Hand Prints at a Glance
Serious Emotional Crisis
These are the hands of two different women. Look at the Heart Line that passes beneath the fingers. The Heart Line expresses emotional tendencies, needs and priorities, and intimate relationships. It also shows the strengths of desires and the ability to give in close personal and family relationships.
We see a relatively rare occurrence in both these hands: the appearance of this line is not continuous, but rather fragmented, which in chirological jargon is called a break in the Heart Line. The chirological interpretation of such a break is the occurrence of a serious emotional crisis.
The hand on the left is the left hand of a woman who experienced two strong and serious emotional breakdowns as a young woman—abuse and a difficult separation from her partner. The hand on the right is the right hand of a woman who was left alone with three young children after her husband was killed in a plane crash.
Sixteen year old girl after a suicide attempt
This is a drawing by a sixteen-year-old girl who came to therapy after a suicide attempt. She experienced severe emotional abuse and limitations on her freedom of movement by her parents, who related to her as a baby. The drawing appeared many years ago in a daily newspaper article about parental abuse. Some psychologists describe such a situation as fertile ground for failure to flourish. In its many different constellations, it appears as the child’s inability to reach innate potential, both professionally and emotionally.
In a strange and intuitive way, the hand in the drawing, in addition to being a cry for help, has clear chirological meaning that relates to the child’s personality and emotional status. Notice the high thumb and its “attachment” to the hand. This shows a parental fixation and a sense of helplessness. From the shape of the thumb, we can also assume a certain rigidity and stubbornness. The middle finger is especially long and tells us of a strong inclination for introversion and feeling of isolation, exaggerated criticism, doubt, maybe a tendency to depression or melancholy.
The horizontal line across the hand may be a simian Head Line, that tells of extremism in the style of action, of continuous internal stress, rigid ideas and difficult to compromise. Or it may be a long and straight Heart Line, telling about being abounding with emotions, and difficulty expressing this emotional intensity.
The first finger is short and hints at strong feelings of low self-esteem and worthlessness.
The little finger is comparatively short, which again points to the girl’s sense of being small. The bottom phalange of the little finger is wide and tells us about a certain amount of emotional dependency. The pointed tips of the fingers confirm this and show us the girl’s need for immediate drive gratification, difficulty in exhibiting self-discipline and dealing with life’s difficulties.
The hand’s shape is the type that broadens upwards. It shows individualism and independence, original thinking and the need to be different. This can lead to rebelliousness and resistance to behave according to social norms, perhaps even to adventurousness.
All these can be points of investigation and clarification during treatment with the child. Some of these hand features are included in my study on chirological signs that can predict suicidal tendencies. It appears in my book The Hand as Mirror of the Soul: Diagnostic and Applied Chirology
Hands of a seventeen year old homosexual boy
These are the hands of a seventeen-year-old boy, a declared homosexual. He “came out of the closet” at fourteen and was sexually active from the age of thirteen. As a student, he had difficulties learning because he was constantly distracted by emotional and sexual matters, but his expressive ability is very high. Notice the outstretched fingers which express a strong need for freedom. The large space between the third and fourth fingers is especially rare. Such a space expresses a strong need to live and to behave according to one’s own inner voice and criteria, as opposed to social dictates.
The palm that broadens towards the top supports this by pointing to rebelliousness, independence. The connection between the Life Line and the Head Line highlights deep insecurity. The rebelliousness and the sexually provocative behavior, possibly, act as a defense against this insecurity. The exceptionally well-developed little finger indicates an interest in sexual behavior, as well as an exceptional ability for verbal expression and perhaps an intelligent use of voice and language. The creative arch of the palm and the sloping Head Line of the right hand reveal a well-developed imagination, as well as the potential for some sort of artistic expression.
