Month: April 2023

A Natural Healing Approach to Trauma

A Natural Healing Approach to Trauma

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I recently presented at the End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) Annual Conference in Chicago (#EVAWI2023). What a wonderful event! Over 2300 professionals attended in-person (plus another 300-plus virtually). I came away even more appreciative of the important work these law enforcement officers, advocates, nurses, mental health professionals, and prosecutors perform every day, and the impact they have on survivors of sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence.

I also appreciate the professionals who stopped by our booth for more information – AND who attended my presentation on “A Natural Healing Approach to Trauma” using an energetic / mind-body-spirit approach rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine, a 5,000 year old healing tradition.

My presentation was interactive – we had over 140 attendees who asked some great questions. AND we did some breathwork and qigong exercises together. Thank you all for actively participating!

The presentation was titled, “A Natural Healing Approach to Trauma: Working with the Body’s Innate Wisdom to Facilitate Physical, Mental and Emotional Transformation”. Here’s what it covered:

Trauma, vicarious trauma, and PTSD frequently impact sexual assault survivors and those who work with survivors. Unfortunately, clinical and counseling interventions may not always succeed in helping individuals process or “move past” the trauma, because they do not fully address the healing that needs to occur at all levels.

Medical Qigong is a subset of Classical Chinese Medicine, a 5,000-year-old medical tradition that provides a complete body-mind-spirit approach and considers the whole being to enhance health and resilience. Its key principles operate in a holistic way by working with the energy centers and pathways of the body, helping clear out disease, blockages, old hurts, and emotional stagnation to kick start the body’s ability to repair and heal itself.

The presentation introduced participants to this ancient, proven “technology” that can empower individuals who have experienced a traumatic incident (including post-traumatic stress), as well as those within the helping professions who experience vicarious trauma. This approach works energetically to help regulate and unblock the energy meridians, which is often a “missing piece” for people who have been trying to resolve chronic emotional or physical issues, better manage stress, or increase energy levels.

IN our session, we provided attendees with an introduction to simple, accessible exercises which combine breathing, specific movement patterns, and visualization to help transform stress, center and ground, and improve health and internal energy. These exercises help redirect attention from stressful physical or environmental stimuli to a more inward, relaxed focus, leading to a greater sense of personal control and resilience.

Free Book!

I have also just completed a new book on this same subject. We received tremendous interest in the book at the conference, as well as in the consulting and coaching we provide which can be customized to each individual and to each organization’s requirements and objectives. We are having additional copies printed and will make this available for FREE for a limited time. If you are interested in learning more about these principles OR would like a free copy of my latest book on this subject, please visit the Mind-BodyResilience website.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

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As we discussed in our previous post, the Liver / Wood element is associated with compassion, patience, and kindness. These are the virtues we are born with. When our Liver is in balance, we manifest these virtues in the world. When our Liver is out of balance, we may experience anger or frustration, impatience, or rage.

In addition, the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of blood (and therefore Qi). And it is said that the blood in turn influences our Shen or spirit. Whatever is going on in the Liver has a direct and significant impact on us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I want to talk a little bit more about anger and its impact on us. When we purge and release stagnation, we not only enhance the patient’s physical health, but we also release excess anger that has built up. We can then regulate and balance the Liver’s energy.

But why is anger so bad for the Liver? Is anger always bad? Can’t it sometimes serve us?

Well, no emotion is completely “good” or “bad”, “positive” or “negative”. I try not to use those terms when explaining the Yin – Yang dynamics and inter-relationships between things, as it results in a value judgement that is not helpful. Rather, we should think in terms of continuums and whether being on the extreme range of a continuum is beneficial…or too much.

For example, the Heart is associated with joy and excitement. However, too much joy and excitement can manifest as manic behavior, anxiety, or ADD. As the saying goes, “It’s the dosage that makes the medicine or the poison”.

We observe the same continuum with anger. A certain amount of anger or frustration can serve to motivate us to make changes or work harder to overcome the obstacles in our way. However, the motivational power of anger usually does not last long. And excessive anger can become rage.

The most insidious aspect of anger – especially in terms of its effect on the Liver – is that it is usually directed inwardly at ourselves. This kind of sustained, self-directed anger and frustration is the root cause of many illnesses. It unbalances the Liver energy, resulting in either excess – and the Liver overpowering the Heart or Spleen – or in deficiency, with the Liver pulling more energy, more Jing, from the Kidneys.

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it stands than to anything on which it is poured

Mahatma gandhi

In their ancient wisdom, the early classical Chinese medical doctors paired anger and compassion as the acquired and congenital emotions or virtues associated with the Liver. They really are two sides of the same coin. Anger, whether directed inwardly or at others, is a destructive emotion. When we treat others – and ourselves – with compassion, we acknowledge the good, the divine spark, in each of us, and we propagate kindness, empathy, and grace into the world. We build up rather than tear down. We move forward with forgiveness and understanding, rather than allow ourselves to remain mired in the muck of anger and rage.

Anger may spark us to act – sometimes in a helpful way – but it can also be potentially destructive. On the other hand, compassion involves not only sympathy or empathy, but also a strong drive to alleviate the suffering of others.

One of the phrases I like to use – and often remind myself of – is by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, who developed Psycho-Cybernetics back in the 1950s and 1960s. One of his simplest but most profound teachings is, “See yourself – and others – with kind eyes”.

An Important Storage Spot for Emotional Energy

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In previous posts, we’ve discussed the Five Element Framework of Classical Chinese Medicine and applied it specifically to the current season, Spring, and its associated element and organ, Wood / Liver.

Let’s get into some of the emotional and energetic manifestations of the Liver.

The Wood element energy is defined as “New Yang”, manifesting through new beginnings and expansive and sprouting growth actions. It therefore represents a period of energetic growth and expansion. Hence, its association with Spring and the growth and expansive energies we see, feel, and hear all around us as plants and flowers sprout up from the ground, trees begin to leaf up, birds and critters begin to pair up and nest, and the daylight hours grow longer.

Liver energy is a rising energy. We can feel it thrust upwards in our body when we perform our Liver DaoYin exercise. In the exercise, we guide the energy up with our hands, then guide the energy back down so we stay grounded and rooted.

From an emotional aspect, the energy of the Wood element corresponds to what the Daoists call the Hun or Soul of each person. This theory holds that the Liver encodes all our memories and emotional content and, in a sense, writes or records this onto the “CD” or “tape” of each person’s life. This then becomes the record of our life that we take with us when we transition. In a sense, this corresponds with the concept of our subconscious which takes in everything that happens to us and serves as a repository of memories and emotional content. This is one reason we focus on the Liver as part of assessing and working with individuals who may have suffered from trauma.

Here’s the good news: we are not stuck with the initial recording that has been laid down in our Hun. As we mature, move away in time from the traumatic incident, learn, and grow, we can go back, either consciously or unconsciously, and process and modify the memories and emotional content. We can go back and change the story or reframe what happened to us. We take the lesson we can learn, the motivation to do or be different or better. We welcome the perspective and even wisdom we can derive from the experiences that come with living a full life.

The Liver / Wood element is associated with compassion, patience, and kindness. These are the virtues we are born with. When our Liver is in balance, we manifest these virtues in the world. When our Liver is out of balance, we may experience anger or frustration, impatience, or rage.

Therefore, treatment of the Liver often includes purging to help eliminate the toxicity that has built up. We can do this through energetic treatments; through specific types of qigong exercises; and even through simple things like drinking lemon water.

The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of blood (and therefore Qi). When we purge and release stagnation, we not only enhance the patient’s physical health, but we also release excess anger that has built up. We can then regulate and balance the Liver’s energy, allowing benevolence, compassion, and love for others to radiate from the Liver.

As we approach Easter, it seems appropriate to do our part to send out more benevolence, love, and compassion, doesn’t it?