WHEN GRIEF COLLAPSES THE LUNGS: A CHINESE MEDICINE PERSPECTIVE ON UNTOLD STORIES AND CHRONIC SYMPTOMS

Even the stories we don’t finish still live in the body. Especially the ones we never told

You’d be surprised how often I ask this in my practice:

"What are you grieving...or avoiding grieving?"

Sometimes it’s after I see a chronic cough that hasn’t responded to medicine. Sometimes it’s a rash that shows up in waves after loss. And sometimes it’s when the pulses say what the mouth won’t: The Lung pulse has collapsed.

In Chinese medicine, the Lungs are known as "the delicate organ." They govern breath and immunity, but they also govern boundary and grief. If you’ve ever had the wind knocked out of you by news you weren’t ready for - that’s Lung. If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t take a deep breath because someone or something was missing - that’s Lung. If you haven’t gotten sick in years, but now you’re catching every cold and it lingers too long - that might be Lung, too.

Not Just Breath, But Boundary

The Lungs are your first line of defense. Wei qi (protective qi) circulates on the surface of the body, like an energetic immune shield. But grief can puncture that. Especially when it isn’t felt. Especially when it’s quietly carried.

The Lungs descend and disperse. They regulate the rhythms of inhale and exhale, taking in and letting go. But unresolved grief doesn’t let go. It contracts. It binds. It turns boundary into barrier, or worse - into collapse.

The Grief That Shows Up As Cough

If your body has been doing something that seems out of character lately - more upper respiratory issues, chronic fatigue, lingering skin eruptions, allergic wheezing that came out of nowhere - you might not be looking in the wrong place for answers. You might just be looking in the wrong layer.

In Chinese medicine, we often notice that people with chronic grief or suppressed sorrow tend to present with lung-related issues—persistent coughs, shortness of breath, even recurring colds. It’s not about a diagnosis. It’s about observing patterns over time.

Inquiry Over Prescription

I’m not here to hand you a formula. But I am inviting you to pause and ask:

• What might your body be holding that your voice hasn’t named?

• Have you given yourself the space to grieve—fully, not performatively?

• Do you push through sadness with willpower while your body bears the residue?

In Chinese medicine, we often notice that people with chronic grief or suppressed sorrow tend to present with lung-related issues - persistent coughs, shortness of breath, even recurring colds. It’s not about a diagnosis. It’s about observing patterns over time.

The Body Holds What We Won’t

The Lungs can only release what we’re willing to exhale.

So if you’re moving through something tender - or you suspect that your body is, even if your mind hasn't caught up - you’re not alone.

This is a practice that treats all of you. Even the stories that haven’t finished yet.

If you're local and curious how Chinese medicine can support grief (even if you wouldn't name it that), you can learn more on our services page. Or reach out directly here.