July/August 2011 Alternative Health
Yuen Method Turns Body Switches On
by Linnie Thomas
What if the body was a high-tech biocomputer? A computer, at its basic level, works with a series of on/off switches.
According to Dr. Kam Yuen, developer of the Yuen Method: Full Spectrum Healing, the body functions in the same manner, and its flow of energy can be gauged, tested and corrected.
Yuen’s view of the human body differs from traditional Chinese medicine and energetic practices. In his book Instant Pain Elimination, he states that people have two responses to everything that happens in life: strong or weak (the switch is on or off). When we are appropriately strong to what is important to us, energy flows freely. When we are inappropriately weak, energy does not flow, and this accumulation of weaknesses can create imbalance, dysfunction or disease.
Yuen teaches practitioners using muscle testing to find out if the client is strong or weak to a possible cause of pain, allergy or other physical or emotional issue. They then check the vertical midline of the body for a corresponding weak spot. If the client tests weak, a correction is made by mentally focusing attention at the weak spot along the spine, thus turning the “switch” back on. To be an effective practitioner, Yuen believes that the student needs no special abilities or psychic skills. He asks only to disregard limiting beliefs, keep an open mind and to remain neutral.
Yuen is a 35th generation Shaolin grandmaster of Tai Chi Praying Mantis Kung Fu. He has degrees in chiropractics and structural engineering, extensive study in homeopathy and nutrition, and was a model and advisor for the character Caine in David Carradine’s original Kung Fu TV series.
Shaolin Tradition
Healing is a part of the Shaolin tradition. The first Shaolin temple was built on the side of China’s Mount Shaoshi in an area of young trees (called lin in Chinese), hence the name Shaolin. The land was given to an Indian Buddhist monk by the emperor Xiaowen in the late 5th century as a place to build a temple and teach Buddhism. Many people came to the temple to meditate or as a retreat and often stayed and became monks or nuns.
The long hours of meditation and little exercise became a problem for the Shaolin monks. Many fell asleep while meditating and most suffered from various diseases. In 526 CE, another Indian Buddhist monk came to China and was directed to the Shaolin temple. This particular monk, called Damo by the Chinese, was the third son of an Indian prince and well-versed in yoga and Indian fighting systems. He introduced a series of exercises to the monks and called it Kung Fu, which means hard work and perfection.
Because the temple was located in a remote region, it was prone to attacks by outlaws. Damo taught the monks Indian fighting techniques to help defend the temple. In later years, more temples were built and the Kung Fu style of martial arts became well known as a defense skill. Being taught in Buddhist monasteries, the emphasis was on healing, philosophy and learning, even though the martial arts were a serious part of the curriculum for self-defense in dangerous times.
Good health was considered imperative for the rigorous training and meditations required of a Shaolin monk. To be a priest, the student had to pass 18 tests: six physical, six mental and six spiritual. For four centuries, the most famous of the temples, O Mai Shan, meaning the Great White Mountain, became a library and medical university. Many of the healers were trained in healing techniques from Tibet. The library contained scrolls on healing from all over Asia.
While war destroyed many of the temples, Shaolin healers became adept at healing broken bones and spinal injuries. Shaolin priests, following the Buddhist and Taoist practices of nonresistance, managed to pass knowledge down from parent to child. Shaolin is now enjoying a resurgence of popularity in China, helped by the American entertainment industry.
Yuen Method Session
A Yuen Method session begins with an interview to find out what the client would like to heal. Based on this information, the practitioner intuitively asks a series of questions about the client’s physical and emotional health, and while doing so, may perform a series of muscle tests using the client’s outstretched arm in relation to the energetic functioning of his or her spine. Muscle testing is used for verification of the practitioner’s intuition concerning weak points and is not always done.
When the weakness is located, the practitioner focuses attention on that spot and with intention strengthens it. The practitioner then performs another muscle test to check if the problem has been resolved. If the problem has not, the practitioner looks for another point of weakness and repeats the process.
Yuen Method practitioners test for many levels of “influence” on the person such as physical, emotional, karmic, financial, psychological, relationships and spiritual, making sure all levels of consciousness are congruent so pain may be eliminated and goals attained. The monitoring for weak points along the spine continues until the initial goal set by the practitioner and the client is attained.
Linnie Thomas, HTCP/I, MLW, is a Healing Touch certified instructor and practitioner. She also is the author of The Encyclopedia of Energy Medicine
. Visit www.encyclopediaofenergymedicine.com.