I did a Google search for ‘meditation and pain management’ and got about 500,000 results. In itself this doesn’t really prove that meditation works but it shows a huge interest. A search for ‘magnet therapy for pain’ yielded over 130,000 results, even though magnet therapy has been almost … [Read more...]

The body has always been the main target of our efforts to treat pain. We touch it, rub it, put things into it, manipulate it, stick needles into it, exercise it, cut things out of it and replace parts of it. Throughout history we have looked at, felt, listened to, smelled and even tasted the body … [Read more...]

The fact that we have a word for mind and another for body makes it seem obvious that mind and body are two different things. People talk about their bodies as if bodies are what we live in. For people with chronic pain, the body may feel like something they’re trapped in. But this view of mind … [Read more...]

The Western medical tradition dates back more than 2,000 years to the time of the Greek physician, Hippocrates. The ancient Roman saying, “Healthy mind in a healthy body” speaks of a long held recognition of an intimate mind-body connection. However, history shows that the majority of Western … [Read more...]

It was in the mid 1990’s when Shifu John P. Painter introduced me to the Chinese art of Jiulong Baguazhang. (Shifu is a term that can be roughly translated as a combination of teacher/father/boss. Jiulong Baguazhang literally means 9 Dragon, 8 Trigram Palm). In the world of Asian martial arts he … [Read more...]

The concept of training the mind and body in a coordinated fashion is exemplified in the art of Jiulong Baguazhang. It begins with an emphasis on developing good body mechanics and the ability to reduce unnecessary muscle tension. Exercises include quiet sitting, holding standing postures and moving … [Read more...]

It was in 2005 that my friend and fellow Jiulong instructor, Eric Reynolds and I co-founded a chronic pain group therapy program. We incorporated meditation/relaxation training, mental imaging, body mechanics and gentle exercises modeled after those used in Jiulong Baguazhang. Participants are … [Read more...]