The Elemental Family Center for Chinese Medicine Brooke Fries, Founder

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The Elemental Family
Center for Chinese Medicine
Brooke Fries, Founder
A family wellness clinic in Los Angeles, focusing on:
• Pediatrics
• Women’s Health ~ Fertility ~ Pregnancy
• Stress and Pain Management
©brookefries2014

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• A psycho-emotional and behavioral model that celebrates our
differences
• Identifies five adaptive styles: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water
• Tool for gaining self-awareness
• Optimistic and flexible model for supporting children’s
diverse developmental paths
• Ultimate therapeutic goal is to help you cultivate
a mindful and focused quality of attention
Elemental Assessment
©brookefries2014

3. • Full medical system
• Holistic philosophy based on the natural world
• Mind and body are viewed as one interconnected entity
and relate in a bi-directional manner
What is Chinese Medicine?
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©brookefries2014

4. • Stress in Chinese medicine = stagnation, contraction
• Stagnation à pain or improper functioning
• Effect of acupuncture on stress:
1.
Down-regulates the sympathetic nervous system
2.
Activates the parasympathetic nervous system à
A calm, grounded, relaxed state that allows for
healing and
repair of all systems in the body
(immune, reproductive, digestive,
mental-emotional, etc.)
Stress from the Chinese Medicine POV
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©brookefries2014

5. • An illustration of what stress looks like as expressed by
five different temperaments
• Asks the question, “What is right with you?”
• Emphasis on diversity and uniqueness, thereby celebrating
our differences and strengths
ELEMENTS QUIZ...
Elemental Assessment
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©brookefries2014

6. • Human being are a microcosm of the natural world
• Each Element corresponds to a season and has the attributes and
“power” of that season:
Wood ~ Spring ~ Liver
Fire ~ Summer ~ Heart
Earth ~ Harvest/Late Summer ~ Spleen
Metal ~ Autumn ~ Lung
Water ~ Winter ~ Kidney
The Elements in Nature
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©brookefries2014

7. 1. Your gifts, powers and strengths – emerge from a confident,
attentive state = core self ~ parasympathetic aspect
2. An exaggerated, fragmented version of the above – emerges with
stress and insecurity = a call for help ~ sympathetic aspect
The Two Aspects of Each Element
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©brookefries2014

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wood
GROUNDED STATE
EXAGGERATED
STATE
“The True Hero”
“The Wild One”
Heroic perseverance
Distracted by stillness
Attracted to movement
Fights constraint
Ambitious
Easily frustrated
Loves exploring
Hostile
Goal-driven
Shouting
Learns by pushing boundaries
Paranoid
Decisive
“In the Flow”
Tension headaches
Muscle twitching
Restlessness
©brookefries2014

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GROUNDED STATE
EXAGGERATED STATE
“The True Leader”
“The Class Clown”
Compassionate humor
Distracted by boredom
Attracted to novelty
Sensory overloaded
Sensation
Impulsive
Charismatic
Dramatic meltdowns
Loves drama
Over-stimulated
Learns by intuition
Panicky
“High Engagement”
Hypoglycemia
Reflux
Sensory issues
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©brookefries2014

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GROUNDED STATE
EXAGGERATED
STATE
“The True Caregiver”
“The Worrier”
Mediators
Group workers
Distracted by
separation
Accommodating to relationships
Anxious
Loves pleasing others
Confused
Loyal
Disorganized
Learns by context
Indecisive
Diplomatic
Obsessive thinking
“Being Present”
Meddlesome
Stomachaches
Easy Bruising
Unruly appetite
©brookefries2014

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GROUNDED STATE
EXAGGERATED
STATE
“The True Judge”
“The Stuck Child”
Ethical judgment
High expectations
Distracted by
disorder
Attracted to detail and order
Rigid, perfectionism
Discriminating and disciplined
Hyper-focused
Loves logic, rational thinking
Self-Righteous
Learns by patterns and cause
Compulsive
“Precision”
Disappointed
Sadness
Constipation
Eczema, asthma
Tics
©brookefries2014

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GROUNDED STATE
EXAGGERATED STATE
“The True Sage”
“The Daydreamer”
Deep self-reflection
Distracted by ideas
Attracted to meaning
Slow
Introspective
Withdrawn, isolated
Loves theory
Apathetic
Imaginative
Stubborn
Learns by contemplation
Dread
“Immersion”
Malaise, fatigue
Back pain
Hypochondria
©brookefries2014

13. FIRE
WOOD
EARTH
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Elemental Spectrum
Extroverted
Balanced
Introverted
©brookefries2014

14. The Relationship Between Elements
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Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water
©brookefries2014

15. • Acceptance and appreciation – for who you are
and what makes you unique and different
• Compassion – for your triggers and insecurities
• Insight – into the path you must follow to fulfill
your inherent nature and impulses in this life
Elemental Assessment provides a detailed set of strategies
for cultivating a present, focused quality of attention. This is
the same mindful quality of attention that is achieved
Through meditation, yoga and breathing exercises.
Lessons of the Elements
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©brookefries2014

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References
©brookefries2014

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Thank You!
brooke fries
brooke@elementalfamily.com
www.elementalfamily.com
©brookefries2014