what does tension in the upper jaw mean, what sort of emotional blockage does this area relate to?

[-_sometimes]

I find recently that I have the need to release tension on either side of the jaw, close to the ears, directly below the cheekbones. I was wondering what this area relates to? I find if I drink the tension in this area increases greatly, so much so that I have stopped drinking as just one glass of an alcohol beverage and I have a strong desire to stop and just focus on releasing tension in the area.

 

I would appreciate some insight on this matter. Thank you

[liminal_luke]

People could tell you what they think your upper jaw tension relates to, but I think you´d be better off doing your own self exploration.  As you focus on releasing tension in the area, however you do that, what comes up for you?  The answers you get for yourself will be more meaningful and more accurate than anything anybody could tell you here.

[ilumairen]

15 hours ago, -_sometimes said:

I find recently that I have the need to release tension on either side of the jaw, close to the ears, directly below the cheekbones. I was wondering what this area relates to? I find if I drink the tension in this area increases greatly, so much so that I have stopped drinking as just one glass of an alcohol beverage and I have a strong desire to stop and just focus on releasing tension in the area.

 

I would appreciate some insight on this matter. Thank you

 

Are there words and emotions you are "biting down," and refusing to express or perhaps even acknowledge?

[EmeraldHead]

I believe that part relates to the water element from a western point of view (or Franz Bardons POV..)

Are you dry?

[-_sometimes]

4 hours ago, EmeraldHead said:

I believe that part relates to the water element from a western point of view (or Franz Bardons POV..)

Are you dry?

I have constantly dry and cracked lips no matter how much I drink, could that be related?

[-_sometimes]

5 hours ago, ilumairen said:

 

Are there words and emotions you are "biting down," and refusing to express or perhaps even acknowledge?

I'm pretty sure that's the general human condition lol

[ilumairen]

2 hours ago, -_sometimes said:

I'm pretty sure that's the general human condition lol

 

Perhaps. However the general idea of my posting was for you to explore the dynamic which leads to tension in your upper jaw for yourself. 

 

22 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

People could tell you what they think your upper jaw tension relates to, but I think you´d be better off doing your own self exploration.  As you focus on releasing tension in the area, however you do that, what comes up for you?  The answers you get for yourself will be more meaningful and more accurate than anything anybody could tell you here.

 

[Small Fur]

What does tension in the upper jaw mean, what sort of emotional blockage does this area relate to?

 

On 5/1/2020 at 4:53 PM, -_sometimes said:

I find recently that I have the need to release tension on either side of the jaw, close to the ears, directly below the cheekbones. I was wondering what this area relates to? I find if I drink the tension in this area increases greatly, so much so that I have stopped drinking as just one glass of an alcohol beverage and I have a strong desire to stop and just focus on releasing tension in the area.

 

I would appreciate some insight on this matter. Thank you

 

[I want to note that there are many ways to consider correspondences and interpret conditions in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which depend on the unique presenting conditions of the patient as well as the perspective of the practitioner, so we can't go off of just generic theory or uncontextualized patient questions (even as I am listing some general points here); understanding this is an important aspect of how TCM defers from Western allopathy; it is not a 'one size fits all' type of diagnostic system, so please read this just as a general reference guide.]

 

 

 

The area you reference suggests that this is the masseter muscle which sit between the joint of the mandible below the temporal bone of the skull. It is a delicate area of the face as the lower mandible can easily be dislocated through the misapplication of pressure (meaning one should exercise great caution when working on this area) as it is held together by only four muscles: the masseter, the temporalis, and the medial and lateral pterygoid . Generalized stress is a common cause of tension for this area but with repeated or ongoing issue, it can develop into Tempro-manidular Jaw Disorders (TMJD). Common symptoms of TMJ/TMI/TMJD are: popping or clicking of the jaw, sporadic headaches, and pressure changes and pain in the ear leading to tinnitus. Long-term issues can include such conditions as: chronic head pain, difficulties operating the jaw due to 'locked' jaw affecting a person's ability to eat or speak, facial tenderness and pain radiating downwards along the neck and shoulder area (which in turn can cascade and lead to other muscular, bone and joint alignment issues though out the body).  

 

In TCM this is classically a problem related to an imbalance in the liver. San Jiao (gallbladder and small intestine meridian) directly passes through this area. A common needle insertion point for this condition is Gallbladder 2 as this a local treatment point that sits in the depression of joints near the ear.  Generally speaking we could say that Liver/Gallbaldder, Stomach/Spleen and an element of digestive fire as it relates to sorting (including emotional sorting) are inter-related correspondences to this condition.The emotions I predominantly see in TMJD  are a repressed anger of wood hun and feelings of worry, hurt or anxiety related to the earth functions of the stomach and spleen (but also any or all other emotions associated with the elements, as hun shen cares for all spirits of emotions).  In my clinical experience, people who harbor resentment toward others, people who are fiercely angry or jealous underneath, as well as people with dual-diagnosis (meaning they have a mental health condition combined with a substance abuse disorder) or patients with PTSD (Post- Traumatic Distress Disorder) often express this as a secondary factor. 

 

You mention here that drinking causes the jaw tension to become worse. Again, similar to the milder symptomology involved in dual-diagnosis and the way alcohol poisons the liver, this would suggest a direct correlation between the disharmony of hun spirit to the 'grain spirit' that you are consuming. Many people here are very concerned with complex transmutation processes (ie. jing into qi, into shen) that they do not understand and have yet to consciously experience out of rampant mentality and egoic motivation and therefore fail to take care of the very foundational things that lead to the ability to do such subtle transmutation. If one poisons their body through food and drink, through media, through thought and behavior, then they are immediately and directly harming their shen spirits- thus the corresponding organ and all its associated control functions; this in turn will course through the meridians and in the longer term effect essences (eg. The Three Treasures). Therefore, those who are sincere about tonifying vital energy (jing), circulating energy (qi and blood), and want to refine their consciousness (shen) had best start with doing the very, very basic things of taking care of their health at all levels- be this eatting and drinking cleanly, managing weight, abstaining from exploitive media, managing emotions, working on character/ inner nature, etc.,. It may not sound as glamorous as nei gong, but that is only because people don't understand the spectrum of energy and existence in which life manifests and so are otherwise consumed by distractions of the heart and mind and are led astray by the externalities of illusion.  Your example here of drinking, jaw tension and how it relates to liver damage and thus hun (the shen or consciousness of the liver) are a very good and basic example of how important foundational health is to Taoist living; it is a reminder and hopefully a recognition to others that all levels of extremely refined transmutation must grounded in the very simple, basic tangible ways of living a pure embodied life.

 

For additional support, I will add that there are many forms of holistic health therapies you could look in to for this. In specific, some of the ones I would consider for this condition are: myofascial trigger release therapy with an LMT to deal with muscular tension, articulatory readjustment and retraining with a D.C or chiropractor to deal with any physical dislocation and muscular habituation patterns, relaxation practices to address the underlying emotional conditions from a mental or spiritual health practitioner, and acupuncture with an LAc to transform the energetic patterns. 
 

Edited May 8, 2020 by Small Fur

[Gerard]

Liver Yang rising. 
 

Cause: Excessive mental ability, reading, studying.

How to fix this problem?

 

The mechanical is probably better than herbs as Qi is accumulating in the head rather than the legs.

 

Fix: Asian Squat on a daily basis, multiple times. Exercise more, read, study and think less. Lots of walking.