Allergies and Emotions

　　When we talk about allergies, let me share an interesting clinical case.
　　
　　Xiaowen, a 28-year-old woman working at a bank, came to me for psychological consultation. She was soft-spoken and gentle in nature. Her primary complaints were insomnia and chronic fatigue. After one course of therapy, we uncovered the root cause of her symptoms.
　　
　　Xiaowen is the eldest child in her family, with a younger brother. Her grandparents hold traditional values and strongly favored boys over girls. In an effort to earn love and approval from her parents and elders, Xiaowen developed a “people-pleasing” personality from a young age.
　　
　　This type of personality was originally a defense mechanism—her way of seeking attention and care during childhood. However, as she grew up, the environment and the people around her changed. Ideally, she should have been able to let go of that mask and be her authentic self. But she found herself unable to shed this long-standing defense mechanism. Her ongoing insomnia turned out to be a manifestation of the anxiety she had carried from childhood.
　　
　　Xiaowen’s people-pleasing tendencies made her overly concerned with others’ opinions. She wanted everyone to like her and approve of her. Over time, this created immense psychological pressure, which led to constant fatigue and a sense of being emotionally drained.
　　
　　Through mindful observation and healing practices, we worked on understanding and addressing these internal patterns. Eventually, her symptoms disappeared. She could sleep well, felt more energized, and her vitality returned.
　　
　　Then one day, Xiaowen called me in a panic: “Teacher Fan, please help me!”
　　
　　After I asked what happened, I learned that Xiaowen had always been allergic to animal fur—cats, dogs, etc.—and the reactions had worsened with age. Western medicine offered only temporary relief through antihistamines. Traditional Chinese medicine had also failed to improve her condition.
　　
　　A few days earlier, she had visited a friend whose pet cat jumped into her lap. That night, she developed a severe allergic reaction. Red welts covered her body and face. Even after taking a large dose of allergy medication, the symptoms persisted. That’s when she thought of coming to see me.
　　
　　When Xiaowen arrived at my meditation center, I guided her through a deep mindfulness session to explore the emotional root of the issue. What surfaced was a profound well of suppressed anger.
　　
　　During her meditative experience, scenes from her childhood emerged—memories of being neglected, feeling scared, and curling up in fear. She saw herself smiling while approaching the adults, trying to please her parents and grandparents, even while she was inwardly filled with fear and rage. She realized she had never dared to express her anger, fearing complete abandonment. Pleasing her family had become a matter of emotional survival.
　　
　　All of these emotions had been buried so deeply that in her daily life, she had no memory of them. She had no idea her childhood had been marked by such unhappiness and fear. But in the meditative space, everything came flooding back with emotional clarity.
　　
　　I encouraged her to release all the repressed feelings—anger, resentment, frustration, disappointment. This gentle and soft-spoken woman unleashed an astonishing force: pounding the sofa, throwing cushions with all her might. She continued venting for over an hour until her emotional storm finally calmed.
　　
　　That same night, Xiaowen called to say the welts on her skin had started to fade. She laughed freely over the phone, as though something inside her had been released. By the next day, when she came to see me again, her allergic reaction had completely disappeared.
　　
　　She looked confused and asked, “Teacher Fan, I just don’t understand. What does my childhood experience have to do with my allergies? And how come I didn’t remember any of it until now? But when I returned to those moments in my mind, I knew exactly how I felt.”
　　
　　I explained: “Our bodies have built-in defense systems for survival. When harmful substances—called allergens—enter the body, the immune system responds by creating antibodies, leading to allergic reactions. From a biological standpoint, this is normal and necessary.
　　
　　But for people who have long suppressed fear, anger, or aggressive impulses, the body can become hypersensitive and overly defensive. Throughout our lives, it’s natural to feel anger, sadness, fear, or resentment. But some people, for various reasons, suppress these feelings and bury them deep in the subconscious. The more they repress, the stronger the emotional rebound. This can manifest as over-defensiveness and a broadening of allergic triggers. Harmless substances like animal fur, pollen, or dust then become perceived threats by the immune system.”
　　
　　“So you see, allergies are often the body’s way of expressing suppressed negative emotions. What the person truly needs is a safe outlet for emotional release. The chosen allergen itself is just a vessel—it could be anything.”
　　
　　Xiaowen’s case shows us that human emotions are complex and multifaceted. We have joy and happiness, but also anger and sorrow. Negative emotions are not inherently bad. If we suppress them, avoid them, or reject them, they will eventually overflow—manifesting through physical symptoms. It could be as mild as a cold or as severe as chronic illness, even cancer.