Traditional Chinese Medicine
The concept of Qi, or life-force, is integral to the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It flows through our body in a complex system of rivers and rivulets – the most superficial of which are known as meridians.
The practice of Acupuncture involves inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, to influence the movement and quality of Qi.
As a Shiatsu practitioner I seek to do the same with my hands.
I also invite you to bring presence and imagery to these points, so that you can bring about your own transformation and healing.
Qi is perpetually shifting and changing form, moving beyond its bodily orbit to traverse all states of our being – our spirit, mind and emotional body. There is no distinction. When this flow is impeded, it manifests as a disharmony – illness, pain, distress, longing.
In our society, we largely inhabit the realm of the rational mind. We revere its power and allow it to reign superior over our body’s own innate wisdom and the vital insight that our emotions yield. Few of us cultivate a relationship to the realm of spirit, or our sense of higher knowing.
Through the lens of TCM, this is considered a split between our Yin and Yang aspects of self; Yang (ephemeral energies of spirit, imagination, intuition and intellect) and Yin (the physical body and its somatic and instinctual wisdom).
I believe that healing and integration requires the unification of these polarities, so that our rational insights and lightning bolts of inspiration, can be woven into the integrated responses of our body and nervous system.
This concept of treating invites what Lorie Eve Dechar describes as an “Alchemical Process”.
“The Alchemical Process reunites yang and yin, spirit and matter, mind and body and reorganizes these split parts to form a new, more complex and efficient whole.”
Alchemy is the act of transforming raw, unrefined matter into something of great value.
Alchemy as a psycho-spiritual practice, involves a reclamation of the disenfranchised parts of ourselves, weaving them into a new and more integrated way of being.
It transcends the pathologising notion that we are broken and disordered, in need of fixing. And instead proposes that, even when we feel completely bereft and directionless, profound tools of insight and revelation lie hidden within that which we feel burdened by, or isolated from.
What does this look like in a treatment setting?
In addition to the TCM methods of diagnosis and looking at any physical symptoms you are experiencing, I invite you to explore your inner landscape. We reflect on the themes that are surfacing both here, and in your outer life – in the areas of relationships, family, career and creativity. Together, we form a holistic map of You.
(If you know your exact time and location of birth, this process can be greatly supported and streamlined by looking at your natal chart.)
From here we can follow the loose threads of difficulty, pain, or conflict, into a deepened enquiry. We move into the physical body and its language of touch, sensation, symbolism and imagery.
We invite your own wisdom to surface.
From this place we can work closely with just one or two meridian points. Often they will call to us, or we can evoke them consciously, to support your journey.
“By using the spirits of the acupuncture points, we can both balance a person’s energy as well as help them along their path. Each acupuncture point contains a rich source of vital energy as well as an opportunity to open a person’s life, allowing it to blossom forth with richness. It’s not about matching a point to a symptom. It is about helping someone to become full of balance and harmony in their energy so that they can then stride forward and realise their dreams.”
Debra Kaatz, from Charactors of Wisdom – Taoist tales of the acupuncture points
For further enquires, or to book a session with me, please get in touch via the link below.