensiveness, grief, fear, and fright) are important factors in causing disease. The *Neijing* states, "Anger causes qi to rise, joy causes qi to relax, pensiveness causes qi to stagnate, and grief causes qi to dissipate"; "Extreme anger injures the liver, excessive joy injures the heart, excessive pensiveness injures the spleen, grief and worry injure the lungs, and fright and fright injure the kidneys," etc. These statements clearly indicate a dialectical relationship between mind and body, which has been confirmed by extensive research and clinical practice. The Soviet physiologist Pavlov said, "All stubborn and heavy depression and anxiety are enough to open the door to various diseases." Clinical practice has proven that many human diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease, ulcers, tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, menstrual disorders, as well as certain skin diseases and cancers, are closely related to psychological factors in their onset, course, and treatment.