Just found this on a very well known acupuncture college site
"I’m giving a practical qi workshop, ‘Qi is magic!’ on Saturday. This is workshop is one you can do over and over again to refine your needle technique. Of course, the softer your needing becomes, the easier it is to reach the spirit level and touch your patients’ qi."
Soft Needling ? I don't understand! does this mean that the patient shouldn't feel it? the needles? or the sensation of Qi?
I have yet to visit the chinese hospitals but as far as i am aware from others that have and the techniques I have been taught it is far from soft!
I know the most western acupuncture is 'painless', and less effective.
Is this a western thing, does anyone on HP perform soft acupuncture?
Also it mentions 'spirit' level!
....anyone?
Hi Indo,
I'm certainly not experienced in Accupuncture in any way, though did attend a talk on 5 Elements Accupuncture a couple of weeks back that was very interesting.
From what they said in the talk, they certainly didn't indicate that it was painless, and rather said it was like very brief pin pricks as the needles are inserted, twisted and removed quickly and rarely are any needles left sticking in (which apparently is some western way of doing it, that is unnecessary).
They also didn't mention anything about a spirit level, but certainly did talk about Qi and how this flows in and around the body, and how the accupuncture is working by focusing on the accupuncture/accupressure points on the meridian channels of the body, and also how they determine the balance of energy required through the use of six pulses.
There was certainly no mention of "soft accupuncture".
Perhaps in the quote you've found, the person is influenced by western spiritual beliefs and is using that term to refer to how the Qi is effected outside the body as well as within, rather than specifically some new age spirit (spirit guides/spirit beings) dimension.
I guess the best way to find out would be to ask them. 😉
All Love and Reiki Hugs
I have just left a comment asking if they can explain what this means.
will let you know.
I dont see how acupuncture can be taught from a spiritual perspective as it is a funtional means of correcting imbalances within the human energy system.
It may have a 'spiritual' effect by helping a patient out of pain or emotional distress.
But as today i do not understand 'spirit level' as there are many many different 'spirits' in chinese medicine....unless they mean 'Shen'!
🙁
Here is the reply...
"Practitioners might treat the spirit (or mind-spirit) in order to deal with diseases that arise from the internal/emotional causes of disease. When the spirit is strengthened patients often feel better inside and are more able to cope with whatever
life throws at them. By feeling better overall a person's more physical symptoms often start to recede - it's a way of balancing the whole person in order to deal with their symptoms. By 'soft needling' I mean softening ourselves and using a more delicate needle technique so that it can help to reach these subtle levels"
Still not too sure on this subject :confused: I understand the 'soft needling' bit that they mention.
As for physical symptoms, if a patient presented with shoulder pain i would treat the shoulder pain and not worry too much about whether the 'spirit level' was effected. Its obvious that if you are in pain then it will ultimately effect your mood, maybe anger at the pain, depression if its chronic, etc. The changes in the mind are just symptoms of the cause, treat the cause (shoulder pain) and the rest will subside.
TREAT WHAT YOU SEE! 😉
In my experience 80% of emotional pain or disturbed spirit comes from some physical injury be it diet, trauma, lack of exercise, bad breathing, etc.
If the physical body is relaxed and released of stagnant energy then the mind will be free.
The saying " free your mind and the rest will follow" is obviously a statement of a drug induced mentality 😀
Interesting.
Still not too sure on this subject :confused: I understand the 'soft needling' bit that they mention.
As for physical symptoms, if a patient presented with shoulder pain i would treat the shoulder pain and not worry too much about whether the 'spirit level' was effected. Its obvious that if you are in pain then it will ultimately effect your mood, maybe anger at the pain, depression if its chronic, etc. The changes in the mind are just symptoms of the cause, treat the cause (shoulder pain) and the rest will subside.
TREAT WHAT YOU SEE! 😉
In my experience 80% of emotional pain or disturbed spirit comes from some physical injury be it diet, trauma, lack of exercise, bad breathing, etc.
If the physical body is relaxed and released of stagnant energy then the mind will be free.
The saying " free your mind and the rest will follow" is obviously a statement of a drug induced mentality 😀
Not necessarily... perhaps you are only looking at it from one side of the coin.
If you've ever practiced EFT (affectionately known as 'accupuncture without needles'), then the mantra behind this practice is "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption of the body's energy system" and in practical terms many physical symptoms are just that... symptoms, stemming from emotional disruption. So, by treating the energy system, this treats the emotions and the physical symptoms are therefore relieved.
What they're saying is that they are using accupuncture in a holistic manner rather than just using it to treat specific symptoms. At least that's what it reads like to me.
All Love and Reiki Hugs
Hi Energylz, thanks for the reply.
Interesting.
Not necessarily... perhaps you are only looking at it from one side of the coin.
In Chinese medicine there are no sides to the coin...it is just a coin 😉
If you've ever practiced EFT (affectionately known as 'accupuncture without needles'), then the mantra behind this practice is "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption of the body's energy system" and in practical terms many physical symptoms are just that... symptoms, stemming from emotional disruption. So, by treating the energy system, this treats the emotions and the physical symptoms are therefore relieved.
I have studied EFT and used it personally myself although comparing it to acupuncture has always been a sale point of EFT.
If all negative emotions are a disruption of the energy system then it would make sense that positive emotions are too!
This is my point....as you mention treating the 'energy system'... which you could say the majority of this energy is produced by the functions of the physical body anyway, it would seem that maybe one can be neglected over the other, which is not holistic.What they're saying is that they are using accupuncture in a holistic manner rather than just using it to treat specific symptoms. At least that's what it reads like to me.
I think they are giving emphasis on the 'spirit' or emotional rather than as a whole.
I feel that much time is wasted trying to treat the body as a whole when the presenting condition is what needs attention. The symptoms as a collective or holistic entity are the tools we use to improve the outcome of our treatment. IMO 🙂All Love and Reiki Hugs
😉
This is very Five Element Acupuncture, a very different framework to a purely TCM approach.
It's important to remember that Chinese Medicine went under massive reformation under Mao, it's very possible that Five Element Acupuncture is more "traditional" than so-called TCM.