How to become a remarkable acupuncturist

From its origins in ancient Shamanic practices to modern-day courses taught at colleges and universities around the world, Classical Chinese medicine has undergone over 4,500 years of evolution.

For a significant proportion of the earth’s population it has served as the main paradigm of medicine - successfully adapting to the needs of humanity throughout history. 

A complex and highly diverse form of medicine, it has many different styles, depths, and practices - yet has also remained refreshingly non-dogmatic.

What has allowed Classical Chinese medicine to be both so effective and so flexible? The answer lies in its philosophical and metaphysical underpinnings, which are based upon universal principles of interconnection and the natural cycles of the universe.

One of the most well-known forms of this approach is TCM or ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’. Born out of political necessity during the time of Mao Tse Tung in the 1950’s, TCM sought to “modernize'' Classical medicine and to integrate the latest Western scientific findings.

It is now the main form of Chinese medicine practiced in mainland China and is found on the curriculum of most Western acupuncture and herbal schools. In this way, TCM has done a great service to humanity by making the medicine readily available to all.

In contrast to TCM with which many of us are familiar, I’d like to introduce a different tradition - the Classical Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture lineage of Dr Jeffery C Yuen, which is rooted in the foundational Daoist texts of the Han dynasty (2nd century BCE).

The source of this lineage is an oral tradition, meaning it was never written down but passed from one generation to the next via a living spoken transmission. Jeffrey Yuen is a Daoist priest and the 88th lineage holder of the tradition of medicine that I practice. 

For nearly thirty years Jeffrey has tirelessly transmitted this medicine across the US and Europe at lectures, conferences and universities. With a prodigious depth and breadth of knowledge he has taught acupuncturists, doctors, nurses and many other healing professionals.

I first met Jeffery in 2007, and one of the first things that struck me was his fluent English and New York accent! With the traditional need to learn the Classical Chinese language bypassed, I and his other students were able to dive straight into the material, and begin immediately to integrate the teachings and practices into our own lives. 

From 2014 onwards I trained with Ann Cecil-Sterman - one of Jeffery’s most senior students and a seasoned teacher in her own right. Studying with Ann, I gradually came to realize that there is a deeper dimension of the practice that is no longer taught or emphasized in modern acupuncture schools. 

I call this deeper dimension the Sovereign. It is a transformative experience of presence and a special attunement to the heart that animates the medicine.

Although the Sovereign is profound and mysterious, it can be easily taught and reproduced. But a significant challenge lies in our current propensity towards intellectual abstraction and technique - blocking our access to the transformative capacity of the medicine.

Now of course, we all begin by focusing on the physical body and applying techniques and protocols. This is how we learn to access this medicine at the outset. But in the past 25 years of my personal and clinical experience I have seen again and again that it is the deeper transformative capacity that is key to all effective health and healing.

If we focus exclusively on the technicalities - emphasizing techniques, trying to get quick results, dutifully following inflexible protocols - we are likely to miss out on the actual transformative magic of the medicine. 

And if we fail to access that magical element, our confidence as acupuncturists will be eroded, as we fail to see the results that we - or our patients - hoped for. 

Because it is beyond mere point location, techniques and protocols, the deeper dimension can be challenging for those who approach the practice on a purely intellectual level. But that recognition is instructive in itself - because it reveals that what is required turns out to be the exact opposite.

It is only through developing an open, tender, and transformative heart that we can see and feel the aliveness of the medicine - and truly experience the deeper potency it carries.

If we choose to tend to the heart, deepen our presence, and master the appropriate skills, we shall naturally feel confident, open-hearted and be able to effectively alleviate the pain and suffering of any person seeking our help.

It is only through opening our heart that we can become a remarkable acupuncturist.