What’s Your Element? The Five Element Theory

I fell in love with The Five Elements theory in Chinese Medicine, and I loved it so much that I pursued a three-year clinical internship in treating with Five Element Theory. 

I started my education as a child psychology major because of my love for emotions and supporting people with the stress in their lives. While I didn’t finish my child psychology major, I found my path for healing my patients fully with Five Elements through its ability to help with stress and relationships that take a toll on your health.

What's so cool about Five Element Theory is that every energy meridian in your body has a point for each element. The style of Five Element Theory I learned states that you have a triangle of elements that make you who you are, but other styles believe you have ONE element that represents who you are.

I can treat personality with acupuncture by figuring out who my patient is within the Five Elements. This method helps people in therapy tap into their nervous system to remove stressors or trauma that aren’t moving from therapy alone.

The Wood Type

Wood type people are really driven to succeed, this person is often a lawyer or an athlete.  They value fairness and justice, tend to be focused, and prioritize being on time. 

Wood types need to work out to process the energy in their bodies and keep a clear mind. One of their faults stem from pushing themselves too hard – they don't recognize their bodies have limits and need rest. Our whole society loves the wood element because of their get up and get it done attitude, which is valued in an increasingly busy society. 

I can look at the emotions you experience and determine imbalance in an organ depending on which are connected to an element. Wood is connected to the liver and gall bladder and anger is the emotion of this element. If you were experiencing large amounts of anger, I’d look at your liver and gall bladder for answers. This element also represents spring, showing a need to stay flexible in the wind and develop deeper roots.

The Water Type

Water type people are creative – they may have a lot of ideas but lack the discipline to execute them. They tend to be quieter and value time alone more than other elements.  

Water types need emotional stability and freedom. Their emotions can fluctuate like the rising tide, and routines can feel suffocating for them. One of their faults stem from this emotional fluctuation, as they experience high highs and low lows emotionally, making it difficult to find balance. They are drawn to water. This element governs and distributes our resources: time, energy and money. 

This element’s organs are the kidney and bladder, and its emotion is fear. Its season is winter, representing deep thinking and reserves of strength.

The Metal Type

Metal type people are standard setters, they’re often accountants and house cleaners. These are people who want to get it right. 

Spiritual or religious faith comes under metal because of its representation of righteousness. Metal types need order and a strong sense of purpose, to feel like their work has meaning through personal achievements or upholding high standards. Their weaknesses come from emotional distance and repressing grief – it can be hard for them overcome disappointment and loss.

The lung and the colon are the organs of this element, and it’s emotion is sadness. Fall represents this element through detachment, like falling leaves, and resilience.

The Earth Type

Earth type people are caretakers, cooks, nurses, givers, and gardeners. They value helping people and reliability. 

Earth types need community and a feeling of purpose through helping others, they often feel complete through deep connections, mediation, and caregiving. Their weakness can be that they give to others but not to themselves, leaving them feeling burnt out. They might make food for others but not eat themselves.

The spleen (pancreas) and stomach are the organs associated with earth types and worry is the emotion of this element. Late summer (harvest time) is earth’s season, representing their nurturing nature. 

The Fire Type

Fire is the last type. People with this element can be introverted and value a few close friends or extroverted and value lighter relationships more, but they love relationships and put them first. 

They will do things to have fun, get bored easily, and fall victim to addictions more easily – fire types need excitement through passion, adventure and intensity. Fire people can have trouble with abuse or trauma and often feel impulsive or reckless in their excitement.

Fire has four organs including the heart, small intestine, San Jiao (Triple Burner) and pericardium and their emotion is joy or anxiety. This element represents summer through their adventurous spirit, warmth, and spontaneity.

The pericardium can get stuck open or shut, preventing you from allowing, or blocking, the right people from your heart.  The San Jiao helps network and regulate temperature and thirst. The small intestine sorts out information and helps us process it and make decisions. The Heart is of course the center, and people are drawn to heart people because they make us feel loved, accepted, joyful, fun, and magical. 

Incorporating Five Element Work

I incorporate Five Element work in all my treatments. I have a few patients who come for therapy style treatments where I listen to what is happening in their lives, and I treat them based on what they want to change. 

Do you want to forgive someone, release trauma, move forward, or hold a boundary? I call these magic wand wishes – meaning if I could wave a magic wand, what do you wish would change?

I believe if we know your element and incorporate that source point for that element, you will feel stronger and more centered in yourself. I also use these Five Element Treatments for releasing abuse and trauma from the body.

I love doing Five Element work, you can try it yourself during a new patient appointment or 90-minute appointment. Many of my patients tell me that I sound like the voice in their head, or that I say exactly the same things their therapist says.

I love that acupuncture connects the nervous system, physical body, mind, and emotions.  Acupuncture is a bridge medicine between an energy treatment like Reiki and a more physical treatment. It's always a privilege to help you overcome your emotional roadblocks to thrive and find joy and fulfillment again.