Bumping for medical value!
Here's a chapter from the book as I realise most of us are probably too lazy to click a vague PDF
If you have ANY problems with drugs, like um, the entire Shroomery and then some, you MUST read this. This is the Book of Life.
Research that by its taboo nature is next to impossible to receive and crucial life-giving knowledge. Most drug users live in a kind of hell and this book is the salve to that.
Quote:
SEX AND DRUGS AND FREEFLOW ‘My topic today is“‘Sex and drugs and freeflow”. I’ll start with drugs. Illicit drugs are a multi-billion dollar, global business, probably one of the biggest industries in the world. Basically this is because they take away pain, they make you feel good, HIGHER AND HIGHER 10
they make you happy. So I guess you could say that it is really the search for happiness that is one of the biggest industries in the world. ‘Put up your hand if you want to feel happy.’ Everyone in the room put their hands up and there were a few laughs. ‘We all want to feel good,and we all want to be happy.But drugs can only deliver this in the short term so eventually we have to find other more sustainable ways of achieving this result.This is an area I have been investigating and, based on my background of personal drug use and my subsequent research into Traditional Chinese Medicine, Energy medicine, Body–Mind therapy and spirituality, I believe that drugs create feelings of bliss because they allow energy, or Chi, to move freely in the body.This is a state which I call ‘freeflow’ and it is this that we need to experience pure happiness.The moment of orgasm or the rush you get from snorting cocaine are both good examples of freeflow.’ The freeflow state ‘The concept of freeflow is based on the idea that the body has an invisible energetic structure, generally referred to in Energy medicine as the Human Energy Field. Although this might sound New Age, this same idea forms the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine,which has been around for five thousand years. Generally speaking, both streams of practice would suggest that you feel good when Chi, or inner energy, flows freely in the body, and bad when Chi is stagnant or not flowing freely. The objective of my work as a therapist—in which I draw upon many therapeutic disciplines—is to clear the blockages or obstructions so that Chi can flow freely and you can feel good again.’ Sex and drugs and freeflow 11
I turned to the whiteboard behind me and used a black marker to draw an outline of a body. It looked like one of those chalk bodies drawn at the sites of accidents but it would have to do. I then used a red marker to draw lines throughout the body with dots at intervals along the lines. Now it looked like a human subway map. ‘In Traditional Chinese Medicine,Chi flows within the body via pathways which are known in the West as the acupuncture meridians.These meridians have intersections and openings which are the acupuncture points.If you are in perfect health, the Chi flows along the meridians and at the acupuncture points it divides. It then flows outwards to nurture skin, tendons and muscles, which allows the body to move effortlessly. It also flows inwards to the organs establishing perfect organ function.’ I chose a green marker and roughly drew the lungs, heart, liver, spleen and kidneys in the torso. It was not anatomically correct but the aim was to connect the organs to the red “subway map” of the meridians. ‘As well as having a physiological function, each of your organs also has a spiritual and emotional function. So, in the state of freeflow, where the organs have abundant Chi and function perfectly, you feel great physically, spiritually and emotionally.’All eyes were fixed on the whiteboard trying to grasp this information.Given the venue, most of my audience would have heard of acupuncture points and maybe even the Human Energy Field, but the idea that the condition of your organs might directly affect or even create your emotional state would probably be new to them. I paused for a moment before turning back to the board and pointing at each of the organs in turn. ‘My work fuses Traditional Chinese Medicine, Energy medicine and Body–Mind therapy, and it’s this fusion, rather HIGHER AND HIGHER 12
than a pure application of any one of these approaches, which applies to most of what I say from now on.In the state of freeflow the Lungs let you embrace change, let go of the past and look forward to the future.The Heart generates feelings of love, inspiration and joy.The Liver makes you feel that your life is progressing as it should be and this makes you happy. The Spleen makes you feel energetic and provides a balanced sense of self. In addition your thoughts will flow smoothly and you will be able to grasp complex concepts and ideas easily.The Kidneys make you feel young and full of zest.You will have plenty of will-power and feel “supported” in everything you do. ‘This is freeflow, a blissfully happy state in which you love yourself, the world and everyone in it.You feel no pain, hold no grudges and only look forward. Life is full of promise. You sleep peacefully through the night and wake up full of energy and anticipation, eager to jump out of bed and get into another exciting and joyful day. Nothing and nobody affects your peace of mind.’ I let my arm drop. ‘Who feels like this all the time?’ I paused and scanned the room, but no one raised a hand.They were reacting as I had hoped. I rephrased the question.‘Who would like to feel like this all the time?’ Laughter erupted, some hands slowly rose, and eventually all hands were up, including mine. ‘So why don’t we feel like this? As you can see,we all have the mechanisms in place in our organs to make us feel fantastic all the time, so what is the problem?’ I picked up the red marker and drew a large dot on top of one of the acupuncture points in the shoulder of my diagram man, before answering my own question.‘The problem is that if there is a blockage at an acupuncture point, only a small amount of Chi can squeeze through.This is like a traffic jam where six Sex and drugs and freeflow 13
HIGHER AND HIGHER 14 lanes of traffic turn into one and then only one car at a time can pass.As a result the organs do not get enough Chi to function effectively and your spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing suffers.’ I drew a table on the whiteboard showing examples of some positive and negative states and emotions associated with each of the organs I had drawn. Organ Positive aspect Negative aspect Lungs Spontaneity Sadness/grief Heart Joy/excitement Depression/shock Liver Happiness Frustration/anger Spleen Clarity of thought/vitality Confusion/obsession Kidneys Strength/will-power Weakness/fear The non-freeflow state I started the organ circuit again by pointing at the Lungs. ‘Now, in the obstructed version in which the organs are not functioning properly, the Lungs make you feel constricted rather than spontaneous.You find it hard to accept change, detach from the past or embrace the future.You feel sadness or grief and have a sense of not being in control. ‘The Heart is also deprived of Chi, so it generates feelings of depression and disillusionment, you experience anxiety or insomnia or both and feel like you are in a state of shock.You are in a non-love relationship with yourself, others and the world. ‘Now the Liver makes you feel like you are driving with the handbrake permanently on, creating frustration, anger or resentment. As the Spleen can’t function properly, you feel
constantly tired.You wake up and don’t want to get out of bed. When you do get up, you just can’t get going.The whole day is a drag. Your body aches and feels heavy and your muscles are tight.Your posture is hunched.You don’t ever feel really present.It takes a huge amount of effort to think and then even more of an effort to get your thoughts and your words across clearly. It is almost as if the muscles in your mouth don’t have the energy to do the job of speaking, so you have no desire to communicate with anyone.’ I could see quite a few people responding with surprised looks or slight nods.What we call ‘Spleen Chi deficiency’ in TCM, or lack of Chi in the Spleen, was becoming a major health issue and, as many people in the audience probably had that condition, I decided to go into more detail about the associated symptoms. ‘In the West most of us have no idea what the Spleen does, but Traditional Chinese Medicine sees its role as crucial: it is considered responsible for transforming foods into energy. However, due to factors such as our nutrient-poor diet of processed foods with high sugar and fat levels, this function is becoming seriously affected in many people. I believe Spleen Chi deficiency is now a serious health issue in Western society. It is a problematical condition too because if you become Spleen Chi deficient, you will have no appetite for healthy foods,which is what you need,but frequent cravings for sweet or high fat snacks, which make the condition worse. ‘With weakened Spleen function, your ability to concentrate and focus will also decline.Your mind feels dull and sort of “detached” from your body.You sit in front of a computer or book and read the same sentence over and over again.As the Spleen is also responsible for transportation of thought, you can start to lose track of what you were saying in the Sex and drugs and freeflow 15
middle of a sentence. If the person you are talking to is thrown by this, they may stare at you, waiting for you to finish what you were saying. If you can’t pick up the thread it can start a cycle where you feel uneasy at social events.You know that something isn’t quite right but it is too strange to talk about, so you ignore it hoping it will go away, but it won’t. Eventually, you can end up trapped in your mind thinking things over obsessively and losing all objectivity. Then, in an attempt to seek some sort of relief or sense of movement, you may project your emotional anguish and confusion onto others in the form of accusation, anger or recrimination.’ I paused to let the implications sink in, then pointed at the Kidneys. ‘Weakened Kidney function can make you feel old and worn-out. You lack will-power, vitality and confidence and you are fearful about life.You also have the sense of being unsupported. Physically, your lower back hurts, your legs feel weak, your knees feel sore and the frequent need for urination makes everything even worse. Interest in sex declines and, if there is sexual activity, it is characterised in men by premature ejaculation or loss of erection in the middle of the act. In women there is a loss of libido. Quite simply, the spark of life is gone.Dark shadows under the eyes and pale skin are two signs of advanced Kidney Chi deficiency.’ I paused, and a few people glanced around, obviously wondering if they could spot any symptoms of this in their neighbours. ‘Who in this room can relate to any of these symptoms?’ I asked. Instantly every hand was raised, including mine, and everyone laughed again. I had to raise my voice to overpower the noise—a good sign. ‘So what can we do about it?’ An expectant silence met this question. HIGHER AND HIGHER 16
I moved back to the whiteboard and pointed to the blocked acupuncture point. ‘These obstructed acupuncture points are the problem because they stop the Chi flowing freely. So, if we want to feel good we need to get the body back to a state of freeflow, but the question is,how do we do this?’ I looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as possible. Drugs and freeflow ‘Fortunately, there is a method that will sort the problem out within minutes.’ Now I really had their attention. All eyes were focused on me,waiting for this magical solution. ‘A quick snort of some good quality cocaine would instantly make all these symptoms disappear and replace them with the thrilling and exhilarating experience of freeflow.’ As I had hoped, a stunned silence met this remark. Most people stared at me in total disbelief.This was supposed to be a natural health lecture and I appeared to be enthusiastically advocating the use of illicit drugs to deal with health problems. ‘This is because, like most stimulants, legal or illegal, cocaine forces an instant freeflow of Chi.As soon as the drug enters your system, Chi rushes along all the meridians.When it hits a blockage at an acupuncture point the drug acts like a bulldozer that pushes the traffic jam through the blocked intersection and forces the Chi to keep flowing. The pathway to the Lungs suddenly becomes free.As Lungs represent “the moment”, you instantly feel what it is like to truly live in the moment. All the pain of old relationships, disputes and grudges is gone, along with heaviness, grief or sadness.You feel completely spontaneous.When abundant Chi floods the Sex and drugs and freeflow 17
Heart, shock, anxiety or depression are replaced by intense joy, excitement and love.’ I pointed to the Liver. ‘When the Liver comes under the influence of the cocaine-induced freeflow, anger and frustration instantly disappear. Stress also vanishes. Time loses its suffocating presence and you feel perfectly in tune with life. The drug freeflow artificially enhances your Spleen function too.Thinking becomes clear and structured again and information can be absorbed and understood in seconds. Formulating and expressing your thoughts is effortless, so communicating and problem solving become pleasurable and you actively seek people to talk to. ‘Abundant Chi in the Kidneys means that lack of confidence and fear are replaced by self-assurance and willpower. You feel like you’ve got “backbone” and “balls” and you have the energy to move or dance all night. Sexual energy reaches new heights too and you can make love for hours on end without the urge to climax.’ I glanced around the room: in spite of their discomfort with the method I’d proposed, the desire for lots of Kidney Chi was written on everyone’s faces. ‘Cocaine definitely works, it delivers dramatic results. In a recent book about the drug the author describes the effects as follows:“the moment you shove it up your nose it races into your bloodstream, heads directly into the pleasure centre of your brain, kicks down the door, jams your Fun Throttle forwards into ‘way too fast’and dumps the clutch”(Streatfeild 2001, p. x), and I can confirm that every word of this is true. So,why not use cocaine all day long and enjoy the pleasures of freeflowing Chi?’ I paused, pretending to expect an answer, but there was only silence. HIGHER AND HIGHER 18
Drugs and Jing ‘Unfortunately the freeflow a drug like cocaine generates is not naturally induced, so ultimately it comes at a high price. If you use the vocabulary of Traditional Chinese Medicine to explain the fantastic rush you get from snorting cocaine, it does not come from something in that white powder,it occurs because the cocaine draws upon an internal power, known as Jing. Jing is the fuel for all our physical, emotional and spiritual activities. ‘Part of your Jing is given to you at birth.This is known as pre-natal Jing. The other part, the post-natal Jing, is derived from your food intake and managed by your lifestyle. Jing determines your basic constitutional strength and vitality.The more Jing you have the more you can enjoy life.Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is essentially a preventative medicine, aims to conserve, support and nurture your Jing. ‘Drugs do the exact opposite. Each drug high draws upon your store of Jing, initiates premature ageing and moves you one step closer to death. Powerful stimulants like cocaine need massive amounts of Jing to create the impression of perfect organ function.As Jing depletes you are less able to enjoy life and need more cocaine to feel good. However, if you continue using the drug it inevitably becomes a cycle of more organ damage, more side effects and less pleasure. It is in situations like this that cocaine, or synthetic stimulants such as speed, can act as gateway drugs to heroin.After a period of heroin addiction,however, the Jing is so depleted that no drug can give you a high. ‘From here the only options are to re-build your Jing and organ function, or choose death via what we used to call the “golden shot”. At this stage the latter can be an appealing Sex and drugs and freeflow 19
option because once your organ function has deteriorated so badly, you already feel “worse than death”anyway.Drugs such as cocaine, speed or ecstasy are extremely destructive to the Human Energy Field. Even though the highs they generate may feel beneficial in the short term, it is the state of the Human Energy Field that determines the health of the body, and drugs will create additional distortions or obstructions and make existing ones even worse. ‘Drugs don’t create positive change and drugs don’t generate health or happiness. Blockages in the Energy Field are still present and active, you just aren’t aware of them when you are high.’ I glanced around the room. By now the audience was clear that I wasn’t advocating cocaine as a way to achieve health and happiness.The atmosphere had become serious. It was time to shake them up again. Sex and freeflow ‘So, if we can’t take drugs because ultimately they make the situation worse, what other freeflow options do we have? What about sex? Having sex is a great way to feel good.This is because, like drugs, sexual activities also create a temporary freeflow of energy. Fortunately, there is the difference that, as long as it is healthy sex, it will not have any negative effects on the Human Energy Field—and it is usually legal.’ I paused for a moment and slowly looked around the room.‘I want everyone to imagine themselves twenty seconds before orgasm.’ Most people laughed, and there were a few smiles as they tried to oblige while not looking at each other. ‘When you are that close to orgasm your Energy Field is completely under the influence of the sexual stimulus, HIGHER AND HIGHER 20
therefore Chi flows freely. So, like on a drug, blockages are bypassed and Chi circulates in the internal organ system. Your breathing becomes deep and effortless and the Lungs manifest spontaneity.You don’t lie there thinking about the past or the future.You don’t think,“Should I lift this leg now, or bend this elbow?”, you are fully in the present and everything happens naturally. ‘The Heart makes you feel inspired and in love and you use verbal, aural and tactile means to express this love. Sensations of intense joy wash over you.The Spleen generates clarity.You know just who you are and what you want. The Liver fully immerses you in the experience of action, and stress, anger and frustration don’t exist.As orgasm approaches,the Kidneys make even more energy available, tiredness and fatigue vanish and the experience intensifies almost unbearably. Then you orgasm and nothing else matters.’A wave of laughter washed through the room. ‘Sex does make the Chi flow, and it can clear minor obstructions making you feel temporarily uplifted and relaxed. Unfortunately though, an orgasm doesn’t last all day and having sex cannot change the circumstances that created the blockages in the first place. For example, imagine yourself rushing to work, late for an important meeting. Every traffic light turns red just as you approach it. You have no sense of movement, the Chi in the Liver begins to stagnate and you feel frustrated and angry.A quick orgasm could move the Chi but as a stress management technique it is not very reliable because eventually the body will boycott it to avoid energy depletion. Orgasm draws upon the Jing, particularly in men,so too much sex will eventually deplete the body.Not only that, but there are other obvious problems associated with having sex in peak-hour traffic.’ Sex and drugs and freeflow 21
Therapy and freeflow ‘So we have to find other ways of dealing with these energetic obstructions and getting the Chi to flow freely again. This is where a program of therapy, spiritual practice, exercise and nutritional supplements comes into the picture. It doesn’t sound as much fun as sex and drugs, but in the long term such a program can create constant freeflow and it doesn’t get much better than that.’ I pointed at the blocked acupuncture point again. ‘Although this blockage is not visible, in therapeutic terms we treat it as a crystalline structure.Energy medicine is based on an understanding that these crystalline blockages have similar organic properties, or behave in a similar way, to the crystals used in many commercial applications. The key similarities are that they are capable of storing energy and they are also “piezo-electric” which means that when pressure is applied to them this stored energy can emanate (Oschman 2000, p. 52). So, if we put these crystals under pressure, using acupuncture, massage or other techniques, the blockages will reduce in size and the Chi can flow again. ‘This allows increased amounts of Chi to move along the meridians, nourishing the skin, and lubricating the tendons and muscles. At the same time the Chi flows inwards and begins correcting organ imbalances. After a time,pain and negative emotions,which were a result of blockages and impaired organ function, are gradually replaced with the harmonious feelings of freeflow. As no corruptive methods such as drugs were used to bypass the blockage,there are no side effects and you are on the path of constant improvement.’ A young woman with spiky red hair raised her hand.‘You have made the healing process sound quite mechanical, with HIGHER AND HIGHER 22
the piezo-electric effect and so on, as if any of us could do some training, apply pressure to the correct spot, prescribe supplements and achieve these results, but there are many people here at the festival who present themselves as natural healers, do you think there is such a thing?’ She had highlighted one of the difficulties of the holistic health movement, the fact that under the one New Age umbrella there were all kinds of people from crystal-dangling hobbyists to professional therapists who had—through years of training and discipline—mastered a technique that could help people change on a much more profound level. Both ends of the spectrum were probably represented in my audience. I phrased my answer carefully. ‘Medical research into magnetobiology, the study of the effects of magnetic fields on living systems, has established that magnetic fields can be used to accelerate healing in tissues as long as forty years after the original injury occurred. It has also been discovered that the hands of some trained Energy therapists can emit biomagnetic fields of a similar frequency to those generated by the devices used by the medical institutions (Oschman 2000, p. 78). I think that there are some people who have a natural talent in this area and are attracted to the healing professions but in my opinion, the degree to which they can be effective is directly connected to the amount of effort they invest in mastering and understanding their own Chi.The stronger their own Chi is, the more powerful their work will be because the more effective they will be at reducing blockages in the Energy Fields of their patients.’ She looked at me quizzically and then said,‘But if you use your own Chi to move the blocked energy of the patient, isn’t there a danger that whatever has caused their blockage Sex and drugs and freeflow 23
could then affect you?’ She must have studied or at least read about Energy medicine because she was nailing the major challenges of the job. ‘The answer to your question would have to be—yes. Whatever is stored in the patient’s Energy Field can, in certain circumstances, move to the therapist’s Energy Field. So, the more effective and intense the treatment, the more stress can be placed on the organs of the therapist. For example, the Spleen is often affected as it is the organ for digesting emotionality. I believe that Energy therapists need to undergo many years of Chi-training in order to understand how to modulate the patient’s Energy Field without depleting their own energy and affecting their own organs.This is really challenging though, and most graduates from natural medicine courses in the West are not aware of such potential side effects, and not adequately trained in how to deal with them. The result is a high burn-out rate.’ She then asked me how I personally avoided burn-out. ‘After I finish working on a patient I take at least ten minutes to rebalance myself,’ I responded.‘I also spend a lot of time each day building my Chi: two hours each morning of stretching, meditation, endurance exercise and Tai-chi.This is followed by a breakfast of porridge made from organic oats which I have soaked overnight. Lunch is Asian-style meals of rice, vegetables and organic lamb or beef.’ I could see a small shock wave move through the audience when I mentioned eating meat. It was a definite no-no in New Age circles. ‘I never have fat or protein in the evening, so for dinner I usually eat unbuttered toast made from good quality bread. In addition, I have regular weekly Bodywork treatments and I take herbs and nutritional supplements on a regular basis. I never deviate from this routine during the week, and if I do HIGHER AND HIGHER 24
I can instantly feel the negative effects. Even one biscuit for morning tea would severely affect my Chi, as the sugar has immediate detrimental effects on the Spleen.’ The audience looked downcast at this grim picture of my lifestyle. ‘I know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but I do have a couple of light beers each night. If I feel like “entertainment food”, such as cakes or biscuits, I eat it on weekends or holidays, when it is not going to affect my energy for work. In my opinion health is a science and if you follow a structured health plan your life will improve dramatically.’ A man at the back of the room raised his hand and asked why I took supplements when I obviously had such a healthy diet. ‘The existence of the Human Energy Field and freeflow indicates that all we need for health and happiness is already within us and probably always has been. However, new lifestyle factors such as pollution, drugs and highly-processed food stripped of nutrient value,constantly deplete our energy. I don’t believe that we can counter all these negative elements anymore without help. Preventative medicine is the way of the future and a key element of preventative medicine and anti-ageing is supplementation. If you boost your whole system with the correct supplements it encourages freeflow by assisting in re-balancing the organs and it also assists in breaking down blockages.However, you have to use an effective product and it needs to be managed by a professional. ‘Many people self-prescribe vitamins. In most cases this is ineffective and a waste of money or even dangerous, as incorrect supplementation can disturb the equilibrium of the body and do more damage than good.There are many things that you can do of your own accord to help to de-obstruct your Energy Field and generate freeflow. Things like improving Sex and drugs and freeflow 25 SEX AND DRUGS AND FREEFLOW ‘My topic today is“‘Sex and drugs and freeflow”. I’ll start with drugs. Illicit drugs are a multi-billion dollar, global business, probably one of the biggest industries in the world. Basically this is because they take away pain, they make you feel good, HIGHER AND HIGHER 10
they make you happy. So I guess you could say that it is really the search for happiness that is one of the biggest industries in the world. ‘Put up your hand if you want to feel happy.’ Everyone in the room put their hands up and there were a few laughs. ‘We all want to feel good,and we all want to be happy.But drugs can only deliver this in the short term so eventually we have to find other more sustainable ways of achieving this result.This is an area I have been investigating and, based on my background of personal drug use and my subsequent research into Traditional Chinese Medicine, Energy medicine, Body–Mind therapy and spirituality, I believe that drugs create feelings of bliss because they allow energy, or Chi, to move freely in the body.This is a state which I call ‘freeflow’ and it is this that we need to experience pure happiness.The moment of orgasm or the rush you get from snorting cocaine are both good examples of freeflow.’ The freeflow state ‘The concept of freeflow is based on the idea that the body has an invisible energetic structure, generally referred to in Energy medicine as the Human Energy Field. Although this might sound New Age, this same idea forms the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine,which has been around for five thousand years. Generally speaking, both streams of practice would suggest that you feel good when Chi, or inner energy, flows freely in the body, and bad when Chi is stagnant or not flowing freely. The objective of my work as a therapist—in which I draw upon many therapeutic disciplines—is to clear the blockages or obstructions so that Chi can flow freely and you can feel good again.’ Sex and drugs and freeflow 11
I turned to the whiteboard behind me and used a black marker to draw an outline of a body. It looked like one of those chalk bodies drawn at the sites of accidents but it would have to do. I then used a red marker to draw lines throughout the body with dots at intervals along the lines. Now it looked like a human subway map. ‘In Traditional Chinese Medicine,Chi flows within the body via pathways which are known in the West as the acupuncture meridians.These meridians have intersections and openings which are the acupuncture points.If you are in perfect health, the Chi flows along the meridians and at the acupuncture points it divides. It then flows outwards to nurture skin, tendons and muscles, which allows the body to move effortlessly. It also flows inwards to the organs establishing perfect organ function.’ I chose a green marker and roughly drew the lungs, heart, liver, spleen and kidneys in the torso. It was not anatomically correct but the aim was to connect the organs to the red “subway map” of the meridians. ‘As well as having a physiological function, each of your organs also has a spiritual and emotional function. So, in the state of freeflow, where the organs have abundant Chi and function perfectly, you feel great physically, spiritually and emotionally.’All eyes were fixed on the whiteboard trying to grasp this information.Given the venue, most of my audience would have heard of acupuncture points and maybe even the Human Energy Field, but the idea that the condition of your organs might directly affect or even create your emotional state would probably be new to them. I paused for a moment before turning back to the board and pointing at each of the organs in turn. ‘My work fuses Traditional Chinese Medicine, Energy medicine and Body–Mind therapy, and it’s this fusion, rather HIGHER AND HIGHER 12
than a pure application of any one of these approaches, which applies to most of what I say from now on.In the state of freeflow the Lungs let you embrace change, let go of the past and look forward to the future.The Heart generates feelings of love, inspiration and joy.The Liver makes you feel that your life is progressing as it should be and this makes you happy. The Spleen makes you feel energetic and provides a balanced sense of self. In addition your thoughts will flow smoothly and you will be able to grasp complex concepts and ideas easily.The Kidneys make you feel young and full of zest.You will have plenty of will-power and feel “supported” in everything you do. ‘This is freeflow, a blissfully happy state in which you love yourself, the world and everyone in it.You feel no pain, hold no grudges and only look forward. Life is full of promise. You sleep peacefully through the night and wake up full of energy and anticipation, eager to jump out of bed and get into another exciting and joyful day. Nothing and nobody affects your peace of mind.’ I let my arm drop. ‘Who feels like this all the time?’ I paused and scanned the room, but no one raised a hand.They were reacting as I had hoped. I rephrased the question.‘Who would like to feel like this all the time?’ Laughter erupted, some hands slowly rose, and eventually all hands were up, including mine. ‘So why don’t we feel like this? As you can see,we all have the mechanisms in place in our organs to make us feel fantastic all the time, so what is the problem?’ I picked up the red marker and drew a large dot on top of one of the acupuncture points in the shoulder of my diagram man, before answering my own question.‘The problem is that if there is a blockage at an acupuncture point, only a small amount of Chi can squeeze through.This is like a traffic jam where six Sex and drugs and freeflow 13
HIGHER AND HIGHER 14 lanes of traffic turn into one and then only one car at a time can pass.As a result the organs do not get enough Chi to function effectively and your spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing suffers.’ I drew a table on the whiteboard showing examples of some positive and negative states and emotions associated with each of the organs I had drawn. Organ Positive aspect Negative aspect Lungs Spontaneity Sadness/grief Heart Joy/excitement Depression/shock Liver Happiness Frustration/anger Spleen Clarity of thought/vitality Confusion/obsession Kidneys Strength/will-power Weakness/fear The non-freeflow state I started the organ circuit again by pointing at the Lungs. ‘Now, in the obstructed version in which the organs are not functioning properly, the Lungs make you feel constricted rather than spontaneous.You find it hard to accept change, detach from the past or embrace the future.You feel sadness or grief and have a sense of not being in control. ‘The Heart is also deprived of Chi, so it generates feelings of depression and disillusionment, you experience anxiety or insomnia or both and feel like you are in a state of shock.You are in a non-love relationship with yourself, others and the world. ‘Now the Liver makes you feel like you are driving with the handbrake permanently on, creating frustration, anger or resentment. As the Spleen can’t function properly, you feel
constantly tired.You wake up and don’t want to get out of bed. When you do get up, you just can’t get going.The whole day is a drag. Your body aches and feels heavy and your muscles are tight.Your posture is hunched.You don’t ever feel really present.It takes a huge amount of effort to think and then even more of an effort to get your thoughts and your words across clearly. It is almost as if the muscles in your mouth don’t have the energy to do the job of speaking, so you have no desire to communicate with anyone.’ I could see quite a few people responding with surprised looks or slight nods.What we call ‘Spleen Chi deficiency’ in TCM, or lack of Chi in the Spleen, was becoming a major health issue and, as many people in the audience probably had that condition, I decided to go into more detail about the associated symptoms. ‘In the West most of us have no idea what the Spleen does, but Traditional Chinese Medicine sees its role as crucial: it is considered responsible for transforming foods into energy. However, due to factors such as our nutrient-poor diet of processed foods with high sugar and fat levels, this function is becoming seriously affected in many people. I believe Spleen Chi deficiency is now a serious health issue in Western society. It is a problematical condition too because if you become Spleen Chi deficient, you will have no appetite for healthy foods,which is what you need,but frequent cravings for sweet or high fat snacks, which make the condition worse. ‘With weakened Spleen function, your ability to concentrate and focus will also decline.Your mind feels dull and sort of “detached” from your body.You sit in front of a computer or book and read the same sentence over and over again.As the Spleen is also responsible for transportation of thought, you can start to lose track of what you were saying in the Sex and drugs and freeflow 15
middle of a sentence. If the person you are talking to is thrown by this, they may stare at you, waiting for you to finish what you were saying. If you can’t pick up the thread it can start a cycle where you feel uneasy at social events.You know that something isn’t quite right but it is too strange to talk about, so you ignore it hoping it will go away, but it won’t. Eventually, you can end up trapped in your mind thinking things over obsessively and losing all objectivity. Then, in an attempt to seek some sort of relief or sense of movement, you may project your emotional anguish and confusion onto others in the form of accusation, anger or recrimination.’ I paused to let the implications sink in, then pointed at the Kidneys. ‘Weakened Kidney function can make you feel old and worn-out. You lack will-power, vitality and confidence and you are fearful about life.You also have the sense of being unsupported. Physically, your lower back hurts, your legs feel weak, your knees feel sore and the frequent need for urination makes everything even worse. Interest in sex declines and, if there is sexual activity, it is characterised in men by premature ejaculation or loss of erection in the middle of the act. In women there is a loss of libido. Quite simply, the spark of life is gone.Dark shadows under the eyes and pale skin are two signs of advanced Kidney Chi deficiency.’ I paused, and a few people glanced around, obviously wondering if they could spot any symptoms of this in their neighbours. ‘Who in this room can relate to any of these symptoms?’ I asked. Instantly every hand was raised, including mine, and everyone laughed again. I had to raise my voice to overpower the noise—a good sign. ‘So what can we do about it?’ An expectant silence met this question. HIGHER AND HIGHER 16
I moved back to the whiteboard and pointed to the blocked acupuncture point. ‘These obstructed acupuncture points are the problem because they stop the Chi flowing freely. So, if we want to feel good we need to get the body back to a state of freeflow, but the question is,how do we do this?’ I looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as possible. Drugs and freeflow ‘Fortunately, there is a method that will sort the problem out within minutes.’ Now I really had their attention. All eyes were focused on me,waiting for this magical solution. ‘A quick snort of some good quality cocaine would instantly make all these symptoms disappear and replace them with the thrilling and exhilarating experience of freeflow.’ As I had hoped, a stunned silence met this remark. Most people stared at me in total disbelief.This was supposed to be a natural health lecture and I appeared to be enthusiastically advocating the use of illicit drugs to deal with health problems. ‘This is because, like most stimulants, legal or illegal, cocaine forces an instant freeflow of Chi.As soon as the drug enters your system, Chi rushes along all the meridians.When it hits a blockage at an acupuncture point the drug acts like a bulldozer that pushes the traffic jam through the blocked intersection and forces the Chi to keep flowing. The pathway to the Lungs suddenly becomes free.As Lungs represent “the moment”, you instantly feel what it is like to truly live in the moment. All the pain of old relationships, disputes and grudges is gone, along with heaviness, grief or sadness.You feel completely spontaneous.When abundant Chi floods the Sex and drugs and freeflow 17
Heart, shock, anxiety or depression are replaced by intense joy, excitement and love.’ I pointed to the Liver. ‘When the Liver comes under the influence of the cocaine-induced freeflow, anger and frustration instantly disappear. Stress also vanishes. Time loses its suffocating presence and you feel perfectly in tune with life. The drug freeflow artificially enhances your Spleen function too.Thinking becomes clear and structured again and information can be absorbed and understood in seconds. Formulating and expressing your thoughts is effortless, so communicating and problem solving become pleasurable and you actively seek people to talk to. ‘Abundant Chi in the Kidneys means that lack of confidence and fear are replaced by self-assurance and willpower. You feel like you’ve got “backbone” and “balls” and you have the energy to move or dance all night. Sexual energy reaches new heights too and you can make love for hours on end without the urge to climax.’ I glanced around the room: in spite of their discomfort with the method I’d proposed, the desire for lots of Kidney Chi was written on everyone’s faces. ‘Cocaine definitely works, it delivers dramatic results. In a recent book about the drug the author describes the effects as follows:“the moment you shove it up your nose it races into your bloodstream, heads directly into the pleasure centre of your brain, kicks down the door, jams your Fun Throttle forwards into ‘way too fast’and dumps the clutch”(Streatfeild 2001, p. x), and I can confirm that every word of this is true. So,why not use cocaine all day long and enjoy the pleasures of freeflowing Chi?’ I paused, pretending to expect an answer, but there was only silence. HIGHER AND HIGHER 18
Drugs and Jing ‘Unfortunately the freeflow a drug like cocaine generates is not naturally induced, so ultimately it comes at a high price. If you use the vocabulary of Traditional Chinese Medicine to explain the fantastic rush you get from snorting cocaine, it does not come from something in that white powder,it occurs because the cocaine draws upon an internal power, known as Jing. Jing is the fuel for all our physical, emotional and spiritual activities. ‘Part of your Jing is given to you at birth.This is known as pre-natal Jing. The other part, the post-natal Jing, is derived from your food intake and managed by your lifestyle. Jing determines your basic constitutional strength and vitality.The more Jing you have the more you can enjoy life.Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is essentially a preventative medicine, aims to conserve, support and nurture your Jing. ‘Drugs do the exact opposite. Each drug high draws upon your store of Jing, initiates premature ageing and moves you one step closer to death. Powerful stimulants like cocaine need massive amounts of Jing to create the impression of perfect organ function.As Jing depletes you are less able to enjoy life and need more cocaine to feel good. However, if you continue using the drug it inevitably becomes a cycle of more organ damage, more side effects and less pleasure. It is in situations like this that cocaine, or synthetic stimulants such as speed, can act as gateway drugs to heroin.After a period of heroin addiction,however, the Jing is so depleted that no drug can give you a high. ‘From here the only options are to re-build your Jing and organ function, or choose death via what we used to call the “golden shot”. At this stage the latter can be an appealing Sex and drugs and freeflow 19
option because once your organ function has deteriorated so badly, you already feel “worse than death”anyway.Drugs such as cocaine, speed or ecstasy are extremely destructive to the Human Energy Field. Even though the highs they generate may feel beneficial in the short term, it is the state of the Human Energy Field that determines the health of the body, and drugs will create additional distortions or obstructions and make existing ones even worse. ‘Drugs don’t create positive change and drugs don’t generate health or happiness. Blockages in the Energy Field are still present and active, you just aren’t aware of them when you are high.’ I glanced around the room. By now the audience was clear that I wasn’t advocating cocaine as a way to achieve health and happiness.The atmosphere had become serious. It was time to shake them up again. Sex and freeflow ‘So, if we can’t take drugs because ultimately they make the situation worse, what other freeflow options do we have? What about sex? Having sex is a great way to feel good.This is because, like drugs, sexual activities also create a temporary freeflow of energy. Fortunately, there is the difference that, as long as it is healthy sex, it will not have any negative effects on the Human Energy Field—and it is usually legal.’ I paused for a moment and slowly looked around the room.‘I want everyone to imagine themselves twenty seconds before orgasm.’ Most people laughed, and there were a few smiles as they tried to oblige while not looking at each other. ‘When you are that close to orgasm your Energy Field is completely under the influence of the sexual stimulus, HIGHER AND HIGHER 20
therefore Chi flows freely. So, like on a drug, blockages are bypassed and Chi circulates in the internal organ system. Your breathing becomes deep and effortless and the Lungs manifest spontaneity.You don’t lie there thinking about the past or the future.You don’t think,“Should I lift this leg now, or bend this elbow?”, you are fully in the present and everything happens naturally. ‘The Heart makes you feel inspired and in love and you use verbal, aural and tactile means to express this love. Sensations of intense joy wash over you.The Spleen generates clarity.You know just who you are and what you want. The Liver fully immerses you in the experience of action, and stress, anger and frustration don’t exist.As orgasm approaches,the Kidneys make even more energy available, tiredness and fatigue vanish and the experience intensifies almost unbearably. Then you orgasm and nothing else matters.’A wave of laughter washed through the room. ‘Sex does make the Chi flow, and it can clear minor obstructions making you feel temporarily uplifted and relaxed. Unfortunately though, an orgasm doesn’t last all day and having sex cannot change the circumstances that created the blockages in the first place. For example, imagine yourself rushing to work, late for an important meeting. Every traffic light turns red just as you approach it. You have no sense of movement, the Chi in the Liver begins to stagnate and you feel frustrated and angry.A quick orgasm could move the Chi but as a stress management technique it is not very reliable because eventually the body will boycott it to avoid energy depletion. Orgasm draws upon the Jing, particularly in men,so too much sex will eventually deplete the body.Not only that, but there are other obvious problems associated with having sex in peak-hour traffic.’ Sex and drugs and freeflow 21
Therapy and freeflow ‘So we have to find other ways of dealing with these energetic obstructions and getting the Chi to flow freely again. This is where a program of therapy, spiritual practice, exercise and nutritional supplements comes into the picture. It doesn’t sound as much fun as sex and drugs, but in the long term such a program can create constant freeflow and it doesn’t get much better than that.’ I pointed at the blocked acupuncture point again. ‘Although this blockage is not visible, in therapeutic terms we treat it as a crystalline structure.Energy medicine is based on an understanding that these crystalline blockages have similar organic properties, or behave in a similar way, to the crystals used in many commercial applications. The key similarities are that they are capable of storing energy and they are also “piezo-electric” which means that when pressure is applied to them this stored energy can emanate (Oschman 2000, p. 52). So, if we put these crystals under pressure, using acupuncture, massage or other techniques, the blockages will reduce in size and the Chi can flow again. ‘This allows increased amounts of Chi to move along the meridians, nourishing the skin, and lubricating the tendons and muscles. At the same time the Chi flows inwards and begins correcting organ imbalances. After a time,pain and negative emotions,which were a result of blockages and impaired organ function, are gradually replaced with the harmonious feelings of freeflow. As no corruptive methods such as drugs were used to bypass the blockage,there are no side effects and you are on the path of constant improvement.’ A young woman with spiky red hair raised her hand.‘You have made the healing process sound quite mechanical, with HIGHER AND HIGHER 22
the piezo-electric effect and so on, as if any of us could do some training, apply pressure to the correct spot, prescribe supplements and achieve these results, but there are many people here at the festival who present themselves as natural healers, do you think there is such a thing?’ She had highlighted one of the difficulties of the holistic health movement, the fact that under the one New Age umbrella there were all kinds of people from crystal-dangling hobbyists to professional therapists who had—through years of training and discipline—mastered a technique that could help people change on a much more profound level. Both ends of the spectrum were probably represented in my audience. I phrased my answer carefully. ‘Medical research into magnetobiology, the study of the effects of magnetic fields on living systems, has established that magnetic fields can be used to accelerate healing in tissues as long as forty years after the original injury occurred. It has also been discovered that the hands of some trained Energy therapists can emit biomagnetic fields of a similar frequency to those generated by the devices used by the medical institutions (Oschman 2000, p. 78). I think that there are some people who have a natural talent in this area and are attracted to the healing professions but in my opinion, the degree to which they can be effective is directly connected to the amount of effort they invest in mastering and understanding their own Chi.The stronger their own Chi is, the more powerful their work will be because the more effective they will be at reducing blockages in the Energy Fields of their patients.’ She looked at me quizzically and then said,‘But if you use your own Chi to move the blocked energy of the patient, isn’t there a danger that whatever has caused their blockage Sex and drugs and freeflow 23
could then affect you?’ She must have studied or at least read about Energy medicine because she was nailing the major challenges of the job. ‘The answer to your question would have to be—yes. Whatever is stored in the patient’s Energy Field can, in certain circumstances, move to the therapist’s Energy Field. So, the more effective and intense the treatment, the more stress can be placed on the organs of the therapist. For example, the Spleen is often affected as it is the organ for digesting emotionality. I believe that Energy therapists need to undergo many years of Chi-training in order to understand how to modulate the patient’s Energy Field without depleting their own energy and affecting their own organs.This is really challenging though, and most graduates from natural medicine courses in the West are not aware of such potential side effects, and not adequately trained in how to deal with them. The result is a high burn-out rate.’ She then asked me how I personally avoided burn-out. ‘After I finish working on a patient I take at least ten minutes to rebalance myself,’ I responded.‘I also spend a lot of time each day building my Chi: two hours each morning of stretching, meditation, endurance exercise and Tai-chi.This is followed by a breakfast of porridge made from organic oats which I have soaked overnight. Lunch is Asian-style meals of rice, vegetables and organic lamb or beef.’ I could see a small shock wave move through the audience when I mentioned eating meat. It was a definite no-no in New Age circles. ‘I never have fat or protein in the evening, so for dinner I usually eat unbuttered toast made from good quality bread. In addition, I have regular weekly Bodywork treatments and I take herbs and nutritional supplements on a regular basis. I never deviate from this routine during the week, and if I do HIGHER AND HIGHER 24
I can instantly feel the negative effects. Even one biscuit for morning tea would severely affect my Chi, as the sugar has immediate detrimental effects on the Spleen.’ The audience looked downcast at this grim picture of my lifestyle. ‘I know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but I do have a couple of light beers each night. If I feel like “entertainment food”, such as cakes or biscuits, I eat it on weekends or holidays, when it is not going to affect my energy for work. In my opinion health is a science and if you follow a structured health plan your life will improve dramatically.’ A man at the back of the room raised his hand and asked why I took supplements when I obviously had such a healthy diet. ‘The existence of the Human Energy Field and freeflow indicates that all we need for health and happiness is already within us and probably always has been. However, new lifestyle factors such as pollution, drugs and highly-processed food stripped of nutrient value,constantly deplete our energy. I don’t believe that we can counter all these negative elements anymore without help. Preventative medicine is the way of the future and a key element of preventative medicine and anti-ageing is supplementation. If you boost your whole system with the correct supplements it encourages freeflow by assisting in re-balancing the organs and it also assists in breaking down blockages.However, you have to use an effective product and it needs to be managed by a professional. ‘Many people self-prescribe vitamins. In most cases this is ineffective and a waste of money or even dangerous, as incorrect supplementation can disturb the equilibrium of the body and do more damage than good.There are many things that you can do of your own accord to help to de-obstruct your Energy Field and generate freeflow. Things like improving Sex and drugs and freeflow your diet, changing your mental attitude and taking up exercise, yoga or Tai-chi, but with all of these and with supplements in particular, I would recommend professional advice to make it as effective as possible.’ your diet, changing your mental attitude and taking up exercise, yoga or Tai-chi, but with all of these and with supplements in particular, I would recommend professional advice to make it as effective as possible.’
|