Heat of the Heart and Neurodiversity

This month, I have teamed up with Alexandra Davis of Diamond Star Acupuncture in my continuing series of co-authoring blogs.

The tradition of Chinese medicine goes back at least 2,500 years and is rooted in timeless wisdom that recognizes that:

Our bodies follow the same rules and patterns that we see in nature because they are 100% a part of nature
Our physical state, emotional state, and psychological states are entirely intertwined – and each of these aspects is constantly affecting and including the others
Our physical, emotional, and psychological states are constantly changing, and yet are rooted in a unique constitution that we are each born with
Our constitution cannot be changed, but it can be balanced

So what does this have to do with neurodivergence?

The ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine (which we still apply today during treatment with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine) doesn’t recognize neurodivergence, but it recognizes many unique layers of human constitutions. One of these unique layers overlaps in exciting ways with neurodivergence.

As Chinese medicine labels it, this unique layer is “Heat in the Heart” or “Fire in the Heart.” “Fire in the Heart” is simply a more pronounced version of “Heat in the Heart.”

During one of my (Sheila’s) treatments by Alexandra, she asked me to stick out my tongue. She had never made this request before, so being the curious neurodivergent that I am, I asked why. The answer was fascinating. Her response made me wonder if everyone with a neurodivergent brain had the same Chinese Medicine layer. I went home and looked at my daughter’s tongue. The presentation of her tongue was even more significant than mine, which tracked with what my daughter says and her behavior. A few days later, I talked about it with a friend who has the same unique layer and is also ND.

Anybody can develop ‘Heat or Fire in the Heart’ under certain circumstances, but some people constitutionally, meaning almost always, display the characteristics of this pattern. This means that their physical, emotional, and psychological states tend in this direction – but this doesn’t mean that all neurodivergent people are the same as far as Chinese medicine is concerned. Heat or Fire in the Heart is just one of many constitutional layers that someone might have – but it’s one that may be a common thread.

Some of the aspects of constitutional Heat or Fire in the Heart are:

Feeling easily unsettled
Being easily startled
Feeling easily agitated by external stimulus
Feeling frequent internal agitation – this can be physical, emotional, or psychological
An active mind, sometimes over-active with difficulty for the mind to become entirely still
Feeling emotions deeply
Have strong and intense emotions
Having deep care for the world or other people or other species – often to the point of emotional pain

In comparison, some of the aspects of ADHD are:

Often easily distracted
Often impulsive (fidgets)
Has too many bombarding thoughts at once
Has a need to move often
Talk talks excessively
Has big emotions
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
Trouble following through without external accountability
Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities.
Procrastinates and
Often loses things necessary for tasks and
Is often forgetful in daily activities
Sensitive to external stimuli

And some of the aspects of HFA are:

Difficulty understanding conventional social rules or appears to show a lack of empathy
Actually, they are feeling so much they are overwhelmed with emotion
May seem unengaged in a conversation and not understand the use of non-verbal gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, sarcasm, humor, irony, subtleties of language, idioms, and puns.
Tend to limit eye contact or touching from others.
Have a special interest that they have an expert’s knowledge of. (Although not as true for females)
Have repetitive behavior patterns such as walking the same way to work or school, eating the same foods for meals, etc.
Have social anxiety
Have dyspraxia
May be hypersensitive to lights, sounds, touch, textures, and smells.

You can see the pattern and why I wondered if other NDs also have Heat of the Heart.

Additionally, Heat or Fire in the Heart can cause frequent, vivid dreams or trouble falling or staying asleep at night. It can also sometimes make it difficult to control the expression of strong emotions.

There are many ways that a Chinese medicine practitioner can recognize if someone has Heat or Fire in the Heart, and one of the ways is something that you can do yourself by looking in the mirror. As strange as it may sound, the tongue reveals many different internal workings of the body, and the tip of the tongue tells us what is going on in the heart.

Heat or Fire in the Heart will appear as a tip of the tongue or general front area of the tongue. It presents as brighter red than the rest of the tongue. Sometimes there are also bright red dots on the tip or front section of the tongue, resembling dots on a strawberry and a generally bright red color.

Here is an illustration of the different parts of the tongue and their corresponding body organs:

Here are some examples of tongues that reveal Heat or Fire in the Heart.

Notice that either the very tip of the tongue is bright red compared to the rest of the tongue, or the entire front section of the tongue is bright red compared to the rest of the tongue.

Here are examples of tongues that does not reveal Heat or Fire in the Heart:

Grab a mirror and check out your tongue… if you haven’t already. How about other people that you know?

Many people with neurodivergence may have Heat or Fire in the Heart, but not all people with Heat or Fire in the Heart are neurodivergent.

So, what can we do about it?

Using Chinese medicine’s wisdom through acupuncture and herbal treatment, we have many ways to help balance out this extra Heat and Fire in the Heart. In doing so, many of the listed symptoms and tendencies can improve.
Using a coach can help you explore who you are to be proactive and not reactive. Reacting over time can cause anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and negative self-talk. Being proactive helps you build a supportive structure that helps control the challenges of an ND brain.

Heat and Fire in the Heart and being extra sensitive contribute to one another. So, being neurodivergent and extra sensitive to stimulus and emotions can create more Heat and Fire in the Heart, and having Heat and Fire in the Heart can make sensitivities and emotions more intense. We can’t change neurodivergence, nor would we want to because there are many gifts to thinking differently. One of the options we have is to help balance ourselves by treating Heat and Fire in the Heart, which may allow the rest of our bodies, emotions, and minds to feel more balanced and at ease.

I (Alexandra) wish I could prescribe a one-size-fits-all way to balance Heat or Fire in the Heart, but this truly depends on each person’s unique constitution. An acupuncturist (who will also be trained in prescribing Chinese herbs) can assess your unique constitution and choose the correct acupuncture and herbal treatment for you.

And I (Sheila) wish I could say that X amount of coaching would help find ways to cope with ND challenges but it isn’t true. Each individual needs to find their own path to follow to get to the version of themselves that they want to become.

Chinese medicine doctors and coaches use modalities that work well with other support team members to help individuals find their path.