Gallbladder 13: Benshen – Root of the Spirit: A Point to Clear the Fog, Find Your Roots, and See What’s Next

Gallbladder 13 - Benshen - Root of the Spirit
A Point to Clear the Fog, Find Your Roots, and See What’s Next

Do you ever feel like you’ve got a bazillion ideas swirling through your head, scattered, with all the inner tabs open—but no clear path forward?

Spring can really stir this up. The desire to do something, start something, grow something - but sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin.

Enter one of my favorite acupuncture points, Gallbladder 13, also called Benshen, which translates to “Root of the Spirit.”

It’s tucked up near your hairline, just above the temples - way up high, like the top branches of a tree. And yet... It’s about roots.

That’s the magic of this point.

It’s for when you’ve got big dreams, but feel ungrounded.
When your mind is buzzing but your body isn’t quite on board.
When you can see the mountaintop... but you’re not sure where your boots are.

In the treatment room, I often use GB 13 when someone feels foggy, frazzled, or pulled in too many directions. It’s like the energetic version of turning off notifications, closing all the tabs, lighting a candle, and saying, “Okay... let’s get clear.”

Spirit of the Acupuncture Points

Benshen - GB 13 - “Root of the Spirit”
本神

Meeting point of the Gall Bladder channel with the Yang Linking vessel

On a physical level, GB 13 can help with:

• Headaches, dizziness, and that “too-much-in-your-head” feeling

• Clearing mental fog and brightening your outlook

• Relaxing facial tension and opening the windows of perception

On a Mental/Emotional level, it’s beautiful for:

• Finding clarity when you feel scattered or indecisive

• Calming the racing mind

• Realigning your inner compass when you’re at a crossroads

And on a spirit level:

• It reconnects you with your deeper vision - not the to-do list kind, but soul vision

• It helps you rise up with purpose, not pressure

• It’s a gentle invitation to root down into your truth... so your dreams can grow tall and steady

This point is especially supportive for folks who live with a lot of vision and ambition and sometimes forget to pause, ground, and breathe before leaping forward.

Want to try it?

Place your fingers gently on your temples - right where your hair starts (about 1/2 an inch behind the hairline), just above the outer corners of your eyes.

Close your eyes. Breathe slow.
Feel your roots sink into the earth.
Feel your branches reach for the sky.
And let your spirit land gently right where you are.

You don’t have to force it.
Just return to yourself.

Feel Amazing!
Love,
Lance

P.S. Curious about other magical acupuncture points? I’ve got a whole series here 👉🏼 villagewellness.net/spirit

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