shiatsu issue 143

AUTUMN 2017 - ISSUE 143

ISSN-2045-3590

shiatsu society journal

Features Disability is Personal Ability

By Bill Palmer MRSS(T)

Death and Shiatsu: A Teacher's Perspective

By Tamsin Grainger MRSS(T)

The Eight Extraordinary Vessels - Part 2

By Suzanne Yates MRSS(T)

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from the editor Welcome to the Journal in its refreshing new format, re-designed by our friends at Matrix Print. We think the design appropriately reflects the exciting new phase the Society is entering, and we hope the contents will provide much to interest and entertain you.

By the time you are reading this we will have had our Annual General Meeting and with luck and continuing goodwill the Society will have been able to let go of old structures which no longer served us, and be set upon a new, high quality path with robust, flexible structures and improved communication. Definitely the time of Metal!

Bill Palmer celebrates 30 years of Movement Shiatsu with a characteristically thoughtprovoking article on the lessons he has learned from working with drama students and babies with ‘disabilities’. He hypothesises that meridians are innate lines through the body, or innate connectivity in the motor cortex, activated by the baby’s developmental movements. He also discusses our attitude, as therapists, to disability, and urges us to help the client find where their ability lies rather than focus on the disability. The client’s spirit is then ‘strengthened by capability and he is empowered to start exploring himself… rather than asking to be fixed and rescued by the therapist’. Great stuff.

Tamsin Grainger writes about how she has been affected by death/dying and bereavement in her personal life, her Shiatsu practice and in particular as a Shiatsu teacher. She generously shares her experience of bringing these issues into the Shiatsu classroom.

In Part 2 of Suzanne Yates’ exploration of the Extraordinary Meridians (Part 1 is in Issue 141, Spring 2017) she considers the Wei (Linking) and the Qiao (Heel) Vessels. She illuminates their origins, pathways and how she incorporates them into her own practice with gratifyingly positive results.

Murray Nicholson combines ancient knowledge and modern technology. Using an ElectronicPhotonic Imaging camera he is able to measure objectively the Human Energy Field, thus allowing the practitioner the option ‘of routinely monitoring client status, pre- and post-Shiatsu. This raises the possibility of Shiatsu being better quantified and endorsed as a complementary therapy, within our own community, as well as in clinical or hospital settings’. Exciting possibilities beckon...

In a lovely article entitled ‘Touching Heaven’, David Lauterstein reminds us of something that, in our daily practice of Shiatsu we may begin to take for granted, i.e. that touch is in fact miraculous!

We may forget, as we use it all the time, that ‘Human touch is the most sophisticated physical tool in the known universe… Every time we lay our hand on the human body, with pressure and with consciousness, we are uniting the worlds of structure and the worlds of energy’, everyday miracles indeed.

And finally, Clare Stephenson discusses how knowledge of Eastern medicine can improve the conventional medicine practitioner’s response to patients, and vice-versa. She reminds us that conventional medicine describes a measurable aspect of the energetic truth about a patient and their symptoms and as such, can help illuminate the whole of the client.

Enjoy!

Anne Palmer MRSS(T)

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contents 4 5

News Bringing you the very latest from The Shiatsu Society

Disability is Personal Ability

By Bill Palmer MRSS(T)

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Death and Shiatsu: A Teacher's Perspective

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Measuring the Human Energy Field

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The Eight Extraordinary Vessels - Part 2

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Book Review - The Way of the Five Seasons

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Q&A - Eastern and Western Medicine

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Touching Heaven - Bodywork and the Realm of the Incredible

By Tamsin Grainger MRSS(T)

By Murray Nicholson MRSS

By Suzanne Yates MRSS(T)

By Julie Weeks MRSS(T)

By Clare Stephenson

By David Lauterstein

The Shiatsu Society (UK) Ltd PO Box 4580 Rugby, CV21 9EL Tel: 01788 547900 Fax: 01788 547111 Web: www.shiatsusociety.org Email: admin@shiatsusociety.org Editor Anne Palmer MRSS(T) Production Manager Gary Elliott at Matrix Print Consultants Ltd Editorial Board Laura Davison, Dinah John, Anne Palmer and Julie Weeks Journal Director Elaine West Layout Josh Green at Matrix Print Consultants Ltd S H I ATS U S OC I ETY.OR G

Printing Matrix Print Consultants Ltd Paper This Journal is printed on 75% post-consumer waste recycled paper, de-inked in a chlorine-free recycling plant. Shiatsu Society Journal is published quarterly by the Shiatsu Society (UK) Ltd to keep members informed and to act as a forum for members in the UK. The Shiatsu Society is a not-for-profit organisation and holds the national Professional Practitioners Register.

Articles and Contributions Articles and any other contributions are welcomed. If possible, send your submissions as a Word or rtf file by email to us at admin@ shiatsusociety.org or on a disk. If in doubt, contact the office to discuss

options. Images may be sent via the post, preferably as a hard copy or on a CD. Images should be scanned to 300dpi and saved as a jpg file. The Editor reserves the right to revise contributions.

Advertising The preferred format for advertising copy is as a 300dpi jpg or PDF file, to the correct size (see advertising rate box on the inside back cover for sizes). If sending your advert as a Word document or InDesign/ QuarkXPress file please ensure all fonts and images are included separately, and send with a proof copy. Flat artwork to photoset quality may also be supplied. We can provide a design service for your advertisement. Send your text and a rough layout of the style you require.

At present there is no extra charge

for this service. Please send full payment with your advertisement.

Copy Deadline Winter 2017 issue (issue 144) For editorial and advertising 14th Nov 2017. Publication date 8th Jan 2018.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this Journal are not necessarily those of The Shiatsu Society. Publication of an advertisement in the Shiatsu Society Journal does not imply endorsement of either the advertiser or their services. Š The Shiatsu Society 2017 No part of this Journal may be reproduced without permission.

Front cover photo courtesy of Peter Gill.

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News

A Big Thanks

News from the Board Dear members, We are delighted to announce that at the AGM on Sept 16th the members gave the Board, and the work we have been doing, a resounding thumbs-up.

This overwhelming support and positivity means we can continue, with renewed confidence, in our quest to develop transparency and efficiency in enabling to Society to move forward.

Many of you will also have attended the European Shiatsu Congress in Vienna – a great opportunity to pool our resources and consider how we can promote Shiatsu to a wider audience.

The Society has a busy year ahead. In October the Board will spend a couple of days in Norwich developing our mission and plan for transformation.

We will be informed by the results of the focus group organised by Carol

Chantler and Adam Hellinger, and by discussions on the day of the AGM. Our aim is to restructure the Society so it can better serve members and the profession as a whole, and bring Shiatsu more into the public eye. One of the tasks the Board is undertaking will be to systematically examine and, where necessary, rewrite our Rules and Regulations in order to achieve these aims. Busy, but exciting times ahead!

The EGM is scheduled for Feb 3rd ’18, by which time we aim to have a strategy which will be welcomed by the membership.

Watch out for more changes over the coming months and please keep sharing with us any thoughts and ideas which you think will help the project.

With all good wishes, The Board

Congress 2018 Update The theme will be Spirituality and Women’s Health.

Workshops with include Raga singing, Yoga, specialised Shiatsu and bodywork aspects and approaches to this subject. Details of teachers and specific workshops are to be sent soon.

The price for congress will be £250 with a £50 nonrefundable deposit. Places are limited to 60 and are to be paid in full by Feb 1st ’18—with a £20 early bird discount if paid by Dec 1st ’17.

Upcoming Events Board Away Days 2017 Oct 4th– 5th ’17 Norwich EGM 2018 Feb 3rd ’18 Venue tbc

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A big thanks to directors who have left the Board this year: David Home left the Board in June 2017 after many years. He has served as Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer and has contributed a great deal to the Society. His excellent knowledge of the Society’s history, Rules & Regulations and people, as well as his eye for detail will be very much missed.

Carol Chantler leaves after serving the maximum 6 years on the Board. She has been tireless in her work for the Society. When the office has been short-staffed, she has come in for days at a time to keep things going and has also done excellent work with the Structure Group and then as Vice-Chair, to ensure the Society kept moving towards the change that is vital to keep it going. We are grateful to her for her good will, intelligence and meticulousness in particular, but also for her humour and generosity.

Board Meeting Minutes Congress 2018 Apr 27th–29th ’18 The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre 25 Palmerston Place Edinburgh EH12 5AP AGM 2018 Nov 3rd ’18 Venue tbc

Board Meeting Minutes now available on the website for: -- Dec 9th ’16 -- Jan 19th ’17 -- Mar 2nd ’17 -- May 5th ’17 -- May 5th ’17 Addendum

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disability is personal ability WORDS BY BILL PALMER MRSS(T)

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ill Palmer is Director of the School for Experiential Education and has been studying Shiatsu since 1973. He was one of the pioneers of Shiatsu in Europe and created and edited the Journal of Shiatsu and Oriental Body Therapy. He can be contacted at bill@seed.org.

This article is written to mark the 30th anniversary of Movement Shiatsu, an approach to physical therapy that I developed in the 1980s which is particularly relevant to working with so-called disability, chronic conditions and old age. Many people would say that it bears little resemblance to the common forms of Shiatsu. It seems closer to Feldenkrais Method [š]or Body-Mind Centering [²] because it integrates body-awareness exercises, movement experiments and bodywork into a coherent system.

In this approach the client is more active and the practitioner facilitates the client's self-exploration rather than treating them as a passive recipient.

However, I see it as an evolution of Shiatsu for two reasons.

Firstly, the theory underlying Movement Shiatsu includes many of the ideas common to other forms of Shiatsu. In fact, as we shall see, it actually explains them in terms that modern scientific culture could accept as plausible hypotheses.

Secondly, the many forms of Shiatsu have a wide variety of theories and techniques but most of them use a common quality of touch. This vertical, non-manipulative and still touch gives the client a sense that the practitioner is listening to them at a profound level and it stimulates self-awareness. Movement Shiatsu uses the same quality of touch and also helps the client to use their awareness to explore themselves and experiment with their habitual patterns.

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[1] MOSHE FELDENKRAIS Awareness Through Movement, 1972.

[2] BONNIE BAINBRIDGECOHEN Sensing Feeling and Action, Contact Press, 1990.

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In this article, I will tell the story of the development of Movement Shiatsu and explain how working with children with special needs taught me the basic principles that underlie this work.

Combining Movement and Shiatsu In 1979 I started working at the Central School of Speech and Drama teaching video techniques. It also turned out to be a big step in my parallel life as a therapist. The drama students often hurt themselves in movement classes and, once word got around that I was good at helping people recover, my office turned into a very busy part-time clinic. Subsequently, these same students asked me to start teaching them how to prevent injury so I started teaching what I called Shiatsu and Movement classes.

The main focus of these classes was how to become aware where the flow of movement through the body was interrupted or inhibited.

Such a break in the smooth continuity of connection in the body produces an area that is vulnerable to injury.

The Shiatsu used touch and guided movement to explore how to bring this discontinuity together.

Movement Development and Personality One of my other jobs at Central was to make videos, for teaching purposes, of

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the treatments done by the Speech Therapists. Several of the staff in the speech therapy department also came to my Shiatsu and Movement classes. One of them was Kay Coombes, a specialist in working with children with disability. Kay and I developed a close working relationship.

While I was making videos of her work, I would be asking questions, making suggestions and learning the basics of the Bobarth style of developmental physiotherapy that was her expertise [Âł].

I found a deep empathy with these children and attended several advanced training courses in neurological and developmental therapies to learn how to work with them myself. I started to develop a theory of how the different ways that a child developed movement skills affected their patterns of movement and posture in later life.

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, who was exploring similar ideas in her system of BodyMind Centering, also felt that sensory feedback from these patterns influenced the development of personality [²].

To give a simple example, if a child for some reason does not learn to move forward easily they may end up with a feeling that self-motivation is difficult. This could lead to a personality that is demanding and over-dependent on others. But I am not sure this is necessarily a causal relationship. Babies who have difficulty crawling often find other ways of moving themselves and it could be that the over-dependence on others

CHANGING POSTURE CHANGES SELF

[2] BONNIE BAINBRIDGECOHEN Sensing Feeling and Action, Contact Press, 1990.

[3] MULLER BUSCH Die Therapie des Facio-Oralen Trakts nach Kay Coombes, 2015.

is an innate characteristic that predisposes them to ask for help rather than trying other ways to move themselves.

Over a period of ten years, I documented the development of six of the major infantile movement abilities in a cohort of children and gathered some evidence that a baby's way of developing movement seemed to be correlated with the development of certain character traits as they grew older.

It was impossible to tell whether the style of movement caused the character trait or whether their character predisposed them to favour certain types of movement. In fact, I think it is a two-way relationship; that body patterns and emotional patterns are two aspects of the same phenomenon. It is obvious how different postures express personality but it is S HIATS U S O C IETY.O RG

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also true that changing one's posture results in a different experience of self.

What is Qi? I think that this interrelationship between body and mind is the real meaning of what Chinese medicine calls Qi. This is often translated as 'Energy' but that gives the impression that there is some substance that flows through the body driving the functionality of the organism. I prefer to see it as a description of similarities between certain bodily and mental processes that hints that these processes are co-created.

Traditional Chinese medicine describes several different forms of Qi that can be seen as fundamental functions that apply to both mind and body. For instance, the ability to satisfy need and the ability to push out things that you don't want are an essential ingredient of autonomy both emotionally and physically. The process of eating, digesting and excreting is a physical example of this abstract function but it is obvious that these capacities are also part of emotional intelligence.

In Chinese medicine this particular function is called the YangMing [⁴].

Maybe our experience of our body and our mind are just different perceptions of the same thing. It is therapeutically useful to view the types of Qi as abstractions about this deeper reality because one can see how it

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might be possible to work physically with an issue that is perceived to be emotional, or vice versa.

Babies explain Meridians However, an aspect of Chinese medicine that I found it difficult to swallow was the idea of meridians, the 'channels' along which Qi was said to 'flow'. For reasons that I have explained in other articles [⁵] I found the interpretation of Qi as a form of energy not described by science deeply implausible.

And if Qi is an emergent property of the complexity of body and mind then it didn't need channels to flow in. In my opinion there is no satisfying explanation in East Asian tradition of why these exact lines are related to the different forms of Qi. A possible explanation occurred to me while I was documenting the step-by-step development of certain whole body movements such as pushing away from the ground,

QI

氣

[4] BILL PALMER The Six Divisions, Journal of Shiatsu and Oriental Body Therapy, 1994, Issue 5.

[5] BILL PALMER What is Qi, Journal of Shiatsu and Oriental Body Therapy, 1996 Issue 8.

rolling and crawling. These developmental movements don't appear all at once, they spread through the body progressively bringing muscles and fascia into collaboration until the full movement is achieved. Surprisingly, the track along which they developed exactly followed the traditional meridians.

Significantly, the character trait that seemed to develop alongside the movement matched the description of the Qi related to the associated meridian. So this seemed to be a potential explanation of the traditional concept: that meridians are innate lines through the body, or innate connectivity in the motor cortex, showing how to connect parts of the body to perform these archetypal movements. Through this process, babies develop mentally as well as physically and the common theme in the particular body-mind skill that they learn is called the Qi of the meridian.

Disability is Personal Ability

Thus one can see 'problematic' musculo-skeletal patterns as attempts to solve developmental challenges rather than problems to be fixed. Efficient development is not automatic, it depends largely on environmental stimulation and facilitation.

At a certain stage, a baby wants to move forward and if crawling is too awkward she finds another method such as 'bum-shuffling'. It may not be the most efficient or the most

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'normal' way of moving. But it is her way!

This is especially true of babies with disabilities such as cerebral palsy. In this condition, it's not the environment that inhibits efficient development but the damage to the brain interrupting the learning of certain movements. But the way the baby learns to move is her ability not her disability. It is only seen as disability if you have a rigid idea of normality.

Whatever the cause of patterns, they help to form the person's sense of self. If the therapy tries to undo abnormal patterns and focuses too much on developing 'normal' movement, then it can create a deeper sense of being disabled along with feelings of shame and frustration - simply because the patterns that exist are the child's sense of self and the intention to change them gives them the message that they, basically, are not OK.

Start by Exploring Ability To a young child, how they are is all they know. The act of comparison with others and the discovery that one is not 'normal' is something that only slowly develops after the age of four [â ś]. So it is vitally important that therapy with young children supports their sense of ability rather than trying to change the abnormal patterns. Then the young child has a basic feeling of being whole as they are and this provides a good platform for facing later challenges.

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[6] LARUE ALLEN AND BRIDGET B. KELLY Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, 2015.

Working with young children with cerebral palsy taught me practical ways of doing this. Instead of starting with the problematic areas, I find a movement that is easy.

I praise it and suggest to the child that she does it more and bigger! For instance, if she can open her hand, I sing a song, opening and closing my hands along with the tune and get her to copy me. This initial success is enormously important for the spirit. We then go on to see what other opening movements she can do. Can she open her eyes, her mouth, her arms? If we come up with a difficult area, we can start working with it - she knows what she wants to do and has the positive spirit to experiment. My bodywork is simply helping her to do what she wants rather than forcing her to do something that she feels she can't do.

I now think that this applies to everyone. If the client and their therapist both focus on the problematic issues then the client is more likely to feel disabled and to remain

a victim to their problems needing rescue by the therapist. On the other hand, if the therapy starts by finding where the client's ABILITY lies then the client's spirit is strengthened by capability and he is empowered to start exploring himself, even challenging his own patterns, rather than asking to be fixed and rescued by the therapist.

Experiments with Movement It's relatively easy to experiment with and explore your movement patterns and postural habits. In my experience, this is often all that is needed to start a process of change in both body and mind. You do not need an idea of an 'ideal' posture or the right way to move. All that is necessary is to loosen the domination of the pattern by experimentation and then the organism has the freedom to find new and possibly better ways of doing things.

I find that this is most effective when the client learns

BABIES EXPLAIN MERIDIANS Movement progressively develops along meridian

The abstract similarity between the physical and the mental IS the Qi of the meridian

Physical and mental capacities are similar and co-create each other

Movement integrates body to perform a physical skill

Movement develops a mental capacity

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how to play with particular muscles. Large, multi-muscle movements are confusing to work with but single muscles are open to change. To give an example, if you find a chronically tense muscle that resists stretching then, if you consciously tighten it further, you are simply doing more of what is happening anyway and so the muscle doesn't resist.

By doing this, you have moved the control of the muscle from the unconscious to the conscious and this opens the door to wider exploration.

Three Pillars of Movement Shiatsu This discussion illustrates the three fundamentals of Movement Shiatsu based round the central core statement: ‘What you are is your ABILITY not your DISABILITY’ Exploring oneself and experimenting with ingrained patterns can be hard work and not to everybody's taste.

The self naturally resists change, even good change.

Many people come to a body therapist explicitly to be treated. They don't want to explore, to experiment and to do work on themselves. This is a totally valid contract but - for some people - being treated is not enough. Movement Shiatsu provides tools for helping a client to do work on themselves through the body, if that is what they want.

In my experience there are three groups of people who especially benefit from these tools:

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1. People who would be classified as disabled.

This classification is insulting to the spirit and the change of viewpoint that Movement Shiatsu gives can validate the person and help them to see their way of being as their success rather than their failure.

2. People with chronic issues, both physical and emotional.

Typically, a person with long term physical issues has been to many therapists and tried out many types of therapy without success. This litany of therapeutic failure is depressing and maintains them in a position of being a victim to their condition.

Movement Shiatsu changes the goalposts so they no longer see their condition as something to be cured but as a stimulus to deeper awareness.

Often the awareness and the explorations it leads to produce a change in the symptoms because the person is starting to be kind to themselves, but the change is not the main goal.

3. Old Age As we age, our area of ability changes and it is common for people to lose confidence in themselves because they are comparing themselves with their capacities at a younger age. However, if one keeps

DEDICATION This article is dedicated to my friend Joanna and her daughter Fae. Joanna taught me, through the way she died from cancer, that a successful life is nothing to do with being healthy but depends on meeting its challenges with spirit, love and grace.

Fae, though people would perceive her as severely disabled through cerebral palsy, has finally convinced me that seeking normality is crazy in a ‘world run by maniacs’ (in the words of John Lennon) and that a person can be whole, able and beautiful however different they may be.

exploring one's current areas of ability, one often finds new capacities developing in older age that one's younger self could not achieve. This means that your self-image might change but your self-valuation does not diminish.

Life as a Course of Lessons In the last few decades a culture has developed where therapies are largely judged by how successful they are at fixing problems. But, then the only option for people whose issues cannot be fixed is 'condition management', which is a way of giving up hope and, when hope leaves, the life spirit often goes too.

Life can be seen as a series of challenges and lessons to be learned by meeting those challenges. Getting rid of someone's problems for them might also take away the course material for their lessons. If one can help the client to become an explorer, seeing their disabled movements as successful abilities and helping them to see their difficulties as lessons, then I feel that means that the therapy is strengthening the spirit as well as giving the best chance for deep change at the physical and emotional levels.

THE THREE PILLARS OF MOVEMENT SHIATSU

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Help client to experiment without fighting hardened patterns

Find an Ability rather than focus on problems

Explore the Ability to help client feel self-empowered

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death and shiatsu: a teacher's perspective WORDS BY TAMSIN GRAINGER MRSS(T)

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amsin has been practising Shiatsu since 1989. She initially trained as a dancer then studied Shiatsu with the Glasgow School of Shiatsu. Further studies included working with people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, during pregnancy and with babies and children. She co-founded and teaches at The Shiatsu School Edinburgh. She can be contacted, when she’s not out walking (!), at shiatsu@ryoho.co.uk.

I have been practising and teaching Shiatsu for 25 years during which, inevitably, issues of death, dying and bereavement have arisen, both in my practice and in my personal life.

I have worked with clients who are dying , those afraid of dying, those who have just received the news they have a life-threatening condition, those who are grieving. Some have passed away shortly after treatment. Some are suicidal. The death of my father, miscarriages – all these have affected me deeply. News stories of natural, and unnatural, disasters impact on practitioners and clients alike – death is an inevitable companion to us all. And I have found it useful and necessary to discuss my responses to death, dying and bereavement in supervision, with colleagues and friends, and to read, write, think, meditate and engage with it in order to grow and develop.

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MATSUO BASHO, HAIKU ‘Nothing in the cry of the cicada suggests it’s going to die’

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As these issues are not included on the Shiatsu Society Core Curriculum (CC) I was not required to teach it specifically, although occasionally the subject would arise through student case notes or in class discussions.

However, about 10 years ago, I decided to devote time to it at The Shiatsu School Edinburgh, and now that the CC has changed and teachers have more freedom to address topics which they believe will help prepare good practitioners, I am sharing some ideas about why I do this and how I introduced it into the 3-year training programme.

It can stand alone, or be part of Practice Management and/ or Counselling and Listening Skills. It particularly addresses open listening and acceptance in the therapeutic scenario.

Aims My aim for the session is primarily to encourage people to think about death - what it means to them, what are their beliefs about it? This is a very personal thing, and takes time, but by raising it in the Shiatsu training context, I am hoping it will stimulate some thought and reflection. In our culture, death is seldom spoken about openly, for fear of causing distress to others or to ourselves, and yet, of course, all our students will come across it in one way or another, and it will inevitably affect their practice.

Safe Space I notify the students when the subject is going to be

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addressed in class, because naturally it is likely to be emotive, and some will be able to use this as a prompt to start thinking about it. In class, I begin by setting up what I hope is a safe space, a circle of meditation (I guide the meditation for a little, using the image of a lotus flower opening in the upper burner for the Heart and Lung), and then I ask these questions: What is death? How has it impacted on you?

Following the stillness, I give them time to write in their journals, in silence, then we do an exercise in pairs. I ask them to sit opposite each other, make good eye contact, and then to take it in turns to each listen and speak, for 5 minutes, about something which has arisen in their contemplation. We sit still again after that, to allow any thoughts or feelings to move through us. It is not a long time, but I want to provide the group with the chance to engage on an emotional level, to open to themselves and to another; the writing, sharing and quiet time is to allow for some integration.

Discussion In threes, I then ask people to discuss this: how might death have an impact on your Shiatsu practice with clients? I give them a sheet of flipchart paper and a pen, and ask them to make a list which they will present to the other groups later. At this stage, I am looking for a broad awareness of the times and situations in which

THE DALAI LAMA, PAGE IX, THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING. ‘Death is a natural part of life, which we will all surely have to face sooner or later. To my mind, there are two ways we can deal with it while we are alive. We can either choose to ignore it or we can confront the prospect of our own death and, by thinking clearly about it, try to minimise the suffering that it can bring.

However in none of these ways can we overcome it.’

the subject of death might arise: for the practitioner, the client, in the community, the work-place and elsewhere.

There are many possibilities, and they all have different impacts on us and our work.

I believe it is important that students get the chance to brainstorm in this way, in the hope of reducing fear and helping to prepare for future encounters with death, dying and bereavement.

I am moving towards an open, whole-group discussion about how death affects our Shiatsu; when we choose not to practise or might cancel a session(s); the range of different approaches we may have towards death, some religious, some more generally spiritual, or not; how death is viewed in Chinese medicine, and which Elements / Zen meridians are involved; finally, how we can best support ourselves and our clients at these times.

To break up the sitting and talking, we need regular breaks for fresh air, drinks, food, and more informal

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conversation. After all, it is a serious subject.

My hope is that we reach a place where we can acknowledge that each person’s experience of, and belief about, death is unique and that mutual respect is paramount, in class and in the Shiatsu space. We must address the issue of powerlessness, and acceptance. I try to allow possibilities of ways to help others through Shiatsu to emerge, but also an understanding that there are times when our aware presence will be of most value.

Endings I end with a practical exercise: one person lies down in a position of their choice, and another sits beside them. There is time for finding a settled posture and ‘opening the Heart’. First one hand makes a simple and engaged touch on the Hara, perhaps for 5 minutes; then one hand slides under the sacrum and the other comes to rest on CV17, for a further 5 minutes. I demonstrate a relaxed touch and mention how important it is to allow for a comfortable posture as this takes a while; also, finding a way to change position part-way through, if necessary, without disturbing the client. I ask the giver to ‘stay inside yourself ’ i.e. not to become too engaged with the receiver. And, before the end, to warn the receiver, ‘In a few moments I will be taking my hands away’. The giver then lifts the hand

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MARGARET COBERLY, CH 3 FROM ‘BUDDHISM THROUGH AMERICAN WOMEN'S EYES’ ‘When holding and consoling a tormented, grieving person, the most difficult part is to remain objective. While maintaining an empathetic response to the situation, the compassionate caregiver must learn how to be an integral, essential part of the crisis situation and yet remain unattached to the outcome.’

ELISABETH KÜBLER-ROSS ‘For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force.

The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death.’

straight up before removing it altogether, and sits quietly to one side, allowing the receiver time to recover. It is an exercise in being and accepting. There will be time to swap over, share in those pairs, and then share in the big group before ending.

We move from the very personal to the practical, addressing the energetic patterns on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels, and leaving students with what I hope is ‘food for thought’. It can be a profound experience, and simply a straightforward learning exercise.

Scheduling I allow half a day - which is not really enough - but if that is all there is time for then I find that presenting it in the second half of the day is preferable, after practical work in the morning, and before home time. This also allows for me to spend time with anyone who needs oneto-one support afterwards. It is better to take a whole day, in which case I include more practical body-work to move the Ki in different ways. If we are working through the 5 Elements, for example, exploring their relationship to death, I might intersperse the Makko-ho stretches. So I might pose the question ‘what does the Metal Element have to do with death?’, followed by doing the Lung/Large Intestine stretch, discussing the experience, and so on with each Element. If your school

has a Residential, then that can be an excellent time to open up this area, especially if there are private corners of a garden for individuals to retreat to, places for a quiet walk in nature, and/or class mates around in the evening for hugs and Shiatsu. I like to have Rescue Remedy at hand too!

I give out a book list for the topic and make sure I include information about Death Cafés.

Students find it extremely useful to explore these matters of life and death in the safe space of their Shiatsu training, and I believe that as their Shiatsu develops, this precious work will prove of great value in supporting them and their clients during powerful, if sometimes difficult, times.

GRAVESTONE, BOA ISLAND

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measuring the human energy field preand post-shiatsu

human energy field WORDS BY MURRAY NICHOLSON MRSS

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urray Nicholson qualified as a Shiatsu practitioner with the European Shiatsu School, Brighton in 2010 and completed his MRSS in 2011. He has studied Reiki, Taiji Qigong, Meridian Massage, and has qualified as a Nutritional Advisor. He is also an industrial chemist. He lives and practises in the Surrey area.

Probably as a result of my scientific background, I have always been intrigued by ‘Ki’ energy, our human energy field, and the connection with mind, body and spirit. Some of these subtle energies, we can consciously sense and feel, whether as a thought, emotion or intention or through touch, as part of a therapeutic, healing process. However, we generally are unable to see such energy, fully interpret or measure its existence and benefits.

Recently, I have undertaken research to measure the human energy field of organs and biological systems, before and after treating clients. Measurements were taken from the finger and thumb tips and correlated with the meridian system, using an Electronic-Photonic Imaging camera. My initial studies are summarised at end of the article.

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ERNEST HOLMES ‘Where the mind goes – energy flows’

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FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

Ki - Life force

Whilst studying Shiatsu and oriental medicine, we learn about the importance of Ki energy as a life force, formed from the interaction between Yin and Yang, When Ki is flowing smoothly in abundance within our body and cells, the healthier and more vibrant we become.

As you are no doubt aware, this subtle energy is well recognised and used for healing and wellbeing in many countries including China, India, Tibet, Japan, Korea and Thailand, North and South America. This life force is

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variously referred to as Ki, Qi or Prana, and it flows through energy channels known as Meridians, Nadis or Sen. LAO TZU ‘The way to do is to be’

Human Energy Field Our body is an energy field, electro-magnetic in nature and containing many subtle auric layers, projected to and from the physical body. Subtle energy layers also include our emotions, consciousness, blueprint etc.

The energy field closest to the body is the bio-energy field (depth about 10 cm) which

radiates energy (corona glow) from our cellular activity, and biological systems. The brightness of this field reflects our state of health as well as any disharmony, or internal disturbances of energy.

Figure 1 is of the Human Energy field (HEF) and is considered the most sensitive reflection of the physical, emotional and, in some cases, the spiritual condition of an individual. These images are captured using Electronic Photonic Imaging (EPI) or Gas Discharge Visualisation (GDV) technology which is based upon the stimulation of

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FIGURE 5 - ORGANS ENERGY CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM ENERGY (7.5) JOULES (X102)

FIGURE 6

FIGURE 7

HEALTHY STRONG CONDITION photon and electron emissions of an object placed within the electromagnetic field. This discharge is recorded by the GDV Bio-Well camera system, which converts it into an HEF image and generates energy readings using sophisticated computer software.

Early Research For centuries researchers have been attempting to capture images of these subtle energy layers. Scientists such as Tesla, Lichtenberg, and more recently Kirlian, Reinhard Voll, and Mandel were able to record electro-photographs of fingers,

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plants, and leaves. (see figure 2).

The ‘glow’ or corona of the HEF was clearly affected by the state of wellbeing of the plant or person involved.

Current Technology In 1995, EPI or GDV technology was extensively researched, and evaluated in clinical settings in Russia,

by Professor Korotkov. As a result, the Bio-Well camera system and computer software was developed to allow rapid, real time measurements of the HEF with a high degree of accuracy.

Individual scans and

measurements are taken via the tips of the finger and thumbs (see figure 3 & figure 4).

Data interpretation is based on the energy connections of the fingertip with organs and body systems via the meridian system, which has been used in Acupressure, Shiatsu and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years (see figure 5).

The above finger scans are of the left and right small and middle finger and they relate to the energy of the cardiovascular system. The scans show the individual

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FIGURE 8

ANALYSIS

energy status of each Yin/ Yang meridian and associated organ (see figure 6).

Research and Test Results I have completed nearly 50 scans on volunteers to compare data, as part of an ongoing project to show and measure the HEF. Measurements were taken pre- and post- a Shiatsu treatment (approximately 45 mins). It was interesting to note that areas diagnosed as Kyo or Jitsu correlated well with the pre- and post-

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treatment measurements of the HEF.

General HEF Observations PostShiatsu Treatment.

Improved brightness, clarity and uniformity of the HEF; fewer holes (Ki Deficiency) and spikes (Ki Excess) in the corona. Treatment appeared to enhance the flow of Ki and improve energy balance (see figure 7).

Reduction in stress levels and emotional pressure; reduced client discomfort.

Treatments appear to help

relaxation and the natural healing process (see figure 8).

Improved energy reserves, flow and distribution of Ki in organs and body systems, leading to increase in vitality (see figure 9).

Left/Right symmetry and organ balance increased.

Improvements in blood, lymphatic flow and overall vitality.

Yin/Yang energy balance improved throughout twelve main meridians (see figure 10).

Better alignment of seven main Chakras with the central line of spinal cord. Note: although this relates to the

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FIGURE 9

FIGURE 10

FIGURE 11

YIN-YANG MERIDIANS

CHAKRA ALIGNMENT

OPTIMAL ENERGY 4-6J (X102)

Vedic Model, not TCM, there are overlaps in the two systems.

Indeed significant points are located on the chakras, e.g. CV1 at the Root; CV17 at the Heart; Yintang at the Third Eye and GV20 at the Crown.

The Bio-Well camera system is not a medical instrument, but it can quantitatively assess the energy of each Chakra and its activation level (see figure 11).

Summary Thoughts The initial results are very encouraging as outcomes that you would expect from a

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ALIGNMENT 91% INDEX 87%

traditional Shiatsu treatment can now be measured via the human energy field.

This allows the practitioner the option of routinely monitoring client status, pre- and post- therapy or wellbeing programme.

This may enable Shiatsu to be better quantified and endorsed as a complementary therapy, within our communities, as well as in clinical or hospital settings.

Murray can be contacted at: murraygnicholson@tecres.net Mobile: 07393858317

CPD QUESTIONS You can record your answers to these questions as part of your CPD requirement. You can earn up to 10 points per year under section D. Q. What are the essential components, as a giver of Shiatsu, to best connect with Ki energy?

Q. Different types of Ki are found in the body - what are they, and what are their energetic functions?

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the eight extraordinary vessels – heel/qiao and linking/wei vessels: bringing the outside back to the core

part 2 WORDS BY SUZANNE YATES MRSS(T)

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uzanne Yates studied Shiatsu in the 1980s with Sonia Moriceau. Following her experience of pregnancy she set up Well Mother in 1990 to promote the use and understanding of Shiatsu in maternity care. This led to her exploration of the Extraordinary Vessels, first the Core Four, and then the Outer Four and she now integrates them in all her work and teaching.

She sees them as relevant for all clients, not just maternity ones.

In Part 1 of this exploration of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels (SSJ Issue 141, Spring 17) I described what I refer to as the Core Four Extraordinary Vessels, the Ren, Du, Chong and Dai and their function of connecting within our body and the space around us.

In Part 2, I focus on the pathways and functions of the Linking and Heel Vessels. I call this group the Outer Four Extraordinary Vessels because of their connections with the outer world.

They relate to the 7 and 8 year cycles of development in that the experiences we draw from outside our body come back to interact and modify our inner being and our Jing.

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Linking and Heel Vessel Pathways The Yin and Yang Linking Vessel (LV) pathways start at the feet/ankles – Yin LV at Kid9, Yang LV at Bl63 – connecting us to the Earth, with what nourishes us from outside. The pathways continue up through the legs, not connecting to specific points as they are the origin of all energy in the legs, and they link back into the hips and abdomen, the centre, where there are important points.

Here they connect back to the source of the Core Four Extraordinary Vessels (EV) around CV4, CV 8, Ming Men and our reproductive energy.

They then move upwards into the chest and shoulders, meeting more significant points, thus demonstrating their connection to the arms and how we express our connection to each other through our hearts. The regulating (confluent) points of the LVs (Yang LV, TH5 and Yin LV, HP6) are in the arms, but there are no other points on the pathways, reminding us that they are the origin of all energy in the arms.

Both pathways end at the head, indicating their connection to Heaven. So we see how they are concerned with bringing energy from the world outside to the inside, whereas the Core Four EVs originate in the centre and influence how we make our first connection from the inside to the outside. We know that key areas of the LVs and Heel Vessels (HVs), the shoulders and hips, are often

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complex areas to work, from both physical and emotional points of view. I used to find, when I worked only with the 12 classical meridians in those areas, that my work felt somewhat limited. I have found it liberating to work with the combination of points offered by the Linking and Heel Vessels which addressed these deeper complexities as well as integrating aspects of the 12 meridians.

Working the Linking and Heel Vessels Rather than following the pathways in a linear way from the feet up towards the head, which can bring too much energy to the head, I prefer to connect certain points or areas while also linking them back to the centre, the midline.

I find it helpful to remember their history. When we were in the womb, our connection to the Earth was not so much via the feet as via our mother’s body, and these Vessels are concerned with drawing energy in through the umbilical cord, via our outer body (placenta) to our inner body. In our curled foetal position our hips and shoulders are more connected to the outside. Our knees are bent so our feet are near the navel and often we play with the umbilical cord with our feet. Our hands are often curled in, touching our heart or mouth. Our immediate outer world is water: the fluid-filled amniotic sac which surrounds us. This reminds us that the LVs and HVs encompass all the

connections around us, not just the feet. They also regulate the left and right sides of our body.

During the first year of our life, we unfold back to a straight line, reversing the movement of enfolding which had begun in utero. It is only when we stand upright that our relationship with the Earth becomes mediated primarily through our feet.

The simple lines illustrated in the classical Acupuncture diagrams can’t fully represent the EVs, which are broader pathways and include the areas through which they pass, so we emphasise areas as well as points when we work them.

Pairs and Points Just as within the Core Four EVs where we see further relationships (Conception Vessel [CV] with Du, Penetrating Vessel [PV] with Girdle), the Outer Four EVs are coupled, sharing points and pathways. For example, the Yang LVs and Yang HVs both pass through SI10, GB29 and GB20, and it can be

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effective and sufficient simply to hold combinations of these three points.

YIN LINKING (WEI)

SI10: Naoshu, ‘Upper Arm Shu’ This point is commonly used for pain and stiffness in shoulder. However it also has a strong link to the Heart, nourishing Spirit and facilitating mental and spiritual stability and tranquillity. It draws in a connection with our Elders, and allows us to open up and move into the bigger circle of people and energies around us.

GB29: Juliao, ‘Dwelling in Bone, Inhabited Joints, Squatting Bone Hole and Crevice’

YANG LINKING (WEI)

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GB30 is commonly and effectively used for hip issues but its neighbouring point, GB29, should not be overlooked. GB29 lies midway between the Anterior Superior Iliac Spine and the prominence of the Greater Trochanter. It is used for hip disorders but also influences the shoulder joint and is used for shoulder pain relating to the chest. Its name hints at our connection to the Earth and it can be used to strengthen the legs and the lower back as well as for issues such as cystitis and dysmenorrhea – another example of how the Outer Four EVs link with the Core Four EVs.

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GB20: Fengchi, ‘Windpool’ This is a familiar point used to support the head, brain, eyes and nose - organs relating to the outside. Exterior Wind primarily affects the upper body whereas Interior Wind affects the Liver. The Yin LV shares a Liver point, Liv14, and the Girdle Vessel shares Liv13. So we can see how GB20 works at the mental level and how it relates back to the Core Four EVs.

More on the Yin and Yang Linking Vessels: the Warp and Weft of Life While CV and Governing Vessel (GV) govern and regulate Yin and Yang, the Linking Vessels enable the movement of Qi between the Yin and Yang meridians. The Yang LV connects to the GV via GV15 and 16, whilst the Yin LV connects to CV through CV22 and 23. This closes the circle of connection between inner and outer by returning to the Source. The LVs are about our capacity to direct our energy in the outside world, while at the same time being aligned with our Source (Yuan) Qi. The LVs are also linked to PV and Girdle Vessel through their connection with the Heart and through the pairing of the regulating points. The 8 regulating points are paired in various ways, but a key pairing is that between one of the Core Four and one of the Outer Four, thus: TH5, regulating point of Yin

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Linking Vessel is the paired point for the Girdle Vessel; HP6, regulating point of Yang LV is the paired point for the PV. The connection with Heaven helps to differentiate between the qualities of the LVs and the HVs. The LVs have a lighter, more airy quality.

I start working the LVs by activating their regulating points to awaken this Heaven connection, and then link the wrists with the feet.

With the HVs I start with the feet to strengthen the Earth connection.

The Linking Vessels are used to regulate the relationship between the interior and exterior of the body, to experience life and assimilate that life experience.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘cloth of our body’, the warp and weft of our life, they relate to core muscle groups which give us support – the Yang LV to the deltoid and trapezius, the Yin LV to the abdominal muscles. They influence how we find our place in the world - how we become attached and find our stability, how we balance Yin/Yang, left/right, upper/lower, past/ future.

If we get stuck in the past or are overly concerned with the future, our energy is not available to us in this moment.

The LVs can help with Depletion and with limitations resulting from Stagnation and, together with the HVs, can help us to be more in the present moment.

The LVs represent how we live our experiences especially at major transitional times in our lives - such as starting

school, puberty, leaving home, new career, marriage, becoming parents, moving house, menopause, retirement, divorce, loss of loved ones, death. Working with the LVs can support us during these transitions and allow the possibility of opening up to new ways of responding, chances even to modify our Jing, our ancestral energy.

GB21 on the Yang LV is a powerful point for the spirit and for letting go. Used during labour it can support the woman to release the baby. At the end of life it can help us make the ultimate transition, i.e. that of leaving behind the Earth and our physical body, and entering the realm of Heaven.

More on the Yin and Yang Heel Vessels: our Capacity to Be Present This pair regulates how we are able to come into the present moment and make minute, moment to moment adjustments in order to maintain that presence. They harmonise the interpenetration and rhythm between Yin and Yang. The pathways begin and end at the ankles: Kid2, Kid6, Kid8 (Yin HV) and BL 61, 62, 59 (Yang HV) and their regulating points, Kid6 and Bl62, lie along the pathways. Energy comes up from the ground through our feet, up into the pelvis, chest, spine and head. Thus the HVs influence how we

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stand upright, our capacity to be grounded and how we move - our position in, and interaction with, the world.

When working with the HVs, I usually start at the feet, connecting not just to the points but to the bones and the whole stepping action of the foot (indeed Maciocia renames the HVs the ‘stepping vessels’). The HVs offer a denser quality, rooted in the Earth compared to the more muscular quality of the LVs. Many of their points connect closely with bones, e.g. the heel, the pelvis, the bony part of the shoulder (LI16: Jugu, Great Bone) clavicle (St12), jaw (St3, 4) and eye socket (St1 and Bl1).Together, bone and muscle make up the texture of our body: the warp and weft of our being.

Both the Yin and Yang HVs end at Bl1 (Jing Ming, Bright

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BIBLIOGRAPHY JEFFREY YUEN The Eight Extraordinary Vessels, notes from a lecture at the New England School of Acupuncture.

2005.

MACIOCIA Channels of Acupuncture, Elsevier 2006.

SUZANNE YATES (wellmother.org): various articles about the Extraordinary Vessels Psychoemotional pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels: Yvonne Farrell, Singing Dragon 2016.

DAVID TWICKEN Eight Extraordinary Vessels, Singing Dragon 2013.

Eyes) a point which has a strong impact on the hormonal system. The eyes are important in maintaining homeostasis, and how much light we receive affects our system profoundly.

Before the days of artificial light people would sleep much more in the winter than in the summer but now we can stay up later and sleep less.

We can also eat more in the winter rather than hibernating and only eating the food we managed to store in times of plenty. Both these lifestyle changes can strain the Kidney energy but they also affect other aspects of the hormonal system, such as the Spleen/ Pancreas which controls our ability to take glucose out of the bloodstream. It is possible that many modern illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disease may be caused by diet, but also may result from our body no longer having to make seasonal adjustments. The role of the HVs is to adapt swiftly to our changing external environment.

The HVs influence the present moment. They are about how we present ourselves in the world. They are closely linked to GV and CV, flowing out at their coupled points (Bl62 and Kd6) and they express this deeper core energy in the present moment. At the hips they connect with the Girdle and PV and flow into the PV (St points) at the face. Like the LV, they are also linked to the defensive Qi, offering the first line of defence linked with the metabolism through Bl1 .

Whilst the LVs tend to regulate deficiencies of energy which build over time, the HVs

regulate excesses (tensions, emotions) which can build quite rapidly. Linked as they are to our immediate response in any situation, we see that if there is too much Yang then the outer muscles of the leg may be tight and the inner leg muscles lax and if there is too much Yin then the inner leg muscles are tight while the outer leg muscles are lax.

Naturally if this is an habitual response, then the muscles will tend to hold onto these areas of tension, and the corresponding depletion. In this way also, emotions which are frequently expressed become more fixed in our habitual responses. As the HVs regulate excess they are often linked with patterns of addiction. Thus we often need to work both the LVs and the HVs within the same session, for example if the Yang HV is in excess then we might want to support the deficiency of Yin by working the Yin LV. Moment to moment adjustments include the capacity to balance between the left and right sides of the body as well as ascending and descending energy. Left relates to the position of the rising sun and right to that of the setting sun.

Conclusions: a Web of Interconnection By understanding the interconnectedness of the network of the Extraordinary Vessels, I hope you can appreciate that at least one, and often more than one of them, may be indicated during a Shiatsu session. If someone

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is, for example, going through a divorce, it is possible that s/he may be expressing some physical symptoms, maybe at the level of the hip (linked with our sexuality) or shoulder (linked with our emotional centre/heart).

How we process our divorce will depend on our sense of self, how present we are in the moment (HV) or if we are stuck on all the previous times we went through separations or loss (LV). It may be related to the quality of our parents’ relationship with each other as well as with us (often CV and PV).

On some level it may even connect back to the moment of our conception (GV and PV), our time in the womb, or our birth and first year of life.

A complex web of connections to explore. Enjoy!

Suzanne will be teaching a four day course on all 8 Extraordinary Vessels in London, October 12th-15th, Paris (in French) in December and Zurich (English with German translation) in February 2018.

She is also developing online courses, including one on the Extraordinary Vessels.

Publications include: ‘Shiatsu for Midwives’, ‘Beautiful Birth’ (Shiatsu birth preparation for parents) and ‘Pregnancy and Childbirth: an holistic approach to massage and bodywork’. She regularly writes a blog at www. wellmother.org Beautiful Birth is being reprinted by Pinter and Martin November 2017: launch 9th November at Effraspace, South London.

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YIN HEEL (QIAO)

YANG HEEL (QIAO)

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book review

the way of the five seasons: living with the five elements for physical, emotional and spiritual harmony, John Kirkwood WORDS BY JULIE WEEKS MRSS(T)

JOHN KIRKWOOD 2016, Singing Dragon Publishing London ISBN 978184819 3017, EISBN 9780857012524

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ast year I reviewed ‘The Way of the Five Elements: 52 weeks of powerful Acupoints for Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Health’ by John Kirkwood (2016) and it was a pleasure to discover the same author had published this related work.

The preface is an account of the author’s journey as he ‘lived’ each Element in its related season, recorded via blogs and journals, which culminates in The Way of the Five Seasons.

He begins with an overview of Five Element Theory which explains key philosophies from the past which help clarify modern understanding of the old traditions. The Correspondences, discussed in everyday language, are clearly summarised in tables for easy reference.

The author uses analogies to assist our understanding with some lovely imagery of nature leading us by example. On page 24 people are referred to as both a unique ‘wave’ with individual physical characteristics which have a limited lifespan, and, on another more ethereal level, as part of a limitless, indestructible ocean. There is a discussion on the idea that

different levels of the soul are present in each individual, with these levels corresponding to the classical Elements yet uniquely reflecting the individuals’ constitution.

He suggests that deep within us there is a ‘silent practitioner’ who, if barriers can be removed, can help personal

healing, allowing our ‘kind guide’ to be heard. To this end, throughout the book, he suggests reflective practices and exercises to help the reader connect more fully to each Element - to benefit from ‘living’ that Element within its season and thereby get the most out

of our own ‘Five Season Journey’. There are comprehensive suggestions for these personal practices, starting with physical movement-based exercises through to less tangible reflections - from written journals to meditations - through food and drink to Acupressure points, all associated with the relevant season.

I liked how reader-friendly the Five Element book was - short chapters with colourcoded edges for quick reference. This is a much fuller book, which contains more substance, and more detail. The chapters are longer with comprehensive correspondences from the classics to everyday integration of the themes to help focus the Element in modern life. This book challenges us firstly to find our own true self and then to walk our unique path through the Five Seasons, rather than simply tell us about them.

The Five Seasons extends the value of the Five Elements by providing robust resources to help us understand seasonal changes and how best to use the Five Element associations to benefit our own health and that of our clients.

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Eastern and Western Medicine – two aspects of a patient’s energetic truth

q&a WORDS BY CLARE STEPHENSON

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lare Stephenson, author of ‘The Acupuncturist’s Guide to Conventional Medicine’, discusses her background in Eastern and Western medicine, how knowledge of Eastern medicine can improve the conventional medical practitioner’s response to patients and whether complementary therapies should be incorporated into routine medical practice.

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Clare, you trained as a doctor in conventional medicine. What led you to discover Eastern medicine, and Acupuncture in particular?

I initially had close contact with Eastern medicine over 20 years ago through attending an evening class in Tai Chi. Tai Chi is based on Qigong, the ancient system of movements for health. Qigong is considered one of the five pillars of Chinese medicine – both share the understanding that the physical body is a manifestation of an energetic foundation which can be manipulated by subtle and not-so-subtle means in order to promote health.

The exposure to the practice of Tai Chi sparked my interest in learning more about Chinese medicine.

The more I understood about Chinese medical health philosophy and its integrity, the more I wanted to learn. I travelled to China where I saw Acupuncture being practised as a front line medical treatment alongside Western medicine. This then inspired me to undertake a three year formal training course in the practice of Acupuncture at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in Reading. All this was whilst I was also working in UK general practice and public health medicine, so I was continually being challenged to understand how these two approaches to describing health and disease might overlap!

Have you encountered any difficulty when trying to compare Eastern and Western medical practices, both when preparing this book and in practice?

Initially, I found that that the way in which Chinese medical theory has been translated into English posed a significant challenge to being able to make meaningful comparisons and find meeting points between the Eastern and Western paradigms. I think this is a challenge which continues to face students of Chinese medicine in the West and also even experienced practitioners. The problem is that the early translators assumed parity of

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meaning between the Western and Eastern organ systems (e.g. the heart, liver and kidney) and also placed climatic and specific medical terms (for example wind, dryness, phlegm, blood stagnation) onto pathogenic processes which are not physical in the same way in Chinese thought.

In order to make meaningful comparisons I had to work out a method by which I could compare like with like. Eventually, I realised that both systems describe the commonly shared descriptions of the symptoms and signs of disease, and so my comparisons are based around focussing on symptoms and signs as the bridge between the two medical languages.

How can the knowledge of both conventional medicine and complementary medicine improve the practitioner’s response to patients?

Firstly, knowledge of conventional medicine will enable an acupuncturist to easily understand any medically diagnosed conditions from which the patient might be suffering, and this will help build a rapport with the patient. Importantly, it will help them to recognise if there are any serious warning signs in the patient’s condition which might benefit from a Western medical referral.

A fluency in translation between the two medical disciplines will enable the practitioner to explain their Acupuncture treatments in language which makes sense to the patient. For example, to talk about Tonifying Deficient Kidney energy to a patient with an immune deficiency when they have been told by their doctor that they have excellent kidney function has the potential of causing confusion, or worse, mistrust. Without prior explanation it might appear to the patient that the Kidney treatment is directed to the physical kidney organ alone. In contrast, to be able to explain carefully that the ancient Chinese recognised that there was a far-reaching energetic system which both influenced the function of

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the immune system as well as the action of the kidneys and that Acupuncture points were recognised which could benefit both these bodily functions, as well as many others…then this will start to illustrate to the patient that Chinese medicine works in a very different way and at a different level to medical treatments.

Do you think the healthcare system in the UK should incorporate more complementary therapies into routine practice?

This is a difficult one! Of course I would love to see complementary therapy provided free at the point of delivery, as is the case for many medical treatments.

However, I know full well that the medical treatments offered in Western healthcare systems are increasingly chosen according to proven ‘effectiveness’.

Moreover, healthcare workers are increasingly constrained with regard to the processes by which they offer health care. The gold standard for proof of effectiveness is the large scale ‘double blind randomised controlled trial’. Once effectiveness has been proven by clinical trials, because of constraints relating to safety and cost effectiveness, a treatment should be standardised when given to patients. This would encourage the use of, in the case of Acupuncture, formulaic treatments. These are used by medical Acupuncturists and indeed are valuable to an extent. However, current evidence only proves value for formulaic Acupuncture for a very narrow range of symptoms such as headache, nausea and back pain.

In contrast, many holistic complementary therapies work in subtle and often unpredictable ways. For example, every one of my Acupuncture treatments is tailored toward the individual patient I am treating and not just to their symptoms. This means that each treatment is unique and could not be standardised without a loss in the depth of its influence on the patient.

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Because the treatments are unique and matched to patients, they simply cannot be assessed by double-blind controlled trials.

For complementary medicine to be practised so that it could benefit patients at a deep level then, as well as adhering to high professional standards, the therapists would need to be given the freedom to practise in a non-systematised way. Regrettably, I don’t think there is currently a place in Western healthcare systems to allow such an unscientific and difficult-to-measure approach to medicine.

Lastly, what do you hope readers take away from your book?

Writing the book was inspired by seeing students of Acupuncture who were failing to recognise the value of Western physiology and pathology in relation to their Chinese medical studies. Often these were people who had a very disillusioned perspective of medicine as a result of a negative past experience of Western medical health care. What I would most hope that readers might take away from the book is the message that conventional medicine describes a measurable aspect of the energetic truth about a patient and their symptoms, and so is highly relevant to Acupuncture practice! I would hope that readers would be inspired to learn more about the material basis of disease through reading the book, and would also be equipped, through learning about translation to Chinese medical language, to use this knowledge to further inform treatments of patients in the clinic.

N.B. THIS ARTICLE IS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE SINGING DRAGON BLOG (8TH MAY 2017).

SINGING DRAGON ARE PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER SHIATSU SOCIETY MEMBERS A 10% DISCOUNT ON THEIR PUBLICATIONS. USE THE CODE MU3 AT THE CHECKOUT.

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touching heaven – bodywork and the realm of the incredible: a therapist's viewpoint

heaven WORDS BY DAVID LAUTERSTEIN

D

avid Lauterstein is the co-founder of The LautersteinConway Massage School in Austin, Texas. Having been involved in bodywork for nearly 30 years, he is the author of ‘Putting the Soul Back in the Body’, editor of the manual, ‘The Alchemy of Touch’, and author of the path-breaking article series, ‘The Seven Dimensions of Touch’ (see www.tlcschool. com). Lauterstein teaches in Austin, throughout the United States and in England. He can be reached at dltlc@io.com or 512/374-9222.

Heaven, according to science, is not demonstrable. But we know, both as givers and receivers of bodywork, that heaven often seems to make an appearance within the context of a massage session. Grace ‘descends’ and our clients are often gifted with deep insights, visions, emotional breakthroughs, extraordinary energetic experiences and new levels of integration of body, mind and spirit. It is not necessarily, nor should it be, our intention as massage therapists to make people have extraordinary experiences. However, probably every bodyworker has had numerous moments when she and the client are filled with awe at the extraordinary power of bodywork. It is our privilege to be present and playing a midwife role to the birth of new experience.

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THOMAS CARLYLE ‘There is but one temple in the Universe… and that is the human body.

Nothing is holier than that high form. We touch heaven, when we lay our hand upon the human body.’

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Not so long ago, I was nearing the end of a session with a psychotherapist who had been working long and hard on a major undertaking. I had used Zero Balancing with clearly held pressure points, tractions and rotations to facilitate a sense of open space within. I had integrated pauses and a relaxed pace to convey a sense of having all the time in the world.

As I finished, she was quiet for a long time, breathing easily, but obviously still exploring deep within her experience.

Finally she said, ‘That was incredible.’

Then she was quiet for an even longer period of time.

And it appeared she went much deeper into herself.

She then said, ‘That was more than incredible.’

Facilitating more-thanincredible experiences is one of, if not the, greatest thrills in being a massage therapist.

However, it is unfortunate that this experience is rarely discussed and that the descriptive language of just such an occasion is so

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underdeveloped. This article is meant to take us a step out of the existential closet and say loud and clear - massage and bodywork often take us up to and beyond the limits of the human imagination.

The Importance of the More-ThanIncredible Why is the extraordinary impact of bodywork discussed so infrequently? Some possible reasons include the difficulty of putting the more-thanincredible into words - this is an experience that is mostly non-verbal. To some, it may sound silly or even overly sensual to describe how ecstatic the experience of massage can be. Also, some clients may be embarrassed or feel pretentious vocalising the spiritual results of the work. On the other hand, practitioners may fear jeopardising their mainstream, paramedical position.

Insurance companies aren't paying for the incredible.

Ordinarily there are not

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In this article, to avoid the awkwardness of always saying ‘massage/ bodywork,’ I use the terms massage and bodywork interchangeably for all the various therapies that utilise touch and/or movement.

curricula in our schools which systematically explore the extraordinary. And it's not socially supported as a conventional health goal.

Whatever the reason, we must overcome the difficulty and resistance to discussing and further developing the more-than-incredible results of our work. Its relevance to massage and to modern culture needs to be elaborated.

I believe it is deeply related to the possibility of humankind making progress in frontiers beyond just technological. We need to make progress in the realms of mind, emotion, spirit and body as well.

Real Health, Real Care What is this more-thanincredible realm? Of what use is it? How shall we explore it as massage therapists and as humans? What relevance might it hold for our world today?

Clinical orientations to the contrary, massage is not mostly a medical modality.

For instance, in a client with supraspinatus tendinitis, I may

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spend 5-10 minutes focused on the tendon. However, the majority of the session is spent enhancing the person's posture and positive energetic experience.

I don't want my clients to say, and I don't think many therapists are satisfied with, ‘What a competent massage!’

I want my clients to say ‘Wow! I feel great.’ The allopathic context is such that I don't go to the doctor and ask him at the end of the session whether I can come back next week.

But with a good bodyworker that's exactly what I'd say.

Because the experience has been so deeply pleasurable (as well as symptom relieving), I want more.

In spite of the language that says allopathic medicine is healthcare, it is more appropriately called diseasetreatment. The diseasetreatment system, because of its focus on acute conditions, its narrowly clinical education and the insurance industry, doesn't have the time or the inclination to explore health.

Thank goodness, of course, for high quality disease-

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treatment. Many of us would not be here today were it not for the tremendous, lifesaving advances in allopathic medicine. But the goal of our life is not mere survival and neither should it be of our medicine.

Massage is specifically a health modality. It results not just in relieving musculoskeletal symptoms but also in people feeling qualitatively better and different. We practise one of the only forms of healthcare that specifically addresses the whole body and not just a part. After the massage, the person's whole body commonly feels lighter and taller, more radiant, more alive. Clients feel more connected to themselves, the people and the environment around them. Massage is unique, incredible health amplification.

Massage/bodywork is also specifically a care modality - the human hand is the primary instrument for the direct transmission of care.

On one level, all we need is love. Massage is, because of the unique qualities of human

touch, the most explicitly loving of all health modalities.

You cannot take love out of the touch equation without a palpable loss of spirit.

It is the precious birthright of massage and bodywork to grandly and uniquely explore and expand the whole realm of health and care.

Structural and Energetic Healthcare Massage is clinically effective and can properly be used within an allopathic context.

We help re-weave fascia with precision and we impact circulation and help muscles, tendons and ligaments heal.

With sufficient knowledge, we support new and more effective postures and movement patterns. Through our effects on the autonomic nervous system we can relieve stress, including its negative effects on digestion, elimination, respiration, heart rate, circulation, lymphatic flow and the formation of trigger points. All this

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and more constitutes the mechanical consequences of massage. Were that all we could do, we would indeed be practising a wonderful and largely medical modality.

Now let's look at energy.

Frankly, we make people happier. We help them let go of short-term stress and confusion. With sufficient knowledge and sensitivity, we help clients let go of long held tensions sustained through chronic emotional postures and beliefs. We encourage more flow and balance within - take your pick of language - the meridians, chakras, nadis, energy centres.

We enhance the person's experience of the pleasure in being alive. Through the explicit connection of touch, we help people know that they are not alone in this world.

Often during a massage the client has a direct experience of psychophysical health that gives him a new vision of how different this life could be, how each and every one of us could participate in a heaven on earth. If you want to follow your bliss, you often could do

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no better than to follow your massage therapist into her treatment room.

Touch is Miraculous Human touch is the most sophisticated physical tool in the universe. We cannot synthesise a material that functions like the skin of the hands, let alone something that operates with the sensitivity, intelligence and motor complexity of the human neuromuscular system through the hands.

Touch is also the only way to bring two energy systems into direct contact with one another. Michelangelo's image of God's and Adam's hands approaching has the enduring power to remind us of the literal sharing of that spark of life.

Every time we lay our hand on the human body, with pressure and with consciousness, we are uniting the worlds of structure and the worlds of energy in the only possible way for this to be done. Human touch is the

only context in the known universe in which there is a simultaneous and conscious contact of both structure and energy.

Touch is Ecstatic Touch is by definition the most ecstatic (from the Latin ex-stasis meaning ‘out of stasis’) form of medicine and healing. It uses movement to help us out of stasis, out of being stuck.

It helps take us beyond our usual sense of self. A person cannot change without new experience. The therapist, by helping us let go of tensions we ourselves have not been able to relieve, opens us up to new experience.

I once saw a T-shirt that read, ‘Forget your work, forget your boss, forget your name.’

Many is the time I've lain on a massage table and within just a few minutes I have entirely forgotten all my problems. On the table we take a vacation from the usual self and the usual world. The great English psychotherapist Marion Milner said, ‘All real living

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must involve a relationship, recurrent moments of surrender to the not-self.’

How clearly and dependably massage results in this relationship.

There is a deep unmet need for ecstasy in our culture.

Unfortunately we provide mostly debased forms, and many are addictive: drugs, alcohol, TV, food. Massage is one of the only socially acceptable contexts in which people can experience deeply ecstatic states. It is our task and challenge not to let this remain under-explored. And it is our responsibility to let the ecstatic journey that bodywork often provokes not be merely a narcissistic ‘trip.’ The ecstatic power of touch must be something for everyone to be delighted and educated in, something for us all to pick up, not just a few to carry.

Touch is Art and Science In so far as we interact with the world of structure, we are engaged in an applied science and require knowledge

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and respect for the world of anatomy and physiology. In so far as we engage inspiringly with the world of energy as well, we need knowledge and respect for the world of psyche, spirit and the mysterious.

‘Haptic’ is the term given to the kinaesthetic sensing of reality - it involves our direct experience of the world through pressure, temperature, proprioception and balance.

We are used to thinking of art as being something we see or hear. But ultimately art is a bodily-felt experience manifesting in chills up our spines, in the heartlifting effects of melody, the inspiration and exhilaration of a beautiful sentence. As creative bodyworkers we have the great privilege of working directly with the human mind, body and spirit - not paints, not tones, not turns of speech.

We are artists and our medium is the greatest living organism in the known universe. A case can accordingly be made for massage being the highest of all art forms.

Touch is the Art of Manual Evolution The Acupuncturist J. R. Worsley described healthcare as addressing three realms: disease, disposition and destiny.

As healthcare practitioners we work amelioratively with anatomic and physiological disease. We impact as well on the challenges of disposition.

For instance, we can help re-set the autonomic set point of the ‘Type-A’ personality.

We can take the puffed-up personality and help them establish a more grounded sense of self. We can help a person - with compassion, touch and the right timing heal the chronically broken heart.

Finally, we can be the midwives to destiny. Who is it that you, at your most healthy, will become? Each therapist hopes their client will not only feel better but will have the restraining forces to their selffulfilment removed.

Destiny is collective as well as individual. As each person becomes more fulfilled they

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also become naturally less selfcentred. In this way, the spread of health begins to result not just in individual health but in the growing health of the community. Curing disease depends on immunity. But fulfilling destinies calls for and amplifies community.

It is the destiny of humankind to use the gift of embodied consciousness to evolve.

We are still fighting our way through a difficult prehistory. May we use the gift of conscious touch to help people evolve their societies into prioritising life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over the desire for profit and material gain. Touch reminds us again and again that joy lies in relationship, not in acquisition.

The evolution of relationship is part and parcel of the highest role of bodywork.

What Can We Do? We need to overcome the separation of energy work from structural work. It is neither in the structural realm nor in the energetic that the real power, the evolutionary leverage, of bodywork lies. It is

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BIBLIOGRAPHY FIELD, JOANNA An Experiment in Leisure. New York: St. Martins Press, 1937.

JOHNSON, ROBERT Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987.

LAUTERSTEIN, DAVID Putting the Soul Back in the Body. Austin: Lauterstein-Conway Massage School Publications, 1984.

LAUTERSTEIN, DAVID 'The Seven Dimensions of Touch,' see www.tlcschool.com click on 'Articles'.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Originally published in Massage Bodywork magazine, December/ January 2004. Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.

All rights reserved.

precisely in their union. Let's share our stories about morethan-incredible experiences of both givers and receivers with one another. The struggle of new experience to find its way into language and into collective consciousness is an important one.

Being self-critical will also be an asset. We will not be good scientists until we are willing to defend energy work from the overly wishful thinking of some of its devotees. Correspondingly we can restrain the clinically minded from allowing our scope of practice to be defined by insurance companies.

We can develop energy curricula based in Western psychology, science and the wisdom traditions of the East.

For instance, the chakras have tangible correlates with basic existential functions.

No one should be graduating from massage school without classes in the role of the heart area in healing.

Finally, we can resist the tendency to identify health as a property of the individual.

Let us combat the somewhat

narcissistic, vitamin-pushing orientation of the so-called health magazines. Health is behaviour, and it largely depends on how we treat one another, as well as how we treat ourselves. We need to take the necessary steps to make this a healthy world.

The Biology of Heaven on Earth

We are a dream that matter has had throughout eternity.

With the miracle of human touch we effect the union of art and science, the integration of energy and structure in touch, and the conscious experience of ecstasy. It is our responsibility as massage therapists to know the heavenly and earthly dreams that touch holds for us. It is our job to make these dreams come true.

As William Blake said, ‘Art and science cannot exist but in minutely organised particulars.’ I hope that this article acts as a call to action for all of us to even more imaginatively and systematically contribute to the art and science of being a human.

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