By Mindy de Wilde, L.Ac., IFMCP
“The meridians are described as receiving subtle information from the environment: from stars and planets, from the energy fields of the land and its trees and plants, and from the Qi of other living beings. Our responses to changes in the weather and to subtle changes in the movements of stars and planets are picked up in the meridian system and relayed around the body.”
-The Ling Shu, 475-221 BCE
The acupuncture channels, also called meridians, cover the body. The acupuncture points exist along the meridians; the points are on the meridians but they are two different things. Acupressure is a non-needle technique using fingers, thumbs or other tools to apply pressure to the points.
Imagine you’re working with a client who has neck pain from whiplash and you’d like to use acupressure points. A quick Google search for “acupressure points for neck pain” results in Gallbladder-21, Small Intestine-3, Bladder-60 and Large Intestine-4, among others.
In Professional Acupressure for Pain Treatment, instead of relying on acupressure points from a Google search, you’ll learn to apply acupressure to the meridians most appropriate for your patient. We’ll take time to locate the 12 meridians on the arms, legs, and torso and deeply explore their relationship to each other. That way, by identifying the meridian where your client’s neck pain is, a multitude of possibilities for pain relief become available.
We’ll delve into using holograms and mirroring, the theory of Yin and Yang, and the Theory of the Five Elements-all within the context of meridian massage for pain. By the end of class, you’ll have the knowledge and the tools to offer your clients individualized and effective meridian acupressure treatments.
As illustrated in the quote from The Ling Shu, we’re not the same as we were last week, yesterday, or even this morning. In each session with your client, you’ll have a method for finding the best treatment for them, supporting them where they are on that day. Creating and applying treatments for pain that evolve with us through life provide powerful results that a Google search can’t match.
“Mindy is the perfect person to teach acupressure techniques to massage therapists! I’ve been TCM-curious for over a decade now and leapt at the opportunity to learn from someone as dedicated to the practice and art of acupuncture as her. I so admired Mindy’s ability to distill core principles of the five elements and meridians into the weekend course, and simultaneously make it so enjoyable to learn. We spent the weekend referring to a handbook she made for us; it was filled with information but created as artwork, and such a treasure to get to take with us back into our practices. 10/10, I HIGHLY recommend you take this class!”
– Jackie Renyolds of House of Yin
