More Subtle than Physical

I have been supervising a student clinic for the Asian Institute of Medical Studies, the clinic is a Tui Na Clinic in an Assisted Living Center. I have had two students last quarter and they returned for another quarter that will end at the end of May. It has been a great clinic.

One of the things that is always interesting to me is to see these patients respond so well from Tui Na. The bodywork has to be gentle, due to the age of the patients and their frail condition. But almost always they respond very clearly to the bodywork. Old-age has been called a second childhood and it is interesting to note that the seniors seem to respond to Tui Na as quickly as an infant does. Maybe it is because they are so close to the gate that their body responds to energy work more quickly than an adolescent or adult.

Tui Na is well suited for this clientel, the gentle pressure is relaxing and relieves stagnation very effectively. Of course every patient is different, but with an average age of mid 80's we see a lot of stagnation and Qi deficiency.

One of the area's we have had to learn to work through is when a patient is non-verbal due to sequella of stroke. We have to become attuned to the individual patient and determine what works well for that patient on that day and adjust our treatments accordingly.

Many times the students will start with a physical movement, a pressing or vibrating technique that will evolve naturally to the point their hand is not moving, but the vibration is 'internalizing' inside the musculature of the patient. As a supervisor I get to watch the patients from a different perspective than the students. I get to see the patient relax into this non-physical, vibrational form of treatment. It is cool to watch.