The development of Confucian medical theory and the treatment of psychosomatic diseases foreseen in Confucian medical theory

The pride of being a traditional human being in contemporary Chinese people shows that the Confucian doctrine of mind and body has not disappeared from our lives. Therefore, it still has an important influence on the Chinese mind and body, still determines the state of mind-body balance, and still requires targeted mind-body interventions. However, traditional Chinese people need the guidance of cultural and psychological theories with contemporary characteristics to realize psychological and physiological adaptation in modern society. An overview of the development of the Confucian doctrine of mindfulness is helpful in grasping the characteristics of the onset of psychosomatic disorders and preventive interventions among Chinese people.

The first point is the determination of the value of life.

In the choice of body and spirit, Confucianism consistently chooses the spirit. This spirit has remained constant from Confucius and Mencius to the advocacy of Neo-Confucianism. Traditional Chinese people are proud of the devotion of the body and ashamed of the collapse of the spirit.

At the level of consciousness, traditional Chinese reject the occurrence of mental problems, and therefore most people show reluctance to accept the conclusion of psychological problems. This objectively puts more damage on the somatic body and manifests more obvious somatic symptoms. In the diagnostic process of psychosomatic diseases, one can see a large number of somatic symptoms described by patients rather than psychological problems. These pathogenetic features of Chinese psychosomatic illnesses have cultural and psychological origins that call for targeted solutions.

The second point is to realize the mind-body balance approach.

The Confucian doctrine of mindfulness provides the Chinese with the means to intervene in purely psychological problems. But another common result of Confucian mindfulness is that many Chinese people consciously and voluntarily take on social responsibilities even after they have developed psychosomatic illnesses. Even some traditional Chinese take it as an honor to assume social responsibility for causing somatic illness. Seen in this way, the Confucian theory of mindfulness, after accomplishing the adjustment of the psyche, does not take up the task of protecting the health of the somatic body. The somatic problems caused by the psyche are left to traditional Chinese medicine to accomplish. In other words, in terms of the maintenance of the entire mind-body balance, the Confucian theory of mindfulness and the theory of Chinese medicine **** the same role.

The tea ceremony, baiting, guiding, qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting have all been effective ways used by the Chinese to regulate the mind and body. These ways include the Chinese people's unique understanding of healthy lifestyles, as well as their special experience of the changing patterns of physiology. In order for these ancient ways to play their proper roles, or to find new ways of regulating the mind and body that are in line with the rhythm of contemporary Chinese life, it is necessary to organize the relevant findings of modern medicine so that they can be accepted by the Chinese culture. In this way, the theory of Confucian medicine must pay attention to the findings of modern medical psychology on such issues as physiology, nutrition, habits, mental states, beliefs, etc., and integrate such findings into the cultural and psychological life of the Chinese people. Only such an approach can be an effective way to realize the balance between the Chinese mind and body.

The third point is the pursuit of the realm of mind and body cultivation.

Research on Confucian theories of mindfulness has shown that the Chinese people have always pursued a mediocre and harmonious way of life. This particular understanding of life embodies the universal goal of Chinese people's mental and physical cultivation.

Whether in the description of the laws of physiological movement or in the basic attitudes on issues of physiology, nutrition, habits, mental states, and beliefs, the concept of mediocrity is prominent. There is no excess, no deficiency, and everything is best in moderation. The pursuit of harmony between mind and body as a whole, and the balance of mind and body functions, is the yardstick by which the traditional Chinese choose their interventions. Through this yardstick, many foreign results can be analyzed and preferred.

The fourth point is the development of Confucian medical theories in the direction of psychosomatic diseases.

The validity of traditional methods of mental and physical cultivation requires more than simply replacing research with the words "psychological experience". Studying the reasons behind this validity can make up for the shortcomings of the original theory. In other words, the effectiveness of the traditional mind-body cultivation method creates the need to sort out and develop the theory of Confucian medicine. Sorting out and developing Confucian medical theories requires the ability to effectively explain various health phenomena (accommodating various data observed in modern research), to accurately foresee mind-body problems and to relieve mind-body problems.

The theory of Confucian medicine is based on the I Chuan and the Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon. At the technical level, validity abounds in what many call empirical medicine and psychological experience; at the same time, there are many shortcomings in microscopic research. At the level of research methodology, the theory of Confucian medicine, which is founded on a kind of philosophy of life, has a better match with the human mind-body movement. These provide the feasibility of digging deeper into the theory of Confucian medicine to find a way to solve the psychosomatic diseases of Chinese people.