integrative perspectives : qigong: the art of self-healing

Perspectives in Psychiatric Care Vol. 42, No. 1, February, 2006 53

Blackwell Publishing IncMalden, USAPPCPerspectives in Psychiatric Care0031-5990© Blackwell Publishing 2006January-March 2006421

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Integrated Perspectives

Integrative Perspectives

Qigong: The Art of Self-Healing

Mary Schnauzer, RN, MA

Mary Schnauzer is Program Coordinator of the Community Treatment Team at the Penndel Mental Health Center in Penndel, PA, and a Reiki Master.

The Myth of Chiron

Long ago in ancient Greece, the great hero godHeracles was invited to the cave of the centaur Pholos.Chiron, a wise and beneficent centaur and a greatmaster of healing, was also present. As a token ofappreciation and hospitality, Heracles brought a flaskof heady wine to the gathering. The rich fragrant liquidattracted other centaurs, who, unaccustomed to wine,became drunk and then began to fight. In the ensuingmelee Chiron was struck in the knee by an arrow shotby Heracles. Chiron then instructed Heracles in theart of treating the wound. Since the arrow had beentipped with poison from the Hydra—a many-headedmonster nearly impossible to slay—the wound wouldnever fully heal. Capable of healing others, the greatestof healers was unable to completely heal himself;and being immortal, Chiron lives forever with thiswound as the archetypal wounded healer. Followinghis wounding, Chiron received and trained thousandsof students at his cave on Mount Pelion. It is said thatone of these students, Asclepius, learned from Chironthe knowledge of plants, the power of the serpent, andthe wisdom of the wounded healer. It was through thelineage of Asclepius that Hippocrates began to practicethe art and science of medicine.

Henri J.M. Nowen in his book,

The Wounded Healer

(1972, p. 82), identifies a wounded healer as “one whomust look after his own wounds but at the same timebe prepared to heal the wounds of others.” Nursesfit this description better than any group of people Iknow. We are constantly called upon to be healers notonly in the work place but also outside the work place,while often ignoring our own needs and wounds, bethey physical, emotional, or spiritual. Let’s explore theancient practice of Qigong to better understand howwe as nurses can heal ourselves in order to better healthose who come to us: our clients.

What Is Qigong?

Qigong (pronounced

chee gong

) is an ancient Chinesesystem of gentle self-healing exercises that includehealing postures, movements, sounds, breathing tech-niques, and meditation.

Qi

in Chinese means vital energyor life force, and

gong

means practice or skill. Thepurpose of these self-healing exercises is to prevent ordissolve blockages of energy, stimulate the circulation,and correct imbalances. The result is increased physicaland emotional well-being and a marked strengtheningof the immune system. Developed over 5,000 yearsago by monks and other healers, Qigong was carefullyguarded. The techniques passed only from family tofamily and from master to student. It is only in the last30 years or so that we in the West have been given theopportunity to learn this healing modality. Qigongis a simple, practical, and beneficial healing program.It can be practiced by all age groups and many of theexercises can be done standing or sitting. With over 30million practitioners worldwide, Qigong is a populartechnique and is gradually earning the respect ofWestern medical authorities. Qigong is now beingstudied by the National Institutes of Health, and more andmore hospitals across the country are incorporating it intheir complementary medicine and wellness programs.

Some of the benefits of Qigong include

• a strengthening and a spreading of energies evenlyalong the meridians;

• improving blood circulation;• reinforcing the immune system;• reestablishing the equilibrium in emotions and

calming the cerebral cortex, inducing serenity;• bringing harmony to breathing and body move-

ments; and• increasing the flexibility of joints.

I became interested in Qigong about 4 years ago. Myhusband had died unexpectedly a few years beforeand I had thrown myself into my work. Eventually, aswe all know, things caught up with me. I was tiredall the time, irritable, and the muscle tightness in my

54 Perspectives in Psychiatric Care Vol. 42, No. 1, February, 2006

Integrated Perspectives

neck and shoulders was, at times, unbearable. I wasdepressed and rationalized it as a normal part of thegrieving process. OK, but my husband had been deadfor 4 years, so how “normal” was this? A friend of minenoticed all this and suggested I try Qigong. She hadstudied it and said it is like “a massage for the internalorgans.” I took her advice and began taking classes andwas soon amazed. First by how easy the movementswere to learn. I could actually remember them and prac-tice them at home. The set or movements I learned taughtme how to bring

qi

, or positive life energy, to the vari-ous organs of the body to protect them from attack byexternal factors such as viruses and/or to aid healingif that was needed. I learned meditation to calm themind and lift the spirit. Second, I was amazed at howI felt, and still feel. Just 15 minutes a day practicing theQigong helped alleviate my chronic tiredness and irri-tability, relaxed my aching muscles, and helped relievethe depression I was experiencing. I continue to studyand practice Qigong; it has become an integral part ofmy life. I so strongly believe in the healing effect ofQigong that I wanted to share what I had learned withothers. I began teaching classes at the local communitycollege and at various nursing conferences. Believingthat most nurses are wounded healers, it made senseto target this group. What I found were nurses soeager to learn something new to improve their health,be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, and help makethem better practitioners, that the classes became solarge they had to be held in the grand ballrooms of thehotels where the conferences were held. I have beenteaching at the Psychiatric Nurses Update Conferencein Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the past 3 years andthe nurses’ testimonials to the effectiveness of this self-healing modality have further increased my enthusi-asm and belief. One particularly heartwarming story isof a young nurse who approached me at this year’sconference to tell me how she and her husband weretrying to have a baby but with no success. She

attended last year’s conference in Philadelphia andtook the Qigong classes, went home, and practicedeveryday. With a smile on her face, she took out herwallet and showed me a picture of her new baby girl.Did the practice of Qigong help her conceive? I don’tknow but I’d like to think so. She believes it did! Therehave been other testimonials to Qigong effects—nurses with low back pain reporting they were able tosit all day at the conference without the use of musclerelaxants or pillows; menstrual cramps lessening tothe point where there was no need for Tylenol or heat-ing pads. Nurse educators saying teaching their stu-dents some very basic and simple Qigong exercisesseemed to improve the students’ attention span.

Can the practice of Qigong improve the flow ofenergy in the body by dissolving blockages to energyflow, stimulate the circulation, improve the immunesystem, and correct imbalances? Many practitionerswill say “yes,” but we are waiting for the research totell us what we already know. Learning, practicing,and teaching this healing modality to our clientscan only help us heal our wounds and make us moreeffective in helping our clients heal their wounds.

Ken Cohen Qigong Research and Practice Centerwww.Qigonghealing.com

Qigong Association of Americawww.Qi.org

National Qigong Associationwww.Nqa.org

Author contact: maryschnauzer@aol.com, with a copy to theEditor: mary@artwindows.com

Reference

Nowen, X.X., & Henri J.M. (1972).

The wounded healer

. New York:Image Books, Doubleday.