The Art and Science of Qigong Therapy
Qigong Therapy for Healing Others
Qigong Therapy, also called Medical Qigong, is energetic healing that one person performs on another. It is a method for balancing organs, freeing energy channels, and strengthening the Qi field. It is a profound and ancient energy work that is still developing.
Qigong utilizes natural principles and has developed over millennia of experimentation and observation. Qigong Therapy is probably the oldest branch of Classical Chinese Medicine and provides the energetic foundation for the other branches, such as Acupuncture, Herbs, and Chinese Massage.
Qigong Therapy and Qigong prescriptions combine the use of breath work with individual physical movements, multitudes of hand techniques, visualization, and intention. The primary goals are to purge toxic emotions from the body's tissues, eliminate energetic stagnation, strengthen the internal organs, and balance energetic fields.
Theoretically, just about any health issue can be helped with this remarkable are and energetic technology. The techniques help clear blockages, increase the strength of the immune system, bring relaxation to the tissues and mind, increase energy flow, release trapped emotions, charge up weakened organs, and remove pathogenic Qi. By effecting these changes, the client is naturally in a more healthful and coherent state which aids any emotional or physical healing process that is needed. Qigong Therapy is used as a health tonic, and contains techniques effective for specific illnesses and syndromes.
The Three Methods of Medical Qigong
Medical Qigong is the term used by my teacher, Jerry Alan Johnson, considered the foremost Doctor of Medical Qigong in the United States. Dr. Johnson teaches that there are three basic approaches to Qigong energy work. These are purgation, tonification, and regulation. Each of these is necessary at different times in every treatment, and to different degrees for different people. As a general principle, purgation is done first, followed by tonification, and ending with regulation.
Purgation
Purgation is pulling out and clearing stagnant, pathogenic, or excessive energy. It generally needs to be done first—you must clear out before you add. Purgation can be focused on specific areas—like the back of the neck and head for certain headaches. It can also be used for particular organs, and energy structures. By purging, one makes room for a flow of new, healthier energy. Purgation is not often used in other forms of energy work, yet it is an extremely important part of healing. You wouldn't want to sew up a cut before cleaning it; neither would you want to add energy before cleaning out blockages, excesses, or toxicities.
Tonification
Tonification techniques tone, charge up, and revitalize. These techniques both strengthen particular organs and fill them up with healthy energy. With tonification the therapist is guiding and directing Qi into the channels, points, internal organs and tissues of the client's body.
Regulation
Regulation integrates the body’s energy. Once you have cleared and tonified, you still need a balance of polarities in the body, and effective communication and sharing between various body parts.
Most disease syndromes have a combination of excesses, deficiencies and toxicities that need to be treated, and balanced. Throughout a treatment there is a shifting dance of all three methods; purging, toning, and regulating, and an ending of quiescence.