一富家妇人,伤思虑过甚,二年不寐,无药可疗。其夫求戴人治之。戴人曰∶两
手脉俱缓,此脾受之也。脾主思故也。乃与其夫,以怒而激之。多取其财,饮酒数日,不
处一法而去。其人大怒汗出,是夜困眠,如此者,八、九日不寤,自是而食进,脉得其平。
卫德新之妻,旅中宿于楼上,夜值盗劫人烧舍,惊坠床下,自后每闻有响,则惊
倒不知人,家人辈蹑足而行,莫敢冒触有声,岁余不痊。诸医作心病治之,人参、珍珠及定
志丸,皆无效。戴人见而断之曰∶惊者为阳,从外入也;恐者为阴,从内出也。惊者,为自
不知故也;恐者,自知也。足少阳胆经属肝木。胆者,敢也。惊怕则胆伤矣。乃命二侍女执
其两手,按高椅之上,当面前,下置一小几。戴人曰∶娘子当视此。一木猛击之,其妇人大
惊。戴人曰∶我以木击几,何以惊乎?伺少定击之,惊也缓。又斯须,连击三、五次;又
以杖击门;又暗遣人画背后之窗,徐徐惊定而笑曰∶是何治法?戴人曰∶《内经》云∶惊者平之
。平者,常也。平常见之必无惊。是夜使人击其门窗,自夕达曙。夫惊者,神上越也。从下
击几,使之下视,所以收神也。一、二日,虽闻雷而不惊。德新素不喜戴人,至是终身厌服,如有
言戴人不知医者,执戈以逐之。
A wealthy woman, having suffered from excessive mental worry, had not slept for two years, and no medicine could cure her. Her husband sought treatment from Dai Ren (Zhang Congzheng). Dai Ren said, "The pulses in both hands are slow; this indicates the Spleen is affected. The Spleen governs thought." Therefore, Dai Ren conspired with her husband to provoke her using anger. He collected a large fee, drank with the family for several days, and left without prescribing any formula. The woman became extremely angry and sweated profusely. That night, she fell into a deep sleep. This process repeated for eight or nine days until she recovered from insomnia. From then on, her appetite improved, and her pulse returned to normal.
The wife of Wei Dexin was staying on an upper floor during a journey when thieves robbed the house and set it on fire at night. She was startled and fell off the bed. Since then, every time she heard a noise, she would faint from fright. Her family members walked on tiptoes, daring not to make any sound, but she remained unwell for over a year. Various physicians treated it as a Heart disease, using Ginseng Radix (Renshen), Margarita Concha (Zhenzhu), and Dingzhi Wan, all to no avail. Dai Ren examined her and diagnosed: "Fright (Jing) is Yang, entering from the outside; Fear (Kong) is Yin, arising from within. Fright occurs due to lack of awareness; Fear arises from awareness. The Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian belongs to Liver Wood. The Gallbladder represents courage. Fright injures the Gallbladder." He then ordered two handmaidens to hold her hands and sit her on a high chair with a small table placed directly in front. Dai Ren said, "Madam, look at this." Suddenly, he struck the table forcefully with a piece of wood, causing the woman great fright. Dai Ren asked, "I struck the table with wood; why are you so frightened?" After waiting for her to calm slightly, he struck again, and the fright subsided. After a short while, he struck three or five times consecutively; then he struck doors and windows with a staff; and secretly had someone tap behind the window. Gradually, she stabilized and laughed, asking, "What kind of treatment is this?" Dai Ren replied, "The *Neijing* states: 'Treat fright by making it ordinary.' Ordinary means common. Things commonly seen do not cause fright." That night, he had people strike her doors and windows from dusk until dawn. Fright causes the Spirit (Shen) to float upward. Striking from below makes her look down, thereby gathering the Spirit. Within one or two days, even thunder did not startle her. Wei Dexin had always disliked Dai Ren, but from then on, he accepted him wholeheartedly for life. If anyone spoke ill of Dai Ren's medical knowledge, Wei would chase them away with a spear.