The Last Weekend before Classes

It has been a long and stressful week. I've had work responsibilities which have kept me busy with applying lots of intellectual effort to completing the major deliverable necessary to conclude a chapter of my current work responsibilities. The deliverable seeks to describe my company's business in terms of abstractions that define the parameters and linguistics of the company's business processes in terms of distinctions which can be leveraged by our software to facilitate conducting of our business processes in a generalized manner associated with the growing range of services the company contemplates as necessary for the expected growth and scalability challenges of our business. If you've been able to thoroughly enjoy my run-on-sentence, then you would fully appreciate the nature of the deliverables I've had to write! :)

Luckily, my responsibilities are changing as school commences next week. Applying this much intellectual effort has been taxing on me mentally, and has robbed me of much needed mental energy to enjoy portions of my personal life which require intellectual effort - portions such as reading, writing, and artistic expression. Turning down some of the volume and redirecting it to my school work will be a welcome change.

School Orientation...

Thursday's first year student orientation for my Traditional Chinese Medicine program left our class of 11 individuals filled with excitement and numerous questions as to the nature of what the next 4 years will be like. There are 7 guys, and 4 women. This apparently is very new for the school, as most prior years have been mostly female. The staff is also mostly female. The students represent individuals from many walks of life. Two of the students have lived on the islands for 12 years an have had schooling in other health sciences. One a massage therapists. One who who have studied other modalities of acupuncture but did not finish and so is starting a new program. One ex-military guy, and former police man who wants to find more direct ways of helping people. An individual who come from apprenticeship in chiropracty. One an international student who lived in Japan, while teaching English for two years and who brings with him much experience in Qi Gong meditation. All are dotted around the island with some living as far as Hilo while most live within 20 minutes of the school around Honoka'a and Waipio, and some in town.

While we got all of our questions answered - at least those we were able to think of - it became apparent that some things are just not to be known until the program starts, and the nature of the coursework reveals itself.

The school is indeed small. Presently it has 37 students in total. Our class is 11. There are 3 classrooms, 3 treatment rooms, the herbal dispensary, and an office. The administrative staff are really great people. We met with the president, the academic dean, head of operations, and the registrar/office manager. The physical presence of our teachers is quite remarkable. They exude a sense of confidence, and quiet peaceful power supported by years of experience in practicing these sciences and arts. Additionally several instructors came and went to briefly visit with us and see our faces.

Seitai Shimpo...

One major point of discussion amongst the students is whether they wish to take the 4 year Seitai Shinpo elective - a specialized form of Japanese acupuncture which deals with the structural realignment of the spine and pelvis so as to bring the body into proper alignment, thus alleviating the constriction on blood and Qi supply to all of the 5 major organs which in turn relieves conditions associated with imbalances of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In addition to structural realignment, Sentai Shimpo leaves one with the most startling and measurable physical and physiological results even after one treatment. Its needling technique is usually deep, and occasionally quite painful, where the needle is never left in the body, but upon insertion is immediately removed. Where most Traditional Chinese Acupuncture forms rely heavily of semi-deep subcutaneous needle insertion, and prolonged stimulation, as well as supplementation with herbology, Seitai Shinpo relies primarily on moxibustion, deep tissue needling, and no herbology.

While the elective is tremendously appealing, the apprenticeship style of this elective requires a commitment to the practice of this single form of acupuncture for a 10 year period by the sensei - a direct lineage holder of only 5 people who were taught by the master and originator of this technique back in Japan. The master comes to Hawaii to teach for a week intensive class every July based on his latest research and experience. Our sensei herself is 72 years old. She is fierce, demands commitment, and is direct like a laser beam at any questions. With her age, you apparently can understand her urgency in wanting to pass this knowledge on to future generations of students who can further this technique around the world.

In respect to the lineage, graduates of the programs are to keep faith with their one sensei and are not to learn, or participate in learning of any other forms of acupuncture from other senseis for a 10 year period until sufficient mastery has been attained to where one is released from the obligation for the single concentration.

Such questions arise as - if we're learning Seitai Shinpo and cannot practice anything else for 10 years, then why are we learning TCM? Also - if you can get a certification from Sensei Sorimachi - the founder of this discipline - in a 3 day certification program which takes place at various places around the world (something I discovered through googling) - then why is it that we have to study this for 4 years, and practice for 6 additional years for a total of 10? Also - to borrow a phrase from Corinne - does one not become a one trick pony? Lastly - if a patient comes in to you with one set of symptoms which would be best served by another modality, would one have to turn them away?

No doubt commitment has to do with mastery. One is free to study other modalities after the tenure is over. The sensei describes this course of study as 'digging one well'; students normally dabble in many modalities - they dig many wells which yield access to shallow pools of sandy water - whereas, were one to dig one well, one reaches the clear pool of pristine water of knowledge that all the other wells also individually dig to find. It speaks to dedication and mastership of following one course of study to the end, rather than the spreading oneself too thing. In one way its appealing, in another it occurs as terribly constraining.

It appeals conceptually on so many levels - where one knows that if you study T'ai Chi, you must study one single T'ai Chi form for many many years in order to attain 'mastery'. And even so - mastery is an elusive concept.

This is, in some ways not different than committing to a Reiki mastership which comes with responsibilities of life practice, but not of closure to other modalities of Reiki - as the art is building of intuitive toolkits of energetic healing through integration of additional Reiki forms and techniques.

Regardless, our first class is in October - an all day class on a Thursday. After the class we decide on our commitment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sometimes referred to as Traditional Communist Medicine - many schools of thought have been standardized for common practice in China where acupuncture is mostly used for musculoskeletal disorders, trauma, and various pain complaints, while about 80% of patients electing to have TCM invariably go to an herbalist rather than an acupuncturist. In such standardization, TCM is documented to be more accomplished in its use of herbology. Many acupuncturists are schooled in the 5 element theory, while few apply it. I'm glad that TCMCH seems to aspire to a more well rounded education, while it was evident that Tai Sophia institute in Maryland was certainly more concerned with ensuring acupuncturists were well educated in the 5 element theory and not reliant upon herbology as a supplement. If students wished to learn herbology - the additional line of study was a 2 year elective after the completion of a 3 year acupuncture program.

What's interesting with TCMCH is that it begins to introduce and teach about 300 herbs in the first year, and clinical observation starts at the end of the first year as well while the program runs for a totality of 4 years.

Japanese Acupuncture / Meridian Therapy

There are so many other modalities of acupuncture at our disposal. Among them the Japanese Traditional Acupuncture technique - most commonly referred to as Meridian Therapy - a form of acupuncture so refined and finessed that it deals primarily with 5 element balance through insertion techniques that do not penetrate more than 2 mm below the skin surface. One interesting article compares Japanese Acupuncture to Chinese Acupuncture with the analogy of Sushi v.s. Stir-fry:

"I can compare Japanese and Chinese styles by referring to cooking, looking at Japanese sushi versus a Chinese stir-fried rice dish. Both are very nutritious; both are delicious. But sushi is exquisite in its design, execution, and taste. It is delicate, thoughtful, and subtle. Stir-fry is tasty and satisfying, but it lacks finesse and sophistication. Ingredients are cut quickly, tossed without much thought, and served efficiently. If one is to pursue acupuncture as an art, one that requires a lifetime of study, practice, and effort, one should apply oneself to the more refined Japanese style. In this way, one will move beyond medical application, towards a cultivation of feeling, sensing, and affecting the patient’s energetic network. The ultimate achievement is not only enhanced health for the patient, but as important, personal development through self cultivation of a very ancient and spiritual art."

There is one teacher at TCMCH who performs Meridian Therapy and who is being encouraged by many students to consider teaching Meridian Therapy as an elective. My roommate Corinne experienced her technique and was extremely impressed. As of this time, there are no firm plans on adding this modality to the curriculum, but we will no doubt be asking many questions.

Post-orientation Field-trip...

After the orientation, which was accompanied by a full spread of potluck food brought by teachers and administration, most students dispersed to their lives and only the three of us and Dan, a student from England were left without plans and a desire to do something together. We ended up coming back to our place, making some sandwiches and driving to Waipio valley - as noone other than myself had been there yet, and its a place I feel very peaceful and grounded in. Jake had the roof, windows and door stripped off, and the drive over and back was very cold. With us wrapped in towels we made the trek back home, while Dan was hugging the hot air vents in the front.

The valley was bristling with magic, and after covering the back roads of the valley and fording streams we made our way to the ocean side. We waded through the fast moving currents of the river as it exited into the ocean - each of us equipped with good shoes which prevented slippage on the rocks under the rushing water. We walked and talked the half mile crescent and touched the sides of the mountain bordering the other side of the valley. The sunset was spectacular and a rainbow glistened over the ocean as it fell in to the fiery flames of the crests of the red waves. Fording the stream and returning home for hot chocolate and a hot meal made up of food accessories we found in the fridge, we went to bed exhausted.

Hawi Town & Local Shenanigans...

The following pictures are taken from a trip from last weekend to Hawi, and to the end of Akoni Pule Hwy.



Included are pictures of my roommates Corinne, Randy, and Corinne's mom who's visiting until the start of school.







The End of Akoni Pule Hwy...

You can see Maui from across the sound in all its glory as its peak tumbles into the ocean.


Though the trail to this valley is well warn and available, much of the trails inside are closed due to earthquake damage.




The evening brought with it a light show like none other...