Shen Management

Chinese Medicine does not distinguish between body, mind and spirit but rather, these are seen as aspects of an interconnected whole. Consequently, the treatment of psychological problems is not separate from the treatment of physical problems. A Chinese Medicine approach to psychotherapy utilises the standard theoretical frameworks which are applied to physical ailments. Therefore, a practitioner who is aware of this interplay has a highly effective foundation for mental health counselling. However its true value lies in its simultaneous application with acupuncture treatment. When a patient is given clear insight into their fundamental mental-emotional state, when this is explained in relation to their physical symptoms, and, when specific points are simultaneously needled to rectify the underlying disharmony, the resulting therapeutic benefit is considerably augmented. The underlying mechanism for this therapeutic benefit is consciousness. A needle inserted anywhere into the human body alerts the organism at the primitive body-mind level. The body becomes aware of itself at that point and an immune response is initiated, manifest by the increase in local circulation. In the same manner, a practitioner with clear understanding of human psychodynamics can focus a patient’s consciousness on the point of disharmony in the mental-emotional realm; and likewise, a psychological immune response will be initiated, a process of internal re-organisation and expelling of disruptive mind states.