Getting to Know Yuen

An energy medicine known as the Yuen Method helps the body, mind, and spirit to heal themselves

BY JOHN SIMMONDS

When I was asked to write a piece on a specific energy medicine modality my mind immediately went to “Here we go — another article with pictures of an Asian guy in a Kung-Fu suit striking a Tai Chi pose.” It struck me that the stolid identification of Eastern Medicine with now rather stereotyped Eastern images really doesn’t serve a purpose anymore, other than to create an undesirable boundary between a practitioner and his/her patients.

Qi or Ki has been officially recognized in Western science as something called “bioenergy”—not to be confused with the bioenergy that refers to renewable energy obtained from biological sources.

The National Institute of Health identifies two broad categories of energy medicine: veritable and putative. Veritable energy therapies employ mechanical vibrations (such as sound) and electromagnetic forces, including visible light, magnetism, monochromatic radiation (such as laser beams), and rays from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. They involve the use of specific, measurable wavelengths and frequencies to treat patients.

Energy medicine, involving putative energy, is based on the supposition that illness results from disturbances in (undetectable or unquantifiable) energies and energy fields, and can be addressed via interventions into those energies and energy fields. No plausible biophysical basis for these fields has been proposed, and neither the fields themselves nor their purported therapeutic effects have been convincingly demonstrated; as such, therapies based on putative energy are among the most controversial.

These postulated energies are claimed to be of a more subtle nature and have not been directly measured by reproducible methods. Healing Touch, Reiki, and Qi Gong, for instance, purportedly influence subtle energies in ways that have not been detected by mechanical devices, and their reported therapeutic actions are not well understood within conventional paradigms. Some practitioners of these methods, however, claim that they can work with this subtle energy, see and feel it, and vouch for its efficacy in healing.

So while biomedicine is the self-proclaimed authority on what is or what isn’t feasible, many give energetic therapies a wide berth and see them as a haven for weirdoes and hippies, unless, as I mentioned before, they are clothed in the respectable garb of a foreign culture that we do not begin to understand as it is so far away. Much of this comes from the fear of being taken for a ride. Yet how many times have we been to a doctor or a chiropractor, and walked away with no relief from our problem, which ultimately disappeared on its own in a matter of time?

This brings me to the Yuen Method. It is a putative energy-based healing modality, which evolved from Qi Gong. It talks of qi as universal energy or super conscious, which eludes the five senses. Kam Yuen is a 35th generation Shaolin Grandmaster. He states that he can remove pain based on focusing the patient’s attention on their own body and utilizing Qi Gong to direct shen or mind energy to unblock physiological, emotional, and energetic stagnation and lead to healing—often instantaneously. This may seem rather improbable, but having witnessed at least three Qi Gong grandmasters, I can tell you that it is not only possible, but also attainable by anybody with the right amount of practice. What’s even more interesting is that Dr. Yuen also states that what he does is not that amazing and anybody can do it.

Elma Mayer is a student of the Yuen Method. She proposed a phone session for me to experience the modality in order to be able to record my experiences.

I can tell you now that I liked it. Elma was able to locate stagnation and blockages within me that I was not aware of. America is a “Yang” society; as we go about our day we are in our heads most of the time. As soon as we set foot out the door (if not before) we are assaulted with stimuli from all directions until our senses become deadened. When we focus inward, or become more “Yin,” we begin to unwind and recognize things in ourselves, which ordinarily we overlook. The stress of living in a big city desensitizes us and often the tell-tale signs of illness are not noticed until they become critical. Elma was able to focus on physical, emotional, and mental issues that were interlinked and one at a time cleared them. She was straightforward and clear in her description of what she was doing, and I could feel the shifts in energy as she did her work on the other side of the phone. That night I slept long and deeply. The following day I felt a lot lighter. Was it my imagination or was it the Elma’s Yuen Method work? Truth is that it doesn’t really matter, but we are trained to try and directly link cause and effect. If it was my unconscious that was triggered into changing the way I feel from simply agreeing to participate in the treatment, then the treatment worked.

Elma teaches the modality as well. Her Now Healing CD is a great introduction to undertaking the first level training, but I would strongly advise getting a treatment first. I am a strong believer in the theory that the mind is the foundation of radiant health. Meditation is tremendously beneficial for all manner of illness, and Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and even long walks in and around nature have been proven effective. A short while ago there was a surge in interest in creative visualization that emanated from The Secret. The Yuen Method uses a pattern of energetics, which is not dissimilar from that discussed in the movie, but is more proactive in accomplishing results. That is not to say that it is better, but sometimes actions speak louder than words.

For more on Elma Mayer, MA, Certified Yuen Method Practitioner, visit www.nowhealing.com or call 323-309-7687.