Lorie Dechar

Schedule Breakdown:

• Hour One: Introduction to Alchemical Acupuncture and its application to the treatment of psycho-emotional symptoms (lecture format)
• Hour Two: Introduction to acupuncture spirit points and Body Felt Sense (experiential format).
• Hour Three: An overview of alchemical theory, skills, tools, and practices that can be safely and effectively integrated into the acupuncture treatment (lecture format).

Goals & Objectives:

• Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of alchemy as an underpinning of Traditional Chinese Medicine and to Lorie Eve Dechar’s work with Alchemical Healing.
• Body / soul / spirit levels of treatment will be clarified.
• Students will gain a deeper sense of the underlying alchemical potential of wushen and
• Students will deepen their understanding of the Chinese concept of possession and how it relates to symptoms in contemporary therapeutic settings.
• Students will be introduced to Inner Sensing as an adjunct to their work in the treatment room.
• Students will understand and be able to identify a “body felt sense” and apply it as a tool in the treatment room.
• Students will understand the nature of a “spirit point” and be able to begin to use spirit points in their practice.


Goals and Outlines
By the end of the seminar, participants will have:

Goals and Outlines
Part 1: Treating Insomnia with UAT: Using Saam 4 Needles and I Ching Patterns to treat sleeping disorders

• Understand the meridian clock and the transition from daytime to night time
• Be able to apply 2 Saam patterns for sleep problems
• Be able to apply 2 I Ching Ba Gua patterns for sleep patterns
• Understand how to differentiate between the 4 patterns of the course

 
Part 2: Insomnia and the Modern World Diagnosis and Acupuncture strategies

• Understand the Western physiology of sleep
• Understand the Health consequences of insomnia
• Understand the Chinese energetics of sleep

• Learn the primary acupuncture points for insomnia

 
Part 3: The Yang of Sleep: Using the Yang Qiao to Treat Insomnia

• Participants will review good sleep hygiene to reduce external stimuli.
• Participants will learn the pathway points and functions of the Yang Qiao.
• Participants will explore treatment strategies for the Yang Qiao & insomnia.
• Participants will learn points that open the Pericardium loop to free emotional constraint and allows the Wei qi to internalize at night.

 
Part 4: Treatment of Insomnia with Classical Formulas

• To learn the basic single mechanism for insomnia
• To differentiate the single mechanism into Yang vs Yin insomnia
• To differentiate most common types of insomnia in both Yang and Yin categories
• To differentiate insomnia from other related issues

To grasp key principles and the herbal formulas that go with those principles
 
 
 
Part 5: A Five Spirits Approach to Treating Insomnia and Anxiety

• Understand of insomnia and anxiety through the lens of wushen
• Deepen their understanding of the role of the blood as the yin matrix of the soul and spirit and the treatment of deficient blood from a Five Spirits perspective
• Understand the Heart monarch’s role in regulating sleep and dreams as described in classical texts
• Learn specific points as well as adjunct treatments to treat these conditions
• Learn sleep meditation and breathing practices to support their patients in developing better sleep patterns

Detailed Outline

• An introduction to Alchemical Healing, the concept of the “world soul,” the Alchemy of Inner Work (including class overview)
• Alternative perspectives on crisis: traditional Chinese medicine, modern Western and alchemical
• Discussion of the emotional and psychological impact of the current health crisis; simple protocols, essential oils, flower essences, and the effective use of Spirit Points
• Wushen under challenge: the responses of the Five Spirits to crisis. Spirit points for the Spirits
• Working with the shen: strategies for shock, stress, destabilization and anxiety conversation
• Working with the po: strategies for caring for the body soul
• The Five Spirit Animal Protectors 
• The basic “Five Pack” of oils and flower essences to treat soul-level issues
• A New Story of Healing: Repairing the Inner Marriage - reconnecting shen and zhi / hun and po as a journey towards psychological health and wholeness. Lead to Gold Groups: taking healing beyond the treatment room
• Q & A

Learning Objectives

By the end of the seminar, participants will have:

1. An understanding of the relevance of ancient Taoist alchemical principals to modern-day acupuncture practice.
2. An acupuncture point palette as well as essential oil and flower essence protocols for working with soul-level issues.
3. An understanding of the importance of language, imagery, visualization and intention in order to tap the fullest potential of the acupuncture needle.
4. Patient self-help and practitioner self-care strategies to support us during times of challenge, stress and crisis.