Acupressure to Ease Creative Doubt

Doubt can affect every aspect of the creative process, from confidence in your craft to your passion for a project, even thwarting the act itself. Try these acupressure points for easing creative doubt, no matter the medium of your art.

As a prequel to the post on overcoming writing doubt, these acupressure points to help alleviate creative doubt, are potent healing tools, bringing balance, clarity and calm, quietening overthinking and repetitive thoughts, while soothing the overwhelm that can come with creative unease. In turn boosting self-belief in writing, and helping you to trust your creative abilities.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), our emotions play a huge part in every imbalance, from the humblest symptom to full blown illness. The emotions we feel in excess can be a symptom or the cause of a deeper issue, a symbiotic relationship, with each of the emotions linked to an organ in this ancient healing system.

Doubt [and worry] has a strong relationship with the stomach and spleen in TCM, and the Taoist system, and treating these organs and meridians with acupressure can be a surprisingly powerful antidote.

While the points on the two main meridians on the body, Du and Ren (also called the Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel), are some of the most healing acupressure points on the body with often profound and calming consequences, that only serve to augment your creativity.

Every writer and artist experiences creative doubt, but excessive doubt, according to TCM, causes discord between mind and body because too much of your chi (qi), is trapped in your head, leading to overthinking, with repetitive, unhelpful thoughts, and finding ourselves feeling stuck or caught.

That is, if filled with doubt, your chi is being used for these unhelpful thinking processes instead of in more nourishing ways that support you and your creativity. You mind is distracted and busy instead of collected and calm. By attending to these healing practices prior to your work, you can find renewed clarity and calm, and creativity.

Equally, just as small shifts in internal dialogue can reduce unnecessary stress and improve overall energy, so too can this conscious effort to love and support oneself, rather than criticise oneself, through holistic techniques, establish a virtuous energy flow, promoting better mental and emotional wellbeing.

On a physical level, with excessive doubt and overthinking in TCM, you may find that your digestion is affected or sluggish, that you have frequent headaches, hyperacidity, stomach pain, even food cravings, which are all signs of an imbalance.

Fuai Point

Fuai or Spleen 16, is located below the edge of your ribcage, in line with your nipples on both sides or 4 cun (finger-widths) from the midline of the body. By pressing these points and breathing deeply for a couple of minutes, it rebalances feelings of doubt, worry, also sadness, grief and eases digestive problems. It is especially useful if worry and doubt are overwhelming.

Three Hundred Mile Point

The Three Hundred Mile point (Stomach 36), helps alleviate doubt, mental confusion, overwhelm and worry, and also helps digestion and gives an energy boost. The point is four finger-widths below your kneecap and one finger-width outside the shinbone, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle. Make two fists and rub both S36 points for about a minute.

Sea of Tranquillity Point

Sea of Tranquillity point or CV 17. I mention this point a lot as it is truly powerful, soothing and extensive in its healing applications. Otherwise known as the Sea of Tranquillity, this point can instil you with courage, bring calming reassurance, alleviate anxiety, restlessness, depression, as well as clear your mind of worrisome thinking. It’s found in the centre of the breastbone.

Feng Fu

Feng Fu or GV 16 (Governing Vessel 16), is the finest acupressure point of all to quieten overthinking, excessive thought and repetitive thoughts. It’s found in the centre of the back of your neck, in the hollow at the base of your skull. It also reduces neck pain, insomnia, tension and is useful to know in an emergency for treating shock or trauma. Press fairly firmly, obviously not so firmly that it hurts but you want to feel a subtle but pleasant ache radiate through this region.

Finally, another lovely way to benefit from Feng Fu is to squeeze the region with your thumb and forefinger on each side of this point. It creates a feeling that I guarantee you will bring you a smile, a feeling of instant rejuvenation and increased endorphins. In TCM it is said to bring the body into balance and also return you to a state of enjoyment.

If feeling out of sorts or a little deflated with things, try this point. Some acupressure points have a more obvious effect than others, and though I’ll expand on the wonders of this point in terms of creativity and living too, for now enjoy the sensation of being alive.

Contraindications: Do not use Feng Fu during pregnancy, if you have a pacemaker, epilepsy or schizophrenia.

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