Delusions

How Chinese medicine differentiates delusions — fixed false beliefs, distinct from Hallucinations already covered, which are perceptual rather than belief-based — the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. New or worsening delusions always need prompt medical and psychiatric evaluation; acupuncture here is supportive alongside that care, never a substitute for it.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for delusions — 15 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
HE-7	Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices. Nourishes Heart-Blood.
P-6	Opens the chest and moves Qi and Blood. Calms the Mind.
BL-15	Calms the Mind. Nourishes the Heart. Regulates Heart-Qi and invigorates Blood.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
REN-17	Tonifies Qi and strengthens the Gathering Qi. Opens the chest, regulates Qi and promotes the descending of Qi.
P-8	Clears Heart-Fire. Clears Heat and cools Blood. Calms the Mind.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Extinguishes interior Wind. Calms the Mind.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
ST-40	Resolves Phlegm and Dampness. Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices.
DU-20	Raises clear Yang. Benefits the Brain and sense organs.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.
BL-23	Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
KI-6	Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Calms the Mind.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Heart-Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Rigid, unchanging delusions, stabbing chest pain, cold hands, palpitations, dark purple lips/nails.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins, thin white coating. Pulse: Choppy or knotted.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis while nourishing the Mind and unblocking Heart vessels.

HE-7 ↑ P-6 ↑ BL-15 ↑ SP-10 ↓ REN-17 ↑

Note: moxa applicable on the tonifying points. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Blood-stasis slide.

2. Heart-Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Agitation, restlessness, red flushed face, bitter taste, insomnia with vivid dreams, mouth/tongue ulcers, palpitations with a heat sensation.

Tongue: Red body with a redder tip, swollen red points, yellow dry coating, possible midline crack. Pulse: Rapid, forceful, overflowing.

Treatment principle: Clear Heart-Fire and anchor the Spirit through cooling excess Heat.

HE-7 ↑ P-6 ↑ P-8 ↓ BL-15 ↑

Note: no moxa given the Fire. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Fire-blazing slide. P-8 (Laogong) has no entry in this site's embedded search index but does have its own deck slide (pericardium_points_deck.html#6), so its action is sourced directly from that page — the same data-quality workaround used for S.I.-19 in an earlier batch.

3. Stagnant Liver-Qi Turning Into Fire View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Irritability, easily provoked anger, rib-side/chest distension, bitter taste, throbbing headache/red eyes, restless sleep with vivid dreams.

Tongue: Red body (especially the sides), yellow dry coating, possible prickles on sides/tip. Pulse: Wiry and rapid, taut at the left middle position.

Treatment principle: Course the Liver and resolve constraint while clearing stagnant Heat that disturbs the Heart.

LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ HE-7 ↑ EX-HN-3 (Yintang) ⊥

Note: no moxa. EX-HN-3 (Yintang) has no dedicated deck page on this site (confirmed via search), so it renders as a plain chip. Matched to this site's own Stagnant-Liver-Qi-turning-into-Heat slide.

4. Spleen Deficiency With Dampness

Clinical manifestations: Mental fog, head heaviness, bloating, loose stools, fatigue after meals, sticky taste, poor appetite, vague sluggish (not fiery) delusions.

Tongue: Pale, swollen with teeth marks, white greasy coating, moist. Pulse: Soggy and slow, soft/weak at the right Guan position.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi and strengthen the Spleen while resolving Phlegm clouding the Mind's orifices.

SP-6 ↑ ST-36 ↑ ST-40 ⊥ DU-20 ↑ HE-7 ↑

Note: moxa applicable on the tonifying points. This pattern's own presentation has no Cold marker, so — consistent with the precedent set for Gastroparesis, Dull Eyes and Chronic Dysentery — it is not forced onto this site's Cold-Dampness-invading-the-Spleen slide. No pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

5. Kidney-Yin Deficiency With Empty-Heat Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Night sweats, five-palm heat, lower back soreness, malar flush, mental restlessness and irritability.

Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with minimal or no coating, possible cracks. Pulse: Fine and rapid, floating and empty, weak at the Chi position.

Treatment principle: Nourish Yin and clear deficiency Heat to restore cooling reserves and anchor the floating Mind.

KI-3 ↑ BL-23 ↑ HE-7 ↑ KI-6 ↑

Note: no moxa given the Empty-Heat. Direct match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

Related conditions

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