Methods for Transforming

HEARTMIND SOLUTIONS

Methods for Transforming the Roots of Pain and Stress

Meditations on the Self, Asian Bodywork, and Acupuncture

in the Clinical Setting

Kamala Quale, MSOM, LAc

To Listen

You

10 Eyes – 100% focus

Undivided Attention

Ear

Heartmind: Wholeheartedly

Table of Contents

HEARTMIND SOLUTIONS: Assisted Meditations on Self in the Clinical Setting ..............................................................2

THE SCIENCE OF SYMBOLS* ........................................................................................................................................4

TRANSFORMING THE ROOTS OF PAIN AND STRESS .....................................................................................................7

ABOUT THE SYMBOLISM OF THE FIVE PHASE ELEMENTS .............................................................................................9

A FIVE PHASE APPROACH FOR INSPIRING YOUR PRACTICE AND CREATING A HEALING RELATIONSHIP ....................... 12

FIVE PHASES TO GUIDE YOUR HEARTMIND SESSION ................................................................................................. 13

FIVE PHASES OF A SESSION AND REQUIRED SKILL SET ............................................................................................... 15

POINT SELECTION OPTIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 16

MERIDIAN PAIRINGS ......................................................................................................................................................... 17

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS ............................................................................................................................................ 18

EDUCATE AND CLARIFY GOALS ......................................................................................................................................... 19

PROMOTE SELF-AWARENESS ............................................................................................................................................ 20

PRESENCE AND MINDFULNESS ..................................................................................................................................... 20

MINDFULNESS AND THE BRAIN .................................................................................................................................... 21

USING MINDFULNESS THERAPEUTICALLY .................................................................................................................... 21

CURIOSITY AND EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE .................................................................................................................. 22

METHOD: MEDITATE ON TENSION, DISCOVER THE PATTERN ...................................................................................... 23

METHOD: COMPARE RELEASED AND UNRELEASED AREAS OF THE BODY ................................................................... 23

RESONATE AND OBSERVE ................................................................................................................................................. 24

TRACKING ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25

LIMBIC BRAIN AND FACIAL EXPRESSION ....................................................................................................................... 25

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY ........................................................................................................................................... 26

CONTACT ....................................................................................................................................................................... 26

CONTACT STATEMENTS: NAMING EXPERIENCE IN THE MOMENT ............................................................................... 27

TRACKING AND CONTACT STATEMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 28

DIRECT AWARENESS ......................................................................................................................................................... 29

METHOD: DIRECTING AWARENESS WITH THE ONE-TWO-THREE METHOD ................................................................. 30

ESTABLISH INNER RESOURCES .......................................................................................................................................... 31

METHOD: GO FROM THOUGHTS TO BODY AWARENESS: EMBODY THE STORY .......................................................... 31

METHOD: UNWIND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM: FOCUS ON SENSATIONS AND MOVEMENT OF QI ................................. 32

METHOD: MEDITATE ON EXPANSION, ACCESS THE HEARTMIND STATE ..................................................................... 34

METHOD: METAPHOR AND STORY WITH POINT WORK TO REFRAME AND GIVE A NEW PERSPECTIVE ..................... 35

METHOD: Twelve Officials and Inner Parts, a Guiding Metaphor for Inner Transformation ....................................... 36

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ...................................................................................................................................... 38

WHAT NEUROSCIENCE TELLS US ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF EMOTION ON BODYMIND COHERENCE ................................ 39

EMOTION AS A CAUSE OF DISEASE ACCORDING TO CHINESE MEDICINE ........................................................................ 40

EMOTIONAL TRANSFORMATION ...................................................................................................................................... 42

FIVE PHASES FOR WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH EMOTIONS ........................................................................................... 43

METHOD: EMOTIONAL RELEASE ....................................................................................................................................... 44

FIVE PHASES OF PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE ......................................................................................................... 46

APPENDIX: EXPAND YOUR EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY .................................................................................................... 47

REFERENCES AND LINKS ........................................................................................................................................... 53

©Kamala Quale 2015 HeartMind Solutions Training Materials Page | 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This HeartMind Solutions handbook is a compilation of knowledge and methods I have gained and developed over thirty years of study and clinical experience. The main modalities come from acupressure, acupuncture, qigong, and mindfulness-centered somatic psychotherapy. In those years of working with people to help alleviate acute and chronic pain and illness, I came to appreciate the wisdom of the sages of Chinese medicine who taught that issues of the heart are at the center of many of our physical symptoms. I have helped people discover the stress-related and life style patterns that contribute to their discomfort, and learn new ways to transform feelings like anxiety, irritability, grief and worry. In addition to a change in physical symptoms, people report increased self-confidence, clear direction, and more openheartedness in life and relationships. I am lucky to have had great teachers, and I am grateful for and indebted to all of them. My acupressure training and teacher authorization is from Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®, founded by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden. I learned acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and qigong at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, Oregon; my primary mentor in the classical approach to qigong and healing is Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., LAc, who founded the Classical Chinese Medicine program at NCNM. Methods I use to help people focus on the depth of their present experience come from Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy, founded by Ron Kurtz. Many teachers in the Hakomi Institute, and especially Ron Kurtz and Jon Eisman, were instrumental in my learning. “Heartmind” is our spirit. HeartMind Solutions means that the solution to any problem is finding that spirit within, and letting ourselves be guided by it. The methods in this handbook are about involving all aspects of a person – body, mind, and spirit – in the healing process. So, I consider life and my spiritual background as my greatest teachers. I started out as a practicing Catholic. In my twenties, I began the practice of Tantra yoga and meditation with the Path of Bliss (Ananda Marga) founded by P. R. Sarkar. Through my exposure to Chinese Medicine, I learned about Daoist yoga and qigong. In 2010, on a trip to China, my understanding was further expanded by my study and experience with the Five Element-Confucian based Path of the Good Person healing tradition, founded by Wang Feng Yi, a sage and healer from northern China. I have drawn from all of these traditions when writing this handbook. In a very personal way, my path has been informed by having journeyed with cancer. This has given me humility and empathy for my clients and other people on that path. I owe my healing to all of the above methods, which have informed my ability to care for myself through all the trials and tribulations that go along with having cancer. The gift of having had cancer, for me, is the push it gave me to engage in all of my practices with a sincere heart and a disciplined routine. Heartmind is definitely the solution.


HEARTMIND SOLUTIONS: Assisted Meditations on Self in the

Clinical Setting

“The heart, via the flame of shen that it harbors within, is like a lantern in charge of

illuminating the outside world, and consequently producing thought processes. Any

thought or idea, the will to carry it out, mental focus, planning, and intelligence can thus

all be considered to be manifestations of shen.”

Heiner Fruehauf

The Five Organ Networks of Chinese Medicine

The term HeartMind is a reference to shen, and to our ability to focus it for healing. The classic

text, The Neijing, refers to the Heart as the ruler of the body and the seat of consciousness and

intelligence.1 The Chinese character for the Heart meridian is the only one for the twelve primary

organ meridians which does not have a radical showing that it is a physical organ. This signifies

that the Heart harbors the immaterial part of us that is the brightness of our personality, the

integrity of our emotional life, and the seat of our intuition and creativity. Shen is called spirit It

is our consciousness and our link to the infinite. In this writing we will also refer to this spirit

principle, as HeartMind, and as Self.

HeartMInd integrates mind, body, emotions, and spirit into a complete whole. Thus when we

assist our clients to “meditate on Self” in the clinic, we are helping them attune to shen to find

inner guidance. This attunement, especially when maintained over a consistent period of time,

leads to a state mental peace, and physical and emotional well-being. The foundational premise

of HeartMind Solutions is that connection with the inner Self, the HeartMind, is the solution to the

issues we face. By facilitating this connection, we help our clients to revitalize their physical and

emotional health, increase internal resources and bring meaning to the healing journey.

“The exemplary doctor, therefore, follows the tenets of ancient times, experiences

their magic in the present, keeps the inner eye on the subtle and mysterious, and

stays connected

to the realm of the unlimited.”

Huangdi Neijing Lingshu

Shen is also referred to as the mysterious source of sudden and profound transfor-mation.2 In the

clinic, practitioners can support the transformation that wants to happen by keeping an inner eye

on the subtle movement of qi and shen in front of them. By expanding your senses, you perceive

what usually goes unnoticed, and guide your clients to do the same. With focused listening, you

hear the inner story, and bring it into awareness. With compassion and acceptance, you create a

safe space for self-knowing and self-love.

Recent findings in the science of brain study and interpersonal biology have used the term

coherence to describe a state of free flow and ease that happens when our heart waves, brain

1 Heiner Fruehauf (PhD, LAc), The Five Organ Networks of Chinese Medicine (National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1997). 2ibid


waves and physiological organ function are all synchronized. This state is facilitated when our

emotions are balanced and positive, and when we reduce stress in the nervous system. The

research done shows that emotional states like appreciation, compassion and love lead to

coherence in mind and body. This state of psychophysiological coherence is most conducive to

entering the Heartmind state. When we resonate with Heartmind there is often a sense of

presence and knowing that has a timeless quality. It goes beyond the physical and emotional, and

is perhaps the subtle consciousness that enables psychophysiological coherence. Here we go past

what science can tell us and into the territory of the contemplative sciences and meditation.


THE SCIENCE OF SYMBOLS* Ancient Science and Modern Science – Languages and Perspectives

There are two scientific paradigms that can lead us to Wholeness. One comes from the eastern

classics and the other from modern western thinking. In western science, and in the language of

physics, we look at the details and explore into the depths of atomic structure. Here we have

found that as we look for the smallest particle of matter we find a field of interconnectedness.

The science that comes from the ancient classics of the east looks at the whole and assumes that

everything material is a manifestation of that whole, and is a microcosmic reflection of a great

Oneness of consciousness and energy. This model of thinking has been passed down over the ages

in the language of symbols. When practicing the medicine that comes from it, you look for the

whole pattern and treat that; the details take care of themselves.

In modern times we often have an arrogance that says that we know more now than any peoples

of the past. How could they have possibly known what we know now? But our thinking, which

tends to be ego centric and short sighted, has created a feeling of disconnection. We feel

disengaged from our feelings, our bodies, our families, our environment, and often the purpose

and meaning of our lives.

To counter this in the clinical setting, we can steep ourselves in the symbols and ways of

perceiving that come from the ancient roots of Chinese/Daoist medicine. These symbols point to

something that has a deeper level of meaning. When we discover this meaning we feel connected,

and a new sense of purpose can emerge. When we are versed in the symbols of Chinse medicine

and Daoist philosophy we can relate them to our clients as a means of stimulating a new way of

perceiving their situation. Classic symbols and metaphors can open the gate to creative

imagination. Methods to do this are included in this text.

Likewise in the clinic, we can address ourselves to the wholeness of the person and the pattern.

We can consider symptoms as symbols that are pointing to something else. This something else is

the invisible, energetic origin of the pattern that is generated in the psyche and manifesting in

the body. Transformative interventions in the clinic happen when we can connect our clients to

their own inner symbols by focusing awareness on the body and its symptoms, and unravelling the

invisible web of thoughts, beliefs and conditioning that underlie them. As the noise quiets down,

the deeper voice of wisdom can emerge. When we connect our clients to their inner source of

wholeness, their heartmind, a new sense of meaning can occur. This is healing from the roots.

Inner Cultivation

The ancient classics have a great reverence for sage mind, which represents the highest state we

are capable of. For most of us, to embody our sage potential, we have to follow the path that

helps us cultivate this state of being where we feel tuned in and can perceive the

interconnectedness of the visible and invisible. The wisdom traditions transmit the methods for

this, like meditation, chanting, walking, breathing, visualizing and learning about the

interconnections between the microcosm and macrocosm. Meditation, qigong and yoga practices

are key here. As we stretch our bodies and our minds with these practices, we often feel more

inner peace and the ability to cope with stress. Our sense of connection to the greater whole

around us increases and we gain energy and inspiration. This can lead to increased clarity when


we work with clients. We can be a source of inspiration and transformation for them and for

others in our lives. In this way we can share like the sages of the past have done with us, to make

the world a better place.

As practitioners of this art, I feel we have the responsibility to work on ourselves and learn from

our mistakes and our successes. We are able to help others to the extent that we have worked

through situations in our lives. We can find good teachers, follow their advice and practice. This is

the tried and true way to take in and pass on the wisdom of the ages.

Classic Symbols from Daoism

The following are a few fundamental symbols and concepts that have been passed down to us. By

incorporating this way of thinking we can change our brains and our way of perceiving in the now.

This is an invaluable skill that can help us model a way of thinking and being that can influence

the effects of our heartmind work with others. Specific text references are included on the

References and Links page at the end of this text.

Sun and Moon

People who wholeheartedly read and attempt to understand the classics of Chinese medicine

begin to realize that ancient peoples lived in a universe that felt totally interconnected. All

phenomena pointed to greater and greater interconnected circles of influence and patterns that

reflect the purpose and way of the infinite and mysterious source, or Dao. The sun symbolizes the

direct projection of the life force, and the moon is the perfect reflection of that life force on

another plane. I like the way that Heiner Fruehauf explains this in his video lecture about

Macrocosmic Alchemy (see reference below). He says that the moon in the sky is the ultimate

symbol of symbols, the ultimate mirror that captures the essence of the invisible source. If you

look at the sun in the day sky, you can’t see its relationship to the moon or other stars, but if you

look at the moon in the night sky, which is a picture of the sun, you see the relationship of the

sun, moon and stars all at the same time. So when you look at the picture or symbol you see

everything of the whole.

We are moon practitioners in the clinic when we look at the symptoms our clients present, get a

sense of how they are interconnected, and help our clients to see that too. Like sun and moon, we

read the container to make sense about the direct source. In the fundamental skills section of this

handbook we call this close observation tracking. We stay on track with the movement and change

we observe in the body and in the vital energy. Then we explore the symptom in present time

with mindfulness and curiosity to allow the underlying roots to reveal themselves in our

awareness.

We are sun practitioners when we have cultivated our abilities enough to look at a person and

directly know what is going on because of the strength of our intuition and perception. This is

using our sage mind.

Five Elements/Five Phases

Each of the five elements or five phases is a symbol of the cycles and movements in nature, and

also in each person. The written character for Wood, for example, looks like a plant that is rooted

in the water below and reaching for the sun above. The character is trying to capture an upward


movement that is a symbol of the regenerative force of the universe. The plants and trees are

rooted in the earth and are reaching up against all odds. You see plants pushing up between rocks

and giant trees that labor to reach the heavens. In the body the liver is called a wood organ and is

in charge of all spreading and upward movements. This is characteristic of the motion it has on

the emotional and spiritual plane as well. So when our clients lack clarity of movement, or feel

stuck and can’t spread out, or spread out too aggressively or impulsively, it reflects disharmony in

their inner wood element. The following pages describe how I am using the symbolism of the

elements/phases in this work.

Other Classics

For those interested in knowing more about classic symbols, see the Yi Jing (I Ching), which is

called by many names like, the Book of Changes, the Classic of the Path of Sun and Moon, the

Classic of Symbols, and the Easy Classic. The Yi Jing is one of the oldest sources of nature

symbolism. It illustrates the balance of expansive (yang) and contracting (yin) forces throughout

the year and in each lunar month. Twelve of the sixty four hexagrams in this classic are related to

the twelve organ meridians of the body. When we know about the energetics of these hexagrams,

we know a lot about the roots of the healing situation we are dealing with.

Another important read is the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. As

practitioners we have seen many quotes from this essential text, but we have not read it entirely.

In his presentation about macrocosmic Alchemy, Heiner emphasizes that medicine is about taking

macrocosmic truth and applying it to the realm of the microcosm. The Neijing says a lot about

nature and what it’s doing, and little about disease. It then says now you can apply all this to

medicine.

*The information in this section comes in large part from a video lecture of Heiner Fruehauf’s

called, Macrocosmic Alchemy: The Hidden Code to Deciphering the Function of the Chinese Organ

Networks, available on the Associate’s Forum at classicalchinesemedicine.org


TRANSFORMING THE ROOTS OF PAIN AND STRESS

As health care practitioners, we are aware that mental and emotional stress play a vital role in

the etiology of pain and other health imbalances. Clients often feel desperate for answers and

desire more control of their health. You are called on to listen, coach, and counsel to identify the

root cause of stress and find inner clarity. HeartMind methods offer the skills to help you do so.

This is not a substitute for appropriate medical care. It is however very effective integrative care,

and a way to shine a light on unconscious patterns that keep pain and suffering in place.

Practitioners learn precise skills that enable them to make significant changes in health conditions

by helping clients become more aware of all the parts of themselves. The goal is to support the

natural intelligence of the body and its energy flow. This leads to transformation in physical

symptoms. It eases physical pain, and mental and emotional stress.

Chronic physical and emotional pain are most often the tip of the iceberg. Underlying the overt

symptoms we find repetitive patterns of thought, belief and conditioning that lead to actions and

behaviors that compromise health and well-being. When we become aware of these inner

dynamics it opens up a whole new world of understanding about ourselves and our present

condition. We begin to be able to feel the part of our Self that is not our thoughts and our

conditioned mind. This in itself is huge, and a big revelation to most people. It opens the door to

an expanded sense of Self, and the ability to change our experience of life.

We can become aware of how we reject, fear and isolate the pain and discomfort we feel in an

effort to be rid of it. Or how we blame our condition on others or on the circumstances of our

lives, instead of being proactive in our own behalf. This awareness opens the door to transforming

these roots and making new choices. As we clear these blocks in our lives, inherent virtues and

wisdom start to arise. Feelings like compassion, empathy and love are more available and we can

extend them to ourselves, our bodies and our relationships. This creates new patterns in the brain

and body, and a sense of well-being and flow in our lives.

Psychotherapy is another method that helps to bring awareness and transformation to the

psychological roots of pain and stress, which often start in early childhood. Integrative care

practitioners can be a vital member of a team that includes a psychotherapist and other medical

health care providers.

COURSE OF STUDY

HeartMind Solutions is a method of study, which can be taken in whole or in part and integrated

with your acupressure or acupuncture practice to make it more effective. These methods are also

meant to be used in your personal life as well as in the clinic. They are drawn from wisdom

schools in both east and west, and are grounded in the principles and practice of Chinese

medicine and the energy dynamics of the Five Phases. I have also added information from recent

studies in neurobiology and other western methods of self-discovery.

You will learn to engage clients in compassionate mind-body awareness, and expand your capacity

to perceive and attend to subtle indicators of internal processes. These indicators are explored in

the moment with an attitude of curiosity, acceptance, and mindfulness. Increasing your


awareness about the underlying emotions, core beliefs, and coping mechanisms that affect body

structure and function, make your assessment and treatment more effective.

In HeartMind Solutions workshops, practitioners cultivate their ability to recognize important cues

in a client’s narrative and body language. The body is widely recognized as a doorway to the inner

world and belief system of an individual. Awareness is directed with precision to felt body

experience, and mindfulness is used to perceive inner needs and resources. As self-knowing

increases, greater peace and clarity emerge, and the next step for healing presents itself.

Practitioners learn to use touch, acu-points, intuition, qigong methods, and effective

communication to support this process.

In workshops, you will have the opportunity to experience the powerful effects of these methods

personally. Experiential exercises are designed to practice core skills and to explore and

transform your own inner bodymind landscape. In these training workshops, we use each other as

practice partners to give an opportunity for learning and constructive feedback. When we have

experienced something ourselves, we are better guides for others.


Compassion

ABOUT THE SYMBOLISM OF THE FIVE PHASE ELEMENTS

AND HOW I’VE USED THEM IN THIS CONTEXT

I am putting my thinking about the Five Elements, also called the Five Phases, in this section. In

the main text you will see the associations I have made with the Five Phases both as principles to

guide the healing relationship, and as descriptive of phases that a clinical session goes through. As

you read the information below, you will better understand where it comes from.

The phases describe qualities of universal energy and the cyclic flow of nature. The foundational

tenant of Daoist medicine is; as above, so below: the microcosm reflects the macrocosm. From

earliest times the five phases were used to describe and categorize all aspects of nature. In

medicine they explain the complexity of human experience and the functions and structure of

body, mind and spirit.

There is general agreement about these correlations, however various systems emphasize certain

aspects over others, and correlate emotional tendencies and associated personality tendencies

differently. The source information for the associations I am using comes from quotations in the

Neijing, the classic of Chinese medicine, and information I have learned through studies in Jin

Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®, classical Chinese medicine with Heiner Fruehauf, and my

reading and study of the Five Element associations of JR Worsley. I also use many of the

associations I learned in 2010 in China from the Confucian-Five element system founded by Wang

Feng Yi. My own clinical observations over the years are also included here.

The chart on page 46, FIVE PHASES OF PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE documents my thinking

and several sources.

WOOD – I start and end with the Wood element. This idea comes from Wang Feng Yi who

talks about the return to Wood as an acknowledgment that the cycle always begins

again. Thus the Wood phase represents hope, symbolized by the name of the last point

on the Liver meridian, Gate of Hope.

The Wood phase in nature is classically associated with spring and the beginning of a new cycle. It

seems appropriate that the beginning of a session would best be served by the energy of Wood.

Our internal spring is our urge to move in a directed manner with clarity, goals and purpose. We

need this energy both in the beginning of a session to set the goal for treatment, and at the end

when we summarize and help our clients find ways to integrate new insights into life.

Compassion is associated with Wood in the Confucian-Five Element lineage. The

Chinese character for compassion shows two people side by side with the symbol for

the heart below. I like this association with the Wood phase because it supports the

idea of partnership in the healing relationship. One of the jobs of the practitioner is

to create a partnership relationship with the client right from the beginning. In other

traditions, compassion is associated with the Earth element. In either case

maintaining a partnership relationship based on resonance and working together to accomplish a

common goal is key to this work.


Shen/Heartmind

Integrity

Value

FIRE – What begins in the spring comes to full blossom in the summer, which is related to

the Fire phase. In this regard, maintaining a relationship of respect, safety and loving

kindness allows our clients to feel safe and open to the healing process. Attentive listening

and effective communication are key.

The fire element is associated with shen: spirit, awareness, consciousness. In this

work, we direct awareness to present experience. Energy follows the mind. Thus

when we use mindfulness therapeutically, we focus the mind to direct healing

energy to the body. Mindfulness quiets the thinking mind so that the subtle voice of

intuition can be heard.

EARTH – Mother Earth is the ground and sustainer for life. Its soil contains and forms

useful boundaries. Likewise, the body is the intelligent terrain of our being. All of our

experience is reflected here. The body speaks to us in the language of sensation and

movement. This is our kinesthetic sense. In both bodywork and acupuncture, touch plays

a very important role in transmitting energy and communicating intention to our clients. Palpation

and hands-on work are a primary means of gathering information for noticing change and gaining

information about our client’s physical health. The more we can weave back and forth between

body (kinesthetic awareness) and mind (thoughts, ideas, images, etc.) during a session, the more

our clients will feel the effects of the session on their health, pain reduction and level of

relaxation. Consciously working with the body gives us access to the mental and emotional

energies that are contained in its muscles and tissues.

I like the virtue of integrity associated with earth, as it’s done in the

Confucian-Five Element system. Integrity is the wholeness of body, mind and

spirit. Integrity (honesty, trustworthiness) is also an important virtue for the

practitioner to embody in the therapeutic setting to create trust and maintain

healthy boundaries.

METAL – Metal is symbolic of the inward movement of nature in the fall season. Just as

precious metals grow within the earth, what we hold valuable as part of our personal

identity comes into consciousness when we work on the body, in the form of emotions,

beliefs, memories and longings. That is why I have correlated Metal with the phase of

the session where deeper bodymind transformation happens.

The metal element is associated with vital energy and transformation as we take in and let go

through the breath. Transformation of limiting emotions, behavior patterns and beliefs happen

best in an environment of acceptance without judgement. These patterns create our distress. The

opportunity in the moment comes when we can accept ourselves for who we are and let go of

what no longer serves us, or those we are close to. We bring more ease and radiance into our lives

and our bodies when we let go, and embrace our inner truth.

In order to transform limiting patterns we often have to face our own resistance and

look at the parts of us we don’t like in order to understand how they have come

into being. For the practitioner, value here means recognizing and accepting all the

inner parts of our clients without judgement or criticism, in order to help them do

the same. Paradoxically, when the value of a resisting part is recognized and


Wisdom

accepted, it is easier to re-evaluate its usefulness and let it go.

WATER – The Water phase symbolizes a time of rest and storage of energy deep in the roots

as happens in nature during the winter season. Water also symbolizes surrender and letting

oneself flow with the current of life. I’ve correlated the Water phase of the session as the

time when we encourage our clients to relax deeply and feel into the core of themselves, allowing

new understanding and wisdom to arise. As tension clears through the other phases in the session,

the nervous system relaxes. The person can now rest and let all of that information integrate. This

is a magical time when heart, mind and body can flow together.

As the practitioner, if you listen closely, you will hear when wisdom arises in what

your client tells you. S/he sees something with new eyes, or tells you what would be

the best outcome for the situation. By acknowledging that wisdom and encouraging

the person to savor it as a felt sense in body and mind, the experience is anchored

and new mind-body connections are made.


A FIVE PHASE APPROACH FOR INSPIRING YOUR PRACTICE AND CREATING A

HEALING RELATIONSHIP

By consciously embodying the virtues of the Five Elements during our work with others, we

enhance the healing relationship and model a way of being that supports inner transformation.

The descriptions below are meant as guidelines and inspiration for the practitioner.

WOOD – Work in Partnership, Empower with Self-Direction and Choice

With compassion and warmth discover goals for health, and work in collaboration with

client to tackle the issues that want to be resolved. Support new self-direction and

motivation for change. Bring awareness to choices, conscious or unconscious, that affect physical

and emotional health. Help clarify goals and the paths to get there.

FIRE – Maintain Connection, Cultivate Mindfulness

Extend genuine caring, respect and loving kindness in the healing relationship. Communicate

effectively and maintain an energetic connection that keeps the focus on the client’s

experience. Pay attention to ongoing changes in the client, and the practitioner-client

relationship. Use mindfulness therapeutically to focus awareness on moment-to-moment

experience in order to quiet the thinking mind and open the door to intuition and transformation.

Be curious, and create a safe environment for inner exploration. Stay in tune with your inner

guidance.

EARTH – Integrate Soma and Psyche, Use Body as Ground of Experience

Promote the interconnectedness of body, mind and emotions. Use the body as the ground

and medium for all experience. Help people feel sensation and movement as a way to

develop the body as a resource for information and relaxation. Translate thoughts and images to

felt experience in the moment. Maintain your integrity as a practitioner; be honest and

trustworthy. Maintain healthy boundaries.

METAL – Value and Accept, Let Go of Judgment and Criticism

Use acknowledgment freely to help people find meaning in their experience. Find value

even when the person does not. Investigate the innate purpose and intelligence of parts that seem

to be holding back or resisting the process of change. Encourage people to accept themselves and

others as they are, without criticism or judgment. Discover beliefs, behaviors and expectations

that want to be reevaluated.

WATER – Support Emerging Wisdom, Encourage deep reflection

Be flexible and humble in your interactions. Lead by following signs of change in the client.

Listen for wisdom to arise in what the person says or does and acknowledge it. Express your own

hunches, and see if they resonate. Encourage deep relaxation and connection to inner Self to

ponder new options.


FIVE PHASES TO GUIDE YOUR HEARTMIND SESSION

This section expands on the energetics of the five elements for creating a therapeutic

relationship, and associates each phase with the flow of an acupuncture or acupressure session

from start to finish. It can also describe the flow over a number of sessions with the same person.

Depending on the person and the situation, you may concentrate on one phase longer than the

others in order to establish inner resources and attend to the therapeutic relationship.

The foundational skills section will elaborate on specific methods to use in each phase.

WOOD – Create a cooperative relationship, educate clients about options for therapy and clarify goals for the session

Observe, listen and communicate in a compassionate way with clients to demonstrate that

you want to work with them to support their goals for healing. Find out how symptoms are

affecting their lives, and situations that make the symptoms better or worse. Follow up on any

statements that seem emotional, stressed or charged in any way, with compassionate listening

and clarifying questions and statements. Give options for your work together. Include the

possibility of focusing their awareness to the body and/or emotions that arise which may bring

understanding about the next steps for healing. Get their permission. Summarize their goals and

hopes for this session.

FIRE – Promote Self-Awareness and Communicate Effectively

Use touch to bring awareness to body signs generally and the area of discomfort specifically.

Palpate pulses and related points. At the same time begin to cultivate mindfulness by

encouraging the person to feel along with you and give you feedback about how the points and

areas feel. Note areas that the client is most curious about. Offer options and decide together

where to start point work. Encourage the person to continue to feel along with you and tell you

about any words or images that come up. Let the person know that you will also name changes

you notice, and help them focus more deeply if the two of you decide that it is important.

EARTH – Bring Awareness to Body Sensations, Establish Inner Resources

As you hold points, pay attention to how the tissue feels. Name any qualities you feel, and

subtle changes that occur with sensation/kinesthetic words. This is often an opportunity to check

in with the person about what they are noticing. Always check in if you notice signs like

swallowing, breathing changes, or eye movements that suggest an internal process is going on.

Turn thoughts into body experience by asking the person to let the body express the thought

physically, and see what happens. Experiment in mindfulness to discover the pattern of tension

and what it is trying to communicate. (See section: Meditating on Tension)

Teach clients to unwind and relax the nervous system (See section: Focus on Sensation and

Movement of Qi)


METAL – Acknowledge Emotion, Listen for Values and Beliefs.

Listen for and acknowledge the presence of feelings and emotions that arise. This may

even be relaxation and relief. Encourage the person to allow feelings and emotions to express

without judgment or criticism. (See Emotional Release). Encourage the person to examine

reactions like defensiveness, cynicism and frustration for any true emotion that may go alongside

of it. Emotions tell us about inner needs and longings. Find a creative way to meet the need in the

moment. Acknowledge values and core beliefs that are inner resources. Help clients identify and

find the motivation to let go of defensive behaviors and negative emotional loops that get in the

way of truly supporting their healing and wholeness.

WATER – Support Emerging Wisdom, Encourage deep reflection

Create space for relaxation and deep reflection. Help clients savor the experience of softness and

flexibility in body and mind. Offer metaphors, stories or qigong imagery that may reframe their

experience and allow the deeper centers of the Self to reveal wisdom about the next steps for

healing. Listen for and acknowledge wisdom that arises in what the person says or does.

WOOD –Support New Self-Direction, Empower with Choice

Identify what the client finds most important to remember and integrate. Summarize and

ask if s/he feels closer to the original goal of the session. Work with the person to have an action

plan that is small enough that s/he can feel successful. Let the client know that you will check in

about the results at your next session. Make notes in your chart and be sure to follow up.


FIVE PHASES OF A SESSION AND REQUIRED SKILL SET This section describes the specific skills used in each phase of the session. The Fundamental Skills

section has specific information on these methods.

1. Establish rapport and safety. Clarify intentions and goals for working together. Educate about options for healing. Skills*: Presence, Tracking, Contact (used all throughout the session and especially in the beginning).

2. Begin to establish mindfulness. Study how the symptom or issue is felt in the body to clarify body focus. Skills: Palpation, Tracking, Contact, Mindfulness, Embodying of ideas or assumptions.

3. Table: Study experience through the body. Use touch or needles to focus awareness. Skills: Directing awareness, Sensation and Movement work, Experiment in mindfulness. Use exaggeration to discover the larger tension pattern in the body. Stay with the tension pattern and direct awareness to mood and emotion. 4. Create space for emotions if expressed. Encourage acceptance of what is, without having to change it now. Weave back to the body and notice how body or symptoms change. Foster awareness of underlying needs, values, beliefs and longings. Underlying issues often have to do with the desire for understanding, acknowledgement, empowerment, welcoming, support, connection, appreciation, recognition, or acceptance.

4a. Find a creative way to meet the needs in the moment and expand the context. Skills: Touch, words, needles, story, metaphor. Use points and metaphor that may expand perspective and begin the transformation process. Use acknowledgment and encourage self-acceptance to help the person let go, relax, and settle into themselves in a new way.

5. Encourage person to go to a deep place within and open to inner wisdom regarding any change that wants to happen. Check in with the body and note changes in sensation, symptoms and level of relaxation. Can use sensation work to deepen the felt sense of relaxation and peace. Skills: Presence, Mindfulness, Listening, Tracking, Contact, sensation work, pace yourself and give space for relaxation to happen. 6. Integrate and Complete. Ask about insights that came up. What is new and valuable? How might life be different with new options? How session has moved toward or met original goals. Have client give him/herself homework for integrating insights from the session into everyday life. How can s/he try new options (e.g., journal, drawing, movement). Suggest self-care methods when appropriate (e.g., self-massage/acupressure, diet change). Skills: Listening, Tracking, Contact, Summarize, Make a Plan Together, Follow up.


NEEDLES, TOUCH, AND TRANSFORMATION: A SUPPLEMENT FOR ACUPUNCTURISTS

Initial mind and body exploration of the symptoms or issues that clients present can happen with

clients either seated in a chair or on the table. This depends largely on your style as a

practitioner.

If you start talking in a chair, do some focused listening, contacting, and exploring to be clear

about the presenting issue and the way it is manifesting in the body and energy field of your

client. Then, transfer to the table to use touch and needles to further explore and transform.

If you begin with clients lying on the table, listen and connect with the issue and where it is in

their body, then modify touch or needles to continue the process of self-awareness and

transformation of energy. Tell the client about your point and meridian strategy to set the

intention.

Once you place needles or touch points that are appropriate, ask clients to stay with their present

felt experience and notice what emerges. When doing acupuncture, you have the option of

staying in the room and continuing to guide awareness and the process. This is a more expedient

way to effect change and bring awareness to old patterns and new options.

You can also ask clients to be aware of any changes they notice in mind and body as the needles

are in place, and leave the room to care for others. This allows the needles and relaxation to

move the process along. When you return, you can check in and support any changes that have

happened in body and mind. Clients will often have had an experience and insight that is

important. They may stay with their experience for a while, but be unable to deepen it without

further guidance. You can suggest that at their next appointment, more time is scheduled for

specific bodymind exploration and offer some homework in the meantime.

This is a slower-paced method that establishes a heartmind link between you and your clients and

lets them know that you are open to working on deeper levels.

POINT SELECTION OPTIONS

In HeartMind Solutions work, acupuncture points may be selected for a variety of reasons. Point

work should always be related to the symptoms and issues that are present. The focusing process

will suggest the points that should be used. When needling or touching points always tell the

person why these points have been chosen and how they are appropriate to support the

transformation process. Relating point and meridian names and functions gives a suggestion to

the client which sets the stage for new perspectives.

Below are some suggestions. Always let your intuition guide you.

• Points may suggest themselves because of their locations and/or functions in the body area that you are focusing on. They can support the opening and moving of qi in the area, and function to keep the person focused there.

• Points may suggest themselves because of their names and their relationships to the body and or issue that is presenting.


• Points may be selected after palpating the area, while the person focuses in mindfulness, and the person selects the point or places that want to be touched or needled.

• The point sequence you choose may balance the meridian or pairs of related meridians that seem appropriate for the issues and/or symptoms the person is experiencing. For example, Jue Yin and Shao Yang, or Yang Ming and Tai Yin (this also addresses the Five Element pairing of Lung-Large Intestine and Stomach-Spleen).

• Points on the Ren and Du channels, or other Extra Meridians, may be chosen because of their balancing and integrating properties.

MERIDIAN PAIRINGS

FIVE-ELEMENT PAIRING

Lung/Large Intestine Metal

Stomach/Spleen Earth

Heart/Small Intestine Fire

Bladder/Kidney Water

Pericardium/Triple Warmer Fire

Gallbladder/Liver Wood

SIX-DIVISIONS PAIRING

Lung/Spleen Tai Yin (hand & foot)

Large Intestine/Stomach Yang Ming (hand & foot)

Heart/Kidney Shao Yin (hand & foot)

Small Intestine/Bladder Tai Yang (hand & foot)

Pericardium/Liver Jue Ming (hand & foot)

Triple Warmer/Gall Bladder Shao Yang (hand & foot)

CLOCK PAIRS

Lung/Bladder 3-5 am & pm

Large Intestine/Kidney 5-7 am & pm

Stomach/Pericardium 7-9 am & pm

Spleen/Triple Warmer 9-11 am & pm

Heart/Gall Bladder 11-1 am & pm

Small Intestine/Liver 1-3 am & pm


FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

There are six areas and basic skill sets2 that are used over and over in the HeartMind Solutions

Method. They hold the process together and allow it to flow smoothly. These skills facilitate the

practitioner’s presence and establish mindfulness in the client. They enable you to focus

awareness on the experience that is happening in the moment, gather information, and explore it

in present time. The energetic effect is to create a connection between practitioner and client

that keeps the focus on the client’s experience, quiets the thinking mind, and opens the door to

intuition and transformation.

Educate and Clarify Goals

Give people health-promoting options and clarify their goals

Get permission to move forward together

Promote Self-Awareness

Be present and mindful and guide others to do the same

Use curiosity and an experimental attitude to gather information

Meditate on Tension: Discover the Pattern

Compare released and unreleased areas of the body

Resonate and Observe

Look, listen and feel to keep you on track with the flow of qi in body and mind

Communicate Effectively

Name what you observe and establish safety and understanding.

Use contact statements

Direct Awareness by asking study questions

Establish Inner Resources

Go from thoughts to body awareness: embody the story

Unwind the nervous system: Focus on sensation and movement of qi

Access inner wisdom by connecting with the HeartMind state

Use metaphor and story with points to reframe and give a new perspective

Twelve Officials and Inner Parts: A Guiding Metaphor for Inner Transformation

Work with Emotional Intelligence

2 Drawn from Hakomi Mindfulness-Based Somatic Psychotherapy


EDUCATE AND CLARIFY GOALS

When clients come into the office they are looking for help to relieve discomfort and pain. They

consider you an expert in your field and are willing to listen to your guidance. This is the time to

get on board together, and help the client feel safe with you. From the beginning, we want to

promote a partnership model for their healthcare. Natural healing methods need the cooperation

of the patient in their own care for best results. This helps you avoid the trap of taking all the

responsibility for making them feel better, because both you and the client may assume this is

your role. It also promotes the person’s willingness to engage in deeper self-exploration to inform

both of you about what is going on.

First, educate yourself about what your client wants, and then tell them about the health-

promoting options you can provide.

You can say that there may be times when you will suggest that you can help them focus on a

particular area of pain, or internal symptom, in order to get a deeper sense of what this part is

trying to do or say. This can give both of you more information about the internal pattern of

physical and/or emotional tension that may be involved. The new information can help you focus

your treatment, and can give the client a greater sense of control over lifestyle choices that may

be contributing to their distress. Get their consent.

You may suggest inner focusing right away so both you and they can get more information about

where to start. Have them reflect on their hopes and goals for treatment. If their goal is a 10 on

the 0-10 scale, ask them where are they now, and what would take them one step closer. This will

let you know how to proceed.

Have them scan their bodies and notice what area stands out to them. Take some time and have

them describe the area and type of sensations they feel. Ask if you can feel the area if

appropriate. Let the person know what your hands notice. This interaction promotes mindfulness

by directing the person’s awareness to the condition in his or her body right now. This will help

clarify how the body is demonstrating stress. If they have several presenting issues, ask them

which one is speaking the loudest, or which one is most uncomfortable right now.

As practitioners of Asian bodywork and Chinese medicine, we have a particular way of looking at

patterns of disharmony and a special language that expresses it. To promote greater

understanding, especially for people new to acupressure or acupuncture, it is often best to speak

in Western terms at first. You can tell them about how working together can help regulate the

nervous system and decrease the effects of chronic stress. You can talk about how acupressure

and inner focusing can help them learn to relax more deeply in their bodies. This leads to a state

of coherence in body, brain and heart that leads to a sense of peace and inner flow.

Let them know that you want to feel the pulse and look at their tongue to get more of a sense

about what the body is telling us about how it is doing from the inside out, and you will tell them

what you notice. Ask them to notice their internal state while you feel the pulse. When you are

finished, ask them what they notice. This may give you more information about what you have

sensed in the pulse. When you tell them what you noticed, you don’t have to use meridian terms,

which they may not understand. I use words that correlate with what they’ve told me. For

example, your pulse feels very long and tight in some places. This reminds me of what you said

about your shoulders. Or, the pulse that reflects digestion feels weak, have you noticed any

symptoms like heartburn or loose stool?


The need to educate, clarify and get consent comes up over and over in a session and during a

series of sessions. What is needed will differ, and the language you use may change over time.

Engaging the partnership model right from the beginning is your best friend in this process.

PROMOTE SELF-AWARENESS

PRESENCE AND MINDFULNESS

“Through self-observation, more presence comes into your life automatically. The moment

you realize you are not present, you are present. Whenever you are able to observe your

mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something that is not of

the mind: the witnessing presence.”

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now: A Guide to Enlightenment

When we describe someone as being present, we usually mean they are emotionally available,

attentive and open as a way of living and relating. Our presence, or lack of it in this sense, is

noticeable to others when we enter and leave a room. A person’s presence is what is missed by

others when they die.

Presence combined with attention and curiosity to in-the-moment experience have led human

beings to discover, to invent, to produce art, and to find the link between microcosm and

macrocosm.

After I started practicing Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®, I noticed very quickly the need to

increase my skills in listening, focusing and transforming emotional tension. The hands-on work

with acu-points and meridians created an atmosphere of relaxation and safety, and people began

to talk about emotional tension and lifestyle issues that were impacting their health and well-

being.

I studied a few methods of inner work that involved the body, and settled on the Hakomi Method

of Mindfulness-Based Somatic Psychotherapy. The main reason that Hakomi methods worked so

well with my slow-paced acupressure method was the dynamic and therapeutic use of

mindfulness. Since that time mindfulness has become very popular not only in meditation, but as

a stress reduction tool. From developments in neurobiology, we know that when we use our

capacity for self-observation, it develops our brains in healthy ways.

Mindfulness has three main characteristics:

Awareness is turned inward toward present experience

We elect to observe our inner reality without being totally identified by it

Time has a slower and more spacious feeling, so our pace changes. The slowing and

settling of the mind increases sensitivity to inner signals


Mindfulness opens the door to a sense of presence. In this writing we are calling this sense of

presence by various names like, Shen, HeartMind, or Self. We are right here, right now, with a

sense of inner peace and awareness. We can observe the flow of our thoughts, actions, sensations,

and emotions without being totally identified by them. We begin to realize that who we are is not

synonymous with what we do, think, or believe.

When we are in a state of mindfulness and presence, we have the opportunity to step out of

habitual and reactive behavior and choose new ways of responding to life. This inner wisdom

appears to spring from a deeper part of the self. It is easier to be gentler with ourselves and more

accepting of life as it is. This can free us up and bring a sense of well-being and vitality.

MINDFULNESS AND THE BRAIN

In his book, The Mindful Brain, Daniel Siegel defines mind as “a process that regulates the flow of

energy and information.” This flow of information occurs both within our own brain and body, and

between us and the brain and body of those with whom we are in relationships (Seigel, 2007, pg.

5). Neurobiology and Interpersonal Neurobiology involve the study of the dynamics of brain

activity and how our relationships with others change and regulate our brains and our lives.

Mindful awareness means becoming consciously aware of the flow of energy and information of

our mind, and being able to regulate it in a new way. In other words, we become aware of the

workings of the mind itself. John Kabat-Zinn, a well-known teacher of mindfulness based stress

reduction methods, defines mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges from paying attention on

purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience in the

moment.” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, pp.145-146)

When we practice mindful awareness in our everyday life, we can free ourselves from living on

automatic, and constantly responding to life from the beliefs and patterns that have conditioned

our brain activity since childhood. When we free ourselves from fearful and judgmental

conditioning, we are able to appreciate the novelty in each experience. We can choose to respond

from a more spontaneous place within ourselves. Life seems freer and we feel happier and more

integrated within ourselves and with others. This is especially true when we couple mindful

awareness with curiosity, openness, acceptance and love for ourselves and others.

Studies show that mindfulness also improves immunity and increases healing. It enhances

interpersonal relationships and leads to well-being (Davidson et al., 2003).

You begin to realize these benefits when you become aware that your thoughts, feelings,

sensations and images are not the totality of who you are. This vital process, called discernment,

helps you circumvent old conditioning and find new solutions to common problems. You come to

understand that your thoughts and feelings are conditioned mind activity. This is a revolutionary

realization for most people.

When you can quiet conditioned mind activity, you open to a source of knowing that is fresh and

spontaneous. This essential knowing is always there, but the demands of our conditioned brain

overshadow it most of the time. It’s only when we practice paying attention on purpose that we

can quiet the thinking and analyzing mind, and experience another source of knowing within us.

USING MINDFULNESS THERAPEUTICALLY


In the clinical setting, we need to guide our clients and ourselves in using mindfulness to gather

information about what is going on below the surface of health concerns and complaints. The

slower pace of mindfulness aids mental and physical relaxation, and presence increases our ability

to focus.

As we direct awareness to body tension, emotions, or mental activity, we gather information

about their origins. This clarifies our assessment and makes our healing work easier and more

effective; it also engages the client’s intuition and resourcefulness. Helping our clients be curious,

and suggesting self-study ideas with an experimental attitude encourage mindfulness.

When we, as practitioners, are in a state of mindfulness, we can observe how we are responding

to our client’s process. This can give us useful information that we can share if appropriate. Our

response may tell us more about what is happening for the client from a Five Element

perspective, or it can inform us about any of our own “stuff” that is triggered. We can catch

ourselves in modes like “fixing the problem,” “giving advice” etc. that may not be in service to

the process. When we notice this we can alter our course, and let the knowing about what to do

come from the process naturally. This equates to working smarter and not harder.

CURIOSITY AND EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE

Curiosity and an experimental attitude support mindfulness (an attitude that is characteristic of

the Hakomi method), and help us assist the client in gathering information about the root cause of

problems that manifest in soma and psyche. Mindful self-study experiments, or what we may call

meditating on parts of the self, increase awareness of underlying factors. This process enlists the

intuition of the client, and takes pressure off the practitioner to figure out the answer. It

provides a safe way for people to enter the mystery of their own experience, and find the wisdom

that awaits them there.

An experimental attitude is invitational rather than determining and fixing. It is suggesting and

engaging versus advice-giving. It includes you and the other person in a search for deeper truths.

For example, questions can be asked with an “I wonder” in the tone of your voice. Or, you can

suggest a self-study experiment: “I wonder what would happen if you stay with that tension and

exaggerate it a little to see what other parts of your body are involved.” Or, “How about if we

get these shoulders to talk to us? That may help us know more about what’s going on.” Or, “How

about if you move very slowly between those two postures and see what mood is there.”

Use the following steps when doing experiments:

Name the thing that warrants more study, i.e., body tension in a specific area.

State the benefits of slowing down the process and studying it.

Get the client’s permission to proceed.

Explain what you intend to do, such as saying some words, having them exaggerate

tension, or touching a particular spot.

Have the person focus internally and get mindful. Ask them to tell you when they are

ready to start.

Proceed with the experiment and look, listen and feel for results.

Ask the person to tell you about what they are noticing.


Accept and acknowledge anything that comes up.

Use the information from experiments to guide you to the next step of the session.

METHOD: MEDITATE ON TENSION, DISCOVER THE PATTERN

I learned this exercise from Ron Kurtz, founder of the Hakomi Method. It is a simple series of

steps that you can do as an experiment in mindfulness and self-study with clients. You can suggest

it as an experiment that can lead from merely feeling tension in the body to discovering the larger

psycho-emotional pattern associated with it. Tension in one part of the body is often a component

of a larger pattern of tension or posture that reflects internal stress. Once a person becomes

aware of underlying pattern, the associated tension often transforms into a relaxed state. Get the

client’s consent and then guide him or her through the following steps:

Locate an area of bodily tension.

Stay with the tension and study its texture, size, and qualities.

Add a voluntary element by slightly increasing the tension, slowly and mindfully.

Observe other parts of the body that are involved and note their sequence, i.e. first the jaw, then the shoulders, then the legs.

Feel the pattern and notice if it reminds you of anything. What does the body seem to be doing?

Is there any mood or emotion present?

If there is a mood, stay with it and feel its qualities.

If there is not a mood, stay with the tension and ask, If this body could talk, what would it say?

Ask this place what it needs in order to let go.

Place needles, or use touch, to speak to this need. Have the person bring breath, awareness, and acceptance to the area and notice what happens.

At the end of the experiment, ask the client to return to the original tension and notice any changes.

Have him or her describe the felt sensations of relaxation or expansion, and allow these sensations to affect the whole body. Let the client savor the experience. Be sure to acknowledge how the transformed state represents new neural connections in the body, brain and heart.

Ask the client what seems important about this experience and if there is any element from it which s/he wants to integrate into everyday life.

METHOD: COMPARE RELEASED AND UNRELEASED AREAS OF THE BODY

Another simple experiment, that is great for Asian bodyworkers and deceptively effective, is to

ask the client to compare an area of the body that has been worked on with points, to an area

that has not been worked yet.

In Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®, practitioners work one side of the body and then go to

the opposite side. This is the perfect time to suggest that the client compare the side that has


been worked on to the side that has not. Ask them to find words to describe each side. People

often say the released side feels longer, warmer and more alive. The unreleased side is still tight,

colder, and smaller. After the person has given words for each side, remind him or her that the

unreleased side reflects the state s/he came in with. You can also say that by noticing the

released side new mind and body connections are being made that can be recovered voluntarily to

recreate the relaxed state.

A former student and acupressure practitioner who learned this method from me years ago says

she still uses it all the time with clients. She raved about its effectiveness for helping clients

experience the effects of point work and inner focusing on the body.

RESONATE AND OBSERVE

“When the ear receives subtly

it turns into an eye.

But if the words do not reach the ear in the chest

nothing happens.”

—Rumi

We resonate when we adapt and attune to another’s internal state. Resonance is the vital

component in therapy that creates and maintains rapport. It is harmony and empathy that leads

to knowing. Rumi so aptly describes the compassion and HeartMind presence that is the

foundation for resonance and real knowing. When a compassionate person listens, it shines a light

on things that have been in the shadow, and illuminates the inner workings. Listening with

acceptance and non-judgement is one of the greatest healing gifts we give our patients.

Resonance and rapport with another person is facilitated through our limbic, or emotional, brain.

Our ability to think and analyze is facilitated by our neocortical brain. If we stay in the realm of

analyzing symptoms and talking about theory, we can miss the essentials of the other’s inner

world which will show up as body language and facial changes.

Resonance is enhanced when we tune into the face, body language, gestures, and voice changes

that are subtle indicators of internal processes. We can note what a person is curious about, what

they resist, and how the body is blocked or energized. Through precise verbal communication, we

can direct a person to pay closer attention to these indicators, and discover the feelings, needs,

beliefs, and longings that manifest through the body and its symptoms. The goal is to create

partnership in the healing relationship and empower people to be the experts on their own

experience. The practitioner leads by resonating and observing, making acknowledging contact

statements, directing awareness, and allowing space for transformation to occur.

As practitioners we can fall into the trap of having preconceptions about how a person should

feel, which can mislead us about how the person actually does feel. We get caught up in listening

to the storyline of the person’s life, and miss opportunities to connect with the storyteller. We

base our treatment on ideas, rather than on what is actually before us. When we look, listen and

feel for body signals we can redirect awareness from thoughts to felt body experience. By

connecting thoughts with felt body experience, we engage more of the senses and avenues of

information in the brain. This cross-referencing deepens the understanding of the underlying

dimensions of this issue at hand.


Another role of the practitioner is to be mindful and resonate internally with your thoughts,

internal images, gut feelings, and hunches as they arise. They give you clues about what may be

going on for your client. You can decide if it’s appropriate to act on what you notice internally, or

wait to see if the client says something that clarifies your own perceptions.

You may notice that the image or voice of a teacher may come to mind when you are unsure of

the next step to take. At other times, your hands may be drawn to a certain part of the body, or

to specific acu-points. When we resonate with our inner world, and work in the now, we are

connected to the greater field of intelligence that guides us. Our capacity to transmit some of

this wisdom through touch, needles, words, and compassionate listening is greatly increased.

TRACKING

“Tracking” is a term used in the Hakomi method. It involves opening our senses to perceive all

the subtle nuances of the moment. When we focus narrowly on the job we think has to be done,

we miss important clues about what is really happening. These clues help us stay on track, and

lead the process by following the client.

Like an astute observer of art, we need to sense the energy with which it was created, and the

purpose the artist wanted us understand. In the art of healing, we can perceive the creative way

the speaker reveals their inner process through body language, emotional tone, posture change,

and gesture. We can attune to changes in energy, speech, breathing, and facial expression. If we

step back far enough, we can imagine how the person perceives the world, and possible

experiences that have lead them to that perspective.

An invisible force creates and sustains what we see in the world. When we center deep within the

stillness of our own heart, we can sense those invisible forces within our clients. We can assume

that inner unfolding wants to happen, and notice what supports and blocks that process. We can

sense unexpressed longings and passions. We can hear grievances and regrets. We can listen to

what is spoken, and to what is not said. This is what the sages meant by diagnosing with shen.

LIMBIC BRAIN AND FACIAL EXPRESSION

Our limbic brain functions to assess what is happening in our environment. It sorts through sensory

input, interprets stimuli, and prepares the body to meet each situation it faces. The body area

that most strongly expresses and receives this information is the face. A mother and baby attune

themselves to the face of the other to communicate needs.

Chinese medicine practitioners observe the color, structure, and lines of the face to assess

internal conditions. We can also observe the face for messages that want to be shown or

concealed. The following signs are some of the indicators of internal process:

eyes widening or narrowing, lips puckering, or nostrils flaring

voice change, or speaking in the past tense or third-person

incongruence between speech and laughter

perspiration and swallowing

shoulders sagging, and hands that support the head or rub the neck

hands and feet that move restlessly

hands that cover the face or mouth, or fingers that start tapping


COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

CONTACT

“Contact” is a term used in Hakomi Mindfulness-Based Somatic Psychotherapy. It refers to

cultivating a connection with your client that communicates presence and understanding.

Practitioners can establish and maintain this connection (rapport) via verbal contact, or

acknowledging statements, and nonverbal gestures that communicate presence and

understanding. Mindful awareness, tracking, listening, and using verbal acknowledgment in the

form of contact statements, help you create and maintain the energetic vessel necessary for

integrated mind-body-spirit work. They are the glue that holds the session together, and the

coherence that makes it flow smoothly.

Contact statements are especially important in the beginning of a session, to establish safety and

trust. They also help with effectiveness and time-management because you can get to the “heart

of the matter” quickly by sorting through the important elements of your client’s initial narrative.

Short contact statements that acknowledge what you hear, see, and feel in the moment are most

effective to bring awareness to present experience. They should be concise and open-ended, so

that they can be accepted or corrected by the client. You can use contact statements to weave

elements of the process together and verbally acknowledge changes as they occur.

A short statement demonstrates understanding more effectively than a question. If you ask a

question, it implies that you do not know. When you make an open-ended statement, a person

feels understood. Turn questions into statements; if you want to ask a question, you are probably

sensing something that you could name with a statement instead.

As you listen, wait for an opening to speak. After you make a statement, notice how the person

responds. If your words fit the experience, the person will continue talking and have deeper

realizations. Hesitation on their part may mean the statement does not fit. In this case, ask for

correction and acknowledge it with another statement.


CONTACT STATEMENTS: NAMING EXPERIENCE IN THE MOMENT

Contact statements…

can be NON-VERBAL

Uh-huh, mmmm, touch

are SHORT, OPEN-ENDED STATEMENTS ABOUT PRESENT EXPERIENCE

Your shoulders are relaxing. (or curling forward, looking heavy etc.)

Something is changing.

You seem sad.

You look tired.

You just took a deep breath. (or sighed, yawned etc.)

Your voice just got much louder.

Your mind started thinking

You are trying hard to figure it out.

That’s important to you.

You just had an insight.

So you believe you can do it.

can WEAVE ELEMENTS OF THE PROCESS TOGETHER

So you are angry and sad at the same time.

When we work on your shoulders you talk about your job.

You seem to feel that in your belly.

can SUMMARIZE THE SESSION

Now you know a lot more about that headache.

The situation we started with looks a lot different now.


TRACKING AND CONTACT STATEMENTS

Anything you track can be followed up with a contact statement. Important indicators can be

studied to clarify hidden significance. We monitor the process by tracking. Try the following

exercise to practice your listening, tracking, and contacting skills. From the list below, pick one

item at a time and track for it. Follow it up with a contact statement.

Longings

Impulses

Assumptions

Beliefs

Physical tension

Emotional tension

Mood

Intuitive flashes – yours or theirs

Your own experience in response to the other person

Energy change

Relaxation

The relationship between the two of you

A childlike presence


DIRECT AWARENESS

“Directing awareness” is another term used in the Hakomi method. To gather information about

tension, emotions, or other bodymind indicators, slow and deepen the process by directing

awareness. Directing awareness increases mindfulness and allows more clarity to emerge about

the underlying process. It quiets the thinking mind, keeps the person in the present moment

experience, and allows time for intuitive understanding to emerge.

There are three main steps:

First, make an acknowledging contact statement to name what you see, hear, or sense in the

moment, i.e., “When you say that, you start rubbing your shoulders.”

Second, direct the person to stay with their present experience and study it. Make a suggestion

such as, “How about if you stay with that tension for a moment, so we can find out more about

it.” These suggestions signal that something is important and warrants further exploration. NOTE:

When people are new to mindfulness and self-study, explain that slowing the process down and

exploring one aspect in more depth will lead to information that will guide the treatment. Get

their permission to proceed. This gains the cooperation of the person and engages their curiosity.

Third, guide awareness by asking special questions. These are how, what, and where questions

that can only be answered by exploring within. For example, “What qualities does that tightness

have?” Avoid asking “why” questions, that will lead the person into their thinking mind to answer

your question. Ask the person to tell you any words or images that come up to describe the

tension without coming out of their mindful state. Give them time to explore. Track for signs that

they are focusing inside.

If clients say they don’t know what you mean, or respond with a thought or interpretation about

their experience, they need more help from you. Direct them back to the experience you are

studying and offer possibilities for them to consider; for instance, terms like stretched, knotted,

or dense for tension. This guides awareness to kinesthetic experience. If you are using touch,

notice the qualities you feel, and make a contact statement such as, “it feels very taut, like it

won’t allow my finger there.” Track the person’s response and make follow-up contact

statements as needed.

Emotions have many qualities, i.e. smoldering frustration, tears of joy, or a desperate fear. Offer

a couple of possibilities and let the person decide what fits best. Your suggestions validate their

experience, and give permission to tell you about feelings that they don’t usually tell anyone, or

even admit to themselves.

Finally, make a follow-up contact statement to name what has been discovered: “So, your

shoulders are pulling up towards your ears and your head is ducking down.” Then, go back to step

two: “Keep exploring that movement and see what the rest of your body is doing.” Follow with

step three: “What happens in your belly and your back?”

Directing awareness helps you establish the connection between mind and body. It gives you a

body access point for touch or needles, and clarifies which meridian points can be used. It helps

you discover what is needed in the moment.

The following pages give more examples of directing awareness and using this method with an

experimental attitude. You will learn how to use these steps to unlock the message in tension

patterns and guide awareness to inner resources.


METHOD: DIRECTING AWARENESS WITH THE ONE-TWO-THREE METHOD3

1. NAME WHAT YOU SEE OR HEAR

Use Contact Statements

2. KEEP PERSON IN THE PRESENT EXPERIENCE with statements like…

Stay with that and see what happens.

Feel that tension for a moment and let’s study it.

Listen to that sound and notice the qualities.

Look at that image and notice what you are attracted to.

Feel that mood and notice its qualities.

Take your time. Let’s make some space for this to be here.

Tell me about that (sadness).

It’s all right just to be in that (name feeling) for a while.

Stay with that sensation and see what develops.

Let your body experience that.

Keep exploring that (movement).

See if you can discover the familiar pattern or sequence here.

3. ASK QUESTIONS THAT HELP TO EXPLORE IN PRESENT TIME, such as:

Where do you feel that tightness?

What sensation do you notice in your chest?

How strong is that sensation?

Does the sensation want to move somewhere?

Where exactly do you feel it?

What qualities does that (sadness, etc.) have?

How strong is that feeling?

Where does that feeling live in your body?

Are there any other feelings that are there with it?

OFFER POSSIBILITIES, IF NEEDED:

Tightness: Is it like a knot? A piece of metal? Stretched like a band?

Relaxation: Is it soft? Expanding? Light? Heavy?

Sadness: Is it a lonely sadness? An angry sadness?

Anger: Is it hot? Cold? Frustrated?

Make a contact statement (1) to name what has been discovered and repeat steps 2 and 3.

This method is used over and over again to deepen experience.

3 adapted from the teaching materials of Jon Eisman, Hakomi Institute trainer


ESTABLISH INNER RESOURCES

METHOD: GO FROM THOUGHTS TO BODY AWARENESS: EMBODY THE STORY

Weaving a tapestry between soma and psyche

We are multifaceted beings who experience life as a flow of ideas, emotions, physical sensations,

perceptions, intuitions, and relationships. The more we connect these interwoven parts, the more

integrated and well we feel. When we feel ill, it is often because attention to one or more of

these fibers of our being is left out of the mix. When people seek health care, the signals of the

body are often glaring, but emotions, intuitions, and relational aspects are overshadowed. Rather

than being in touch with the body in an integrated way, our clients tell us their ideas about their

body, their worries, fears, and concerns about their health, and their interpretation or analysis of

why these things are so.

When we can weave the elements of this story with the internal and external expression of the

body, we get a more complete picture. This is accomplished by directing our clients to make

ideas, thoughts, concepts, or perceptions a felt experience. For example, when you hear, “I feel

weighted down by this,” you can ask the person to feel the weight of the situation in his or her

body, and notice any internal sensations, impulses, or spontaneous postures and gestures the body

assumes as it embodies the sense of that weight. Shoulders may round, hands may rub the back of

the neck, and the belly often tightens. Further exploration may reveal that, under the burden of

responsibility, there is a fear of the loss of control or of abandonment if expectations are not met.

There are any of a number of possibilities, and each one gives insight into the person’s inner

world.

When we incorporate the body and a felt sense of concepts or thoughts, their meanings and a

person’s core organizing beliefs become clearer. Clients can observe how they are organized in

the moment and how that fits into a bigger picture in their life. At the same time, the

practitioner gains a better understanding of emotions, constitutional elements, and areas of the

body that are involved in presenting complaints. When the energetic pattern shifts as a result of

treatment and further exploration, the client can notice how the body and energy respond to new

options. This creates new mind-body patterns that support health and the expansion of personal

options.

Here are some of the things clients say that directly relate to the physical symptoms they present

with:

» I put up a shield

» I feel stuck

» I have to reach for what touches me

» I want to bust out

» A wave came over me

» That weighs heavy on me

In each case, the embodiment or physicalizing of these statements brought what was at a

cognitive level to the experiential level, deepened awareness, and transformed the physical

symptoms.


METHOD

Ask clients to notice what they sense when they experience a thought or concept

physically.

Ask about any sensations, small movements, tensions, or breathing patterns that change as

they observe.

Suggest that they exaggerate the pattern slowly and see if it reminds them of anything.

What is their body doing?

Find out if there is a mood or feeling associated with this experience.

At this point you may want to use needles or touch to stay with the process and support

transformation of the energy.

METHOD: UNWIND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM: FOCUS ON SENSATIONS AND MOVEMENT OF QI

Somatic Intelligence is a modern term that is used to describe “knowing” that happens when we

closely attend to qi flow in the body at the level of sensation and the impulse to move. Sensation

and movement are functions of the nervous system. When we attend to the kinesthetic sense of

sensation and movement, we can assist our clients in releasing pent-up energy and stimulating the

parasympathetic nervous system which is in charge of resting and digesting. Clients learn how to

let the body relax naturally. Sensation work is augmented by stimulating acu-points which

encourage qi to flow through the energy channels and fascia. Allowing the nervous system to

unwind is also a body-centered method for releasing the effects of trauma.

Qi is equated with movement, and sensation also has movement. For example, heavy sensations

can have a downward and/or inward movement. Radiating sensations can move in many directions

at once. Expanding sensations can move out, up, and/or down.

To direct your client to the level of sensation, it is often helpful to suggest some words that

describe sensation and movement. Here are a few examples:

Sharp, heavy, pressure, quivery, stretched, knotted, hard, pulsing, electric, soft, expanding,

contracting, radiating, vibrating, pounding, melting

Spontaneous Movement of Qi

When we are focused at the level of sensation (qi), and become aware of the inherent movement

that accompanies it, we can allow the flow to move naturally. It has a unique pattern and moves

from one part of the body to another. When we let this happens without preconceived ideas or

analysis, we can enjoy the experience of “qi moving by itself.” Spontaneous qi movement also

happens for qigong practitioners as a result of focused attention and attunement to their

practice.


The spontaneous movement of qi can be used therapeutically to:

Transform unpleasant sensations or pain into relaxed, diffuse, or milder sensations that are

more tolerable.

Increase the experience of relaxation and help the nervous system unwind. As expansive,

softening, and melting sensations are allowed to travel through the body, there is deeper

relaxation and rejuvenation. New neuromuscular patterns are established in body and

psyche, and the ability to consciously relax increases.

Diffuse strong or overwhelming emotions by focusing on the sensations and movement

aspect of them without the focus on story. The body may shake, tremble, jerk, or cough at

first and then settle into a smoother flow. As emotional energy is allowed to flow through

the body as sensation, the nervous system naturally unwinds.

This method is useful for releasing the effects of traumatic memories which create a burst

of adrenalin and cortisol that the body has deal with. In this work the emphasis is on the

physical sensation and movement and not the emotion or story. It is important that the

person is able to maintain grounding and presence throughout. Care must be taken with

trauma work of this kind, and pacing is extremely important. Do not attempt it unless you

have prior experience or training in working with trauma on a body level.

METHOD

To work at the level of sensation and movement, ask the client to let go of any thoughts or labels

for the experience and focus only on sensations and their movement. Ask them to describe the

sensations. Give suggestions if necessary. Then…

Get details:

Where is that sensation located in your body?

Does it stay in one place or move?

Are there any other words that describe it? (can suggest words)

What directional movement does it have? (down, in, up, out)

Expand the context:

Do you sense other places in your body that feel the same way?

Encourage movement:

Let the sensation move by itself and see what happens…

How does it move? (name any movements you observe: Your eyes are moving. Your belly

just tightened. Your feet are moving.)

Savor:

Let yourself enjoy the (name sensation) sensations and movement and trust your body to

know how it wants to unwind.


METHOD: MEDITATE ON EXPANSION, ACCESS THE HEARTMIND STATE

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would be seen as it is, infinite.”

—William Blake

“The Dao is never far away, yet it may be hard to reach. It is within every one of us, yet it may

be hard to grasp. If we stay clear of desires, the shen will enter its home. If we sweep away all

impurities, the shen will stay with us. Human beings all crave intelligence and wisdom, but

rarely do they try to understand what the source of their existence is.”

—Taoist classic, Guanzi, prior to 200 B.C.

When tension has cleared, the body feels lighter and expanded. When the thinking mind relaxes,

the doors of perception are clearer; this leads to the inner doorway of the HeartMind. This is

often the case at the end of a session, especially if there has been some bodymind clearing and

integration. People say that they are relaxed and feel good. Instead of letting the session end

here, spend a few minutes on the following sequence. Take them through the inner doorway and

help them trust it.

METHOD

• Focus on sensations of lightness, spaciousness, comfort.

• Ask how big they are and where they are felt in, through or outside of the body.

• Have the person notice other qualities or textures of the lightness, spaciousness etc. like smooth, soft, warm, deep, full, empty or peaceful

• Allow more of the body to feel this experience

• Ask if there is a feeling state or mood that is present.

• Encourage the person to savor the experience.

• To integrate, ask if there is a knowing they have when they are in this state, or if this place has a message. If you are at the end of a focusing session, ask what knowing or message they sense that is related to the issue they were working on.

• Stay with the message and notice where that resonates in the body. See if there is an image or color associated with it. This anchors the experience in the body and brain.

• Suggest that the person return to this place in the body and message they are enjoying whenever needed.


METHOD: METAPHOR AND STORY WITH POINT WORK TO REFRAME AND GIVE A NEW PERSPECTIVE

One of the most powerful interventions you can use to set the tone of the session and direct the

focus on intention for inner work, is to relate to your clients, one of the classical images or

metaphors that you know from your study of the points, meridians, five elements and other

nature stories. The names, images and descriptions of the movement of energy in nature speak to

an instinctive part of us. We are all intimately connected to the flow of the seasons, and the

themes of the meridians, like Sea of Nourishment for the stomach, Heart Protector for the

Pericardium, Official of Decision Making for the Gall Bladder, Official who sorts through the pure

and impure for the Small Intestine.

When you can match your point and meridian work with the theme and story that the client

presents, it immediately inspires curiosity and makes it easier to engage in mindful exploration of

a part of the self, or an issue at hand. These descriptions bring up archetypal associations. They

also relate to everyday life. Most people have had various kinds of disruptions with finding the

proper way to nourish themselves at some point in life. It may be physical, emotional or spiritual.

Many of us have suffered from a broken heart, or feel vulnerable about opening up again.

Indecision is another common theme.

What’s nice about the meridians and their names is that they represent the ability to come back

into balance. There is a sea of nourishment. We all have the capacity to sort through what is right

for us and what is not. There is a decisive part of the self. These qualities are part of our inner

nature, but we often cut ourselves off from them. When you relate metaphors at the beginning of

a session, it sets the tone and begins the process. When you tell them near the end, they can help

clients reach for new solutions, and expand their perspective.

The more you know about point names, meridian functions, and Daoist metaphors like the Five

Elements, the Three treasures, and the Inner Bodymind Kingdom, the larger the repertoire of

transformative themes you have at your disposal.

METHOD

• While listening to the client’s narrative, reflect on acupuncture points and meridian pathway

functions that can help transform the current situation. For instance, your client may tell

you that they are in a transition, perhaps they are leaving one job and starting a new one, or

leaving a relationship and transitioning to being a single person. You may hear or feel anger,

sadness, hopelessness or resignation in between the storylines. The last point of the liver

meridian, LV14, is called “Gate of Hope.” LV13 is called “Cycles End.” In the twenty-four-

hour body clock, the energy of the Liver meridian flows into the Lung meridian to begin the

new cycle.

• Relate these point names to the client and explain their meaning in a metaphorical and

poetic way. Tell them that you would like to hold these points while they reflect on their

situation, and be aware of thoughts, feelings or images that arise spontaneously as you do

so. If you are doing acupressure, LV13 and LV14 can be held with the Liver shu point on the

back. Then move to the Lung shu point and hold it with Lung 1. During this time, ask the

client to tell you any thoughts, images, or feelings that come up.

• Listen compassionately, communicate effectively, and direct awareness as indicated. Hold

space for any feelings that arise. As appropriate, remind the person to breathe with the


points and resonate with their meaning, as one cycle ends, hope arises because a new cycle

always begins again.

• If and when the person begins to relax and find deeper meaning and insight, be sure to have

them stay with and savor this experience. Guide them to the heartmind state if available, as

indicated in the above exercise.

METHOD: Twelve Officials and Inner Parts, a Guiding Metaphor for Inner Transformation

Here is the feudal metaphor from the classical text, the Neijing, which describes the relationship

of the twelve organ meridian networks and the inner mind-body-spirit experience. This metaphor

may be one of the best for Asian bodyworkers and Acupuncturists to use to assess and work with

emotional imbalance.

In this metaphor the inner world is likened to a land that has a monarch and 11 officials who serve

the monarch and play specific roles in the bodymind domain. The immaterial Heart, or Shen, is

the monarch, who is ultimately in charge of the health, creativity and proper functioning of the

entire land. Its position cannot be overestimated. The Neijing says that when the Heart is strong,

the inner land is thriving. When the Heart is weak, the other 11 officials, grasp for control in an

effort to protect the integrity of the inner domain.

Today there is a philosophy of the inner world, taught by Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., called Inner

Family Systems. Dr. Schwartz, a psychologist who works with families, formed his views based on

the dynamics he has seen in hundreds of families and couples over the years of doing therapy and

teaching. In Inner Family Systems terminology, we all have inner parts, which have also been

called sub-personalities or ego states, which have their own function within us. These inner parts

are guided by certain beliefs and experiences we have had throughout life. They function to

protect us when we feel threatened, even though they often cause problems in our relationships

because they can become activated and expressed in ways that cause pain and chaos.

Schwartz believes that we also have a Self-state that can transform these parts. We can learn to

access the Self using mindfulness. When we restore communication between the Self and the

unruly part(s), transformation can occur. We see life with a new perspective and can make

different choices.

The Self-state expressed by Schwartz reminds me of the immaterial Heart in the metaphor of the

bodymind kingdom. By learning to access our HeartMind Self, we connect with an inner treasure.

The HeartMind Self is the part of us that is behind and beyond our thoughts and is the very

essence of our awareness, our innermost I-feeling. When we learn to identify with this innermost

I, we can bring forward our intrinsic nature and let it shine on the current situation. We feel more

peaceful, understanding, accepting and compassionate with ourselves and others. We feel safe,

because we are connected with our inner Truth. This lessen fear and increases love. It leads to a

sense of flow or global coherence in body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

When we are not attuned to our Heart Self, we may feel overly tense, critical, anxious, or

depressed. These are signs of one or more of the inner officials grasping for control. One of the

most effective ways to transform these overzealous and unbalanced parts is to help connect them

with the light of Shen.

With curiosity and an experimental attitude during a session, we can invite these inner officials to

the roundtable along with Shen and have our clients notice in body, mind and heart what


happens. This is a heartmind conference that connects fearful and protective parts with an inner

source of acceptance, compassion, and insight for change. We can have our clients embody and

feel into the nature of the part to become aware of its underlying emotions and purpose for

being. What part of the inner kingdom are they trying to protect or hold together?

As clients realize how they are activating these painful and chaotic energies, they can make new

choices. Help them feel into the presence of Shen and sense the messages that come from the

deeper Self or soul part of themselves.

METHOD

• Relate Inner Bodymind Kingdom Metaphor to create curiosity and get permission to proceed.

• Summarize the parts of the self that the patient is currently talking about.

• Relate parts to inner officials who are overly zealous in trying to protect the inner domain.

• Clarify with patient how each part is trying to protect, and remember their words.

• Set up experiment: tell patient that you will play the part of the wayward official(s), and

they will be the monarch (the heartmind), their place of inner light and love. They will

respond to you from that place. Have the person imagine that the parts are sitting at the

round table with the monarch. Work with only one official at a time. Ask the person which

one is the strongest in the moment.

• Give the person time to settle into a mindful place. Have them tell you when they’re ready

to begin.

• Repeat words for the wayward official as the client said it. Keep it simple, do not add any

of your own opinions. Repeat again, if client would like to hear it.

• Ask client to respond to you from the heartmind self.

• Listen to the response. Try to discern if the person is coming from a true heartmind state,

or from another inner part. If it sounds like an inner part, name that, and ask the person to

go to a place inside that is bigger than any individual part.

• When the heartmind speaks, remember the words and use them in your response.

• Stay in your role as the wayward official, and respond by taking in the advice. For example,

“So you want me to relax about this for now?” or “You want me to do my job without being

so judgmental?”

• Give the person time to respond.

• Validate any inner wisdom that arises, and ask the person how he/she can incorporate this

insight into their present situation.

• This process can be repeated for any other wayward officials sitting at the round table. A

childlike part may also be one of the officials. Childlike parts often represent a vulnerable

part of the self. They need and respond favorably to the heartmind self, which often

expresses as a compassionate and loving adult presence.

The information gained from this exercise will help you in your assessment of the balance or

imbalance of the organ networks and meridians of the body, and can be the beginning of point

work that helps the person relax and integrate the information that came from the session. This

exercise can take some time, so plan accordingly. If emotions or other inner processes surface

during an acupressure or acupuncture session, you can tell the person about this exercise, and

suggest that you do it at the next visit. If emotions arise during this process, listen with

compassion and stay present. Refer to the method for emotional release in the following section.


EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The word emotion comes from the Latin word emouvere. Thus we can call emotion, “energy in

motion.” It is a wave of vibration that begins internally and washes through the system in

response to something that happens either externally or internally in our experience. Emotional

energy is an intelligence and communication system that gets mind and body ready to perform

important functions. For example, healthy fear gives us respect for the forces around us. It

prepares us to face the unknown. We become alert and pay close attention to our surroundings.

Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are triggered which enable us to mobilize energy for

movement. Energy moves downward into the legs so we can run if necessary. People who engage

in extreme sports talk about needing to find the balance between the alertness that comes with

fear, and the paralysis that can come if the fear gets too strong.

Limbic brain structures, like the amygdala and hippocampus, are thought to mediate emotional

sensibility. When the emotional wave is triggered, many peptides sweep along in the blood and

cerebrospinal fluid and travel distances to connect with specific receptors on cells in many parts

of the body4. These microscopic chains of amino acids, may be the biological basis of emotion.

Most commonly, emotion is triggered as a result of our thinking and belief system in response to

something that happens in our inner or outer environment.

When the strongest part of an emotional wave rolls over us, our capacity to think or reason is

offline. This happens because thinking, reasoning and even putting words to our feelings, is

mediated by the neocortical part of the brain. The limbic brain takes over. When this happens in

the clinical setting, it is often best to stay present with the client without talking, and let the

release happen on its own.

As the wave of emotion subsides, thinking and self-observation returns as the limbic brain and

neocortex function in harmony again. We can then give the emotional energy focused attention

and discover something about the events that have stimulated it. In their book, A General Theory

of Love, authors Thomas Lewis, M.D., Fari Amini, M.D., Richard Lannon, M.D. say that that the

link between the limbic and neocortical brain is called “prosody.”

In the clinical setting, emotions often surface during the process of point work and focused self-

reflection with areas of chronic body tension, and other stress related internal symptoms. We find

that emotions, attitudes, judgments and coping mechanisms are a part of these patterns and

symptoms. Bringing this information to consciousness, where it can be dealt with and reassessed,

is often the core work of a heartmind therapist.

Emotions often point to priorities that are surfacing, especially when they arise in a fresh and

spontaneous way. When we understand our clients’ emotional responses, we see how they

perceive their situation, and how their body tension reflects it. We can help our clients make this

correlation. Emotions are complex and multilayered, and it often takes time to understand them.

Emotional reactivity can be a distraction from real knowing. Quick anger, tears or excitement are

often conditioned and habitual responses that keep people on the surface of themselves. Since

emotions are complex, clients may feel overwhelmed and express the emotion that is easiest. This

is often the case with both anger and sadness. When anger subsides, sadness may follow it, and


vice versa. When we feel into the character of the underlying emotion, it may reveal the pain of

loss or hurt.

Mindfulness aids the process of understanding emotional intelligence. It helps to slow down the

process and give the distance needed to gather information about what is really being expressed

when emotional energy is present. Once we get to the bottom of the emotional reaction, the

client is often surprised and also relieved that their pain is being acknowledged and accepted by

the person who is listening. This can be very healing. Clients now have more control over the

tensions and pains because they understand how they can change their perspective and lifestyle

choices in order to feel more harmonious in mind and body.

WHAT NEUROSCIENCE TELLS US ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF EMOTION ON BODYMIND

COHERENCE

Coherence is a word used in physics that means there is synchronization and flow amongst various

systems. In the context of the emotions and the bodymind, it refers to the physiological, cognitive

and emotional systems. Recent studies of brain and heart rhythms show how linked these systems

are and how pervasive the effect of our emotions are on them. What we usually call negative

emotions are ones that give us a feeling of inner struggle, chaos and feelings of being out of

control. In contrast, positive feelings promote a state where the bodymind is processing

efficiently and life feels free and easy. The word psychophysiological coherence is the name given

to this state of free flow and optimal functioning of body, mind and emotions.

The people at the Institute of HeartMath write about these studies and have done some of their

own. In particular, they have studied how integral and central the heart is in the process of

psychophysiological coherence. They have found that the pattern of the heart’s rhythm, rather

than the rate, is most directly related to emotional dynamics and physiological synchronization.

Positive emotions like appreciation, care, compassion and love generate a smooth, sine-wave-like

pattern which reflects increased order in the brain and a general shift towards activating the

parasympathic nervous system that is responsible for rest and repair. Negative emotions such as

frustration, anger, anxiety and worry lead to heart rhythms that look incoherent, highly variable

and erratic.

They also note, what has been a tenant in Daoist philosophy since ancient times, that body, mind

and emotions cannot be separated and function as a whole. They recommend that through regular

heart-based practice, it is possible to use positive emotions to shift one’s whole psycho-

physiological system into a state of global order.

One simple practice they recommend to generate coherence, which is very similar to many qigong

and meditation practices, has two steps. First, focus your attention in the area of the heart and

imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area. Breathe a little slower and

deeper than usual. Next make a sincere attempt to experience a regenerative feeling such as

appreciation or care for someone or something in your life. Try to re-experience the feeling you

have for someone you love, a pet, a special place, an accomplishment etc. Or you can focus on a

feeling of calm or ease.


The findings of the HeartMath Institute are ones that have been known and practiced intuitively in

our Daoist-based medicine for centuries. However, to have the scientific explanations available

lend credibility to the western mind. Science is a language and value in our culture, and speaking

this language to clients at the appropriate time, can assist our efforts to educate and create

curiosity about the methods we are using. To familiarize yourself with this language, go to

www.heartmath.org.

Personally, I find that the depth of wisdom that is found in the classical philosophy and practice of

Daoist yoga and Chinese medicine, takes us to a place that science cannot yet measure. This

seems especially true in the area of the Heart and its function of harboring Shen or spirit. Science

is interested in the physical universe and things we can measure. From a Daoist and Tantra yoga

perspective, consciousness or Tao comes first and generates matter. Thus Shen would be the

source of brightness for the heart and its physical functioning.

Metaphors like the Inner bodymind kingdom, point to the centrality of the Heart or Shen in our

inner domain. It speaks to the centrality of the heart in maintaining “global coherence” in the

bodymind. See below for a longer discussion of this metaphor. Heart-based practices not only help

us regulate our nervous systems and create physical and emotional harmony, they quiet the

thinking mind to the point that with focused attention, we can open the inner doorway to the

pure awareness at the center of our being.

EMOTION AS A CAUSE OF DISEASE ACCORDING TO CHINESE MEDICINE

Chinese medicine has recognized for centuries that emotional imbalance is a cause of disease.

Since early times there have been discussions about the nature of the emotions and their

relationship to our more yang, or virtuous nature. The cultivation of virtue is intertwined with the

emotions. As we clear negative, or difficult and chaotic, emotions we are able to attune to and

express our virtuous inner nature.

From an ancient Chinese perspective, emotions are considered a shadow part of the self that is

laced with personal desire and self-interest. Our emotions come from our instinctive and

conditioned human experience, and by their nature are linked to our individual beliefs, attitudes,

and judgements. In this way they reflect self-interest. Our self-interests and personal agendas and

can easily become imbalanced and cause stress and pain to ourselves and others, if we don’t keep

them in check and understand our deeper motivations

In early writings, like “Discussions on the power of virtue in the White Tiger Hall” written about

1st century BCE, and translated by Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., it says,

“We live in a universe where we are surrounded, shaped and nourished by a

spectrum of five positive qualities, namely compassion, selflessness, propriety,

wisdom and integrity.”

In this same text the emotions are listed as excitement, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love

(preferential love which can be at the expense of others, as opposed to a more universal love

which is part of compassion), and hate. Other authors translate the emotions a little differently.


Here is a list of sentiments and virtues taken from a paper written by Heiner Fruehauf called, “All

Disease Comes from the Heart: The Pivotal Role of the Emotions in Classical Chinese Medicine.”

These are correlated with the Five Phases. The sentiments are feeling states that, when

imbalanced, lead to emotional turmoil. I have expanded on the definitions and synonyms for the

sentiments and virtues in the Appendix: Expand Your Emotional Vocabulary at the end of this

chapter.

The five sentiments include:

vigor, associated with Wood-Liver,

ecstasy, associated with Fire-Heart,

contemplation, associated with Earth-Spleen,

nostalgia, associated with Metal-Lung, and

apprehension, associated with Water-Kidney.

When the sentiments become imbalanced, vigor can turn to anger, ecstasy into hysteria,

contemplation into worry, nostalgia into grief, and apprehension into fear.

The Five Phase correlations for the virtues (also called constants) include:

compassion, associated with Wood-Liver,

propriety, associated with Fire-Heart,

integrity, associated with Earth-Spleen,

selflessness, associated with Metal-Lung

wisdom, associated with Water-Kidney.

Here is a description of the virtues from “Discussions on the Power of Virtue in the White Tiger

Hall.” Our virtuous nature is also called our Heavenly nature in the Chinese context. In Tantra

yoga, which is the Indian counterpart to Daoism, the deeper inner nature of a human being is

called our dharmic nature.

“Compassion (ren) is the opposite of indifference and cruelty, it manifests as

kindness toward all creatures and acts of loving and helping others. Selflessness (yi)

is humanity’s sense of justice, out internal compass to do the right thing. Propriety

(li) is the fulfillment of our destiny through action, the daily walking on the path of

life that over time evolves into a pattern of goodness.” (Heiner says this is the most

complex virtue to understand. It includes learning to recognize the sublime and

sacred in every person, thing and event. It also references ritual.) Wisdom (shi) is

knowledge, the unique ability to draw from past experiences and read subtle clues

while remaining impartial to the chatter of worldly opinion. Integrity (xin) is

sincerity, unwavering focus and conviction. Human existence, therefore, resonates

with the basic nature of the cosmos as described by the either trigrams.”

The following virtues are listed in the “Ten Characteristics of Dharma” by P. R. Sarkar, a

contemporary Indian philosopher and Tantra yoga master. They include: patience, forgiveness,

self-control, honesty, cleanliness, intellect that is utilized to benefit all living beings, spiritual

knowledge, love of truth and non-anger.


EMOTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Emotional transformation in the clinical setting can lead to the larger process of physical health

and spiritual growth, especially when we help our clients re-evaluate emotional turmoil that

causes them pain. We can also support the expression of positive emotions and virtues as they

arise, and let clients know about the central role of the Heart and its ability to generate a state of

inner coherence with the expression of positive emotions and virtues in health and well-being.

You can teach your clients the simple HeartMath exercise explained above or Inner Smile and

other similar exercises from qigong.

As practitioners we have to be careful not to confuse the pure expression of emotion, which is

natural, with the attitudes, beliefs, judgments and mental conditioning that cause emotional

imbalance. It is important that we understand the interaction of emotion and mental processes

like attitudes, judgments and beliefs, which either support or block emotional intelligence. These

patterns are tightly wired in the brain and nervous system. They get reinforced by cultural

conditioning, and life experience which seems to validate them.

Let’s take anger as an example. In the Law of the Five Phases, anger is the emotion associated

with the Wood phase. The over expression of anger, especially if it is coupled with violence, is

dangerous for ourselves and others. However, if we investigate the expression of anger, it is

often there because vigor, the balanced sentiment of Wood, is stagnant or thwarted. We can also

call vigor assertiveness, or the will to become5.

When people explore feelings of anger with mindfulness and acceptance, they usually discover

how their urge to assert is being thwarted. First they become aware of what they do not like or

do not want. It may be a relationship that has become too oppressive, a power struggle that

needs to be addressed, or an internal rule that is too tight.

Once they are clear about what they do not want, the focus can turn towards what they do want,

what their vision is, and what their personal direction should be. In other words, exploring the

emotion of anger, and becoming aware of related attitudes, beliefs and inner rules in an

environment of safety and mindfulness, can reconnect to the healthy expression of the Wood

phase, which is vigor. Anger can be seen as an extreme expression of vigor.6

True emotional transformation happens when we attune to our more expansive HeartMind nature

for guidance. This works best in an atmosphere of safety and relaxation, where our attention is

focused inward to the deeper parts of the Self. Like the metaphor of knights and the roundtable,

or the Heartmind Self and the 11 officials, our wayward inner parts need to be in service to the

greater Self for all to flourish.

4Pert, Candace, Molecules of Emotion (1997)

5Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, Joy of Feeling: Bodymind Acupressure®, p.303

6Ibid. The idea of an emotion being an extreme expression of a balanced state is a central idea in

Teeguarden’s theory of emotions and is used in Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®


FIVE PHASES FOR WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH EMOTIONS

Acknowledge emotion, mood, or affect

Encourage mindfulness on the part of the client

Slow the pace to allow for emotional energy to be present

Support new self-direction and motivation for change

Discuss possible options to move forward

Give ideas for writing, art, ritual & relationship support

Find where the sensation of emotion is located in body

Ask client to notice qualities & tone of emotion

Stay with client throughout any emotional expression

After emotion subsides, acknowledge emotional intelligence

Find out about needs, longings, or desires

Try to address needs with creative touch, needles, or words

Listen for wisdom to emerge in what person says or does.

Express hunches and metaphors that come to you. Let the

person relax deeply and ponder new options.

Listen to memories that may emerge

Be curious about implied underlying beliefs & expectations

Are there any beliefs and old stories that need re-evaluation?

Help them let go of judgments, criticism and blame and accept

themselves as they are.


METHOD: EMOTIONAL RELEASE

In the health care setting, emotional release often happens as a spontaneous and often surprising

event. It may occur when patients first tell their health care story and talk about the stresses of

their lives. It may happen as a result of working with the body through needles or touch. Clients

often express emotion when we respond with empathy or compassion to what we see, hear, or

sense during a treatment. The following are guidelines for dealing with emotional release.

WHEN EMOTIONS RELEASE SPONTANEOUSLY:

Make nourishing contact statements that acknowledge the emotion, and reassure your

client that it is okay to express it.

Remain present and silent during emotional release, or make non-verbal contact

statements like: mmmm or uh-huh to demonstrate that you are present when emotion is

strong and mindfulness is inaccessible to your client.

Use gentle touch, if appropriate, to support spontaneous behavior. For example, you can

put your hand over theirs when they cover heart, or remove some needles so they can

change their posture. If this stops the person’s release, slowly take away the touch

When the emotional wave subsides, encourage mindfulness to be with the underlying

meaning associated with the emotion. Listen for and ask about any need that is being

expressed. Acknowledge it and find a creative way to meet that need with words, touch,

etc., and be aware of positive shifts that occur.

Check in to see if the patient is experiencing expansion in the felt body sense. Help them

explore and savor any peacefulness, pleasure, and healing wisdom that arises. This may be

a time to relate the Inner bodymind metaphor explained above to get further insights.

For acupuncturists, you always have the option to leave your clients in the room with the

needles if they are resting comfortably after an emotional release. If your client tells you

that emotional release occurred while you were out of the room, encourage them to tell

you about any insights that they may have had. Ask them to notice changes in their body

and mood. If appropriate, you can suggest that more exploration can happen at the next

session. Suggest homework.

WHEN EMOTIONAL RELEASE SEEMS HABITUAL, INAPPROPRIATE, CONTRIVED OR OVERLY

DRAMATIC:

Ask to slow down the process to get the full meaning of the emotion in the moment.

Ask where the emotion is felt in the body and spend some time exploring sensations that

go with it.

Ask about the qualities of the emotion itself, and if it is mixed with other emotional tones.

Acknowledge anything you hear that tells you about the meaning or importance of the

emotion. For example, “so the tears are also about frustration,” “so the anger is telling us

that you would like some appreciation.”

Ask the person to acknowledge and stay with any underlying messages that emerge. You

may add or take out needles and let them rest.


WHEN FEELINGS OR EMOTIONS ARE CONFUSED WITH JUDGEMENTS AND EVALUATIONS:

Words like abused, betrayed, cheated, tricked, and manipulated are often referred to as

feelings. They are actually complex states that can contain many layers of emotion such as

fear, hurt, anger, and worry.

Acknowledge the experience of these states with a contact statement, and ask if it is ok to

slow the process and study it, to see what emotions and needs are being expressed.

Ask where the experience is manifesting in the body, and spend some time exploring

sensations that go with it. Listen for emotional qualities in the voice and contact them.

Ask the person to notice any emotions and suggest a few, such as fear, anger, or hurt to

direct the person’s awareness to the emotional realm. Acknowledge any response with a

contact statement and ask the person to stay with the emotion.

Discover any underlying needs and see if there is a creative way to meet them in the

moment.

Suggest that the person can feel into a deeper part of themselves that is outside of this

emotional state and view the situation from there for further guidance.

Suggest further study at home if appropriate.

WHEN YOU FEEL YOU ARE IN OVER YOUR HEAD:

It is always okay to stop a process and help the person become mindful and present. This is

especially true when a person seems traumatized or begins to dissociate from their present

experience.

Tell them that you know this [their experience] is very important and that it is not

complete, but that you feel you have to complete for now. Explain that you feel their

needs are beyond your skill level and training, and suggest that the person see a counseling

professional. Make specific referrals. See if there is anything you can do to provide comfort

or relaxation in the moment.

Follow up and see if the referral has been successful.


FIVE PHASES OF PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Connect with Presence

(ecstasy – propriety – hate)

To connect and have relationship

Sacred connection and ritual

To create and manifest

To respond effectively

Empower with Choice

(vigor – compassion – anger)

To assert and spread outward

Growing, Rooted, Flexible, Strong

Sense of self-direction

Vision, Clarity, Insight

Resonate and Serve

(contemplation – integrity – blame)

To understand and appreciate human experience

To take in and give support

Bonding, Boundaries, Belonging

Harmony, Satisfaction, Contentment

Discover and Deepen

(apprehension – wisdom – disdain)

To anchor in the “here and now”

To expand and be egoless

Mystery, Potential, Seed

Determination, Memory, Wisdom

Rest and renewal

Value and Accept

(nostalgia – selflessness – judgment)

To go inside to find meaning and value

To move towards independence

Inner strength and structure

Mature, Complete, Accept, Let go

(five sentiments – five constants – from Wang Fengyi) Various authors: Leon Hammer, Heiner Fruehauf, Lonny Jarret, Lorena Monda, Kamala Quale

APPENDIX: EXPAND YOUR EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY

When we expand our emotional vocabulary, we are better able to help clients recognize and

acknowledge feelings and emotional intelligence. Below are some definitions and synonyms for

the qualities known as the Heavenly Sentiments and the Five Constants, as well as other strong

emotions and attitudes.

HEAVENLY SENTIMENTS

Nostalgia

A remembering and a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: e.g., a

nostalgia for his college days.

Synonyms for Nostalgia

homesickness, loneliness, longing, sentimentality, yearning, remorse

Contemplation

Thoughtful or deep consideration; reflection; purpose and intention; prospect or expectation.

Synonyms for Contemplation

regard, sight, view, cogitation, deliberation, meditation, reflection, speculation,

awareness, consideration, intention, musing

Apprehension

The faculty or act of apprehending, esp. intuitive understanding; perception on a direct and

immediate level.

Acceptance of or receptivity to information without passing judgment on its validity, often

without complete comprehension.

A view, opinion, or idea on any subject.

Anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.

Synonyms for Apprehension

Comprehension, alarm, dread, fright, horror, panic, terror, trepidation, seizure,

comprehension, grip

Vigor

Active strength of force.

Healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.

Energetic activity; energy; intensity: e.g., the economic recovery has given the country a new

vigor.

Force of healthy growth in any living matter or organism, as a plant.

Active or effective force, esp. legal validity.

Synonyms for Vigor

animation, bounce, dash, élan, esprit, life, liveliness, sparkle, verve, vivacity, zip

Joy

The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying;

keen pleasure; elation: e.g., she felt the joy of seeing her son’s success.

A source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or

appreciated: e.g., her prose style is a pure joy.

The expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

To feel joy; be glad; rejoice (v. used without obj.)

Synonyms for Joy

enjoyment, pleasure, beatitude, blessedness, bliss, cheer, cheerfulness, felicity, gladness,

delight, exult, enchant

Ecstasy

The frenzy of poetic inspiration.

Mental transport or rapture from the contemplation of diving things.

A state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion; “listening to sweet music in a perfect

rapture.” ~Charles Dickens

The state of being beside oneself or rapt out of oneself; a state in which the mind is elevated

above the reach of ordinary impressions, as when under the influence of overpowering emotion;

an extraordinary elevation of the spirit, as when the soul, unconscious of sensible objects, is

supposed to contemplate heavenly mysteries.

Synonyms for Ecstasy

paradise, rapture, seventh heaven, transport, bliss, delight, elation, euphoria, exaltation,

happiness, heaven, joy

FIVE CONSTANTS

Integrity

Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Synonyms for Integrity

fiber, honesty, principle, honor, durability, firmness, stability, strength, wholeness,

entirety, oneness, candor

Selflessness

The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Acting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity; having little or no

concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.

Synonym of Selflessness

altruism

Wisdom

The quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right couples with just judgment

as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

Scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of schools.

Wise sayings or teachings; precepts.

Synonyms of Wisdom

insight, sagacity, judgment, sense, information, lore, circumspect, cognizant, discerning,

discreet, discriminating, equitable

Compassion

The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about

it.

Synonyms of Compassion

commiseration, condolence, empathy, sympathy, compassionate, humane, humanitarian,

kind, merciful, soft, sympathetic, tender

Propriety

Conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners.

Appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.

Rightness or justness.

Synonyms for Propriety

correctness, decorum, morality, etiquette, mores, p’s and q’s, civility, courtesy,

pleasantry, politeness, appropriate, decorous

STRONG EMOTIONS AND ATTITUDES

Grief

Keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.

A cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow.

Synonyms for Grief

heartache, heartbreak, sorrow, disconsolate, dolorous, funereal, grievous, inconsolable,

lamentable, melancholy, adversity, affliction

Fear

A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.

A state or condition marked by this feeling: e.g., living in fear.

A feeling of disquiet or apprehension: a fear of looking foolish.

Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.

A reason for dread or apprehension: Being alone is my greatest fear.

Synonyms of Fear

alarm, apprehension, dread, fright, horror, panic, terror, trepidation, anxiety, awe

Hysteria

An uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter,

weeping, etc.

In psychoanalysis: A psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks,

disturbances of sensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.

Synonyms for Hysteria

delirium, excitement, frenzy, madness, panic, agitation, mirth, nervousness

Anger

A strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.

Synonyms for Anger

indignation, ire, burn, enrage, incense, infuriate, madden, provoke, blow up, boil over,

bristle

Worry

To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled.

To pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth.

To proceed doggedly in the face of difficulty or hardship: e.g., worried at the problem.

Synonyms for Worry

ail, concern, distress, trouble, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, harass, harry, pester, plague

Disdain

To think unworthy of notice, response; consider beneath oneself: to disdain replying to an insult.

A feeling of contempt for anything regarded as unworthy; haughty contempt; scorn (n.).

Synonyms for Disdain

contempt, scorn, despite, abhor, arrogance, derision, despise, detest, flout, hate

Judgment

The act or process of judging; the formation of an opinion after consideration or deliberation.

The mental ability to perceive and distinguish relationships; discernment: e.g., Fatigue

may affect a pilot’s judgment of distances.

The capacity to form an opinion by distinguishing and evaluating: e.g., His judgment of

fine music is impeccable.

The capacity to assess situations or circumstances and draw sounds conclusions; good

sense: e.g., She showed good judgment in saving her money.

An opinion or estimate formed after consideration or deliberation, especially a formal or

authoritative decision: e.g., awaited the judgment of the umpire.

A misfortune believed to be sent by God as punishment for sin.

Synonyms for Judgment

conclusion, inference, sense, wisdom, appraisal, assessment, estimation, evaluation,

decree, determination, edict, pronouncement

Blame

To find fault with; censure or condemn.

To place responsibility for (something): e.g., blamed the crisis on poor planning.

Synonyms for Blame

censure, criticize, fault, rap, affix, assign, fasten, impute, place, guilt, onus,

condemnation

These nouns denote a sense of responsibility for an offense.

Blame stresses censure or punishment for a lapse or misdeed for which one is held

accountable: The police laid blame for the accident on the driver.

Fault is culpability for wrongdoing or failure: It is my own fault that I wasn’t prepared for

the exam.

Guilt applies to willful wrongdoing and stresses moral culpability: The prosecution had

evidence of the defendant’s guilt.

REFERENCES AND LINKS

A Complete Guide to Acupressure, by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden – this book includes a chapter that I

wrote about expanding bodymind awareness.

A General Theory of Love, by Thomas Lewis, et al. – talks about the significance and importance

of the relationship between practitioner and client, as well as personal relationships.

I Ching The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth, Hua-Ching Ni

The Joy of Feeling, by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden.

The Molecules of Emotion, by Candace Pert.

The Mindful Brain, by Daniel Siegel – neurobiology about the brain and how relationships affect us

and change our brain.

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, a new translation of the Neijing Suwen with

commentary, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D

Twelve Characters: A Transmission of Wang Fengyi’s Teachings, translated by Sabine Wilms,

Happy Goat Productions.

You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For, by Richard Schwartz – this book is a modern version of

the Inner Bodymind Kingdom metaphor. It talks about the relationship of our inner parts to the

whole, and our relationship to Self.

www.classicalchinesemedicine.org – join the associate’s forum and read about cosmology and

symbolism in CCM to learn fascinating information about the significance of the meridians and the

point names. It will really give your understanding of the symbols and metaphors of the work you

are doing some depth. There is also information about qigong, Daoist medicine and healing, and

Shan Ren Dao, the path of the good person, Wang Feng Yi, which is under emotional healing –

Heiner Fruehauf’s work.

www.heartmath.org – scientific findings about the centrality of the heart and global coherence.

www.TREpdx.com – Trauma Release Exercises work of David Bercelli – educates you about trauma

response and teaches a form of tremoring that releases psoas, body tension.

Wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivational_Interviewing – a nice summary of motivational interviewing

which is based on many of the same values of partnership and relationship that we are practicing

with HeartMind Solutions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kamala’s western medical background includes medical-surgical nursing. She has a master’s degree in Classical Chinese Medicine from NCNM, and is nationally certified in all branches of this medicine which include: acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, nutrition and meditative qigong healing methods. Kamala is an authorized teacher and senior member of Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure®, and a Certified Hakomi Therapist and former member of their teaching staff. She has authored several articles on the use of bodymind awareness with both acupressure and acupuncture, including the chapter entitled “Enhancing Bodymind Awareness” in A Complete Guide to Acupressure. Kamala has a private practice in Eugene, Oregon, and she enjoys leading groups and classes for the layperson and allied healthcare professionals alike. Kamala Quale 2016

BENEFITS OF HEARTMIND SOLUTIONS HeartMind Solutions trainings teach acupuncturists, Asian bodyworkers, and other complementary health care practitioners how to create a specialty that sets you apart from other practitioners and enhances the healing services you can offer your clients. Through workshops and individual mentoring, you will learn key attitudinal, relational, and focusing methods that will benefit your practice and increase the intuitive and healing potential of your work. This method helps you to:

• Make your job easier and more effective by teaching your clients how to take a more conscious and active part in the healing process.

• Learn to quickly sort through the storyline your client presents and focus on the heart of the matter more effectively.

• Make your assessment and treatment more effective by increasing the depth of your understanding of your client.

• Help clients learn to reduce stress physically by relaxing the nervous system and allowing the body to unwind using sensation and movement.

• Increase awareness of psycho-emotional or psycho-physical pattern that is manifesting in body tension.

• Learn to work with difficult situations that require special listening and communication skills.

• Feel comfortable with naming and exploring feelings that are present.

• Explore and transform emotional states like anxiety, anger, fear, and trauma, in order to aid the healing process.

• Midwife an internal transformation of qi and be open to any of its manifestations.

• Help your client discover what the inner self is indicating as the next step for healing.

• Understand the dynamics of “resistance” in a new way, and help clients work through them.

• Learn methods you can teach your clients to promote self-care, and use yourself to keep your energy clear and strong.

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Methods for Transforming