🌙 From Grief to Grace: Healing Through the Seven Stages with AcuAroma Therapy & the Metal Element

Grief is one of the deepest human experiences — raw, humbling, and sacred.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), grief is the emotion of the Metal Element, which governs the Lungs and Large Intestine. These organs teach us the art of letting go — of the breath, of pain, and of what no longer serves our spirit.

Just as autumn trees release their leaves, the Metal Element reminds us that release is not loss — it’s renewal.

Below, we’ll explore how each of the Seven Stages of Grief can be supported with AcuAroma Therapy — blending essential oils with key acupoints to restore balance and help the heart breathe again.

1. Shock & Disbelief

In the first wave of grief, the breath can feel frozen — like the world has stopped moving.
In TCM, this is when Qi scatters and the Lungs contract.

Support: Ground the energy, calm the system, and invite breath back into the body.
Oil: Frankincense (25–50% dilution) – deepens the breath, reconnects spirit to body.
Acupoint: LU 1 (Central Palace) – located on the upper chest, about an inch below the collarbone and 6” from the midline.
💨 Use gentle touch over LU 1 with Frankincense while breathing deeply. Visualize warmth returning to your chest and light filling the space around your heart. 

2. Denial

Sometimes, the mind protects us by building walls. In TCM, we call this Wei Qi — defensive energy that can make us rigid or closed.

Support: Soften those defenses and allow gentle awareness to arise.
Oil: Cypress (25–50% dilution) – helps us release resistance and open to transition.
Acupoint: LU 7 (Broken Sequence) – found on the thumb side of the wrist, just above the crease.
🌿 Apply Cypress with a gentle touch here and imagine a door opening — the first breath of acceptance moving through. 

3. Anger

Though anger belongs to the Wood Element, it often hides inside grief. Unexpressed sorrow can turn to irritability or resentment.

Support: Clear the heat, release the tension, and let emotion move safely.
Oil: Eucalyptus (25% dilution) – cools, clears, and helps us exhale frustration.
Acupoint: LI 11 (Pool at the Crook) – at the outer elbow crease.
🔥 Apply a gentle touch to this point with Eucalyptus and imagine steam rising — the old energy lifting and dispersing into light. 

4. Bargaining

This is the mind’s attempt to regain control — “If I do this, maybe things will change.” In the Metal Element, this reflects the struggle between holding on and letting go. 

Support: Encourage surrender and clarity.
Oil: Lemon (25% dilution) – bright, cleansing, helps release attachments.
Acupoint: LI 4 (Joining Valley) – in the webbing between thumb and index finger.
🍋 Use Lemon oil with a light touch here as you exhale deeply. Whisper to yourself: “I release what I cannot control.” 

5. Depression

This is the deepest descent — when Lung Qi weakens and sadness settles in. Energy feels heavy, the breath short, and the world dim.

Support: Gently uplift and tonify Qi.
Oil: Bergamot (25% dilution) – lightens the heart, renews optimism.
Acupoint: LU 9 (Great Abyss) – at the wrist crease, near the thumb side.
☀️ Apply Bergamot with a light touch here and take slow, nourishing breaths. Imagine sunlight filling your chest with golden warmth. 

6. Testing / Reconstruction

Here, Qi begins to reorganize. We start to rebuild life’s rhythm, even if our hearts still ache.

Support: Strengthen Qi, stabilize, and restore resilience.
Oil: Rosemary (25% dilution) – clears stagnation, boosts vitality, sharpens focus.
Acupoint: ST 36 (Leg Three Miles) – below the knee, one finger width away from the shin bone.
🌱 Apply Rosemary here with a light touch and visualize walking forward — steady, strong, renewed. 

7. Acceptance

Finally, grief softens into wisdom. The lungs open. The heart expands. The breath flows again.
This is the transformation the Metal Element longs for — the alchemy of sorrow into inspiration.

Support: Open spirit and reconnect to higher peace.
Oil: Sandalwood or Frankincense (25–50% dilution) – anchors serenity, deepens connection.
Acupoint: DU 20 (Hundred Meetings) – at the crown of the head, where the hair naturally swirls.
✨ Place a drop of oil here with a gentle touch, breathe upward, and imagine your spirit connecting to the sky — grief becoming grace. 

💫 The Alchemy of Grief

The Metal Element teaches that grief is not something to be fixed — it’s something to be breathed through.
When we allow the waves to move, the heaviness transforms into clarity, courage, and compassion.

AcuAroma Therapy offers a sacred, sensory way to walk through grief — not by bypassing it, but by honoring it through breath, touch, and scent.

As we release, we rise. 🌬️

💧 Explore more AcuAroma practices for emotional healing in the AcuAroma Learning Circle.

https://www.learnangelasidlo.com/learningcircle