everything. Is that why miserable people describe their lives as a "living hell"? They are so disconnected from reality, from themselves, and from the world around them that their heart ultimately aches for union; but at the same time their anger, jealousy, or hate -- all ultimately underlined by fear -- prevents them from re-establishing that connection. Often, they actually get accustomed to the sensation, and will block any attempt to re-ignite the fire and open their hearts. Perhaps this fire becomes pathological, perhaps it gets suppressed, being pushed down deeper and deeper; some may channel this fire in other ways, using it to inspire their work or creative pursuits, or to thinking too much. These are all distractions of course -- not that there's anything wrong with these 'distractions' in and of themselves. But when they become ways of ignoring the pain, then they may not necessarily serve our higher good, even if they are enjoyable and maybe fulfil other desires. How does this relate to Chinese Medicine? In the paradigm of health and illness that developed in China over 2000 years ago, there was no separation of mind and body. Psychological and emotional wellbeing were inextricably linked in with somatic health; emotional imbalance can cause somatic illness, and somatic illness can also cause emotional or psychological imbalance. There is no linear chain of cause/effect, it is instead seen as inter-related and co-causative, all part of the same 'pattern of disharmony'. When people are suffering from chronic illness, they