Photo by Sohel Patel from Pexels
Bladder 58 is a point I was trained to consider when a patient describes feeling “scattered,” specifically when the scatter comes after a period of overwork or stretch of active anxiety. From this overtired place we can scatter our energy ineffectively, the mind can fly off in a thousand directions, and we can catastrophize all that could happen unless we do something about it all. This point is thought to restore order and containment and calm the urge to react and over-do.
A glass of water is only a useful resource when in a container and not scattered on the floor. Water in nature is more powerful when contained (by a river bed). Soil is more effective when contained (by nearby roots). Our plasma (blood) is only effective when contained and moving through its vessels. We too are most powerful when settled in our container (in a peaceful body), not overextended, and not scattered by the whims of our environment.
This point is an invitation to trust our boundaries, and to allow ourselves to feel nourished by the containers we put in place to protect our resources: the rhythms and cycles of rest, work and play, structure in our routines, regular practices that ensure good food and enjoyable movement. Our own boundaries are all we have to protect ourselves against scattering our resources like a cup of spilled milk.
