Energetic Burnout and Qi Deviations

By Ted J. Cibik

The true practice of Chinese medicine is not just the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but is even more rich and diverse. This article introduces massage therapists, energy workers and healthcare professionals to the foundations of Chinese energetics (qi pronounced “chee”) and their deviations. Many massage therapists have had basic Chinese meridian theory and TCM concepts explained to them in school. I hope you will benefit from my teachings of the Taoist traditions of Chinese medicine. You will fall in love with this system, again, from a fresh perspective and implement it into your practice as it explains so much of what we see and feel in our work.

Foundations of Eastern Medicine
First, we must understand that the foundations of all Chinese, Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine rest on the premise that energetics are how the body maintains homeostasis and heals itself. This practice can be assisted through the implementation of bodywork, herbs, medical qigong therapy (one of the four branches of Chinese medicine), trigger point therapy, or any other Western or Eastern modality that one can use for the regulation of health. All of the therapies manipulate the body’s energies by causing different vibrations or wavelengths within the body upon the introduction of the modality.

The above may sound curious, but breaking down this practice into Western terminology is the best way to explain energetics and their deviations.

The Five Energies of the Human Body
There are five basic energies of the human body: sound, light, magnetic fields, heat and electricity. In Chinese medical qigong, we use all five of these modalities to assist the body in its healing process. The law of conservation of energy states “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another.” In other words, there is a movement or change from one state of matter to another. For there to be change, there has to be movement, even if that movement is from the chemical (atomic or subatomic) level and up, hence the movement of qi or life-force.

Allopathic medicine, or conventional Western medicine, uses this same premise, whether realized or not when defined in the following examples: Movement manifests itself in chemical interactions (prescription drug therapy); wavelength interactions of sound (ultrasound for physical therapy) and light (UV-light therapy for babies with hyperbilirubinemia and shock wave lithotripsy therapy to break up kidney stones and calcified gallstones). In summation of this concept, regulation of health is what healthcare professionals do to realign the energetic disturbances (qi deviations) back to the original congenital structure prior to disease setting in by removing the stasis of qi back to its natural state of movement.

In a general sense, one could compare qi to the five basic energies of the human body. Qi is the primary energy or life force in the body, along with jing and shen. When qi is balanced and regulated, one is vibrant and healthy. When there is an obstruction or variation in the natural flow of the body (abnormal oscillation), there becomes a qi deviation (an imbalance of yin and yang) and disease can begin to take root. From a physics standpoint, there is also this duality in the universe. Matter and anti-matter, positive ions and negative ions, the light from a star and the absence of light in a black hole — all clues to this intangible coexisting law of duality (yin and yang) where one cannot exist without the other.

Pathogenic Invasion
Chinese medicine is an evolving science that works on the premise that pathogens, whether they are internal (emotions for example) or external (bacteria or virus), invade the bodies’ energetic matrix first. By the time symptomatology shows up, the pathogen has already gained a foothold in the body manifesting itself in the various forms of pain and/or disease.

In order to truly rebalance the sentient form, the healthcare worker must understand the energetic matrix, regardless of what therapy is used, and then reformulate the energetic matrix back to its original pre-pathogenic form. If this is not completed correctly, many times the client will have reoccurring problems, or the pathogen will just find another way to manifest itself in the body. Such is the case when a client leaves your clinic feeling fine but within several days they have the same problem all over again. What happened? Medical qigong and its teachings explain this course of action: Qi deviations are as broad as pathophysiology is by definition. Examples of several modern allopathic diagnoses of equivalency would include chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, sciatica or lumbago, asthma and cancer. As you can see from a Chinese medicine perspective, the primary cause of disease is from qi deviations.

Qi Deviation Study
The professional study of qi deviations in China is a very in-depth, doctorate level of study and takes enormous practice. Less known in the West is that some of the most commonly found qi deviations occur when people use energetics without their realization of the effects upon their body. For example, massage therapy has gained quite a following of acceptance (and rightfully so) in the allopathic world, as well as by the public. However, many massage therapists develop qi deviations by working on various clients with pathogenic qi (toxins).

The common complaint one will hear from massage therapists is that they feel tired, lethargic or “coming down with something” they can’t quite identify. In advanced stages of qi deviations, their hands or arms may feel heavy and thick. Oftentimes they shrug it off as an overuse injury. The therapist will usually follow up by saying, “I know that sounds strange,” and continues on, hoping it will pass. Many times the pathogens with follow in line with the muscle/tendon channels as it pervades deeper into the body.

In China, where bodywork has been practiced for thousands of years (tui na, jing point therapy, anmo therapy, etc.), there is a clearer understanding of what is happening. Medical professionals in China understand that if they do not maintain proper qi flow within their own system, and continue to work on clients, the therapist will eventually come down with the very ailment for which they were treating their client (pathogenic osmosis), or worse, pass the pathogen onto the next client.

This is also true with reiki, polarity therapy, touch for health and other energy workers who live in this world of energy transference. They can help alleviate discomfort by their particular skills, but they must understand that those same skills allow the backflow of pathogenic energy. As with any other energy in the universe, the pathways that allow energy to flow out, also allow it to flow back, sometimes with pathogens attached looking for a new host. Much like when we sneeze to expel a pathogen, we can also spread a pathogen.

In China, healthcare workers learn how to protect themselves from absorbing pathogenic qi. This practice should be the first stage of training for many energy workers or healthcare professionals. Many times, we have lost these techniques for three reasons: 1. they were carefully guarded secrets given to the master qigong doctors (least common today); 2. the teacher did not pass on the knowledge to their students because of incomplete knowledge of the laws of energetics (most common today); and 3. disbelief in the energy theory.

Yin and Yang of Practice
The simplicity of the universe, or the Tao, is inspirational. As soon as qi manifested itself from the wuji, it split into yin and yang. This theory applies to practitioners because the more sensitive you become to energy (or life force) within your clients, the more you have to take precautions to protect yourself and others. That’s the yin and yang or duality of life. Within the blessing of the intuition/sensitivity of qi comes the responsibility.

The simple washing of hands is not sufficient to deal with pathogenic qi. Following the path of the antique shu acupuncture points (sometimes called the transportation points) in meridian theory, the points start at the fingertips and progress upward on the arms toward the elbows. Through stimulation, these points provide the double function of allowing the practitioner to sense or feel energy, but also allow energy to penetrate into the vessel or body (yin-yang). If one understands the energetic matrix (complete meridian theory), one can see the importance of cleansing the pathogens before they have a chance to bury deeper into the vessels via the transportation points.

One quick way to slough off the attached pathogens is to wash up to the elbows with tepid water and plenty of soap after each client in the following manner: Forming the fingers like the teeth of a rake, move them up the outside of the yang channels (the outside of the arm) and down the yin channels (the inside of the arm) with the intent of pulling out any attached pathogens. Do this 36 times in a continuous flow on each arm.

Space Clearing
It is equally important for practitioners to keep their external
environment clear from stagnant qi — akin to keeping a clean environment in a hospital operating room. Your clients may even feel this stagnant qi as they come into a room, even though you have taken great pains to make the treatment room aesthetically pleasing with respect to feng shui. Space clearing, or keeping the pathogenic qi in check within your treatment room, is like dusting your house — let it go for a while and you have quite a project on your hands. Do a little cleaning every day and you don’t have quite the mess.

One quick technique is to keep a spray bottle containing approximately 10 drops of organic peppermint or eucalyptus oil mixed with water in your treatment room. After each client has left the room, spray toward the heavens and allow the mist to spread and fall back down to Earth. This disperses the positive ions toward the ground, replaces it with negative ions and renewed vitality. Moreover, peppermint and eucalyptus oil also contain antimicrobial and antifungal properties and work very well with asthmatic or rhinitis clients who have difficulty breathing. Another way to absorb negative energy is with a dish of sea salt under your massage table. Space clearing is an in-depth study in itself and can add a relaxing environment to any practitioner’s office space.

The art of protecting oneself from pathogenic qi or qi deviations is most comprehensive and usually requires dedicated training and practice to understand, feel and execute the techniques correctly. Like any massage technique worth incorporating into your practice, learning pathogenic qi protection from a qualified teacher that incorporates theory, practicum and hands-on training is critical to success. It makes complete sense that different pathogens have different strengths and properties and would be treated differently. Different pathogens have different methods of being purged — many with medical qigong techniques.

One other point is critical: If you are feeling or working energetically, maintaining your own energetic strength through daily practice becomes essential. Energetics is a lifestyle where one incorporates meditation, tai chi chuan, qigong or another energetic form of practice to renew and replenish your qi. The more active you become in this work of energetic practice with clients, the more you must sustain and maintain your own health or your own qi. Being aware of these deviations is the first step in preventing them from affecting those who enjoy assisting others in need. These are simple laws of the universe, or the Tao.

Ted J. Cibik, N.D., D.M.Q., H.F.I. is the founder and executive director of Inner Strength, Inc. He is a naturopath, a doctor of medical qigong and a disciple of the Jade Purity Tradition of Taoist priests. He maintains a private clinical practice near Pittsburgh, Penn., and lectures internationally on Taoist Chinese medicine, medical qigong, stress, asthma and immunology. His new book Air Passages will be available this spring.

Visit him at www.inner-strength.com or call 877/CHI-GUNG for more information.

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