Being a great Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner means connecting, loving, and perceiving beyond the physical, in which love is the moving motor that makes everything work. Every person we come across is beautifully connected to us. The healing is not coming from us; we are mere instruments of the universal energy that will work through us in an exchange of energy that will feel right, restoring balance and harmony in the patient's body, mind, and soul.
“No matter where we practice or who we treat, may we do so with compassion, love, respect and integrity. If we faithfully practice from the heart, we will uphold the beauty and dignity of this ancient Chinese art.”
Dr. Mikio Sankey proposes nine keys of healing that all great acupuncturists should have in order to heal even the deepest levels of imbalance in a patient. He states that all of us already have these qualities in us, but need some work to unlock them. Dr. Sankey divides these keys of healing into three triads.
The lower triad consists of skill, knowledge, and intention. Skills and knowledge can be easily learned by most of us at a reputable TCM school. Intention requires our undivided attention, as the quote says “...where intention goes energy flows.” A practitioner's intention when introducing acupuncture needles may be even more important than the depth or amount of needles used. With intention, every needle is a sign we are giving to the body to heal and regain balance. Intention is a powerful tool that can only be truly accessed if we practice with mindfulness.
The middle triad consists of intuition, trust, and integrity. Intuition will be one of our most powerful tools of healing. Intuition comes when we are able to clear the clutter of our minds to see beyond the physical and emotional signs and symptoms. Connecting with our patient's higher self to instinctively know what they need at that moment. Trust and integrity will allow our patients to open up to us for their imbalances to reveal themselves for a true healing experience.
The upper triad consists of forgiveness, compassion, and unconditional love. This triad is upmost important as all this loving energy we put into treating our patients will influence each one of their body cells, physically, emotionally and mentally. Being a great TCM practitioner means listening with compassion to what our patients say, in order to gain a true understanding of their symptoms, as well as the state of their Shen (mind) and their Hun (ethereal soul).
One of our main roles as TCM practitioners is to teach and guide our patients to embrace health, to see food, herbs, conscious breathing, and positive thinking as medicine, to feel centered and balanced, and, most importantly, content with their lives.
“Rather than seeing ourselves as healers, we must realize that our role is that of teachers - To plant a seed with our needles and herbs to unleash the power of the body to return to balance and blossom as a flower.”
We are powerful beings of light; made for love, peace, unity, and play. Stand in the light that you are and everything you do for others will be right. This is our place of truth and the foundation of a great TCM practitioner.
References
Acupuncture Today
Qualities of a Great Acupuncturist: Practice from the Heart
June, 2002, Vol. 03, Issue 06
Esoteric Acupuncture: Gateway to Expanded Healing, Vol. 1.
Mikio Sankey
Mountain Castle Publishing, 1999
The Heart of Chinese Medicine
Claude Larre, Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee
Station Hill Press, 1995
Practice from the Heart
Poem, unknown
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