Qi Gong Graphic External Qi Healing
Si-Fu Richard Mooney

1. A discussion of pain.

When a person is in pain, this is a physiological manifestation and a message to the body, that certain structural limits have been exceeded, as in a sprain, or dislocation. Energetically speaking the area of pain has either too much energy, and it knows not where to go, or there is too little energy in the area to maintain functional requirements.

An analogy to this can be seen in the example of a car and bus crash. When a car hits a bus, the bus is stopped from its normal condition, and the passengers within will be thrown into a state of panic. The Bus, in this case is the human body. The passengers are the various limbs and energetic pathways of that body. The car is the catalyst that creates the pain. When you get hurt, the normal energy flow in your body is disrupted, and this will manifest as pain.

After the bus has crashed, the police and ambulances will be notified and sent to the location to restore order and to insure that all injured parties are taken care of. In energetic terms, this means that the person who is in pain will seek out a qualified medical professional, or an alternative health care specialist. In our case, that would be the waiqi healer. The healer will direct his/her energy to the area where the pain is, and either cause the energy in that area to be sedated, or stimulated, depending on the condition. This will bring order out of the chaos, and restore normal energetic flow to the afflicted area.


2. Discussion of Excess and Deficiency

Excessive conditions may manifest physically as overly hot, and/or swollen areas, such as is seen in bruises. Physiologically this is due to trauma to the soft tissues, burst capillaries, and the presence of white blood cells which are removing the damaged tissues.

Deficient conditions may manifest physically as cold spots, and/or overly stiff areas, as is seen in some joint injuries like frozen shoulder syndrome. Physiologically this can be attributed to a decrease in blood flow to the area. Energetically this is due to a restriction of the flow of Qi to that area. The area will be weak, and not be able to engage in strenuous physical activity.


3. Treatment of Excessive and Deficient Conditions.

Excessive conditions are treated through the reducing technique. This means that the practitioner will direct their flow of qi to the painful area and spread the pain out to such a point that it looses its cohesion, and is absorbed by the surrounding tissues. This technique is done by starting at the center of the pained area, and describing ever widening, outward going, counterclockwise circles. Areas of large pain are best treated using the flat palm method, that is with the palm held about 2 or so inches from the area, and doing the method as described. The circles will be drawn slowly, until they reach a range of 3 or so inches from the origin of the painful site, and repeated for at least 5 minutes, or until the client indicates that their pain has diminished significantly. The client will sometimes feel a brief increase of the pain as the chaotic energy is being made to move from it stuck position.

Treatment of deficient conditions is done through the strengthening technique, in which energy from the surrounding areas is drawn in to the painful site, and used to "jump-start" the afflicted area. This is done with the flat palm method also. Begin at an area about 3 or so inches away from the origin of the pain, and describe ever tighter circles, until they arrive at the center of the pained area. Repeat the process for about 5 minutes, or until the client indicates that the pain is decreased.

For large painful areas, the flat palm is a preferred method. For small areas, the index and middle finger held together and extended, with the other fingers bent and held close to the palm. An easier way to describe this is the "peace sign", except the fingers are together, and not separated.

Another method used is the "Drawing Down" technique. In this you will place your hands to each side of the painful site, and draw the disordered energy down the limb, thereby over extending the area at which the pain may have an effect. For example:

A person comes to me with a rotator cuff injury sustained from heavy weight lifting. I gather my qi to my palms, and then draw my hands from the shoulder down to their fingers. I exhale as I draw down, and inhale as I reach back up to the shoulder. Hold your hands about 2 inches from the arm as you draw down the limb. As you inhale and return to the top of the arm, make sure you are not in the path of the arm. The goal is to draw the pain out and down the arm, not to push it back up as you repeat the process. For leg injuries, travel down the leg. For mid to low back pain, also travel down the leg. For upper back pains, lead the energy up the back and out the arm on the side where the pain is. For neck and head pains, lead the energy down the arm on the afflicted side.

4. Involvement of the client in the healing process

The input of the client is of paramount importance. They will be the ones who can best describe what they are feeling as your work on their pains and injuries. They should be encouraged to give you a running report as to what they are feeling as you do your healing upon them.

It is easier to treat an injury when it is fresh, than if it has been allowed to sit for a while before they seek treatment. In cases like this your first treatment will only partially alleviate their pain. They will have to come back for a few treatments, and will notice that the depth and intensity of the pain becomes less and less after each treatment, until the pain is gone.

Effects the client may feel:

  1. an overall relaxation of the body, and deepening of the breath. If the client is on a massage table, they may even fall asleep. This is perfectly O.K..
  2. tingling of the area as you work on it. This is O.K. too.
  3. A heating up of the limb as the energy is projected to it. This is O.K..
  4. They may feel the pain get smaller and smaller until it is no longer palpable, or they may feel the pain expand and disintegrate into nothingness. this is O.K. as well.
  5. The client will also feel the pain as it travels down the limb, but this is nothing to worry about as long as all the pain is dispersed or at least greatly reduced by the end of the treatment session. If too much pain is left, then it will be as if you cut a weed from the lawn, but left the root. It will come back. This is also seen, physically, with warts, such as plantars warts. If the whole wart in not extracted, it tends to grow back again.

Adverse Effects

Some clients may have a low tolerance for the energy and they will display the following symptoms:

  1. Confusion
  2. Nausea
  3. Dizziness, heart palpitations
  4. Light headedness
  5. They may suddenly pass out.

If 1-4 happen, stop the treatment immediately, and let them recoup and start again. If #5 happens, you may use the GB 20 points on either side of the back of the head, the DU 26 point or the K1 point. to help revive them. Get a book on acupressure to see where these points are located.

Some clients have a high energy metabolism, and treating them will take a bit longer. Each treatment session may last anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour or more. Be sensible, and don't overextend your capacities. To do so would cause the quality of your healing energy to decrease, and would not benefit the client.

After a treatment, make sure to wash your hands. Washing your hands after the treatment breaks the flow of energy, due to its cooling qualities.

Make sure to keep a log of all treatment and methods used. this will give you an indication of where your special talent may be. Be practical in your applications of treatment, and always make sure that if the client is taking medications, that they continue to do so. External Qi Healing is a great tool to complement conventional western/allopathic treatments, and they can work well together.


For further reference information I recommend the books by Choa K. Sui on Pranic healing. For information on how to perform this service, yourself, please see: "How To Practice External Qi Healing"

Any questions may directed to me at my email address: qimaster@hotmail.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Si-Fu Richard Mooney is a senior student of Master Paul Dong, noted author and qigong teacher. Si-Fu Mooney has been active in chinese martial arts since 1970, in Japanese arts since 1977, and has been into Qigong since 1987. He is also a Reiki Master of the Usui lineage. He has helped over 550 people recover from wide variety of pains and afflictions


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