The Three Treasures: How Trauma and Emotion May Affect Jing, Qi, Shen — and the Experience of Pain

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Jing Qi Shen Three Treasures illustration showing effects of emotional trauma and stress in Traditional Chinese Medicine — The Three Treasures—Jing, Qi, and Shen—are fundamental concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine used to describe the relationship between the body's deeper essence, functional vitality, and mental-emotional state. Emotional trauma and prolonged stress may affect sleep, muscle tension, autonomic regulation, and pain perception through mechanisms understood differently in Western medicine and TCM. Acupuncture may provide supportive care for chronic pain, muscular tension, and stress-related physical symptoms as part of an appropriate comprehensive treatment plan.

By Dr. Phumlarp Caulo, L.Ac., MAc., OM, DAHM

Doctor of Acupuncture / Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Jing, Qi, and Shen are known as the Three Treasures. They provide a traditional framework for understanding the relationship between the body's physical foundation, functional vitality, and mental-emotional state.

The image above describes Jing as the material basis and essence of life, Qi as the energy that animates the body, and Shen as consciousness, emotions, and thoughts. Following emotional trauma, the text describes Jing as potentially disrupted, frozen, or depleted; Qi as disordered, blocked, or exhausted; and Shen as disturbed or unrooted. These descriptions belong to the theoretical language of TCM and should not be interpreted as literal Western anatomical diagnoses.

Trauma Through the TCM Perspective

TCM views the body and mind as interconnected rather than completely separate systems.

Jing (Essence) represents the body's deeper constitutional and restorative foundation. Prolonged illness, severe stress, insufficient recovery, poor nutrition, and chronic exhaustion may be interpreted in TCM as gradually taxing this deeper reserve.

Qi (Functional Vitality) represents movement and physiological activity. Emotional stress may disturb the smooth movement of Qi. Clinically, a patient may describe tension, chest tightness, digestive changes, fatigue, headaches, muscle tightness, or pain. When Qi does not move smoothly, TCM commonly describes this as Qi stagnation.

Shen (Mind/Spirit) encompasses consciousness, emotional stability, thought, sleep, and mental presence. Following trauma, a person may experience anxiety, hypervigilance, disturbed sleep, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, emotional instability, or a persistent feeling of being unsafe. In TCM terminology, these manifestations may be described as a disturbance of the Shen.

The Three Treasures therefore provide a traditional way of describing why prolonged emotional stress can eventually be experienced not only psychologically but also physically.

What Does Western Anatomy & Physiology Tell Us?

Western medicine explains trauma through neurobiological mechanisms rather than Jing, Qi, and Shen. After a threatening experience, the brain and nervous system activate survival mechanisms involving the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, autonomic nervous system, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

The amygdala helps detect threat, the hippocampus provides memory and context, while the prefrontal cortex participates in attention, judgment, and regulation of emotional responses. The autonomic nervous system coordinates sympathetic “fight-or-flight” activity and parasympathetic recovery.

Normally, these systems help us respond to danger and then return toward baseline. After significant or repeated trauma, however, some people may remain unusually reactive to reminders of danger. Sleep, muscle tone, breathing, digestion, concentration, mood, and pain perception can consequently be affected. This helps explain why emotional trauma can sometimes coexist with very physical symptoms.

Trauma, Stress, and Pain

Pain is not produced by muscles or joints alone. It is an experience created through interactions among peripheral nerves, the spinal cord, brain networks, immune signaling, previous experiences, emotions, sleep, and the person's environment.

Persistent stress may increase muscle guarding, interfere with restorative sleep, reduce physical activity, and increase attention toward uncomfortable sensations. In someone already experiencing chronic pain, these factors can amplify the overall pain experience.

This does not mean that pain is “only emotional.” A patient can have genuine tissue, joint, muscular, neurological, or inflammatory pathology while stress and emotional state simultaneously influence how strongly pain is experienced.

From a TCM perspective, this interaction can be described differently: emotional disruption may disturb Shen, interfere with the movement of Qi, and—when prolonged—contribute to exhaustion of the body's deeper resources. Thus, Western medicine and TCM use different languages, but both recognize an important clinical principle:

The body, nervous system, emotions, sleep, and pain continuously influence one another.

How Should It Be Managed?

Persistent trauma symptoms should first be appropriately evaluated, particularly when they involve severe anxiety, depression, panic, nightmares, avoidance, significant insomnia, or impairment in everyday life. Evidence-based treatments for PTSD include trauma-focused approaches such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and EMDR. Acupuncture should be considered complementary care rather than a replacement for appropriate psychological or medical treatment.

At home, support recovery by maintaining regular sleep and waking times, eating consistently, staying hydrated, participating in tolerable physical activity, practicing slow breathing or mindfulness, and maintaining supportive social connections. Gentle walking, stretching, Tai Chi, or Qigong may be useful ways of gradually combining movement with relaxation.

Nutrition should emphasize a balanced pattern containing adequate protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and sufficient fluids. Nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and vitamin D participate in normal neurological or metabolic functions, but supplements should not automatically be used as treatments for trauma. Deficiencies should be assessed when clinically appropriate, because excessive supplementation can also cause harm.

Avoid using alcohol or recreational drugs to suppress emotional symptoms, excessive caffeine when anxiety or insomnia is present, prolonged sleep deprivation, and extreme dietary or supplement regimens. Do not abruptly discontinue prescribed psychiatric, neurological, or pain medications without discussing it with the prescribing clinician.

Where Acupuncture May Fit

Acupuncture is particularly relevant when pain and physical tension accompany stress or emotional distress. Modern research suggests that acupuncture can be a useful component of multimodal treatment for several chronic pain conditions, although benefits vary among individuals and conditions. Large analyses of randomized trials have found acupuncture associated with improvements in chronic musculoskeletal pain compared with both no-acupuncture controls and, to a smaller degree, sham acupuncture.

Evidence for acupuncture specifically as a treatment for PTSD remains insufficient for it to replace established trauma-focused therapies. It is better considered supportive or adjunctive care, particularly when patients also experience pain, muscular tension, headaches, disturbed sleep, or stress-related physical symptoms.

From the TCM perspective, treatment may be designed according to the individual's pattern to regulate Qi, calm Shen, relieve stagnation, and support constitutional weakness rather than treating every person with the same acupuncture prescription.

Acupuncture at Caulo Care

At Caulo Care Acupuncture in Forest Hills, New York, our goal is to understand pain within the context of the whole person. For patients whose chronic pain is accompanied by stress, muscle tension, poor sleep, fatigue, or emotional strain, acupuncture may be incorporated into a broader pain-management strategy to help reduce pain, decrease physical tension, support relaxation, and improve function.

Acupuncture does not erase traumatic memories and should not replace appropriate medical or mental-health treatment. Instead, it can provide another therapeutic pathway for addressing the physical burden that stress and trauma may place on the body—especially when pain has become persistent.

If stress and emotional tension are making your pain harder to manage, consider acupuncture as part of a comprehensive approach to pain care.

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Dr. Phumlarp Caulo, L.Ac., MAc., OM, DAHM

Doctor of Acupuncture / Chinese Medicine

Caulo Care Acupuncture Forest Hills, New York

🔖 By appointment only

📧 bookingcaulocare@gmail.com

🛜 www.caulocare.com

☎️ +1 (929) 269-4549

Educational Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or a substitute for professional medical or mental-health care. Everything must be balanced, and these suggestions may not apply to every individual. A qualified physician, mental-health professional, or other appropriate specialist should be consulted for diagnosis and individualized medical advice.

References

National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Overview of Psychotherapy for PTSD. VA/DoD guidelines identify Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR among the trauma-focused psychotherapies with the strongest evidence.
National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Complementary and Integrative Health for PTSD. Current evidence regarding acupuncture for PTSD is promising but remains insufficient to recommend acupuncture as a primary PTSD treatment.
Vickers AJ, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2012;172(19):1444–1453. Analysis of 17,922 patients found acupuncture superior to sham and no-acupuncture controls for several chronic pain conditions.
Huang JF, et al. Can Acupuncture Improve Chronic Spinal Pain? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Global Spine Journal. 2021;11(8):1248–1265.
Asano H, Plonka D, Weeger J. Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medical Acupuncture. 2022;34(2):96–106.
Traditional Chinese Medicine framework: Jing, Qi, and Shen — the Three Treasures, interpreted in conjunction with the educational material reproduced in the accompanying image.