NAJOM Editorial July 2021
Our Exquisite Moment
This issue is an antidote to the pandemic. You will feel better if you read what each of our 30 contributors has to say. It was Junji Mizutani who suggested our theme: “The treatment of issues that appear to be all in our head – stress, anxiety, fear, depression, other effects of trauma. How do you navigate the boundaries between conscious, sub-conscious, or unconscious causes and effects, between manifestations in the body and mind?” Of course we are, as always, thinking of our patients. But after a year and more of suffocating in our masks, riding the crest of yet another coronavirus wave, please sit down with a much-needed cup of tea, and wrap yourself in the brilliance and compassion of our community.
Our writers have masterfully addressed the topic of bodymind duality; their true capacity as healers is reflected in their poetic language and their unbridled sharing which ensures this volume is not an intellectual discussion but, rather, one rooted in deeply personal quests. The truth of their experience resonates with ours; it grounds and heals us.
Nigel Dawes succinctly introduces the topic for us in “Body-Mind: Two as One,” describing the “exquisite moment” when “diagnosis and treatment become inextricably linked as one single integrated and imminent phenomenon.” Through his words we enter that exquisite moment with him.
Dawes goes on to remind us of the many opportunities we have to experience this through our practice of traditional Japanese medicine. Almost in passing, he introduces us to kokoro, the “inner spirit of a person” which can be known through their outer posture; this is a reference that might be lost to us if it was not, by chance, the sole subject of Hideo Takahashi’s engaging contribution, “Palpating Kokoro.” Takahashi shares with us his own exquisite moment: “I feel a certain satisfaction, a sense of comfort, as my body resonates with the vibration produced when I utter the word kokoro.”
“Kokoro” will stay with us like a mantra as we read on: Cynthia Quattro focuses on the breast bone to reach the bodymind. Funamizu Takahiro uses his teishin. Pam Ferguson draws from Asian bodyworkers worldwide who share some of their countless methods for de-stressing when stress has become the “new normal.”
Even as we continue into our more technical “methods and approaches” section, several writers have stayed true to our theme. In his often-irreverent reflections, “Sunlight Through the Trees,” Shudo Denmei Sensei reminds us that “Treatments in ancient times relieved symptoms simply by shifting the mind and changing the feeling state using prayers and incantations.” Takahashi Daiki, in part 18 of his Shakuju Therapy series, reiterates that all symptoms, psychological and physical, are due to a decline in vital power and can be addressed through the same basic treatment. Even Junji Mizutani’s recipe for shi-unko (purple cloud) cream for moxibustion reads like a salve for the soul as much as the body.
Shiatsu therapy, a cornerstone of traditional Japanese medicine strongly emphasising the bodymind nexus, is well represented in this issue with four articles highlighting the work of internationally renowned experts. Acupuncturist, teacher, writer, translator, Stephen Brown was a student of Zen Shiatsu’s founder Masunaga Shizuto, who notably combined his background in psychology with the sometimes mystical depths of Oriental medicine. Brown presents us with the fourth installment in his rare look at “The Roots of Shiatsu.” Ivan Bel, founder of the Belgium-based Missions Shiatsu Humanitaire, shares his work with the Xu Li as an avenue for helping patients “travel freely in an immense inner space.” Andrew Couse, a Canadian at Austria’s International Academy for Hara Shiatsu reveals the positive outcomes of his research with dementia patients. And, last but not least, is my review of British author Tamsin Granger’s invaluable manifesto on Working with Death and Loss in Shiatsu Practice: A Guide to Holistic Bodywork in Palliative Care.
We will all hopefully be in a better place next November, when our focus moves forward to “Strengthening the Immune System” (deadline: September 10, 2021). The prevention of future disease is what we do in our profession, and from now on, this will be increasingly important. “If we were all in excellent health we wouldn’t need vaccines,” says Junji Mizutani. “A strong immune system protects our bodies from not only viruses, but ageing. Furthermore, how do we cope with possible serious effects of vaccines directed at our mRNA?” Acupuncture, shiatsu, moxibustion, and herbs can all adjust the autonomic nervous system – our yin and yang. “These can protect the future, the young generation.”
Best wishes,
Cheryl Coull
Our Exquisite Moment
This issue is an antidote to the pandemic. You will feel better if you read what each of our 30 contributors has to say. It was Junji Mizutani who suggested our theme: “The treatment of issues that appear to be all in our head – stress, anxiety, fear, depression, other effects of trauma. How do you navigate the boundaries between conscious, sub-conscious, or unconscious causes and effects, between manifestations in the body and mind?” Of course we are, as always, thinking of our patients. But after a year and more of suffocating in our masks, riding the crest of yet another coronavirus wave, please sit down with a much-needed cup of tea, and wrap yourself in the brilliance and compassion of our community.
Our writers have masterfully addressed the topic of bodymind duality; their true capacity as healers is reflected in their poetic language and their unbridled sharing which ensures this volume is not an intellectual discussion but, rather, one rooted in deeply personal quests. The truth of their experience resonates with ours; it grounds and heals us.
Nigel Dawes succinctly introduces the topic for us in “Body-Mind: Two as One,” describing the “exquisite moment” when “diagnosis and treatment become inextricably linked as one single integrated and imminent phenomenon.” Through his words we enter that exquisite moment with him.
Dawes goes on to remind us of the many opportunities we have to experience this through our practice of traditional Japanese medicine. Almost in passing, he introduces us to kokoro, the “inner spirit of a person” which can be known through their outer posture; this is a reference that might be lost to us if it was not, by chance, the sole subject of Hideo Takahashi’s engaging contribution, “Palpating Kokoro.” Takahashi shares with us his own exquisite moment: “I feel a certain satisfaction, a sense of comfort, as my body resonates with the vibration produced when I utter the word kokoro.”
“Kokoro” will stay with us like a mantra as we read on: Cynthia Quattro focuses on the breast bone to reach the bodymind. Funamizu Takahiro uses his teishin. Pam Ferguson draws from Asian bodyworkers worldwide who share some of their countless methods for de-stressing when stress has become the “new normal.”
Even as we continue into our more technical “methods and approaches” section, several writers have stayed true to our theme. In his often-irreverent reflections, “Sunlight Through the Trees,” Shudo Denmei Sensei reminds us that “Treatments in ancient times relieved symptoms simply by shifting the mind and changing the feeling state using prayers and incantations.” Takahashi Daiki, in part 18 of his Shakuju Therapy series, reiterates that all symptoms, psychological and physical, are due to a decline in vital power and can be addressed through the same basic treatment. Even Junji Mizutani’s recipe for shi-unko (purple cloud) cream for moxibustion reads like a salve for the soul as much as the body.
Shiatsu therapy, a cornerstone of traditional Japanese medicine strongly emphasising the bodymind nexus, is well represented in this issue with four articles highlighting the work of internationally renowned experts. Acupuncturist, teacher, writer, translator, Stephen Brown was a student of Zen Shiatsu’s founder Masunaga Shizuto, who notably combined his background in psychology with the sometimes mystical depths of Oriental medicine. Brown presents us with the fourth installment in his rare look at “The Roots of Shiatsu.” Ivan Bel, founder of the Belgium-based Missions Shiatsu Humanitaire, shares his work with the Xu Li as an avenue for helping patients “travel freely in an immense inner space.” Andrew Couse, a Canadian at Austria’s International Academy for Hara Shiatsu reveals the positive outcomes of his research with dementia patients. And, last but not least, is my review of British author Tamsin Granger’s invaluable manifesto on Working with Death and Loss in Shiatsu Practice: A Guide to Holistic Bodywork in Palliative Care.
We will all hopefully be in a better place next November, when our focus moves forward to “Strengthening the Immune System” (deadline: September 10, 2021). The prevention of future disease is what we do in our profession, and from now on, this will be increasingly important. “If we were all in excellent health we wouldn’t need vaccines,” says Junji Mizutani. “A strong immune system protects our bodies from not only viruses, but ageing. Furthermore, how do we cope with possible serious effects of vaccines directed at our mRNA?” Acupuncture, shiatsu, moxibustion, and herbs can all adjust the autonomic nervous system – our yin and yang. “These can protect the future, the young generation.”
Best wishes,
Cheryl Coull
Information on COVID 19
Below are the official communications from the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO)
| guidelines_on_acupuncture_and_moxibustion_intervention_for_covid-19__second_edition_.pdf |
| recommandations_sur_lutilisation_de_lacupuncture_et_de_la_moxibustion_dans_le_traitement_du_covid-19.pdf |
| pautas_sobre_el_uso_de_acupuntura_y_moxibustión_para_tratar_el_covid-19.pdf |
| 新型冠状病毒肺炎诊疗方案试行第七版中医方案部分diagnosis_and_treatment_protocol_for_covid-19_chapter_of_tcm_.pdf |
| 新型冠状病毒肺炎针灸干预的指导意见（第二版）.pdf |
NAJOM’s Global Community Working Together
Here are some of the responses NAJOM members have sent in on dealing with the Coronavirus.
Here are some of the responses NAJOM members have sent in on dealing with the Coronavirus.
| Member_responses_handling_the_coronavirus.docx |
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