Frequently Asked Questions

It depends.

Some people get relief from immediately in the first session. Others take a lot longer. It depends on what you are currently experiencing and what your health goals are for the future. For example, a you might come in for relief from a headache (relief usually comes in one session); or, you might decide to address the underlying cause of the headache (while you may still get relief from the current headache in the first session, addressing the cause usually takes more sessions).

Although miracles can and do happen where someone might alleviate the root cause in one session, most of the time, that is not the case. If you want to address long-term discomfort / illness / pain or if you want to address the underlying reason you were susceptible to a short-term issue, it usually takes more sessions.

The general pattern that people go through is represented in the graph image to the left (or above if you are on a cell phone). The vertical axis represents the level of discomfort / illness / pain. The horizontal axis represents time / number of treatments.  Usually you experience relief after the treatment, but then as your old habits unconsciously return, the discomfort / illness / pain returns (usually not to the original level). This up & down pattern continues as your body establishes new healthier energetic habits.

There are a lot of variables that impact how many sessions you need. Here are some of the more obvious variables:

• Is your discomfort / illness / pain acute or chronic?

• How long have you experienced your discomfort / illness / pain?

• How old are you (more years to accumulate stress and toxic energies)?

• What caused your discomfort / illness / pain?

Inner Peace

The most common experience is an overall sense of relaxation / release similar to what one experiences with a massage. The most common reaction is falling in and out of sleep / feeling somewhat drowsy during treatment.

But, it is impossible to predict who will experience what when. Therefore, expect the unexpected. Things get unwound during treatment so anything can happen. (Note: sometimes the unwinding itself can be temporarily unpleasant, but people almost always feel much better and more relaxed after the release.) Examples include, but are not limited to:

• feeling emotion(s) such as joy, happiness, contentment, etc;

• feeling emotion(s) such as sadness, fear, anger, etc (temporarily while the blocked energy is unwound);

• experiencing spontaneous (but temporary) physical reaction(s) such as twitching, passing gas, laughing, crying, warmth, coolness, pain, etc;

• recalling experiences, feelings (usually emotional, but can be physical as well), or thoughts from the past - these might be pleasant or unpleasant;

• experiencing a sensation that is not currently happening (for example, sometimes people see patterns of light during treatment or hear sounds when the treatment space is quiet or smell aromas like the scent of the beach or the smell of smoke) - sometimes this is associated with a memory but not always; and / or

• expelling stuff from the body (mucous, blood, cysts, vomit, changes in urination / defecation) as the body releases toxins

It is common for clients to continue to process the treatment for a few days.

If you are new to Medical Qigong and / or energetic healing, I suggest scheduling a free consultation to determine if you are receptive to this modality of healing and to determine if you are receptive to me specifically as a practitioner. Sometimes people respond differently to various energetic modalities and even different practitioners practicing the same modality. It's often helpful to start with an introductory session to check out the modality / practitioner.

However, if you are more adventurous and intuitively believe that this will be beneficial for you, feel free to schedule any treatment that appeals to you.

Yes! When done properly.

While there is always some risk with anything in life (even walking!), with a properly trained practitioner who respects energetic hygiene and safety, Medical Qigong is generally very safe.

However, since toxic energy may be released, Medical Qigong can be unpleasant at times (see "What should I expect to experience..." above). And, because each experience can be different, it is impossible to predict how you might react. For some, the unpredictability can be a little scary. But, rest assured, even if an unpleasant reaction does happen, it is usually pretty short-lived. After that, you get to enjoy all of the benefits of healing.

Most of the time, it is very pleasant, energizing, and relaxing.

There are no huge corporations with a vested interest in making enormous profits from Medical Qigong, so there isn't a lot of research being funded in this area. Luckily, some clinical research exists (in my personal opinion, the world would greatly benefit from more research being done in this area!) - please see a few clinical research summaries here: Health Benefits Research Summaries

Currently, I have over 1,000 hours of clinical training including:

• hands-on instruction;

• clinical examinations including:

  • oral exams,

  • demonstration of treatment techniques,

  • demonstration / explanation (technique, when to use, and when / how to modify) of the "homework" given to clients based on their unique energetic patterns: 

    • acupressure self-massage,

    • exercises,

    • meditations, and

    • tones,

  • intensely evaluated exam demonstrations of actual full treatments with real clients (ensuring techniques appropriate to the client's energetic patterns are applied with efficacy and safety);

• written exams;

• college-level anatomy and physiology courses;

• Traditional Chinese Medicine theory courses (separate from MQ instruction); and

• Red Cross Certified Basic Life Support training

In addition to clinical training, I've been working with clients since 2016.

My instructor is a Doctor of Medical Qigong (China) and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (United States).

I have also functioned as a Teacher Assistant for a cohort for the Medical Qigong Practitioner and Therapist certification programs, so, in addition to the requirements listed above, I have repeated most of the above credentials twice (once as student and once as Teacher Assistant).

Finally, I practice / train / study independently to continually improve and refine my knowledge and skills.

Please see About Me  for more information.

Absolutely not! Medical Qigong does not discriminate based on religion (nor anything else)!

It does, however, require faith that there are natural processes and things in this universe that science does not yet understand and that science does not yet have the level of technological sophistication required to identify / measure what is happening.

Back to religion specifically... My clients are / have been:

• Catholic;

• Baptist;

• Jewish;

• Agnostic;

• Atheist;

• Spiritual without an Affiliated Religion; or

• Other / Undisclosed

You will ALWAYS remain fully clothed throughout the entire session. Qi (energy) travels through clothing. (If anyone tells you to disrobe for energy work, be VERY suspicious...) However, please do wear comfortable, loose (but not so loose that it is falling off) clothing so that you do not restrict your own Qi (and Blood) flow by constricting your physical tissues.

Everything you tell me, everything I discover in your energy, and even the fact that I am working with you is always strictly confidential unless you choose to give me permission to share your information in a manner specified by you (e.g., perhaps shared with another healthcare practitioner that you work with or for a testimonial for my service). 

On occasion, I may share "case study" details with other professionals for educational purposes - in these instances, absolutely no personal identifying information will be shared (they will never know who I am presenting).

Possible Exceptions

Although not mandated to adhere to the same legal required as other types of professionals regarding confidentiality, I retain the right to follow the legal requirements mandated to licensed healthcare professionals when appropriate. Such circumstances could possibly include situations such as:

• If I believe the client is in imminent danger of hurting herself / himself;

• If I believe the client is threatening serious bodily harm to another;

• If I believe that a child, elderly, or disabled person is being abused;

• If I am presented with a legitimate court order to present testimony in a legal proceeding; or

• If a client fails to pay for services requiring action to collect fees due.

I will need an EXTREMELY strong reason to even consider breaking confidentiality.

I recommend www.RedThreadInstitute.org to learn more about how to become a Qigong for Health instructor or a Medical Qigong practitioner.