Qigong Healing: The Road To Wellness

I wish I could take some of the mystery out of Qigong healing. It is just as mysterious to me as it was the day I first found out about it. Qigong stories might seem like myth and magic, but I believe that understanding and reason can be found with enough dedication and study.

I will tell you about my first experience with Qigong. I was browsing through the local Chapters book store and one particular book caught my eye. It was pure coincidence to me, but some would call it karma or fate. The book was Master Hong Liu's "The Healing Art Of Qigong: Ancient Wisdom From A Modern Master". This was my introduction to stories about Qigong Masters and their incredible abilities. Before I tell you more about Qigong, I want to tell you about the path that brought me here today. To this day, I have only managed to find more questions. There are no definite answers here, but perhaps my experiences will help someone in some way.


Let's begin at the beginning...

I had always been into the occult and the paranormal. When I was a young boy, I borrowed books on hypnosis from the library and experimented on my brothers. Today I don't experiment with the occult, but when I was growing up no topic was off limits to my eager mind. My parents were opposed to anything that wasn't sanctioned by the Catholic church. As such, I wasn't allowed any books on yoga, mysticism or any eastern philosophy. Naturally, this pushed me to experiment even more with the occult.

When I first went online in 1995, I discovered the vast amounts of occult knowledge available on the internet. With a few clicks of the mouse I was downloading Enochian spells and Witchcraft rituals. I wanted to obtain power and summon spirits. As many teenagers do, I attempted to summon spirits during late night sleepovers with friends. To be honest, I didn't get much out of these dark rituals except some chills down my spine.

I turned my attention to out of body experiences and the astral plane through a document I found online. The document in question is still available today and many of you have probably read it. I'm referring of course to Robert Bruce's Treatise on Astral projection which remains a classic to this day. Robert eventually expanded his body of work into the book "Astral Dynamics". I even had the chance to ask Bruce a few questions during an online conversation on IRC (Internet Relay Chat).

IRC has been a source of great information for me over the years as I explored the various networks and channels, searching for answers. Robert Bruce's channel was hosted on the freenode network, but from what I've ascertained it was eventually disbanded due to a dispute of ownership. I don't know if Robert still comes online, but the other fellows who ran the channel can still be found in #unlimitedboundaries on the Freenode network.

For many of my teenage years I dabbled in Kundalini meditation, chakra manipulation, drug experimentation and eventually psychiatric medication. I'm going to diverge from the main topic now but don't worry. Stay with me and hopefully you'll gain some insight into why some energy manipulation techniques may in fact be detrimental. My goal is to help you with your healing, be it mental, emotional or physical. As such, this tangent is as necessary as it is strange. Please bear with me. I'll return to the topic of Qigong Healing in just a moment.

When I was 17 I had my first experience with depression, panic attacks and intense fear of dying along with hypochondria. The first night it happened I asked my parents for help. I didn't understand what was happening to me. They took me to the emergency room and from there I visited a few times with a psychiatrist.

I am not opposed to Western medicine or psychiatry - I want to make that clear from the start! If you have racing thoughts that won't stop, thoughts of suicide even though you don't think you'll actually carry out a plan - get help from a professional. Even though what I'm about to tell you might seem discouraging at first, evidence suggests that medication does help. You can get rid of the fear and depression with medication while you work on getting to the root of the problem.

Psychiatrists are a strange breed of Doctor. I mean that will all due respect. They are not all like Frasier or his brother Niles from the TV show. Most psychiatrists will ask you some basic questions, or some might ask you to fill out the Beck Depression Inventory test. I have yet to meet a psychiatrist who performs actual psychotherapy! Once you've been assessed by these psychiatrists, they will often prescribe some form of anti anxiety or antidepressant drug. There is no objective measurement used to diagnose your condition. There are theories about chemical imbalances, but taking these drugs is a crap shoot. The drug might work, or it might not work at all. If it doesn't work, another drug will be administered or the dosage will be increased.

The psychiatric care I received never seemed very scientific. To understand better what I mean, consider a patient who is suspected of having a heart problem. His pulse is measured along with his blood pressure. He may also be given an electrocardiogram, cardiac stress test, or other forms of objective scientific measurement.

I was given the diagnosis of panic disorder and prescribed the antidepressant Serzone (Nefazodone). It is impossible for me to determine whether or not it was effective. I might have gotten better on my own, without medication. I was on this drug for just under a year when I was kicked out of my parents' house for smoking marijuana in the bathroom. It really wasn't the smartest thing I've done!

In hindsight, I am grateful that events turned out this way. As a result of being kicked out, I could no longer afford the expensive drug. My parents' drug plan covered the cost of the medication initially, but I was turning 18 and that meant I'd have to pay for it myself from now on. I threw the bottle of pills into the garbage and quit taking antidepressants. It is not advised to quit antidepressants "cold turkey" but I didn't think I needed Nefazodone anymore. Little did I know just how right I was. According to Wikipedia, "It's sale was discontinued in 2003 in some countries due to the rare incidence of hepatoxicity (liver damage), which could lead to the need for a liver transplant, or even death."

This was certainly the nail in the coffin of psychiatry as far as I was concerned. I felt I had been treated as a lab rat, given experimental drugs that could be lethal! Can you imagine that? It's the unfortunate truth when it comes to some drug companies and some Doctors. I didn't know any better and at the time I was shocked when I found out many years later. Unfortunately, this wasn't the end of my problems. I did go without experiencing depression or panic for about 8 years and it was during this time that I started learning about Chinese medicine and Qigong. I want to come back to the topic of Qigong Healing, but first I want you to understand two important things.

First, make sure your psychiatrist doesn't just prescribe drugs. Ask him if he can give you actual psychotherapy. It's your body, your mind, and ultimately your choice. You may want to see a psychologist or a counsellor, which may be pricey depending on where you live. In most westernized countries, drug therapy is often the first course of action because it comes at a cheaper price than "talk therapy". Some psychologists charge upwards of $250 per hour.

Second, you need to look for the root of your problem. In 100% of the cases I've observed, psychiatric medication needs to be constantly adjusted. It may be adequate for a short period of time, but eventually people who take these drugs will require a change in dosage or a new medication altogether. I want to point out again that I am not against using the right medicine for the right ailment. I am however advising you to analyse all the factors in your life. Diet, exercise, spiritual practises and how you earn a living all contribute to your overall well being.

During my 8 years free from depression and anxiety, I was still very angry inside. Some say that depression is anger turned inwards, and this is a valid train of thought to explore with a licensed psychotherapist.

I moved back in with my parents in order to go back and finish high school. The first time through high school I hardly went to class and thus I failed to graduate. Had I known it was an option, I would have taken a high school equivalency test like Kevin Mitnick. It was during this time that I had my first full blown astral projection.

I had been trying to astrally project for quite a few years to no avail. It was mid afternoon and I had just finished classes for the day. As I laid down on my back, I put on my headphones. The track I was listening to was the astral projection CD from brainwave mind voyages. I had used it several times before but this time was very different. I was able to get out of my body! Using the technique of "rolling out", I was able to float about in my room and test out the astral world in full consciousness for the first time. Everything I had read in Robert Monroe's treatise occurred just as he and many others had described it. First, I felt strong vibrations along with the sensation that I was floating towards the ceiling. Then, on the moment of separation everything went black for a second and I heard a clicking sound.

I was so excited! I tried to walk at first, but walking is not easy. You have to use your mind instead to float around, otherwise it feels like your limbs are stuck. I did a few flips off the wall, just like the characters in the movie "The Matrix". This was really something else. It wasn't like a dream or even a lucid dream, it seemed very  real. I knew it was a true astral projection. I decided to inspect my body, and just as described by Mr. Monroe, I got too close and was pulled back in. The feeling is just like putting on a glove. My body was completely asleep, but my mind was awake. Upon reinsertion, I felt the heaviness of my body as it began to emerge from sleep mode. The first thing I noticed was that my memory of the event was already starting to fade. I concentrated on remembering the details for a few moments. Then, I started to wake up completely. It wasn't a very good feeling. The freedom and excitement of the experience was replaced with a heavy, groggy sensation. I'm not sure if I was ready for this experience.

I have had a few other out of body experiences since then, but this one was truly unique because it was a conscious, willed projection from total wakefulness. Most of the OBE stories you might read involve jumping from the lucid dreaming state into astral projection, leaving doubt in the mind about the legitimacy of the experience. In my case, there was no room for doubt. I had laid down with the intent of leaving my body - and I did. I do not advise this type of practise. It is my belief that is uses up Qi and may result in imbalances in the body's energy system. I think this type of work should be done only under the supervision of a Master. I did get my own personal confirmation that there is more to reality than meets the eye, but at what cost? I still do not know if this caused me any damage or if it could have worsened a pre-existing condition. It's definitely worth mentioning again that I do not recommend attempting to go out of your body without proper training in the esoteric arts. I cannot even tell you of what this training might consist. I can however tell you that many people who are not Masters have written books and guides on the subject. It's up to you to regulate your body and mind and I strongly recommend seeking a competent Master to assist you in doing so before attempting astral projection, remote viewing, psychic healing, or any other type of energy work.

It was shortly after this that I began to take interest in the healing arts. Perhaps I was subconsciously seeking the root of my problems. I began taking acupuncture classes, but I didn't continue with traditional Chinese medicine. It seemed to me like acupuncture might be good for pain, but I had reservations about experimenting with needles. I did use the needles on myself several times and on some friends and family. I didn't really know what I was doing, but my teacher at the time told me I couldn't do much damage as long as I stuck to the feet, lower legs and arms.

One day, I found Master Hong's book. I knew nothing about Qigong, but I had heard of Reiki. Qigong seemed much more complicated, but also more scientific in a way. It seemed anyone could become a Reiki Master with a few short weeks of training and receive a certificate. Qigong was different. Master Hong's book fired up my imagination and over the years I started to experiment more and more with the exercises in his book. The exercises he described made sense to me and everything I had learned from acupuncture started to fit into place. Certain Qigong movements would cause a feeling of stretching, or tingling along parts of the body that normally don't move - the mysterious acupuncture meridians. Could it be that Qigong could accomplish the same thing as acupuncture but without the needles?

I still wasn't convinced, and by no means did I practice diligently. The stories I read were always fascinating, but there were no Qigong Masters near where I lived. There was no one to answer my questions and it would be years before I would feel Qi for myself. As the years went by, I would dabble with Master Hong's exercises if I felt sick, but that was the extent of it. If you want to try some basic exercises for yourself, you can check out the 8 pieces of Brocade. The exercises featured in Master Hong's book are essentially the same, only slightly modified. It may have been a placebo effect, but nevertheless I saw value in this philosophy of healing. "A moving hinge never rusts" and "Flowing water never sours" were two Chinese sayings that made sense to me. This was all well and good, but I did not delve into Qigong until I started having panic attacks again almost 5 years ago. That's when I decided to get serious about it. I decided to call Master Hong.

In the next post, I will discuss the various theories of Qigong as well as the Masters I've consulted. I will also return to the subject of psychology and psychiatry in order to bring together the Eastern and Western concepts of mental health.