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How do you present Asian Bodywork to clients who are not familiar with this form of therapy?

Wondering how any of you present Asian Bodywork to your clients who are new to it.

I start out by telling them AMMA Therapy(R) works along the same principles of acupuncture (explaining we use the same meridians, points, and assessment tools).

I will take their pulses and look at their tongues and give them the history behind why the Chinese do this. I explain what each piece of information tells us about their body/mind/spirit. Usually by questioning them on what I feel and see in the tongue and pulse I have them fascinated. Through tongue and pulse I usually have enough information to ask them about internal conditions such as digestion, diabetes,asthma etc... and then we open the door to AMMA Therapy being supportive at the organ level and not just the structural level. Many new clients I see have no idea that Asian Bodywork can address deeper conditions. (I think this is one of the things I love most about educating new clients!).

If they have received acupuncture in the past, I will also explain the five elements as I take their assessment, telling them how the emotions and the body are linked, specific to the imbalance(s) with which they present.

Maria Troia, MSEd, LMT, NCTMB, CH
www.KIRAHolistic.com

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dell on July 27, 2009 at 6:41pm

Maria-
I use a similar approach with my clients who are unfamiliar with Asian bodywork. I use the analogy of the meridians being like railroad tracks and the acupoints are the stations on these tracks and the energy can get blocked or stuck along the track. An acupuncturist is concerned with the stations and I'm concerned with the whole track. Simple but effective.
Tui Na fortunately has some elements of Western massage, so the actual treatment is not too "foreign" to a newbie receiving ABT.
Dell E. Fisher, LMT, AOBTA

Permalink Reply by Maria Troia on July 29, 2009 at 12:05pm

Hi Dell,

I love your analogy... so accurate and also easy for people to understand!

Maria Troia
www.KIRAHo listic.com

Permalink Reply by Mike Hinkle on August 21, 2009 at 1:08am

I would like to hear more about tongue diagnosis. That is too cool! Do they have classes on tongue analysis? Who teaches this? I would love to have it demonstrated in "Modality Alley" at the Festival!

Permalink Reply by Maria Troia on August 21, 2009 at 1:49am

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the question. The tongue is a hologram for the body in TCM. There are actually many holograms, including the feet, ear, etc. The tongue is divided into various segments, the easiest model being in thirds, divided horizontally. The first third (starting at the tip) relates to the upper burner (heart and lung energy), the middle third relates to the middle burner (upper digestion). Back third relates to the lower burner (lower digestion and genito-urinary issues). Tongue is the easiest assessment tool for students to learn as it is visual... it is what it is, so to speak. It doesn't change easily or immediately (as pulse diagnosis does). A thick coat tells us there is excess. Red color to the tongue tells us there's too much heat. Pale coloring to the tongue tells us there is a deficiency pattern. White coating is a cold condition. Yellow coating is an excess heat condition. Engorged and dark blue sublingual veins tells us there is blood stagnation. Swollen and scalloped edges from tooth marks tells us there is a Spleen Qi deficiency and likely weak muscles too. Deviated tongue indicates Wind, a pernicious influence in the body, and can even indicate stroke. A peeled tongue (actually looks like a peeled blister) means the yin fluids have been dried by too much heat in the body. The list goes on....

Not sure if there are classes out there just for tongue diagnosis, but it is part of the AMMA Therapy(R) curriculum, taught in the Oriental Clinical Assessment class and also in Applied I & II (the advanced sections).

Pulse diagnosis is also part of AMMA Therapy. It's more subjective though and tougher to master, more sensitivity needed. We look for the quality/personality of the pulse that tells us the state of the Qi. Acupuncturists use both these methods in treating also. Helps to get to root cause, rather than just addressing site of pain.

BTW, you might find this interesting - in ancient Chinese artwork, you'll often see people depicted with long tongues hanging down to the ground. This was a customary greeting in ancient times in China. Much like the American custom of shaking hands to show we have no weapons, the Chinese would show their tongues as a gesture of trust, showing their vulnerability. As one of my teachers used to say, "tongues don't lie."

And yes, it is very cool! At first clients think it's odd when you ask to see their tongue, then they really start to get into it and even start checking their own tongue between sessions and report back. It's great when they see their lifestyle changes actually change the state of their tongue.

Maria Troia, MSEd, LMT, NCTMB, CH
www.kiraholistic.com

Mike Hinkle said:

I would like to hear more about tongue diagnosis. That is too cool! Do they have classes on tongue analysis? Who teaches this? I would love to have it demonstrated in "Modality Alley" at the Festival!

Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Derwis-Balaz on October 18, 2009 at 10:37am

Educate them. I did a podcast with a local health food store regarding Taoist cosmology and Chi Nei Tsang. Check it out.http://vchoiceblog.com I find that the simpler you go the better the outcome. Feel free to pass this along. The gengleman than interviewed me is totally ok with that. I hope this helps you.