Podcast: Focus on Tattoos, Piercings, and Cutting

Tattoos are very prevalent in our culture. My patients and acquaintances have stated many different reasons for having an image permanently inscribed on some part of their body. Telling a story about their life, celebrating family or a special event, exhibiting their art, and just because they felt like it are some of the reports I have heard.

When I have a patient with tattoos I see a different story through the lens of ancient Chinese medical science. When it is appropriate, I begin a line of questioning that goes something like this; What was the first tattoo you put on? What year was it? What was going on in your life around that time? We are both impressed that there was some emotionally difficult event within a year or two of the tattoo. We are also struck by how the image they chose relates to the particular event. So why would I choose that line of questioning?

Ancient Chinese medical science defines things that are visible on the surface of the body as Luo channels. Each acupuncture primary channel, the lines on the charts you have likely seen, has a Luo channel. Each Luo channel is associated with different emotional tensions.

Luo channels are a protective system that is created by our bodies to contain pathology that would otherwise overwhelm us making us critically ill or psychologically disturbed. Naturally occurring Luo channels are vast blood vessel networks below the skin that, like an iceberg, show a bit of themselves on the surface. Our blood contains our emotions, therefore Luo channels most often contain emotional challenges we were not able to repel at the onset. Spider veins, varicose veins, little red dots, and swellings like lipomas are the common names given to Luo channels. They are physical locations in our bodies where we hold or suppress emotions. This unmoving blood can create physical symptoms like stiffness, muscle pain, and fibromyalgia. These can all be classified as rigidity.

The acupuncture therapy to treat Luo channels is bleeding the tiny visible tips of the icebergs to remove the pathology held there. Each acupuncture channel has one acupoint called the Luo point. This point is bled first, followed by visible vessels and dark areas on the trajectory of the channel. Little drops of blood contain volumes of emotion. Patients sometimes cry during these treatments as they feel the sense of relief from lightning their load of the past they have been carrying.

What does all of this have to do with tattoos? Because they are visible on the surface of the body, tattoos are self-selected Luo channels. They are a means of containing emotions that feel threatening or overwhelming. The channels on which they are applied tell a story of the emotional tone that was in need of help. For example, the back is the bladder channel whose Luo absorbs fear and panic. The small intestine channel traverses the shoulder which is challenged by lies, misinformation, and comparison to others. The midline of the front is the conception vessel which suffers from insufficient bonding with our mother. A frequent site of tattoos is the soft inside of the forearm and wrist. This is the heart protector channel which is threatened by feelings of betrayal. It is also the channel responsible for differentiating ourselves from everyone else in the world. Challenges in both of these realms of our life can be soothed by tattoos.

When luo channels have become saturated by a constant need to absorb potentially overwhelming challenges, they begin to spill over into a reservoir system in our DNA channels, the eight extraordinary channels. Two of these channels, Yin and Yang Qiao Mai, create our sense of self-worth and of how we fit into the world. As outside assault begins to seep into these channels, self-esteem and sense of belonging are affected. Whole body tattoos are often a reflection of struggles in these areas. They can help bolster our identity, to create a different picture, so to speak, of who we are.

In summary, Luo channels and tattoos provide a buffer which helps us survive the bumps and blows that the struggle of life contains.

Tattoos have historically been popular among military personnel and gangs. Each of these groups certainly lives with tremendous emotional challenges. Each also identifies strongly with the group they have chosen and select tattoos that reinforce this identity.

Why then have tattoos made such inroads into mainstream culture in the last decade? Is life being experienced as such an assault that large numbers of people young and old are self-selecting protective energetic channels? Does all of the information and graphic news coming at us, does comparison with others via social media, and does the constant bombardment of advertising, “you need this thing to feel good”, cause feelings of existential threat? Do these feelings challenge our sense of identity? Seen through the lens of ancient Chinese medical science the prevalence of tattoos would indicate that the answer is yes.

In a similar manner, people who cut their body are being unconsciously led to help themselves cope with their feelings of being overwhelmed. An acupuncturist treats Luo channels using a tiny lancet needle to express drops of blood from the channels. The drops carry with them the emotional tension they are holding and can rapidly relieve the overwhelm. People who cut themselves have Luo channels that are saturated. They are instinctively treating themselves by drawing blood at the surface.Their method can however, easily lead to excess bleeding that is life threatening. Having regular Luo channel treatments from an acupuncturist is therefore a gentle way to reduce feelings of stress and overwhelm and prevent physical and emotional illness that can evolve from them.

Body piercings are also Luo channels. They are usually placed into specific acupoints on a channel that is being affected by life experiences. Since they are metal they have the effect of dispersing or turning down the energy of a channel and can therefore lead to physiological issues. For example navel piercings can aid feelings of being under nurtured but can turn down the energy of fertility, making it difficult to conceive a child. The navel is on the channel known as the conception vessel.

Finally, there is a lot of negative judgment about tattoos from many in our society. Using the concepts above, namely that tattoos serve a purpose, ancient Chinese medical science can help us turn that disapproval and fear into compassion for the tattooed. We can realize that they, like all of us, are struggling with life as best they can and have instinctively sought out a way to aid them through the feelings of overwhelm and identity so prevalent in this mysterious process we call life.