Psychology
Holistic and humanistic is our clinical orientation. The idea is to integrate Western psychotherapeutic approaches with Traditional Chinese Medicine methods to help people who battle with psychological distress. Depending on the client and their symptoms, we may also incorporate advanced technology (i.e. neurofeedback) to enhance or enrich the therapy.
Our counsellors are experienced in providing services for the following:
Our counsellors are experienced in providing services for the following:
- Depression/anxiety
- Trauma/PTSD
- Eating disorders
- Substance abuse/smoke cessation
- ADHD/ADD
- Anger management
Meditation Therapy
Although many meditators practice meditation by sitting cross legged with their eyes closed, it is certainly not the be all end all of meditation techniques. It is possible to meditate in a number of positions including sitting, standing, and even lying down. Additionally, movement meditation can be particularly effective for those individuals who have difficulties with concentration or staying still for an extended time. To this end, movement meditation is often ideal for those people who are, for example, in early recovery from an addiction.
Movement Meditation
Meditation therapy is a fantastic tool in addiction therapy. Though it is generally accepted that meditation facilitates sobriety, those who have AD(H)D or are recovering addicts can struggle with concentration. They will find it hard to sit down in the "lotus position" and follow the instructions of traditional meditation. They are likely to find such practices frustrating and likely give up. Some people who are newly sober may also tend to fidget excessively which can make staying still for long periods nearly impossible. The benefit of movement meditation is that it does not need to involve high levels of concentration right away. The fact that it involves movement means that the individual can also work off some pent up energy and tension in the body. There are many forms of movement meditation. Our clinic provides varieties based in Chinese cultural practices:
Although many meditators practice meditation by sitting cross legged with their eyes closed, it is certainly not the be all end all of meditation techniques. It is possible to meditate in a number of positions including sitting, standing, and even lying down. Additionally, movement meditation can be particularly effective for those individuals who have difficulties with concentration or staying still for an extended time. To this end, movement meditation is often ideal for those people who are, for example, in early recovery from an addiction.
Movement Meditation
Meditation therapy is a fantastic tool in addiction therapy. Though it is generally accepted that meditation facilitates sobriety, those who have AD(H)D or are recovering addicts can struggle with concentration. They will find it hard to sit down in the "lotus position" and follow the instructions of traditional meditation. They are likely to find such practices frustrating and likely give up. Some people who are newly sober may also tend to fidget excessively which can make staying still for long periods nearly impossible. The benefit of movement meditation is that it does not need to involve high levels of concentration right away. The fact that it involves movement means that the individual can also work off some pent up energy and tension in the body. There are many forms of movement meditation. Our clinic provides varieties based in Chinese cultural practices:
- Chinese Tea Ceremony (Art of Tea, or Tao of Tea)
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (8-week group therapy)
- Easy-to-learn Tai Chi (Taiji) (8-week course)
Forms
Below are digital copies of our intake forms and service agreement for your convenience. You may simply review them here, or fill them out and bring them with you to your first appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Chinese Tea Ceremony?
- What are the benefits of movement meditation?
- How does acupuncture affect brain function?
1. What is Chinese Tea Ceremony?
The way tea culture and tea ceremonies evolved in the Chinese society mirrors the importance of this wonderful beverage which was first discovered and enjoyed in China. Tea was cultivated in the beginning mainly as herbal medicine and mostly within temples. Monks began to use tea for its peace and calming effects and as a sign of humility and respect for nature. Chinese tea ceremony was born as a result of this respect for nature and need for peace which the religious ceremonies involved. The philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism blended together to create the Chinese tea ceremony. The traditional tea ceremonies were described as 和 (he; “peace”), 静 (jing, “quiet"), 意 (yi; “enjoyment”) and 真 (zhen; “truth”).
As the time passed, Chinese people started to appreciate tea’s enjoyment and social value, besides its medicinal purposes. Tea ceremonies went from being only religious manifestations to becoming social, cultural and traditional events in different celebrations to honor the royal family or to mark different important events in people’s lives. One of the most famous Chinese tea ceremonies is called the "Gongfu (alt. Kungfu) tea ceremony". It is also known as the "Chinese traditional tea ceremony." Although its exact place of origin is unknown, some historians place it in Fujian region while others place it in Guangdong region. Oolong tea is traditionally served during this ceremony.
Gongfu tea ceremony has been highly commercialized in the last years, for tourist entertainment. The name literally translates to “tea with effort.” The meaning reflects how the laborious ceremony of preparing and serving oolong tea is a sign of respect for whom the tea is prepared, as well as for nature. Nowadays, many specialty tea shops in China and Taiwan perform very similar tea ceremonies as a way to engage tourists and tea connoisseurs with traditional Chinese tea culture.
2. What are the benefits of movement meditation?
Everyone is suited to meditation, but not everyone is suited to every method of meditation. Some enjoy sitting in stillness, some enjoy lying down and focusing on the breath - these are the methods people think of when they hear "meditation." But some people are natural predisposed to movement and alertness, some people have panic disorders or attention disorders - whatever the case, "motionlessness" is not enjoyable or even achievable for everyone. Movement meditation offers alternative ways to achieve mental stillness and calm. These methods include but are not limited to walking, yoga, painting with repetitive strokes, knitting, digging for gardening, or even dancing. These repetitive movements ultimately serve the same purpose as physical stillness: To keep the body occupied so awareness can be turned within. Additionally, movement meditation inherently contributes to daily exercise and physical fitness.
Sometimes, movement meditation can act as a "gateway" for meditations that involve physical stillness. Once the meditator grasps the mind space necessary to achieve a meditative or trance state, attaining that state through any means (physical stillness or movement) may become easier.
3. How does acupuncture affect brain function?
According to Emma Christensen (1998), despite the growing evidence that many ailments respond positively to acupuncture, much of the Western World remains incredulous as to its healing abilities. The centuries-old Chinese practice of acupuncture, rooted in 'non-scientific' and 'non-Western' thought and medicine, has burgeoned during the late-twentieth century trend towards 'alternative medicines.' Numerous clients readily attest to the positive effects of acupuncture in treating such conditions as postoperative pain, asthma, and drug addiction. Even so, many people are skeptical that placing hair-thin needles into one's skin in an effort to change the flow of 'Qi'(pronounced Ch'i) through mystical pathways in the body called meridians could relieve pain or cure a seemingly chronic and incurable problem. In recent years, several theories have been put forth to provide a more Western, scientific explanation for the successes of acupuncture, many of which concern the activation of opioid peptides. Whatever explanation to which one chooses to subscribe, the success and health benefits of acupuncture can stand on their own.
The Chinese practice of acupuncture can be defined as a procedure that nourishes and aids the body's natural healing processes. After the client's health evaluation is complete and the acupuncturist has established the person's individual case, the practitioner can begin the actual treatment. "Classic acupuncture," as Cohen defines it, "Is the art of inserting very fine, sterile, metal filoform needles into certain points along the channels and collaterals [of the body] in order to control the flow of Qi." Usually needles are placed several centimeters into the skin for certain distinct periods of time; sometimes this is accompanied with a small electric shock or heat (called Moxibuston).
Qi is the fundamental concept behind the Chinese and Eastern justification for the function of acupuncture. Chinese texts describe channels of energy called meridians that flow throughout the body in regular patterns, a system just like the circulatory system or the nervous system. Flowing through these meridians is Qi, vital life energy. Disease, defined as the imbalance in the flow of Qi, can result from blockage of the meridians or a deficiency of energy. "Disharmony of Qi will affect spiritual, emotional, mental, and the physical aspects of the body. The acupuncturist works to restore your Qi to a natural and healthy level of circulation" (7). Needles are used to puncture the meridians where they come close to the surface of the skin in order to unblock or nudge the Qi to flow back into its proper channels, thus restoring its balance in the body.
During the past few decades, the practice of acupuncture has come under the intense scrutiny of the Western nations (primarily the United States, England, and Europe), and there has been a push to formulate a scientific explanation for the consequences of this 'mystical phenomenon' on the body. Although no singular theory has been successful in entirely proving or discovering the intrinsic significance of acupuncture on the nervous system, it is generally accepted that the effects of acupuncture on the body involves the release of opioid peptides in the body.
The opioid peptides are a comprised of endorphins, enkephallins, and dynorphins, types of neurotransmitters, and are found in neurons throughout the body. Opioid peptides are thought to be closely involved with the perception of pain in the central nervous system (2). This hypothesis involving the opioids describes that pain is felt when the nervous system gets trapped in a kind of negative feedback loop. This can occur when either the brain hasn't registered the pain because the input to the nervous system isn't sufficient to reach the absolute threshold to release endorphins or the pain originates at a different source than where the body actually perceives the pain. In the later case, although endorphins have been released to one area, the root cause of the pain remains damaged and continues to cause pain even after the body has presumably taken care of the problem. Needling in acupuncture triggers the release of opioids in the nervous system by drawing attention to the problem area, either directly or indirectly . After the afflicted area can move and operate freely without the hindrance of pain and the pattern in the nervous system that was creating the pain is broken, often the area will proceed to heal naturally.
R. Melzack and P.D. Wall proposed another theory for how acupuncture affects the nervous system called "the gate theory." In this idea, impulses are transmitted through the nervous system from neuron to neuron, resulting in interpretation of the perception of pain in the brain. If a neuron is bombarded with too many 'pain signals' at once, it closes down, like closing a gate. This blocks any further impulses from reaching the brain. Acupuncture, presumably, does what the body would otherwise do naturally but does not because there is an insufficient amount of impulses to cause the neuron to 'close down.' "Stimulation [by the acupuncture needle] prohibits the passage of stronger pain signals down the same nerve and produces an analgesic effect" (4).
While theories describing opioid peptides and "the gate theory" provide the infrastructure for gaining a better scientific understanding of acupuncture, there are two other related concepts that are of importance to understanding the function of acupuncture. The first is the idea of 'pain memory.' " 'Memory," as Dr. Anthony Campbell states on this issue, "does not refer to the conscious recollection of painful events, but to the persistence of functional and possibly structural changes in the central nervous system as a result of injury to distant parts of the body" (2). This is the idea that pain can persist after all obvious, physical problems have been corrected, such is the case of such enigmas as thalamic pain and phantom limbs. Pain remains because, through the course of the actual injury, changes were made in the nervous system itself, such as reverberating neuronal circuits or biochemical changes (2). In effect, there is a 'memory' of the pain that has actually been ingrained into the person's physiology that acts as if the condition were still present. Acupuncture can help to restore the nervous system to its previous condition by "providing a train of impulses to the central nervous system," and "turn[ing] off a painful circuit"(2).
The second concept that requires understanding is the notion of trigger points. These are points on the body that have been studied for many years in Western medicine that, when compared, correspond precisely with Eastern acupuncture points. These are places in muscle tissue that, "are tender when pressed and may give rise to referred pain and other remote effects" (2). The existence of trigger points has been medically proven, and may result from the misuse or over-extenuation of a muscle. Acupuncture is often useful to neutralize these points, as well as medical procedures such as local anesthesia and corticosteriods.
Lao-tzu tells followers in Tao te Ching that, "The simplest pattern is the clearest." Perhaps it is that Westerners are looking too hard to find a complex explanation for acupuncture. The Chinese belief of the flow of Qi through the body provides a very simple rationalization that has held for over four millennia, while Western science is still floundering for concrete evidence at the level of the neuron. In view of our class's idea of the nervous system as boxes of input and out put within other boxes within other boxes, couldn't the insertion of a needle into a trigger point be regarded as a simple road-sign urging the action potential in one direction or the other as it travels from one neuron to the next? Any kind of pain perceived in the brain is only a distinct pattern of neuron discharges communicating with one another through changes in electrical and chemical potentials. Acupuncture can be regarded as another form of input to the nervous system affecting the overall cycle of input and output, supplementing the processes that are already occurring naturally.
References:
1) Acupuncture.com, How Does Acupuncture Work?
2) Acupuncture in Practice by Dr. Anthony Campbell
3) British Medical Acupuncture Society
4) Examining Traditional Chinese Medicine
5) Foundation for Chinese Medicine
6) Harvard Brain
7) Introduction to Acupuncture
8) "Neuropathways of Acupuncture Analgesia"
9) Rhema Home Page
The way tea culture and tea ceremonies evolved in the Chinese society mirrors the importance of this wonderful beverage which was first discovered and enjoyed in China. Tea was cultivated in the beginning mainly as herbal medicine and mostly within temples. Monks began to use tea for its peace and calming effects and as a sign of humility and respect for nature. Chinese tea ceremony was born as a result of this respect for nature and need for peace which the religious ceremonies involved. The philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism blended together to create the Chinese tea ceremony. The traditional tea ceremonies were described as 和 (he; “peace”), 静 (jing, “quiet"), 意 (yi; “enjoyment”) and 真 (zhen; “truth”).
As the time passed, Chinese people started to appreciate tea’s enjoyment and social value, besides its medicinal purposes. Tea ceremonies went from being only religious manifestations to becoming social, cultural and traditional events in different celebrations to honor the royal family or to mark different important events in people’s lives. One of the most famous Chinese tea ceremonies is called the "Gongfu (alt. Kungfu) tea ceremony". It is also known as the "Chinese traditional tea ceremony." Although its exact place of origin is unknown, some historians place it in Fujian region while others place it in Guangdong region. Oolong tea is traditionally served during this ceremony.
Gongfu tea ceremony has been highly commercialized in the last years, for tourist entertainment. The name literally translates to “tea with effort.” The meaning reflects how the laborious ceremony of preparing and serving oolong tea is a sign of respect for whom the tea is prepared, as well as for nature. Nowadays, many specialty tea shops in China and Taiwan perform very similar tea ceremonies as a way to engage tourists and tea connoisseurs with traditional Chinese tea culture.
2. What are the benefits of movement meditation?
Everyone is suited to meditation, but not everyone is suited to every method of meditation. Some enjoy sitting in stillness, some enjoy lying down and focusing on the breath - these are the methods people think of when they hear "meditation." But some people are natural predisposed to movement and alertness, some people have panic disorders or attention disorders - whatever the case, "motionlessness" is not enjoyable or even achievable for everyone. Movement meditation offers alternative ways to achieve mental stillness and calm. These methods include but are not limited to walking, yoga, painting with repetitive strokes, knitting, digging for gardening, or even dancing. These repetitive movements ultimately serve the same purpose as physical stillness: To keep the body occupied so awareness can be turned within. Additionally, movement meditation inherently contributes to daily exercise and physical fitness.
Sometimes, movement meditation can act as a "gateway" for meditations that involve physical stillness. Once the meditator grasps the mind space necessary to achieve a meditative or trance state, attaining that state through any means (physical stillness or movement) may become easier.
3. How does acupuncture affect brain function?
According to Emma Christensen (1998), despite the growing evidence that many ailments respond positively to acupuncture, much of the Western World remains incredulous as to its healing abilities. The centuries-old Chinese practice of acupuncture, rooted in 'non-scientific' and 'non-Western' thought and medicine, has burgeoned during the late-twentieth century trend towards 'alternative medicines.' Numerous clients readily attest to the positive effects of acupuncture in treating such conditions as postoperative pain, asthma, and drug addiction. Even so, many people are skeptical that placing hair-thin needles into one's skin in an effort to change the flow of 'Qi'(pronounced Ch'i) through mystical pathways in the body called meridians could relieve pain or cure a seemingly chronic and incurable problem. In recent years, several theories have been put forth to provide a more Western, scientific explanation for the successes of acupuncture, many of which concern the activation of opioid peptides. Whatever explanation to which one chooses to subscribe, the success and health benefits of acupuncture can stand on their own.
The Chinese practice of acupuncture can be defined as a procedure that nourishes and aids the body's natural healing processes. After the client's health evaluation is complete and the acupuncturist has established the person's individual case, the practitioner can begin the actual treatment. "Classic acupuncture," as Cohen defines it, "Is the art of inserting very fine, sterile, metal filoform needles into certain points along the channels and collaterals [of the body] in order to control the flow of Qi." Usually needles are placed several centimeters into the skin for certain distinct periods of time; sometimes this is accompanied with a small electric shock or heat (called Moxibuston).
Qi is the fundamental concept behind the Chinese and Eastern justification for the function of acupuncture. Chinese texts describe channels of energy called meridians that flow throughout the body in regular patterns, a system just like the circulatory system or the nervous system. Flowing through these meridians is Qi, vital life energy. Disease, defined as the imbalance in the flow of Qi, can result from blockage of the meridians or a deficiency of energy. "Disharmony of Qi will affect spiritual, emotional, mental, and the physical aspects of the body. The acupuncturist works to restore your Qi to a natural and healthy level of circulation" (7). Needles are used to puncture the meridians where they come close to the surface of the skin in order to unblock or nudge the Qi to flow back into its proper channels, thus restoring its balance in the body.
During the past few decades, the practice of acupuncture has come under the intense scrutiny of the Western nations (primarily the United States, England, and Europe), and there has been a push to formulate a scientific explanation for the consequences of this 'mystical phenomenon' on the body. Although no singular theory has been successful in entirely proving or discovering the intrinsic significance of acupuncture on the nervous system, it is generally accepted that the effects of acupuncture on the body involves the release of opioid peptides in the body.
The opioid peptides are a comprised of endorphins, enkephallins, and dynorphins, types of neurotransmitters, and are found in neurons throughout the body. Opioid peptides are thought to be closely involved with the perception of pain in the central nervous system (2). This hypothesis involving the opioids describes that pain is felt when the nervous system gets trapped in a kind of negative feedback loop. This can occur when either the brain hasn't registered the pain because the input to the nervous system isn't sufficient to reach the absolute threshold to release endorphins or the pain originates at a different source than where the body actually perceives the pain. In the later case, although endorphins have been released to one area, the root cause of the pain remains damaged and continues to cause pain even after the body has presumably taken care of the problem. Needling in acupuncture triggers the release of opioids in the nervous system by drawing attention to the problem area, either directly or indirectly . After the afflicted area can move and operate freely without the hindrance of pain and the pattern in the nervous system that was creating the pain is broken, often the area will proceed to heal naturally.
R. Melzack and P.D. Wall proposed another theory for how acupuncture affects the nervous system called "the gate theory." In this idea, impulses are transmitted through the nervous system from neuron to neuron, resulting in interpretation of the perception of pain in the brain. If a neuron is bombarded with too many 'pain signals' at once, it closes down, like closing a gate. This blocks any further impulses from reaching the brain. Acupuncture, presumably, does what the body would otherwise do naturally but does not because there is an insufficient amount of impulses to cause the neuron to 'close down.' "Stimulation [by the acupuncture needle] prohibits the passage of stronger pain signals down the same nerve and produces an analgesic effect" (4).
While theories describing opioid peptides and "the gate theory" provide the infrastructure for gaining a better scientific understanding of acupuncture, there are two other related concepts that are of importance to understanding the function of acupuncture. The first is the idea of 'pain memory.' " 'Memory," as Dr. Anthony Campbell states on this issue, "does not refer to the conscious recollection of painful events, but to the persistence of functional and possibly structural changes in the central nervous system as a result of injury to distant parts of the body" (2). This is the idea that pain can persist after all obvious, physical problems have been corrected, such is the case of such enigmas as thalamic pain and phantom limbs. Pain remains because, through the course of the actual injury, changes were made in the nervous system itself, such as reverberating neuronal circuits or biochemical changes (2). In effect, there is a 'memory' of the pain that has actually been ingrained into the person's physiology that acts as if the condition were still present. Acupuncture can help to restore the nervous system to its previous condition by "providing a train of impulses to the central nervous system," and "turn[ing] off a painful circuit"(2).
The second concept that requires understanding is the notion of trigger points. These are points on the body that have been studied for many years in Western medicine that, when compared, correspond precisely with Eastern acupuncture points. These are places in muscle tissue that, "are tender when pressed and may give rise to referred pain and other remote effects" (2). The existence of trigger points has been medically proven, and may result from the misuse or over-extenuation of a muscle. Acupuncture is often useful to neutralize these points, as well as medical procedures such as local anesthesia and corticosteriods.
Lao-tzu tells followers in Tao te Ching that, "The simplest pattern is the clearest." Perhaps it is that Westerners are looking too hard to find a complex explanation for acupuncture. The Chinese belief of the flow of Qi through the body provides a very simple rationalization that has held for over four millennia, while Western science is still floundering for concrete evidence at the level of the neuron. In view of our class's idea of the nervous system as boxes of input and out put within other boxes within other boxes, couldn't the insertion of a needle into a trigger point be regarded as a simple road-sign urging the action potential in one direction or the other as it travels from one neuron to the next? Any kind of pain perceived in the brain is only a distinct pattern of neuron discharges communicating with one another through changes in electrical and chemical potentials. Acupuncture can be regarded as another form of input to the nervous system affecting the overall cycle of input and output, supplementing the processes that are already occurring naturally.
References:
1) Acupuncture.com, How Does Acupuncture Work?
2) Acupuncture in Practice by Dr. Anthony Campbell
3) British Medical Acupuncture Society
4) Examining Traditional Chinese Medicine
5) Foundation for Chinese Medicine
6) Harvard Brain
7) Introduction to Acupuncture
8) "Neuropathways of Acupuncture Analgesia"
9) Rhema Home Page
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Neuro Wellness Institute Inc
2-3395 Howard Ave Windsor, ON, CAN N9E 3N6 Neuro Wellness Institute PC 2073 E Maple Rd Troy, MI, USA 48083-4493 |