Part 1:2 The Five Elements

Question 1

Name the Five Elements

Answer 1

Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water

Question 2

What is Waters basic quality?

Answer 2

Moistens downwards

Question 3

Fire’s basic quality ?

Answer 3

Flares upwards

Question 4

Woods basic quality

Answer 4

Can be bent and straightened

Question 5

Metals basic quality

Answer 5

Can be moulded and can harden

Question 6

Earths basic quality

Answer 6

Permits sowing/ growing and reaping

Question 7

Yin organs
Zang organs

Answer 7

Liver
Heart/ Pericardium
Spleen
Lungs
Kidneys

Question 8

Yang organs
Fu organs

Answer 8

Gall bladder
Small intestine/ Triple burner
Stomach
Large intestine
Bladder

Question 9

What sequence is the Sheng cycle

Answer 9

The Generating sequence

Wood creates fire by burning
Fire creates earth from ashes
Earth creates metal by hardening
Metal creates water by containment
Water creates wood by nourishment

Question 10

What sequence is the KE cycle

Answer 10

The controlling sequence

Fire controls metal by melting
Metal controls Wood by cutting
Wood controls Earth by covering
Earth controls water by damning
Water controls fire by extinguishing

Question 11

Which two sequences apply to Pathological cases?

Answer 11

Over- Acting
Insulting

Question 12

Elements can be out of balance in four ways, what are they?

Answer 12

1) In excess and over- acts on another along the over acting sequence
2) In excess and ‘draws’ excessively from its mother element
3) Deficient and fails to nourish its child
4) Deficient and is insulted by another along the insulting sequence

Question 13

Emotion of wood

Answer 13

Anger

Question 14

Emotion of Fire

Answer 14

Joy

Question 15

Emotion of Earth

Answer 15

Sympathy/ worry
Pensiveness/ over concentration

Question 16

Emotion of Metal

Answer 16

Worry/ Sorrow/ Sadness

Question 17

Emotion of Water

Answer 17

Fear

Question 18

What are the two five elements in acupuncture treatments

Answer 18

1) Treatment according to the various sequences
2) Treatment according to the Five- Transporting points

Question 19

What is the structure of anger?

Answer 19

An abuse and it’s significant

Timing- recent or ongoing

Who- The agent of the ‘abuse’, usually a person, but can be an organisation. Not Nature or God.

Wrongness- Usually this will involve an appeal to social norms, agreements or fairness such that what was done is wrong e.g. the neighbours said they would keep quiet after midnight.

Question 20

What is the structure of fear?

Answer 20

Fear
If we wish to assess a patient’s Fear or Lack of Fear we must elicit:
1) The ‘threat
2) The ‘future-fantasied violation’ (FFV)
3) The ‘future fantasised safety situation’ (FFS)
4) Information leading to 2)
5) Information leading to 3)

Collecting this information before any ‘test occurs is important.

1) A threat: This is what is recurring, occurring now, or has occurred in the recent past and is causing concern. For example, footsteps heard outside the window at night, an increase in the mortgage or a pain in the abdomen that is recurring more frequently.

2) A future-fantasied violation: This is the undesirable consequences which we believe or imagine are indicated by the threat. For example, ‘pain means I may have cancer which means..
The person believes they have no or limited control over whether the future-
fantasied violation’ occurs.

3) A ‘future-fantasied safety?: This is what would happen when the FFV has not occurred and there is no longer any threat.

Question 21

What is the structure of joy?

Answer 21

1) By giving Congruent Personal Warmth

2) Asking about an activity, which would normally be accompanied by Joy Joyous activity), and then Watching the Natural Lessening of Joy.

Congruent Personal Warmth. This is one of the best ways of observing the patient’s Joy.
Having expressed Congruent Personal Warmth to the patient we can then observe their ability to raise and maintain Joy. The essence of congruent personal warmth is the feeking that I like you, it’s nice to be with you’. We can express congruent personal warmth directly - It is really nice to see you again’, or indirectly - That’s a lovely coat; you look great in it.

A Joyous activity. This is an activity that would naturally be accompanied by a feeling of Joy.
The practitioner could, for example, ask a patient: ‘Tell me about something you’ve really enjoved in the last couple of weeks (or, indeed, are looking forward to)*. We can question them further so that they feel the feelings as if they are there now.
The Natural Lessening of Joy. Once a person is experiencing Joy and the stimulus is gone, the Joy normally recedes smoothly and in its own time. If the Joy is inappropriate it may disappear suddenly and the person appear to drop into sadness, or the Joy may escalate inappropriately.