Emotional Freedom Technique and other modalities that use acupuncture points

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emotional_freedom_techniqueDeepest Health reader Jason left a comment on the last podcast post that got me thinking.  He said,

“Something that I’ve found helpful is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which is a real simple method of locking onto an emotional disturbance and neutralizing or at least diminishing its “charge” by tapping certain acupressure points. It works even better when combined with affirmations.”

My partner, Amanda, has done a little research into EFT and I know some folks at school who have used it to get over a variety of minor psychological difficulties such as insomnia and social anxiety.  I know that it makes use of acu-points.  There are other modalities of bodywork and energywork that make use of the channels and associated points along those channels, but that are not directly associated with the East Asian medical lineages that we normally associate with “Chinese medicine.”

I have to admit that I have traditionally regarded these modalities with some standoffishness.  This is my nature being inherently conservative and a lover of all things ancient.  The closer to the source, the better, I say.  But, some have pointed out that these theories are universal and should not be attached to any particular era or people.  I can see the wisdom in that stance.  It does not eradicate my essential worry about systems that use the points and channels, yet mostly ignore the thousands of years of understanding that have developed the simple recognition of energy pathways into a complex system of theories that can elegantly rectify any imbalance in the human being.

I’d be interested to hear readers’ take on this – do you have experience with any of these systems of healing? What were your results?  How do you feel that they fit under the umbrella of “Chinese medicine” or, at least, “East Asian medicine?”  Leave your responses in the comments, providing URLs of relevant sites if possible.  I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Eric

August 27, 2008 · Filed Under Theory

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The power of networking in natural medicine

natural_medicine_business_networkingLast week I was approached by the owner of a Portland owned coffee shop with a proposal to offer massage as a benefit to her employees.  She borrowed the idea from Portland’s own Stumptown Coffee Roasters.  Stumptown offers their employees massage as one of the benefits of working for their company.  The important thing about this interaction that I’d like to convey here is:  I met her at my weekly networking meeting.

I’m learning, once again, the power of networking.

I started going to an early morning networking meeting at the beginning of August.  It was a safe bet for me, as the group was just getting started.  The idea of walking into a more formalized group of people and being the new kid doesn’t really appeal to me.  The first meeting I attended only had two other people there.  As the month has gone on, we have about six regular attendees and are always trying to recruit more.  The goal is to create a strong network of business entrepreneurs who strive to get to know one another in the hopes of creating a referral base for the clients of our various endeavors.

I am usually not one to put myself out there in a business sense.  I still struggle with the act of presenting myself as someone who has something to sell.  I’m in the business of selling healthcare, more specifically, massage.  Massage can act as an option for a range of concerns – someone experiencing acute pain, preventative medicine, palliative care, stress – you name it, massage can probably help in some capacity.    I’m learning through networking that selling massage has turned out to be something more complex than I thought it would be.  I have a serious need to refine my thoughts about just who it is that can benefit from my style of massage.  What am I calling my style of massage these days anyway?  I’m taking all of my education and experience from the last three years and turning it into a session that I don’t know how to describe anymore.   I do know that I have pretty good results and that people come back to me, so it must be working.

I know that my sessions are effective, the trick is how to get clients in the door in the first place. Massage, like many other health care practices, is a very personal thing.  It often strikes me as bizarre that I am a massage therapist.  People hand over the care and trust of their bodies – in such a way that I can’t think of many other situations in which that would occur.  Because the work I do is so personal in nature, I believe that networking is an integral part of my marketing plan.  It allows a person to become comfortable with me on a one to one level before entrusting me with the care and keeping of their body for an hour.  If I am successfully able to convey that I am a trustworthy, professional person at these networking meetings, the chances that I am going to be the go-to for a massage referral is pretty high.

In the month that I have been attending these meetings, I have made several connections with some of Portland’s long-time residents and entrepreneurs.  They will help to support me as a burgeoning entrepreneur, as well as help to supply me with referrals and some business acumen.  I can only imagine what will come of my success as I continue to make these connections.

Amanda Barp, LMT

August 27, 2008 · Filed Under Our Story, networking

3 Comments