Am J Acupunct. 1999 ; 27(3-4): 201-5.

Energetics and transformation: insights on the paradoxical opportunity presented by chronic illness and pain--Part IV.

Greenwood M.

Victoria Pain Clinic, British Columbia, Canada.

Following the author's own experiences with chronic pain due to a motorcycle accident during medical school, and the pain's unresponsiveness to conventional medicine, he sought other solutions. His journey led him to a new understanding of health and illness. With these insights and through the use of acupuncture, bodywork and various breathing techniques, he began to see phenomena--emotional release, myoclonic shaking, and regression--and healing that could not be explained in terms of a rational or structural framework. He posits that such phenomena represent different forms of de-stressing which together serve to release "blocked feeling," which he suggests is the "energy block" described by acupuncture theory as "stagnant Qi." The fourth in a series, this installment explores the role of repressed anger and its relationship to chronic illness.