Chinese ancestors realized the fact that they had inherent potential to control healing within themselves and in others. As they investigated this existent, inherent power and learned the 'what, why, and how' of healing, they developed their findings into a working science. Chinese scholars integrated principles from the sciences of physics, physiology, philosophy, and psychology to develop and evolve Qi healing into a science they defined in simple concepts and practical techniques that could be understood and used by all. As billions of people for thou- sands of years experienced the beneficial results of Qi healing therapy, it earned confidence and credibility; and today it ranks as one of the med- icines of the world. Therefore, Qi healing should be respected; then it can be researched properly. Respect built on experiential evidence is the eastern research way. If Americans want to benefit from understanding eastern medicine, they should experience it, directly or indirectly from testimony, before they dissect it.

MasterTianyouHao:  Itistimetotellour opinion aboutChineseQihealingandQihealers.

Cathy (student):Yes,Americans needreassurancein theefficacyofChineseQi healingandinthecredibility ofQihealers. The most important'bridge' between easternandwesternculturesisthebridge overwhichweinterchangehealingandhealthpractices. You and many otherQigongMasters have courageouslybuilt andmaintainedthisbridge.We cannotletit beunderminedbyfear,ignorance,greed, orpride.Wehavetokeepitopen,andkeepourselves openaswell.

Stayingopenisthekeytofindingthetruthasone culturelooks atanotherculture.Unfortunately, the truthisoftenobscuredwithbias.Thisproblem occursin political,social, andeconomic interchanges; andin medicalinterchanges as well.Wecannotstandinthewesttolookateastern ways,orviceversa. Wehavetostandinthe east to look at easternways. Whenwelook at anotherculture,weshoulddosowithoutjudgmentorcomparison.Ifwewanttotrulyunderstandanotherapproachor system,we should adoptthe same pointofviewthatinitiatedand sustainsthatapproachorsystem.AsAmericans acceptaChinesewayofthinkingabouthealing, they can benefitfromafresh understanding. HumanbeingshavesuccessfullyusedQihealing on theirownauthorityfor thousandsofyears withoutneedingthe sanctionof aninstitutionthatseemssoimportanttowesternthinking.So, peopleinthe westshouldtrytoacceptQihealing withthe same comprehension andconfidencecommontothe Chinesepeople.ChineseQihealingisone ofthe world'smedicalsciences becauseitexists.Itexists becauseit works.

By“exists"youmeanwe shouldacceptQihealingas fact,“a truthknown byactualexperience,"accordingtoWebster.

Today, thewesternmedicalcommunityisrecognizingbenefitsderivedfromtheQihealingtechniqueof acupuncture. Becauseofreported,beneficialresults, thewesternmedicalcommunityhasbeguntoobserve and collectand analyze data onacupuncture in controlledexperiments.

Thisisgood.Itisresearchinitiatedbyexperience. However, ifthe westernmedicalcommunity wishesto understandthe sciencebehind the results,itwillhavetolook atthe wholepicture, realizingthatacupunctureisjustoneofthetherapeutictreatmentsbasedonthescienceofQiand Qiflowaffectinghumanhealingandhealth.

AswelookatthewholeQihealingpicture,we will also learnthereisan art to practicingQi healingtherapy,justasthereisanarttopracticinganyoftheworld'srecognizedmedicines.This meansthe benefitsfromQi healingtherapy dependonthecultivatedabilityofthehealer,on the receptivityofthe patient,andon the qualityoftheinterpersonalexperienceofhealing.My Masterremindsus,"Youunderstandhowmuch. Yougethowmuch."Thisistrueforpatientsand providers.

ThousandsofAmericans haveadopted anEastern perspectiveonhealing andhealth. They acceptthe benefits ofQihealing therapy aspatients; and, as providers,know the gratification ofhelping others heal. Ontheirbehalf, Iwant tothank the many QigongMastersandyou,mymentor,forbuildingand crossingthebridgetoteachusChinesehealingarts.

AfterclassattheBeiiingMassageHospital,Master HaoandAmericanstudentsposewiththeirteacher andchiefdoctor,Dr.HongXueBin

 

You are welcome.ByteachingQigongandQi healingpractices to Americans,Ihopewewill helpcreatearesponsivehealthcaresystemthat integratesaneastern,holisticapproachwiththe symptom-specifictreatmentapproachpracticed bywesterndoctors.Most ofthe QigongMasters whohavecometoAmericaaredoctorsorscientistsinChina.Whenweexaminewesternmedical practices,we recognizethe advantagesof advanced,medicaltechnology,especially the technologiesofdiagnosisandprognosis.How- ever,fromourunderstandingofhumanhealing andhealth andfromourexperience,webelieve eventhe besttechnologycanbecomplemented withdiagnosticandtreatmentpractices that addressthewholehealthofeachpatient.So, itis our responsibilitytoteachAmericansaboutQi andaboutthe scientifichealingprinciplesand practicesthathavebeenused successfullyfor thousandsofyearsinChina.

Becauseofyourguidance,wearelearningmoreabout the 'what,why, and how' ofhumanhealing and health.Surveys tell usmoreAmericanseveryyearare turning toCAM (Complementaryand Alternative Medicine)modalities tohealthemselvesandtoheal others.This isapositivetrend,butmany ofusare concerned.We wantthistrendtobecomethenorm, recognizedbythemedicalcommunity,freefromany sensationalism.

Concernisjustified.Toreally helppeople, we mustpromoteQigongandQihealingartswith accurateandpracticalguidance.InChinaandin America,peoplearebeingcheatedbyunscrupulousindividualswhomakefalse,oftendramatic, claimsaboutmiraculousandmysterioushealing power.Peopleneedinformationbasedonscientific existenceandresultsto recognizewhatis trueandwhatisjusthype.Theabilitytohealand tohelpothersheal iseveryhumanbeing'sability.Everyonehas the righttoknowwhatispossible andpractical,to understandwhy healing therapyworks, andto buildconfidencein Qi healingtherapybylearninghowitworks.Wecan usethisopportunitytodispelanymysteryabout Qihealingtherapy.Wecanaddresstheconcerns ofpersonswhoarecontemplatingreceivingQi healingtherapy.Wecan openthe doortothose whowanttolearnhowtohelpothersheal.

You teach us that the area of preventive healthcare is the major Qigong focus. Americans are changing their approach to healthcare to include more preventive medicine. Until recently, the western way of prevention has been passive, through early detection from screenings and through immunization. We are now realizing that adding a proactive, self-care approach to preventive medicine works better. With guidance from the Chinese Masters, we are learning and enjoying Qigong practices to build our Qi ability to main- tain health. These practices also build ability to benefit from or provide Qi healing therapy. You remind us that it is important for us to learn and practice movement forms as well as meditative forms to enjoy whole health benefits. For preventive health, individuals first learn and practice understanding of Qi, i.e. they "feel Qi." They practice forms to "get Qi" from the universe and to circulate this Qi in their body channels, to "use Qi." 0bviously, more practice means more ability and more benefits. These practices are important to Qi healing as well. With ability to feel Qi, get Qi, and use Qi preventively, we increase our ability to practice special forms for self-healing when this is necessary. We also make our bodies and minds more receptive to Qi healing therapy from a provider. And, the more we practice and understand Qi working within, the better we can understand and use Qi to help another heal. In fact, some Qigong schools of healing, for example, the Guo Lin New Qigong school to treat cancer, require that instructors must have first successfully treated themselves to know the way to treat others.

Youopenedthatdoorformefouryearsago.Oneyear latermy study and practicewereconfirmed byan opportunity tohelparelativeheal.Withconfidence inthehealingartsyoutaughtmeandwithyoursupportiveguidance,Ibecamethe"healer"towhomthis relativerefersinthefollowingtestimonyofappreciation.Shewrites:

"After acaraccident confinedme toahospitalbed with multiple fractures,I was offeredthe opportunitytobeassistedinmy recoverybya QiGonghealer.Myphysician's positivereactiontothis ideacomfortedand encouragedme.Notreallyknowingwhatto expect,or evenunderstanding whatwas involved,Iopenedmyselftothelovingministrationsofmy healer.Later my physician calledme his"miraclepatient"becausemy boneshadhealedweeks earlier, andmy rangeofmotionwasmuchgreater,thanhe'd anticipated."N.R.T.

Withhumility,IsayifmyrelativeandIcandoit, anyonecandoit.YouandIcanusethishealingexperience toreassurepeoplewith understandingofQi healingtherapy.Thisexperiencewasa challengeto me, new tothe practiceofeastern healing arts. Compoundingthechallengewasadismalprognosis forrecoverywithoutthe complicationofnecrosis requiringfuturejointreplacement.We learned monthslaterthat patients with suchsevere injuries usuallywillnotwalk.(Shedidwalkunassistedbythe timewe learnedthisfact.)And,thepreexistingmedicalprofileofthispatient indicated recoverywould takelongerthanusual.

ThistestimonyisagoodexampleofQihealing therapyworkingtocomplementwesternmedicine.Three important criteriato stimulatea patient'shealingresponseswereoperating.First, thispatient'ssurgeonwashighlyskilledinstate- of-the-arttreatment.Thisisthe doctor'swayof openingthe patient'sbody to healing.Hewas alsowisetorealize hispatientwouldheal with- in herselfbetterandfaster withhis encouragement.This isthe doctor'sway ofopeningthe patient'smindtohealing.Secondly,youopened your mindpowerandhealingabilitywhenyou practicedunderstandingof andconfidencein the powersof Qi inductionto stimulateyour relative'sQiflowforhealingandrecovery.Third- ly,andveryimportantly,your relativewaspositive (mindopen)andreceptive(bodyopen)to bothmethodsoftreatment,therebyelicitingher own,naturalhealingresponses.

Yourrelative'sdoctorcalledher his "miracle patient."Irecall one ofmy studentsfrom Case WesternReserve UniversitySchool ofMedicine predictingmiracles wheneasternandwestern medicineworktogether.Isaythisisn'tamiracle. Itisharmonious interaction,the universaland naturalway. It istherapyfor bodyandmind applied appropriately.Itisthe evidenceof humanpotential, the powerofapplyingtechnology,the powerofusinguniverseenergy to helpanotherheal,andthe powerofindividuals tocontrol healingfunction.Humilityisokay;but remember,the abilityto heal andhelpothers heal isevery humanbeing'sinherentability.

Because Iamcontinuallyreinforcedwiththetruthof mynaturalabilityasIpractice,Iwanttohelpothers openthemselvestotheirpotentials. So,weare dis- cussingwhatispossibleandpracticalwithinChinese healing arts.You divide Qigongpracticeinto three areas:1)practicestobuildQiability forpreventive health, 2)Qigonghealing practicesforself-healing andthepracticesofreceivingorprovidinghelptoheal withQi,whichisthesubjectofourconversation,and 3)specialQiabilities orfunctions,which arethe domainofaselect,highlycultivatedfew.Iknowsome individuals usethesethreeareasofQigongastheir onlyhealthcareprogram.Mostindividuals,however, useQigongandQihealingascomplements toother healthcare modalities toensurewhole body/mind health.

www.qi-healing.

Practicing preventivemedicineisthe Chinese traditionalway ofhealth.Chinesepatientssee their doctorswhentheyarewellinordertostay well.Chinesetraditionaldoctorsmostfrequentlyexaminetheirpatientstoascertaintheirpre- senthealthandtoadjustthepatients'healthcare practicestocompensate foragechanges, orfor changesin the environment,or for lifestyle changes.Thisisnottosaythesepatientsnever needhealing;but whentheydo, theyheal betterandfaster.ItismyobservationthatAmericans visit doctors mostoftenwhentheyhavebody troubles.Thishabitisalsoevidentinthestudents andpatientswhoinvestigate Qigong/Qihealing. They come pursuingan educationofways andmeansto self-treat theirbodytroubles,or theycomelookingforaQihealerwhocan help themgetrelief.

Ibriefly mentionedthe self-healing subdivisionof Qigong above.ManyMastersrecommendandteach specialmeditativeandmovement formsforpractitionerstousetoself-treatspecificillnessesorinjuries.

0urconversationfocusesonreceivingorprovidingQi healing therapy, on having ournatural healing responsesopenedbyahealeror onbeingthe"healer"whoopensthehealingresponsesofanother. As patients, wemaybetooweakortooilltohelpour- selveshealeffectively,orwemayneedextrasupport ofour personalhealingefforts.Thisiswhenweseek helpfromQihealers.They canpromoteasmooth flowofhealingQi within usandcaninducthealing, universe Qito us to strengthen or rebuildour Qi.Youteachusthatitis practical toseekhelp from healers before,during,andafter othermedical treatments. Usingahealerbefore treatment,whenpossible,readies the natural healingresponseswithin our bodiesandminds.Thiscan reducethe amountof treatmentneeded, and reducethe time spent beingtreated andrecovering.Sideeffectsorcomplications can beminimizedas well thereby. Sometreatments,forexample,radiation or chemotherapy,are ongoing. AQihealer's help during such treatments can also reduce amount andtimeandcomplicationswhilepromotingastrongerhealing response.AQihealer'shelp aftertreatmentcan mean aquicker, morelasting recovery.

Aswetalkaboutwhat ispossibleand practicalwithinQi healing,remember thatsomeillnessesor injuriesarenot completelycured.They aretherapeutically managedbyQi healingtotheextent thatpatientsfunction normallyandhappily forlongperiodsof time.

Ialsorecommendthatpatientslearnthe principles ofQihealingwhiletheyarebeingtreated. Thebest learning isexperiencefrompracticeof Qigongformson whateverlevel ispracticalfor eachpatient.Thisway,patientsparticipateinthe healingprocessandcanreceivemorebenefit.

Fromourbriefdiscussion ofwhat ispossibleand practicalforpatientsseekingQihealing,itisobvious what individualswho becomeproviderscandoas theybuildmindpowerandbodyQiabilitysufficient tohelpothers heal.WecallsuchaprovideraQi"healer."However,I understandthattheproviderisactuallyafacilitatorofhealingwhoknowshowtouseuniverseQitoopenthehealingresponsesinpatients.You teachusthataQihealermust understand theprinciplesofQiandQiflowtounderstandanddiagnose thephysical andmental causesandpathologiesof patients'illnesses orinjuries. Ahealermust know howtoinduct Qiappropriatelytopromotehealing andmustknowhowtoevaluatethehealingprogress ofpatientsandmakenecessaryadjustmentstotherapytherefrom.AQi healermuststudyandpractice, practice,practice.Above this, yousayaQihealer shouldworkwithconfidenceandhappiness.

Right.Healer confidenceandhappinesswill generatepatient confidenceand happiness. Therefore,Iencouragebothhealerandpatientto persistintheirhealingefforts.

Aswetalkaboutwhatispossibleandpractical withinQihealing,rememberthat someillnessesorinjuriesare not completely cured.They aretherapeuticallymanagedbyQihealing to the extentthatpatients functionnormallyandhappilyforlong periodsoftime.This isespecially true ofchronicconditions suchas cancer.WhenpeoplepracticespecialformsorreceiveQihealingfor cancer,Isay theyare "dancing withcancer,"justlikeKevinCostner'scharacter, Lt.JohnDunbar, was"DancingwithWolves"inthe movie. This meansthat these patientsarecontrollingtheirown healingfunctionsbecausetheyunderstandtheir illnessesandhavefoundandopenedthe potentialswithinthemselves thatovercometheravages of theirconditions.Thesearethepatientswhoare happilythrivingyearsaftertheyweregivenonly weeksormonthstosufferbeforethey woulddie. Such"healing"ispossibleonlybecauseitisongoingduetopractice.Infact,ifthesepatientswere tostoppracticingorreceivinghealing,theirconditionswouldlikelyworsen.

So,weneedtoencouragepeopletoopen andusetheir natural healingabilities, andweneedtoencourage cooperation.Toooften, peoplefromallculturesare conditionedtothinkofhealingasthesoleprerogative ofdoctors. Suchconditioningmakesmedicineamysterythatcanstifleself-determinationandcangeneratemisplaced reliance.Wecanencouragepeopleto thinkof healingas responsibilitysharedby doctor/healerandpatient. Asprovidersandpatients learntocooperate appropriatelyinthehealing process,wewillenjoymoreopen,confident,andeffectivehealthcarefreeof mysteryandmistrust,whether theapproachusedis western,eastern,ora combinationofboth.

Right!And,wearenottalkingalternatives.From the easternpointofview,medicineismedicine; abilityisability.Whenweopentheblocksofconditioning,wefindafresh reality.

The Chinese healing principlesand practicesyou taught mereplacedmystery with understanding.I learnedChinese TraditionalMedicine heals with threetherapiesthatdirectQifromtheuniversetotreat andcure patients. Thethreetherapiesconsistof1) herbsandnaturalsubstances,alsoknownas "materia medica," 2)touchtechniques, and3)non-touch techniques. Sometimes onlyonetherapy isneeded; butmostoften,thesetherapiesarecombinedintoco- treatmentstoget thebest,holisticresults.

And,today,inChinaandaroundtheworld,these therapiesare recommendedcomplementsto westernmedicaltreatments.

Youteachyourstudentsthetouchandnon-touchtherapies.Yet,becausepatientsuse herbsandsubstances asaco-treatment,weshouldbrieflyreviewthistherapy.We acceptQiasafactornecessarytolife,and therefore,necessarytohealth. Accordingly,Qiisthe healingfactor.Qiispresentinallnaturalsubstances. TheQipresentindifferent,naturalsubstanceshasdifferentproperties,andtherefore,hasdifferenteffectson humanswhentakeninternallyorappliedexternally. Chinese herbspecialists holistically diagnose their patients, thenprescribe, custom-blend,andgivethe materiamedicawithattentiontopatients'individual circumstances,includingenvironmentstowhichthey areexposed,theirpersonalitiesandemotionalfactors, andtheirpresentlifestyles.

This isvery effectiveQi healingtherapy.Dr. Zhou,ZhiKuan,atthe ChinaAcademyofChi- nese TraditionalMedicineinBeijing,isaworld- renownedauthorityon the history anddevelopmentof ChineseTraditionalMedicine.He gave our healingstudentsmanyexamples of herbtherapybeingtheproveneffectiveandpreferred medicineofChinesedoctorsto treatill- nessesor injurieswesterndoctorswouldtreat withsurgeryand/ortoxicchemicals.Herecount- edthe factsandadvantagesforus.Herbtherapy has arecorded historyofsuccess forthousands ofyearsinChinaandisstillbeingresearchedand appliedtodaytotreatchangingmanifestationsof diseaseanddisorder.Theadvantagesareobvious. Therearenocomplicationsoftoxicityorserious side effects withappropriate herbtherapy.If surgerycan be avoided,patientswill recover quickerwithlessdiscomfort.Forthesereasons, herbtherapyisalso cost-effective.In fact, Dr, Zhoubelieves the westerndrug researchand developmentinstitutionscouldsave valuable timeandmoneybyreviewingthe recordedhis- tory ofthe efficacy and safety ofChineseherb therapy.

Dr.Zhoumakesagoodpoint.Iknowawesterneducateddoctor,previouslyskepticalof theefficacyand safetyofherbsupplementsduetolackofwesternstyle research,whonowrecommendsherbstohispatients asafirstcourseoftreatmentbecausehehaswitnessed positiveresultsreported bypatients andcolleagues. Hispatients appreciateherbtherapythat isrecommended,monitored,andadjustedbasedontheir doc- tor'sdiagnosticskills.

AsImentionedbefore,practitionersofChineseTraditional Medicinefrequently combine herbtherapy withthetouchandnon-touchtherapiesyou teachus. Thesetwotherapiescanbe learnedandappliedat manylevelsdependingonthehealer'sstudy,practice, andexperience.(Tohealwithherb therapy,patients needtorely onaspecialistwhohasmorededicated studyandtraining,)

ThetouchtherapyofChineseTraditional Medicine includesthe'hand'tobodycontacttechniquesoftui na,massage,acupressure, andacupointtherapies,to directhealingQifromtheuniverse,throughtheheal- er,tothe patient. Tools through which the healer. inductsuniverseQiarealsousedtotouchthepatient. Forexample, Shao-linsticktechniques youteachus tousearepopularwithourpatients. Theyareeasily learned andcaninductQitoeither areasorpointson thepatients'bodiesdependingonneed.Thealsopopularacupuncturetechniquebelongstothetouch,Qi healingtherapythattreats specific points. However,morestudy, under- standing, andtrainingarerequired to helpothershealwithacupuncture.

Thenon-touchtherapyofChineseTraditional Medicinealsodirectshealing Qifromtheuniverse,throughthehealer, tothepatient. However,thehealer does notmakecontactwiththe patient's body.InsteadQihealersuse theirminds andhands, or minds alone, tomake Qicontact with the patients'Qi coatsorenergyfields.Itis myobservationthatherb therapyand touchtherapyaremorereadilyacceptedbyAmericans whoareaccustomedtodrug therapyandtopassivetreatmentprocedures.And, these therapieslendthemselves towesternstyleresearch procedures.

Iunderstandthis.But,notallhealingcontactis tangible.Tobenefitfrom allthe healingopportunitiesavailabletous,we,aspatients,needto openourmindsandseekinformationwithwhich wecanunderstand,evaluate,anddetermineour options.The threetherapieswe reviewedare

'what'ChinesedoctorsandQihealersdotohelp theirpatientsheal withQi. We now needto understand'why' ChineseQi healingworks beforewecan accept'how'itworks. AllChinese medicineisbasedonthe conceptofQi,the vital energypervadingthe universe, commonto all humanbeings.Qi,presentinallhumanbeings, circulatesin channels withinthe humanbody andcanbecontrolledbythehumanmind.Ideal body/mindfunctioningmeansQiflowssmoothly.WhenQiflowssmoothly,thebloodcirculation functionsoptimally.Thebody'sQiflow,andconsequentlyblood flow, can beaffectedpositively ornegativelyfromwithoutorfromwithin.The elementsaffecttheflow.Environmentaffectsthe flow. Aperson'semotionsaffect the flow. Aper- son'smindaffects the flow.AccordingtoprinciplesofChineseTraditionalMedicine,"Themind leads the Qi.Qifollows the mind."And, people affect the flowineachother.

 

Illnessesor injuriesare indicationsthatQi flow has beenblocked,interrupting normal body/mindfunctioning.Inthis state,aperson's Qiisimbalanced.Thecauses can beexternalor internalor both.Chinese TraditionalMedicineunderstands"ifQi goes, blood goes:" so"ifQiis blocked,bloodstagnates."Healing would bethe restoration ofa smooth,balancedQiflowandthe consequentrestoration ofnormal bloodcirculationwithits natural cleansing, healing,nourishing properties.Itismostimportantto understandthatthis iswhathap- pens withinpatients.Because human beingscan affect the Qi flowineachother,wesaypatients canhealthemselveswithhelpfrom others.

Basedonthesefacts,Iunderstand whyChineseQi healingtherapieswork fromtheoryandfromexperience.QihealingtheorywasreinforcedformewhenI accompaniedarelativetoalecture byawesternsurgeondiscussingdifferenttreatmentoptionsforacertaintypeofcancer.Heprefacedhiscomments with theassertionthat alltreatmentoptions involved a typeofenergy.This wastrueofradiation therapy, chemotherapy,drugtherapy, hormone therapy, or surgery.Qiisenergy.

Infact,IbelieveQiisallenergyfields.Itistheuniversal.

Then,Qihealingtherapiesworksowellcomplementarilybecausetheysupplement energy-specifichealingtreatmentswith the universal healing factor. Accordingly,myrelativeiscancerfreetwoyearsfollowingaregimenofhormonetherapy,radiationtherapy,andQihealingtherapy.

Also,frommyexperiencethreeyears agohelpingmy otherrelativeheal,I havewitnessedwhyQihealing works.TheQiinductionandtheQiflowinterventions weshared kept acleansing, nourishing supply of bloodflowing totheinjuredareasofherbody.We restorednormalQifunction andnormalcirculatory function,thefunctionsessential toallhumanlife processes.

Youcorrectlysayyouandyourrelativesharedthe healingprocess.Thisis'how'Qihealingtherapy works.Yourrelativesaid,"…Iopened(emphasis added) myselftothe lovingministrationsofmy healer."Because weallsharethe same universal Qi,weareallconnected.Therefore,one person can intentionallyandphysicallyaffect the Qi flow in anotherperson.We all haveanatural ability,evenresponsibility,toshareQipurpose- fullywithoneanother.Certainly,itismore"loving"toexperienceinterpersonal,healingQicon- tact thantobehookeduptoamachine.

Everyonehasexperiencedthatasmile,ahug,atouch, oraperson'smerepresencecanhaveapositiveand healingeffectonanother,especiallyona lovedone. Whenhealersstudy,practice, andunderstand howtopurposefullyintensifythe interpersonal healingconnectionwithspecificQicontacttechniques,the healingbenefits ofthe experiences are evenmoresignificant.This means,healers shouldbe able to feel Qi, get Qi, anduse Qi. WhenhealersarepracticedinfeelingQiandQi flow withinthemselves,theyshouldbeable to feelQiandQifloworQiblocksinpatientswith touchorwithnon-touch.Withthisability,healerscan diagnosepatients'troubles,assess their needs,andmonitorandevaluatetheirhealing progress.Anyonecan learnthe mindandbody techniquestofeelQi.Obviously,morepractice experiencewillyieldbetterdiagnosesandassessments.

HealersmustbeabletogetuniverseQitouse whenhealing.HealersneverinducttheirownQi topatients.Healersusetheirpracticedmind powersofconcentrationandimaginationtogetthe Qitheypassthroughtheir handstotheir patients.

Finally,healersuse the universeQitheygot withmindpowertomaketouchornon-touch, Qicontact withtheirpatients.Qicontact techniquesarepracticedtoopenblocksandrestore smoothQiflow. Some techniquesarepracticed to supplementimbalancedQi, andsome are practicedtodirecttheQifloworstabilizethecur- renthealingexperience.

Toreview,youteachusthecontactthatinducts the universe,healingQitopatientsisappliedinvarious ways. Itcanbecontact with thepatients'Qicoats (energyfields).Itcanbeactualhandto bodycontact, especiallyat acupoints. Itcanbecontact through tools,suchasShao-linsticks; oritcan bementalonly contact.Irecallwhenworkingonmyinjuredrelative's pain,IfirsthadtomakeherQicoatreceptive.Then I couldactuallymakehandtobodycontactwithout causingmorepain.InthiswayIgainedherconfidence andwasabletodomoretherapymoreeffectively. Youhad learnedand practicedthe basicscience of Qi healing.You appliedit asan art asyou sensed,monitored, andevaluatedwhatwas working.Youenjoyedthe cooperationofyour relative.You builtconfidencetogether.This strengthenedthehealingexperience.Happiness thatcomesfromsuchanopen,sharedexperience ofQicontactwasoperating.When wecan take moreformalorexperientialresearchofsuchhealingexperiencestothepublic,wecanenjoypublicconfidence.Thepublicwillthenpressurethe medicalcommunity.Qihealingwill enjoythe recognitionitdeserves.

ThisbringsupthecontroversyoverlicensingofQi healersoroftheirrespectiveschools.

Anditbringsusbacktotheimportanceofbeing mindopenandofkeepingthebridgeformedical interchangesopen.Controversyisaresultofmisplaced confidenceinlicensing/certification processes.ThishappensinChinaandinAmerica.Weshouldbecarefulnotto give too much credittosomethingthatisrelativeatbest. Itis especiallydifficulttodeterminecredibilitywith documentationfrom anotherculture. Ideally, licensingandcertificationaremeansofquality control.But, licensing andcertificationcan be abusedas meansof bureaucraticcontrol.We needtorealize thatalicenseorcertificateissimplydocumentationqualifyingthe holder'seducation.Licensesorcertificatesarenotmeasures ofhowthe respectiveholdersexercisetheirabilities basedon theireducation. One can holda licenseorcertificateforhealingandnotbeeffective.Ontheotherhand,onemayhaveareputationforbeinganeffectivehealeryetnot haveany formaldocumentationofthatexperience.There- fore,itisbestwekeepourselvesopen,learnabout ouroptions,acceptdocumentationinarelative andculturalcontext,but letexperiencebeour guide.

IfwewanttostudyQihealing,weshoulduseour owninstinctsandneedstoknowwithwhomand howextensivelytostudy.Schoolsthatawardcertificates shoulddo sobasedon theirowncurriculumsandstudentneeds,notonwhatisdeter- mined,andthereforelimited,byabureaucracy. Infact, someofthe best Qihealers,myBuddha Masterfor one,can neitherread nor write.It wouldbeagreat lossiftheywerenot"allowed" tosharetheirabilitieswithpatientsorstudents.

Iam grateful youwereopentomy needs when I appliedto learn Qihealing.Youletmelearn Qiheal- ingatthesametimeIwasbeginningQigongstudy andpractice.This waswise,becauseeachpractice reinforcedwhat Iwaslearningintheother.Icould applywhatI waslearningrightawayandenjoythe goodresults. This built my confidence and under- standing. EarlyinourQihealingcourse,youtaught usQihealersshould practicewith confidence and happiness. Iexpectedtobuildconfidence asIgrew morecompetent.Unexpectedly, asI discovereda dynamicconnectionwiththefunctioningoftheuniverseandwithotherpeople,I realizedthehappiness Qicontact fosters.Now, confidence andhappiness sustain mycontinuing QigongandQihealingeducation.ItakeeveryopportunityIcantoencourageotherstolearnandpracticeQihealingandexperienceits benefits.Iamproofthatanyonecanlearn,whether ornotheorshehasabackgroundin medicineoreasterndisciplines.Tolearnandpracticethescience and artofhelpingothersheal,weneedtoovercomelim- itsimposedby conditioning,findateacher,andopen ourmindsandheartstothepowersandpleasuresof Qihealing.

Ofcourse!And, weneedto makethis easy for patientsorstudenthealerstodo.Wecandothis by keepingthe avenuesofmedicaleducation, opportunity,andoptions openon the bridge connectingthehealingandhealthcarepractices of easternandwesterncultures.Withprecaution,wecan makeprogress.

Precautionmeansopeningourmindstoaccurateinformationthatovercomesfear,greed,and pride.Wemusttakecarenottorejectsomething thatdoesn'tmeasureup to somepre-existing standard.ReceivingandprovidingQi healing therapyare notexclusiveopportunities.They are naturalresponsesinclusiveof all human beings.InChina'slong,oftenturbulent,history, the practiceofmedicinewas occasionallysup- pressedor deniedto the massesby rulingfactions. Yet,Qihealingtherapywaspreservedby the peoplebecauseitworksandbecauseanyone whowantstoandlikestoisabletopracticeiton somelevel. Itsefficacy has been determinedby experience and,whenpractical,supportedby controlledexperimentation.Its credibilityhas beendeterminedbythe resultsofinterpersonal, healingQicontactexperiences,notbypolitical sanction.With understandingwillcomeconfi- dence. Withconfidencewillcomebenefit.

Progressmeansmoreopportunitiesandmore optionsformorepeople.Asaccurateinformation aboutwhatispossibleandwhatispractical buildsculturetocultureunderstandingandconfidence,QigongMastersandQihealerscanopen new,easy to cross avenues betweenChinaandAmericafor patientsandstudenthealers.For example,we havebeenoffering andwillexpandofferingsoftouch andnon-touchtherapy for patientsandmultilevelcourseson touchandnon-touchtherapyfor healershereinAmerica.Our successhas motivated ustoseekout andestablish contactswiththe best healers andinstitutionsof healingin China.Wecan consul patientsandputthemincontact with orarrangeadmissiontoany of hundredsof hospitalsof ChineseTraditionalMedicine,eachof whichspecializesintreatmentsof particulardiseasesordisorders.We haveofferedandwillcontinueto offercoursesinQihealingforstudents orpatients,on location,in China,withrenownedexpertslike Dr. Zhou.Asall the clinicsand schoolsofChineseQihealing in thewestdolikewise,itwillbeeasy formorepatientsandstudentsto select theirbest optionsfromthe best opportunities. Together,we canprogresstoanopen,informed, tolerant,andconfidentcommunitythatunderstandsanduses the best medicalpractices fromboth the east andwest. Wecan fortify our bridge formedical inter- change. Thecomplementary opportunitiestoenjoyhealingand healthcan beboundless.

QigongMasterTianyou Hao,a professorfrom Beijing, China, teaches hisInnerDanArtsQigong andEasternHandsHealingArtssystemsinthe classroom,in workshops,andon video,offers video/correspondence courses tocertifyQigongInstructors andQihealers,andoffershands-on QihealertraininginChina.

CathyPatchinbegan learningQigong andtheEastern HandsHealingArts Systemsin September,1995andwas certified August,1996.ThroughMaster Hao'sinternational, learning opportunities,shehopes tofurtherher study oftheeasternhealing artsin Beijing,Chinainthenearfuture.