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Quelques sujets de recherche sur le Qi GongPhenomenology of the Experience of Qi Gong: A Preliminary Research Design for the Intentional Bodily PracticeBy Haruhiko Murakawa, Ph.D. A Doctoral Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty Of the California Institute of Integral Studies In partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy San Francisco, California 2002.
This study provides an experiential ground for exploring the significance of Qi Gong
as an intentional bodily practice and presents a "physiological and organic knowledge
of the body" based on the metaphor of "the body as a flow of Qi." This project is
situated within the context of increasing interest in the body in academia, in which
the Cartesian dichotomy of the body and mind is a problematic issue. In order to
overcome such a dichotomy, this study proposes the significance of exploring the
intentionally chosen bodily practices, and takes Qi Gong as an example. Then,
discussing some theoretical issues of body image and body schema, as well as enactive
metaphor, this study also proposes a research agenda to investigate such bodily
practices, based on the phenomenology of the body by Elizabeth Behnke and the
philosophy of language and experience developed by Eugene T. Gendlin. Along with this
agenda, this dissertation presents a phenomenology of Qi Gong based on interviews
with three practitioners, in which a variety of Qi Gong experiences are described
in three categories: 1) fundamental notions in the practice of Qi Gong, 2) unique
experiences emerging from particular styles of Qi Gong, and 3) the discrepancy
between theory and experience. Since Qi Gong has such a variety of styles and
such a large number of practitioners all over the world, the descriptions presented
here are not comprehensive but exemplary, so that other researchers and practitioners
can collaboratively explore and widely accumulate such descriptions.
Haruhiko Murakawa can be contacted at Merging East and West: A preliminary Study Applying Spring Forest Qi Gong to Depression as an Alternative and Complimentary Treatment By Frances V. Gaik, M.S., Psy.D. A Dissertation Study Adler School of Professional Psychology 65 East Wacker Place, Chicago, IL Published in 2003
A pilot study with 39 subjects suffering from DSM-IV (Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th edition)
diagnosis of major Depression, Dysthymia or Bipolar Disorder were treated with the Eastern Traditional Chinese
Medicine technique of Qi Gong. Treatment included Qi emission treatment by qualified practitioners, and subjects
were required to practice Qi Gong exercise for a two-month period. Significant improvement was observed, especially
in the first month on the measurements of Beck's Depression Index-Revised (BDI-R) (p<0.0000) and Symptom Checklist-90R
(SCL-90 R) Depression Index (p<0.00003), Interpersonal Sensitivity (p<0.00003). Scl-90 Somaticism indexes
as well as three criteria from DSM-IV guidelines are also reported on indicating an overall trend of improvement
over time. All subjects improved over the treatment period and it is determined that the Qi Gong exercise is a
highly effective complimentary and alternative treatment modality for depression and should be considered as an
adjunct to psychotherapy treatment. No significant difference was seen in those subjects treated with Qi emission.
We started with 63 subjects and had 3 practitioners. 45 subjects showed up for treatment. We split them into 3 groups.
The individuals in the study were screened for situational depression and psychosis. I only chose those individuals
who met criteria for a long-term depression, one which would be considered biological in basis. Also, in consideration
of the deviant syndrome which has been seen, I screened for any psychosis in depression. Some of the subjects
had been suffering from major depression for 30 years. One individual had a brain tumor, and several had been victims
of sexual abuse. These were very depressed individuals. In the first session, half were given a Qi emission treatment
for 10 min. There were significant decreases in BP for the treated group. The second and third time we met (30 days apart)
all subjects were given a 10 min Qi emission treatment. There was no difference between those who received the Qi emission
treatment the first time and those who did not. The Qi Gong exercise seemed to be the main factor. There were significant
decreases in other area measured by the SCL-90 as well, such as anxiety, hostility, and psychoticism, however I reported
only 3 measures -Depression, Somaticism and Interpersonal Sensitivity, which is a major factor connected with depression.
The results are impressive. Some of the scores fell as much as 50% (40 points) when I was hoping to get at least 10 points
on the measures. We used Spring Forest Qi Gong - Chunyi Lin's technique. The subjects were told to practice
40 min a day and utilized video tape/audio tape to accomplish this. There was a marked difference in personal
presentation between the first and last meeting – from somber, sad and discouraging faces to joyful and excited
behavior. So there was also a significant effect with bipolar subjects (3) in the study and this is an important
aspect. I hope that this helps and thank you for including me in the Qi Gong disc. As far as I know, this is the
first study done in U.S. with Qi Gong and depression.
Frances V. Gaik can be contacted at Ibitmog1@aol.com The Experience of Qi Gong in Healing and Self-Care By Lisa Brinker A Thesis in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts I Integral Health Studies Presented to The Faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies San Francisco, California Published in 2003
My purpose in this study has been to learn how Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese system of healing and self-development,
has been adopted by Western practitioners as a way of taking part in their own health care.
Qi Gong (translated as "energy work") is a multi-faceted discipline that serves as prevention and treatment of illness
as well as complementary care and to improve quality of life. What drew my attention most was the individual's
participatory experience of movement and meditation is at the heart of the practice. I chose the phenomenological
Experiential Method to focus on stories contributed by ten research participants describing their experiences of
healing supported by Qi Gong. This method, developed by Sunnie and James Kidd, Ph. D., "displays how a person
through personal action, participates in the constitution of self-meaning." (Kidd & Kidd, 1990:1) I value these
stories as they speak for themselves and also in light of the universal healing principles that underlies the
practice of Qi Gong. I have the sense that Qi Gong fans the innate self-healing spark that everyone possesses,
more or less consciously. The themes represented in the Qi Gong students' descriptions include: general health
improvements and symptoms relieved, self-care, personal growth/responsibility and integration into daily life,
sensory and intuitive impressions of Qi and Qi Gong, and psycho-spiritual continuum, that is, stress reduction
to transpersonal experience. In addition to my research findings I present a review of literature on Qi Gong,
Traditional Chinese Medicine and the new direction of Western medicine that has been called "Body/Mind Medicine"
by a number of contemporary authors. The recognition of the integral nature of physical, psychological and spiritual
aspects of being in relation to health and healing is a premise of the emerging paradigm in Western medicine and of
Traditional Chinese Medicine, of which Qi Gong is one branch. On a national level we are facing a health care crisis
that will deepen as the increasing incidence of chronic and stress-related illness and an aging population place greater
demands on the existing system. There is a call for innovation, preventative care, individual involvement, and serious
inquiry into the time-tested wisdom of other cultures to meet this challenge. Qi Gong is both cost effective and
therapeutically so. The very accessible nature of the practice allows it to be a vehicle for change on a
large-scale beginning with individual self-care. This study illustrates the ways practitioners were helped by Qi Gong
on many levels of their healing processes.
Manipulation of the Electromagnetic Spectrum via Fields Projected from Human Hands: A Qi Energy Connection? By Randall L. Waechter Department of Psychology, Lauren Sergio School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
The concept of Qi energy has been an integral component of Eastern philosophy and medicine for thousands of years.
While there is no precise Western definition of Qi energy, it is often referred to as bioelectricity. It has been
well established in the West that the electrical activity in the human body produces magnetic fields, which are
sometimes referred to as Bioelectromagnetic (BioEM) energy. Technological advances over the past several decades
have made it possible to measure these subtle yet important electromagnetic energy fields within and around the
human body. Increasing evidence suggests that the Eastern concept of Qi and the Western concept of BioEM energy may
be one in the same. An exploratory experiment was designed and carried out with the intention of providing such evidence.
Four adult males with reported extraordinary Qi energy manipulation abilities projected Qi energy towards copper coils
that were designed to measure subtle alterations in the immediate electromagnetic environment. The results indicate
that power increased or decreased significantly in the test phase at several frequencies when compared to the control
phases. The analysis also indicated that the changes in power for these specific frequencies was directional. That
is, these changes in power were mostly detected in one versus all three of the coils simultaneously. These results
suggest that it is possible for human beings to alter the electromagnetic environment around their hands at will.
Specifically, the power seen at certain frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum can be lowered or raised when
a Qi Master "emits" Qi energy versus simply holding his hand over a detection device during a control phase.
http://www.yorkkarate.com/Articles/Q%20i&%20Bioelectromagetic%20Energy.pdf Comparison of physiological and affect values for Qi Gong and walking with older adults By Victoria Kjos As partial requirement for completion of M.S. in Exercise Science, Department of Kinesiology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, December 2003
Improving levels of participation in physical activity remains an important objective in our society. Despite definitive evidence that regular involvement in moderate-intensity exercise provides innumerable health benefits, statistics indicate that less than 25% of adult Americans engage in that level of physical activity on a regular basis. And, senior citizens are the least active of all age groups. Hence, providing alternative forms of exercise modalities, in an effort to stimulate and promote expanded participation in physical activity, especially among older adults, is a critical health consideration.
The primary purpose of the study was to explore whether a group of eight Qi Gong exercises, derived from Chinese medical Qi Gong, provided a similar moderate-intensity level of physical activity to that of traditional brisk walking for a group of older adults, age 55 to 79 years (mean: 64.2 years). A secondary purpose was to compare mood values, or psychological affect, between the two exercise conditions using the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).
Results for physiological factors measured indicated significant main effects for time for heart rate, breath frequency, pulse rate, rating of perceived exertion, and diastolic blood pressure. These results demonstrated that for both walking and Qi Gong, participants experienced similar work loads. Similarly, no significant difference was found between condition for either positive affect or negative affect. There was a significant interaction of condition by time for heart rate which indicated that heart rate increased more rapidly for the walking condition, however, as exercise continued, variation of heart rate values between conditions lessened.
The results of this investigation suggest that, for this age group, these Qi Gong exercises provide a moderate-intensity level of activity similar to that of a brisk walk at a pace of 2.5 to 4 mph. In addition, the exercises also provided comparable psychological benefits in mood improvement as those derived from walking. Therefore, Qi Gong exercises can be considered an alternate moderate-intensity exercise form for individuals who might prefer this activity, who may be interested in a variety of exercise modalities, or who might be unable to walk for a sustained length of time.
Qi Gong Meditation and Personality Traits by Yvonne Leung York University, Toronto, Canada
A Dissertation Study 2003
Hypothesized that Qi Gong meditation could reduce the level of Neuroticism and increase Extraversion. Eighty-two Qi Gong practitioners (mean = 47.5; SD = 9.3), were recruited through personal visits and online survey to fill out the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). Seventy-five non-practitioners (mean = 42.1; SD = 10.6) were recruited as a comparison. There was a significant negative relationship between the number of years of practice and the level of Neuroticism, r = -.247, p <.001 and a significant predictability, r" = .071, p<.001. The level of Extraversion of non-practitioners was significantly reduced by age, r = -.248, p < .016, compared with practitioners, r = -.021, p < .427 (n.s.). Qi Gong may develop treatments for people who are highly neurotic.
Yvonne Leung can be contacted at
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