CFQ Healing Qigong Society

The Traditional Qigong Model of the Root of Diseases

Disease of whatever nature or by whatever name, afflicting people of whatever age, simply boils down to the fact that the body or mind is unable to function normally or fit into the commonly accepted "healthy" criteria. Such abnormalities include:

• Physical symptoms/sensations of pain, numbness etc.
• Measurable physiological indicators that deviate from the healthy range, e.g., hypertension
• Physical disabilities or obstructions to movements
• Mental disabilities or obstructions to thinking/mental functions
• Behavioural or cognitive and emotional disabilities
• Failure of organs to function normally
• Presence of certain conditions which, if unsuccessfully treated, would lead to death

Chinese medicine attributes the cause of diseases to the lack of balance or harmony. The fundamental basis lies in the concept of bio-energy called qi, which is the most basic function of life, and which flows through network-like channels (meridians) in the body (See Diagram I). Such bio-energy is negatively or positively charged: yin and yang. There are 12 major meridian channels governing each of the 5 organs and 6 cavities. The 5 organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. The 6 cavities are the large intestine, small intestine, gall bladder, stomach, urinary bladder, and triple warmer. In addition, the energy in the five organs displays specific characteristics, which mutually complements or contrasts with each other.

Imbalances or disharmonies are caused by:

• Seven internal causes: The emotional states of pleasure, anger, anxiety, concentration, depression, panic and fear.
• Six external causes: Wind, chill, heat, humidity, dryness and fire.

Treatment approaches developed are aimed at restoring the balance or harmony. However, there are few and inadequate treatment techniques to access beyond the physical level into the mental state or for self-care. Qigong investigates beyond imbalances or disharmony—into the mind and consciousness, and concludes that the innermost aspect, called the 'heart' is the source where problems are generated. Such intentions or desires stress the mind, arouse emotions, and create muscular strength in the body. They eventually create a destructive pressure and obstruct physiological functions, resulting in disease problems.

While this explanation may be acceptable for most disease problems, it also contributes to understanding the nature of childhood or genetic problems. A more comprehensive explanation comes from the Eastern mystical belief of life beyond the current life span, i.e. karma and rebirth.

Every thought, action and current experience produces residual energies that gives birth to new causes that produce future thoughts, actions, and experiences in kind. Every thought, action and experience thus is the effect of past thoughts and deeds. This fundamental notion called karma sets in operation an infinite chain of cause-effect creation.

Disease problems, being part of life's experiences are thus a created effect of thoughts, actions and experiences from the immediate past (during this lifetime) or from one's untraceable past (during previous life spans).

The human body, from birth, is equipped with the faculties (the five senses, and mind or sixth sense) to interact with events and circumstances. These faculties are busy interpreting and reacting to such events and circumstances giving rise to thoughts, actions and experiences, drawing in large amounts of cosmic energy, which become debased, condensed and absorbed as memory. Such memory becomes the basis of physiological growth and is stored in the brain and every cell within the body. The debased cosmic energy absorbed in the physical body (a pattern of memories) is a random, irregular formation, and is stacked one layer on top of the other. Dense energy blockages accumulate in the physical body as an appendage that is greatly folded and deformed. Negative traits and emotions tend to form stronger deformations and folds and result in more serious disease problems.

Our discussion so far points toward stress in life as a product of thoughts, actions and experiences, which if excessive imbalances or creates disharmony, and causes disease problems. Stress also produces glue-like blockages as is energetically seen, exerting enormous pressure to deform the physical body. The absorbed tension has a drawn-in, upward-suspending nature (see Diagram I). People with depressive, inhibited or deep-thinking characteristics, or those who lack physical activity or exercise, and those who have suffered severe trauma and emotional disturbance, tend to develop more serious disease problems. In addition even mild and normally tolerable degree of stress when accumulated over time contributes to old age diseases.

The Basis of CFQ Energy Healing

The job of a CFQ healer is to help a patient relax. Relaxation in the true sense means removing some degree of stress, which can only be done energetically since stress is energetically charged. Any other form of relaxation: rest, physical enjoyment or manipulation, or psychological influence is ineffective as it does not generate energy of the opposite, radiant nature to remove the energy-glue of stress and create the opening to restore bio-energy flow. An improved bio-energy flow, (the yang component of the body's essence), induces improvement in blood flow (the yin component of the body's essence). As a result, physiological functions are restored, blockages or obstructions are removed, and the body's self-repair mechanism is restored.

Ideally, patients should embark on CFQ exercising for self-help to restore their health and for after-care. However, the truth is, healthy people are often too busy indulging in the excitement of life, which includes normal work and recreation, or unwilling to invest time in self-care and are seldom bothered to 'relax' in the true sense. Sickly people may be too depressed and may lack the will power to overcome their own problems. In such cases, the help of energy healers is required.

Energy Healing Tools and Healing Processes

Healing means to unload the burden of diseases from the mind, body and spirit. Wellness comes from a reduced burden. It also means freeing the consciousness from a diseased state of mind and making it more alive. Conventional remedies that do not cater to the unloading and harmonizing of the mind, body, and spirit do not constitute healing as such.

Meridian Healing Exercises

Only positive actions that contain the necessary healing features give rise to a healing outcome. Without healing actions, the mind naturally wonders into a self destructive, life-depriving mental state or thought (robbing life from the body to create burdens for the spirit). Even positive thoughts can produce similar life-depriving effect, and are unsustainable. One can hardly focus on a positive thought for longer than a few seconds without the mind flitting unknowingly and repeatedly to negative and destructive thoughts. This nurtures bad karma. While a person tries to think positive thoughts and hold onto them, the underlying worry reacts on its own and becomes strengthened.

Actions without the right healing features create blockages for the body's systems. At best they help a diseased person to avoid—or to be in denial from—the harsh reality and anxiety of disease problems. A right healing action makes the person face the problem without fear, arouse bravery and self-confidence, and eliminate the problem by getting through and beyond it.

Therefore, there is no other way out. Actions need to be taken. Time has to be spent. Eventually it is karma that matters and diseases are part of a person's whole being. Without creating a change through actions, the karma of diseases remains with the person, continuing to become more empowered and to strengthen. Only time spent on positive actions can neutralize and dilute the karma of disease problems by introducing a healing karma.

The relaxation and harmonizing effect of CFQ techniques readily shifts the practitioner into a meditative state even while they appear to be in the middle of exercising. A transcending consciousness occurs where the energy forces of karma are felt and seen. These exercises: Hexagram Dance, Meditation Meridian Exercises, Butterfly Shake, Lotus Walk and Grounding Qi are excellent to prepare practitioners for meditation.

A combination of different techniques can be used to effectively counteract the voices of karma and of disease problems that speak through the mind and say:

"Hey, that little bit you know? Is that the only method? That's boring! It cannot be effective! You sure don't know how to get well! Your teacher knows next to nothing!"

Principles of Healing Employed in the CFQ Meridian Movements

• Downward flushing (from TCM: when bioenergy settles down, hundreds of diseases vanish).
• Full use of meridian energy channels to enhance optimum healing effect.
• Slow, loose and hollow movements.
• Straightness of joints where applicable.
• Natural breathing without any attempt at blending with the movements.
• Relaxing the hamstrings (song kua).
• Projecting inner strength (fa jing).
• Method of the Heart (xin fa).