Shen Series - Course 2

The course focuses on what may be puzzling concepts, starting from accurate references to the Classics, to the exploring of contemporary clinical use. We explore shen in many contexts: Shen as extra-ordinary, that which is beyond yin and yang, does not belong to this world of the ten thousands—the world of differentiation, of shapes, of transformation; Shen as the most subtle of the three treasure (shen-qi-jing); Shen as vitality/life (in eyes, pulse, tongue, etc); Its functions (cognitive functions, consciousness, wisdom and intuitive knowledge, integration of the emotions, perception); Its significance in individuals and its relation with the psycho-emotional disorders. We also explore the Hun and the Po, a couple whose meaning and functions may be vague and confusing. We explore their relation with jing and shen and what is meant by: “hun enters po and po holds hun”, “they are the light and the dark side of the moon”, “hun is the flame of po; po is the root of hun”, “po as remembering on the inside, hun as governing movement and action”. We also examine their clinical use by looking at disorders in which patients suffer of conditions as a lost contact with reality, anorexia, obsessive thought, somatic disorders, violent behavior, etc. Clinical examples will be discussed.