Bladder 1: Enter the Dark

BL 1 is a point that serves as a profound entry to the Path of Endarkenment, the path of seeking the silence, darkness and stillness in which wisdom emerges. It re-sets the balance of light and dark in the eyes. This has several applications:

1) How much am I looking within, into the dark—and how much am I far too dazzled by the lights outside of me? Much insomnia results from too much screen time and other bedazzlement of BL 1. Opening BL 1 is a refreshment of our whole being, by bringing our gaze back into the place where we can rest, restore, and sit in the silence to know our own wisdom.

2) BL 1 helps to release us from the hyper-vigilance of the externally focused sense of alertness that might be appropriate when we are in danger, but which is often simulated by our various fast-moving forms of entertainment. We can get seriously amygdala-jacked just watching cartoons! BL 1 helps us to release that tension so we can let go into darkness and silence.

3) BL 1 helps people in times of darkness, to see more than just the darkness all around them. They see the negative, perhaps rightly so, and it is overwhelming and hard to live with. Yes it may be dark, and perhaps we do have a very difficult life, especially compared to our desires and expectations. But are there stars? When we relax into the dark, we welcome and open to the dark more fully, which allows us to open and welcome even the barest tracers of light in the darkness around us, like stars.

All of these are relaxation functions. With BL sight, in contrast to Wood’s strong gaze, we are simply opening and allowing the light to come into our eyes, much like a listening ear. Like an ear, we do not search; we just receive. As we stop trying to see and just start relaxing our sight, often the room seems to get brighter. There is a physiological reason for this. The dilation of the pupils is a relaxation response. In the dark, as our pupils relax and open, it allows more light to come in. It’s an important thing, in dark times, not to search for the light, but to sit in the dark for a while, open to the light begins to come.

I don’t leave needles in BL 1, although I know that some practitioners do. What I do is set up related distal points on the feet (e.g. KI 5 and BL 61) and then needle BL 1 as just a brief dip into the small hollow that forms when we slightly scrunch our eyes. (It is very important to do the eye-scrunch with most people or it is hard to find this point accurately.) I always mention to people ahead of time that there is a small natural watering of the eyes when we needle the point, and not to be afraid when that happens; it’s a good sign. It doesn’t mean we popped your eyeball!

I let people know that we will not be needling towards the actual eye, but along side the bridge of the nose. I also let them know that there is some risk of a painless black eye, but that this is extremely rare. I needle this point a lot, especially in early winter, and it’s never happened in my treatment room.

The relief that can flood through a person’s entire system from the needling of Bladder 1 is profound. It’s like the feeling of finally being able to pee after years of holding it in! Relief floods through the whole nervous system. In some ways that deep release can feel like a nonsexual orgasm. One of the best things about orgasm is, afterwards, the complete and utter discharge of the built-up electrical charge in our body. Oh my, actual peace! The discharging of BL 1 can bring the down down down down part of orgasm. Such a relief. Now we can find silence, enter the dreamscape within, and begin our nourishing journey through the darkness of rest, sleep or the inner peace that allows true intelligence to awaken.

Sometimes when we needle BL 1, it will kick BL 2 into gear also… I’ll write about that in my next blog post.