MENTORING PROGRAMME

A Systematic Study of the Philosophical and Clinical Applications of the Complement Channels of Acupuncture

Aim of the programme

The aim of the medicine that comes through Dr Jeffrey Yuen and his senior student, Ann Cecil Sterman, is very simple: To clear blockages that obstruct the Heart from fulfilling destiny.

That is to clear the obstructions that prevent us from being sovereign over our domain. To me, sovereignty is a state of standing true and confident within our own being, in this world, and to act with agency for the wellbeing of others. Classical Acupuncture, being a complete form of medicine, equips us with the tools to find our way home. In so doing we become better equipped to guide others back to their own sovereignty. To this end our bodies have a set of channels that:

a) regulate the day-to-day physiological functions of the body (the primary channels)

b) defend us from pathogenic invasions, or effectively slow down it’s progress should it enter the body (the complement channels)

Learning to access these channels compassionately and skilfully is what makes acupuncture a complete form of medicine. 

Objectives

So it follows that the aim of the mentoring programme is to impart the philosophical & clinical applications of the complement channels. The emphasis is an immersive interaction with these channels for our own healing & inner growth as well as for the wellbeing and evolution of our patients. The two are connected.

Reference

Our reference is primarily the “Red Book” written by Ann Cecil Sterman alongside her clinical teachings. We will, together, learn how to use the book in the clinical setting. We shall also draw from the oral transmissions or Dr Jeffery Yuen as well as our own cultivation of this material. 

The Complement Channels
Eight Extraordinary Vessels (8EVs)

These vessels were documented during the Han Dynasty (206BC - 244AD). They work with Yuan Qi and the organs of evolution, the Curious Bowels. Historically they were controversial acupuncture channels, and at one point they were reserved only for meditation and self cultivation practice.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), and largely due to the work of a famous master practitioner Li Shi Zhen, the Extraordinary Vessels became known as channels for therapeutic use. They were found to be effective methods for working on issues affecting the brain, bones, uterus.

The main controversy came from the belief that the Extraordinary Vessels (8EV’s) can alter a person’s destiny (Ming), or at least help a person move through their life lessons faster and easier. Some practitioners say that this is beyond the ethical scope of what a healer should engage with. Others think this is exactly the role of a healer if a patient is asking for this level of intervention. In practice the use of the 8EV’s invite compassionate & skilful action from the side of the practitioner to know when to intervene and, equally as important, when not to. 

The 8EV’s are the deepest channels of energetics. Patients often recognise something significant is happening, even if they can’t exactly put their finger on what it is. Working with these channels can feel like therapy sessions in which we are gradually being transformed at all layers of our being.

It’s important to cultivate the ability to listen deeply to what our patients are asking for. Probing at such a deep level without a patient’s consent or lacking rapport can create a feeling of their being violated to the core. Yet when a person is ready and wants to change something at either the level of ancestry, constitution or longstanding issues - in other words something fundamental about their experience of life – the 8EV’s are the channels of choice. 

Key Learning Points

• Blueprints for human development, physical and emotional maturation, and survival.
• Most appropriate channels for treating genetic/hereditary disease, and threats to destiny.
• The development of the constitution in utero, its expression in the organ system, and strategies for addressing constitutional challenges.
• Trajectories and meeting point for formulating an effective clinical strategy
• Symptom and pulse findings for each trajectory
• Vibrating needle technique
• Appropriate needling technique, and protocols for each channel
• Management of healing events arising from an 8EV treatment 

Divergent Channels

Description

The divergent channels are among the most enigmatic channels in all of Chinese medicine. They are rarely mentioned nor used in modern TCM courses and contemporary medical practice. However these magical channels provide profound teachings on life processes, physiological function, and deterioration.

They’re often implicated in chronic inflammatory, and degenerative diseases. Dr Jeffrey Yuen comes from an oral tradition of CCM and presents these channels as a continuum that describes the body’s self-preservation mechanism. Chapter 11 of the Ling Shu presents the sequence of the divergent channels as a detailed study into the way the body maintains its integrity in the light of life’s challenges. 

Learning how to access these channels enables us to invite our patients to confront their sickness. This is achieved through accessing deeper levels of healing and personal transformation. We shall be exploring the divergent channels, principles of cultivation, and associated needling techniques to enable us to resonate this healing intention to our patients. 

Key Learning Points

• Channels of latency & Disease nemesis theory
• Chronic, relapsing & remitting
• Autoimmunity
• Building of resources
• Treatment Principles
• “Three time needling” technique
• Unlocking Wei Qi energetics with scar treatments
• Pulse qualities 

Luo Vessels

Description

The Luo Vessels are channels of latency. They hold onto pathogenic factors. The second line of defense is the Luo Vessels. Luo Vessels are conduits of Ying (nutritive) qi (Xue Blood and jinye body fluids). Symptoms of the Luo Vessels are those that relate to Bi obstruction, rebellious Qi, and Shen disturbances.

When the wei qi level of the body has failed to "release” an external pathogenic factor (EPF) via the Sinew channels then it creates “latency". Latency prevents the movement of an EPF into the Primary Channels and Zang Fu, thereby disrupting physiological function.

The Luo Vessels trap the PF in a minor blood vessel which is created on the surface of the skin, manifesting as a varicosity. In the process of creating and maintaining latency, the Luo Vessels induce a state of blood stasis. 

The Classics teach that anything related to Blood is also related to the Shen. The Shen is said to circulate through the Blood. So clinically, the Luo Vessels are the most appropriate channels to directly address a problem in our lives particularly if it has an emotional or psycho-social element to it. Thus accessing the Luo Vessels enables the practitioner to help their patients in the resolution of a wide range of illnesses involving the Blood and Shen. 

Key Learning Points

• Metabolism and spirit of Xue Blood
• Role of Blood as a medium in latency
• Treating Longitudinal Luo Vessels have transformative power for mental health disorders.
• Diagnosis, protocols, and techniques of the Luo Vessel networks 

Sinew Channels

It is commonly known that Sinew Channels treat pain and defend against invasion from external pathogenic factors. The trajectories of the Sinews also show wei qi's effect on the sense organs, the heart muscle and peristalsis of the gut. This is why they are used to treat issues of :

• Pain
• The head and sense organs
• Digestive system
• Issues associated with sleep and the chest

Key learning points

• Sinew Channels as they relate to freedom of movement and physical expression, moods and the unconscious.
• Sinew channels as the conduit of Wei Qi
• Physiology of Wei Qi
• Zonal organisation of Sinews Channels
• Pulse findings
• Preparation for success in a treatment
• Evaluation through movement diagnosis
• Ancestral Sinews
• Mood, posture & the unconscious
• Trajectories & directionality
• Treatment protocols