Different seasons, different organs
Richard, our acupuncturist, is often asked why guests seem to arrive with such different needs depending on the time of year. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the explanation is that each season brings a different pair of internal organs into greater prominence, and with them, a different emotional and creative task.
The five seasons
- Spring — Liver and Gall Bladder (Wood): building structure, vision and the plans for the year ahead
- Summer — Heart and Small Intestine (Fire): connection, joy, and being drawn outward toward other people
- Late Summer — Spleen and Stomach (Earth): a season of contentment, gathering in what's been sown
- Autumn — Lung and Large Intestine (Metal): shedding what's no longer needed, making room for what's next
- Winter — Kidney and Bladder (Water): rest, reflection, and quiet preparation for the year ahead
Why the changeovers are hardest
It's rarely the season itself that causes trouble, it's the transition between them, particularly the shift from summer's outward energy into late summer's more contemplative pull. Richard describes it as being handed a different pair of organs to work with every few months, each with its own job to do, while still carrying habits from the season before. Regular treatment through these shifts, he's found, helps guests recalibrate rather than stay stuck in the previous season's mode.
Some science behind it
It's rarely the season itself that causes trouble — it's the transition between them.
There's research to back the empirical picture up: a study from Arizona State University found that acupuncture can reduce feelings of stress for up to three months afterwards, likely via its effect on the HPA axis, the system governing the body's stress response.
A maintenance mindset
Richard's broader point is less about crisis and more about upkeep. Most of us only reach for support once something's already gone wrong. Treating the body through each seasonal shift, rather than waiting for a problem to appear, is simply better maintenance, the same philosophy that underpins therapies during a stay here.
