Calming the Spirit — HT7, PC6, Yintang and GV20
StarStandard modern clinical practice, drawing on classical spirit-point theory.
Points
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The Spirit Gate; Yuan-Source of the Heart
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Opens the chest and settles the Heart
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Calms the spirit directly; strongly sedating
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Clears the mind; lifts low mood or subdues agitation by technique
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Added around GV20 where sleep is the main complaint
Treatment Principle
Settle the spirit at the Heart and open the chest, then quiet the head.
Indications
Method
HT7 and PC6 bilaterally, Yintang threaded downward with the skin pinched, GV20 threaded posteriorly to lift or anteriorly to subdue. Add Sishencong where sleep is the presenting complaint. Retain 20 to 30 minutes in a quiet room.
⚠ Cautions
Acupuncture is an adjunct in mental health, not a substitute for assessment and treatment. Any patient expressing suicidal thoughts needs urgent referral. Do not advise a patient to stop prescribed psychiatric medication.
About
Not a classical named formula but the combination modern practice has converged on, and the one most patients presenting with anxiety will receive.
Rationale
HT7 and PC6 address the Heart, which houses the spirit, from its Yuan-Source and from the chest. Yintang and GV20 act on the head directly. The pairing of distal and head points is what gives the combination both its immediate settling effect and its durability across a course.
Clinical Notes
The room matters as much as the points. A quiet, warm, undisturbed retention of twenty minutes does a substantial part of the work; a rushed treatment with the same needles does not.
Sources
- Deadman, Peter; Al-Khafaji, Mazin; Baker, Kevin. A Manual of Acupuncture.
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