Coming in 2010
This class delves deeply into the subtle characteristics of acupuncture points. The geometric rhythmic movements of points will be presented, along with the ways in which changes in the point affects the direction and formation of vectors and the core needs of the point in order to more fully release it with a needle.
The role of Wei Qi on the point will be shown, along with a detailed examination of different client presentations that alter the ways in which you as the practitioner can access acupuncture points for treatment.
This class in for students and practitioners of any style who wish to have a more profound appreciation of the nature of acupuncture points and how they relate to each other and the meridian system as a whole.
Prior attendance of at least two other Art of Acupuncture classes is required. Participants of any style of practice are welcome. All materials for this class will be provided.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Understanding Points and Vectors
There is a wonderful feeling when you are in an airplane on your way home. The plane comes out of the clouds, and you look down out of the window and see your home city far below you. The buildings look like tiny little dots at first. Then, as you descend, they get bigger and bigger, until you can see the streets and the cars, and finally the sidewalks. There is also an altered sense of perception that occurs, so that the cars and people look larger-than-life when you get down near the ground level.
This is a lot like what goes on when learning how to palpate an acupuncture point well. In the beginning, the point is just a vague depression in the skin, and this is like seeing the city from high up in the air. As you develop your palpation skills, the geography of the point expands in your senses. Like coming down in the airplane, you begin to notice the streets, and then the cars, the sidewalks, and everything else. An acupuncture point is a small world underneath your fingers. Within each point there are several different spots that can be treated effectively with different techniques for different reasons.
This is the focus of the first part of the class. You will learn the physical and mental tools that will enable you to take your palpation skill to the next level and notice more about the points you treat. We will discuss what different palpatory findings mean, and when a point is appropriate for needling or when moxa treatment is better.
The second part of the class is on vectors. A vector is the angle of opening into an acupuncture point. Most points have multiple vectors present and connecting to different levels of depth in the meridian system. You will learn several methods for palpating vectors, and how to choose between multiple angles of treatment.
By the end of this class, you will have an appreciation of the different levels of palpation at your disposal, and the skills to choose between them for the best results in your clinic. You will also be able to find the exact treatment point for your treatment goals and for your client’s overall presentation. Like all the classes in The Art of Acupuncture, this material is not limited to any style of treatment. However you work in your clinic, you will find that the techniques taught here will improve your treatment efficacy, and increase your understanding and enjoyment of acupuncture.
This is a lot like what goes on when learning how to palpate an acupuncture point well. In the beginning, the point is just a vague depression in the skin, and this is like seeing the city from high up in the air. As you develop your palpation skills, the geography of the point expands in your senses. Like coming down in the airplane, you begin to notice the streets, and then the cars, the sidewalks, and everything else. An acupuncture point is a small world underneath your fingers. Within each point there are several different spots that can be treated effectively with different techniques for different reasons.
This is the focus of the first part of the class. You will learn the physical and mental tools that will enable you to take your palpation skill to the next level and notice more about the points you treat. We will discuss what different palpatory findings mean, and when a point is appropriate for needling or when moxa treatment is better.
The second part of the class is on vectors. A vector is the angle of opening into an acupuncture point. Most points have multiple vectors present and connecting to different levels of depth in the meridian system. You will learn several methods for palpating vectors, and how to choose between multiple angles of treatment.
By the end of this class, you will have an appreciation of the different levels of palpation at your disposal, and the skills to choose between them for the best results in your clinic. You will also be able to find the exact treatment point for your treatment goals and for your client’s overall presentation. Like all the classes in The Art of Acupuncture, this material is not limited to any style of treatment. However you work in your clinic, you will find that the techniques taught here will improve your treatment efficacy, and increase your understanding and enjoyment of acupuncture.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Very Special Set of Continuing Education Classes
The Art of Acupuncture
With Zachary Parsons, Lic.Ac.
Level I:
April 24-25, 2010 - Simplifying Pulse Diagnosis
May 15-16, 2010 - Understanding Points and Vectors
June 19-20, 2010 - Point Release and Appropriate Insertion
July 17-18, 2010 - Energy Signature and Vibration Techniques
Level II:
*TBA - Point Geometry and Dynamic Insertion
*TBA - Non-Inserted Needle Techniques
*Require completion of 2 or more Level I offerings
This ground-breaking material will teach you to identify and communicate directly with the Qi of the acupuncture points.
Improve your ability to respond to any clinical situation quickly and correctly through the use of immediate and verifiable feedback from your clients’ bodies. Easily evaluate your treatment and prognosis using information found by your hands and at the tip of the needle.
Participants: We welcome practitioners and students of all styles of acupuncture!
Your tax-deductable investment: $295 per weekend ($250 students)
Register for the entire series and receive one weekend completely free of charge:
Six weekend classes for the low cost of $1475
($1250 students)
12 PDA’s per weekend. Complete all 6 classes to receive certification in The Art of Acupuncture
Classes run from 9:00-4:30pm at Sage Acupuncture,
62 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
Class size is limited to 15 to ensure individual attention and plenty of Q &A,
so don’t delay, register today!
To register, send an email: thesilverneedle@gmail.com, or phone: 781-860-8808
With Zachary Parsons, Lic.Ac.
Level I:
April 24-25, 2010 - Simplifying Pulse Diagnosis
May 15-16, 2010 - Understanding Points and Vectors
June 19-20, 2010 - Point Release and Appropriate Insertion
July 17-18, 2010 - Energy Signature and Vibration Techniques
Level II:
*TBA - Point Geometry and Dynamic Insertion
*TBA - Non-Inserted Needle Techniques
*Require completion of 2 or more Level I offerings
This ground-breaking material will teach you to identify and communicate directly with the Qi of the acupuncture points.
Improve your ability to respond to any clinical situation quickly and correctly through the use of immediate and verifiable feedback from your clients’ bodies. Easily evaluate your treatment and prognosis using information found by your hands and at the tip of the needle.
Participants: We welcome practitioners and students of all styles of acupuncture!
Your tax-deductable investment: $295 per weekend ($250 students)
Register for the entire series and receive one weekend completely free of charge:
Six weekend classes for the low cost of $1475
($1250 students)
12 PDA’s per weekend. Complete all 6 classes to receive certification in The Art of Acupuncture
Classes run from 9:00-4:30pm at Sage Acupuncture,
62 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
Class size is limited to 15 to ensure individual attention and plenty of Q &A,
so don’t delay, register today!
To register, send an email: thesilverneedle@gmail.com, or phone: 781-860-8808
Friday, September 25, 2009
Balancing Act
So where have I been for the last two weeks? I have been working in the clinic, I have been under a deadline for getting my classes for 2009-2010 finished with the NCCAOM, I have been getting things in place for my upcoming wedding in December, I have been cleaning house for a big yard sale next month, I have been putting together the flyer for the upcoming class series that is starting at the end of October… and I have been apple picking.
Acupuncture is only a part of what we do and who we are. “Balance!” is the cry from Traditional East Asian Medicine practitioners to our clients. And yet it is so tricky for many of us to practice what we preach. When I started out, I was working the better part of seven days a week. It was an unbalanced time for me, and I do not think, in retrospect, that my schedule helped me do the best job I could for my clients, either.
A balanced life brings joy into living, and helps us appreciate what health is really all about, and why we want to be healthy. With this understanding, we can see more clearly what is healthy in our clients, instead of just what is unhealthy. Having the skill to see when disease and disharmony are present or absent makes one a good clinician. Having the skill to see when health and joy are present or absent makes one a good healer.
And what is the difference between the two? A good clinician sees what has to be done in order to get a client out of a state of suffering. A good healer sees what has to be done to allow a client to live a more joyous and healthy life.
Acupuncture is only a part of what we do and who we are. “Balance!” is the cry from Traditional East Asian Medicine practitioners to our clients. And yet it is so tricky for many of us to practice what we preach. When I started out, I was working the better part of seven days a week. It was an unbalanced time for me, and I do not think, in retrospect, that my schedule helped me do the best job I could for my clients, either.
A balanced life brings joy into living, and helps us appreciate what health is really all about, and why we want to be healthy. With this understanding, we can see more clearly what is healthy in our clients, instead of just what is unhealthy. Having the skill to see when disease and disharmony are present or absent makes one a good clinician. Having the skill to see when health and joy are present or absent makes one a good healer.
And what is the difference between the two? A good clinician sees what has to be done in order to get a client out of a state of suffering. A good healer sees what has to be done to allow a client to live a more joyous and healthy life.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
New Class Schedule is Up!
The schedule for classes from October 2009 to January 2010 is now up. You will find them listed on the left side of the blog page. More detailed descriptions will follow very soon.
Monday, September 7, 2009
You Know What Happens When You Assume?...
The last post talked about the pulse, and addressed the importance of first determining what the base pulse characteristics are for the individual client at the time of treatment. This is incredibly important. The general principle can be applied to many different areas of palpation and treatment. Each client will have a unique set of pulse characteristics at different times of the day, so it is important to take some time to assess the overall pulse before looking for anything else. Palpation is all about finding what is different from the harmonious whole. If you do not take the time to register what the harmonious whole is right now, you will not be able to see what is different.
We are all guilty of this omission in treatment, as we rush forward with the best of intentions to help our clients. In doing so, we invariably look for pulse qualities or other palpatory findings that are different from what a textbook or a teacher told us was “normal.” What I have found in my own practice is that when I take the time to really identify what is the general state of my client and what stands out as glaringly other, I get better results than when I make assumptions about what should be “normal.” Should is a word that has gotten me into all kinds of trouble over the years, because each client is so unique that there are few universal shoulds that apply to everyone.
We are all guilty of this omission in treatment, as we rush forward with the best of intentions to help our clients. In doing so, we invariably look for pulse qualities or other palpatory findings that are different from what a textbook or a teacher told us was “normal.” What I have found in my own practice is that when I take the time to really identify what is the general state of my client and what stands out as glaringly other, I get better results than when I make assumptions about what should be “normal.” Should is a word that has gotten me into all kinds of trouble over the years, because each client is so unique that there are few universal shoulds that apply to everyone.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Background Music
It is a beautiful late summer day, and I am fortunate to be sitting on a deck enjoying the warmth and listening to the crickets making noises in the nearby bushes. I find the chirping of crickets wonderfully illustrative of how to approach pulse differentiation. If you sit and really listen to them, crickets together do not make a continuous repetitive sound. They form an every-changing and harmonious background noise that is punctuated here and there by different whistles and peeps that come into the foreground for a moment and then fade away.
This is what the pulse is like, too. The beating of the vessel in the different positions makes a harmonious rhythm with small variations that come to the foreground momentarily and then fade back into the chorus. Unlike crickets, however, the pulse will almost always contain some persistent qualities that are disharmonious with the whole. It is these qualities that we use to diagnose and plan our treatment points. But when you first lay your fingers on the pulse, you are “listening” to what the harmonious pulse is right now for this one person. You have to discover the background noise first before you can pick out the different ways in which qualities and positions form a contrast to the characteristics of the whole. If you approach the pulse like listening to crickets, you can soften you focus and allow the general harmony to envelop your senses. Once you appreciate the whole, noticing the differences becomes easy.
This is what the pulse is like, too. The beating of the vessel in the different positions makes a harmonious rhythm with small variations that come to the foreground momentarily and then fade back into the chorus. Unlike crickets, however, the pulse will almost always contain some persistent qualities that are disharmonious with the whole. It is these qualities that we use to diagnose and plan our treatment points. But when you first lay your fingers on the pulse, you are “listening” to what the harmonious pulse is right now for this one person. You have to discover the background noise first before you can pick out the different ways in which qualities and positions form a contrast to the characteristics of the whole. If you approach the pulse like listening to crickets, you can soften you focus and allow the general harmony to envelop your senses. Once you appreciate the whole, noticing the differences becomes easy.
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