Acupuncture for Trust

Trust is the foundation for everything we do. Trust is the belief that there is a better version of us around every corner. And if we can learn to trust one another more, we can have unprecedented human progress.

Yet trust can arise not just from a psychological and psychosomatic level but also from a physiological level.

Science on Trust


The gut and brain are connected in a way known as the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is the communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS). And within the digestive system, there is a nervous system known as the enteric nervous system (ENS) which is embedded within. In the enteric nervous system, there are over 100 million nerve cells lining the entire gastrointestinal tract.

The ENS mainly controls digestion, but it is also connected to and communicates bi-directionally with the CNS through the vagus nerve, the largest nerve in the body. Communication can also happen via neurotransmitters, hormones, the endocrine system, and other chemical messengers. 

When the gastrointestinal system experiences irritation, it sends signals to the CNS that can cause changes in mood. This can explain the link between depression and anxiety with conditions like IBS and other gut-related or functional bowel problems.

There is an old saying “trust your gut”, which refers to trusting the feelings of intuition and also staying true to yourself.

Gut here is thus seen as highly correlated to trust. Trust of your inner self, trust of your inner voice, trust of your soul. This correlation is even more significant as explained in Traditional Chinese Medicine.


Traditional Chinese Medicine on Trust


As with Confucian theories on morality and ethics that have heavy influence on Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophies, the virtue of Trust is related to the element of Earth which is correlated with Stomach and digestion.

When a person has the capacity and ability to trust, it enhances the Earth element of the body and nourishes and invigorates the Stomach. Health problems related to the Stomach in Traditional Chinese Medicine are commonly digestive system problem such as indigestion, bloating, constipation, gastric reflux, diabetes, stomach cancer, pancreas cancer and many others. People with such digestive problems often also has trust issues and easily feel insecure and unsafe. Therefore practicing trust can aid in allowing the digestive system to function better. Through trust, the person can find more inner peace and relaxation and allows the body to go into a rest-and-digest mode, helping digestion to function smoothly. 

Acupuncture for Trust

Although trust is connected to how we relate to others externally, trust can also be built and inculcated internally within our body and mind. It is a feeling of how comfortable and safe you are in your own skin to interact with the external world and allow things to flow by itself rather than controlling and manipulating. This comes from inside, not outside.

Acupuncture is one of the effective ways to be able to do that. Read How TCM works scientifically here.

Acupuncture when done at the right acupoints and techniques can nourish and strengthen the digestive system which as mentioned above can help bring out the virtue of trust. Some of the acupoints that are capable of helping in digestion and bringing out the value of trust are Zu San Li, Gong Sun.

Read more about Acupuncture for Motivation, Acupuncture for Time Abundance, Acupuncture for Compassion here.

Basics of TCM, TCM(Traditional Chin Med), Inner Practice, Being HumanXiang Jun LimDr (TCM) Xiang Junacupuncture, healing, tcm, inner practice, meditation, spirituality, trust