Having been an acupuncture teacher for many years, I have observed how interested and excited students get when they learn that there are such things as “Ghost Points”. It suggests that we may be able to go beyond the body and treat things in past lives or other domains. Or to chase ghosts of the past out of our psyche. But this excitement usually fades into mild disappointment when they find that these points are not used much or very well understood. In his book “The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine” Lonny Jarrett says that he has never found the ghost points effective despite their having very exciting names, such as “Ghost Heart” and “Ghost Path”.
However, he goes on to talk about “Possession” and this is what I’m going to discuss here.
Possession:
Only a couple of hundred years ago and for centuries before that medicine/healing in China and else-where was often carried out by “Barefoot Doctors”. Their beliefs, which would have informed their methods and techniques, would have varied greatly as I have said. But one of those methods would have been to perform a ritual. They would not have seen or understood what we would now call “mental Illness” as such, but as possession by evil demons. They may have used combinations of acupuncture points to treat conditions such as phlegm (In TCM: phlegm obscures the heart, blocking the orifices and disturbing the Shen). But they may also have relied on combinations of points used in a ritualistic manner to purge the body of these demons.
For example, anyone who has lost someone, a parent, a friend, or maybe even a child knows how overwhelming grief can be and for some time. Sometimes it can be months or years. This trauma dominates your life and seems to always be there. CM describes grief as a fullness that has to be processed rather than in the way we often perceive it, as something missing. But it’s not only grief. Shocks, accidents, other peoples’ trauma, all kinds of factors can be at play in allowing possession to occur. Some-one like Gabor Matte would say that we are all traumatised by our childhood experiences to some degree. How we respond to life’s ups and downs will depend upon how well we are prepared for them. I doubt if anyone reading this has not had a relationship breakup, a bereavement, a shock, or an accident of some kind that has not possessed them to some extent and at some time in their lives.
Then look around the world: Stalkers, Business leaders who think they are prophets, Cults, Political ideologists, Facebook trolls, etc etc. Many of these people may be possessed.
Recognising Possession:
One of my teachers suggested that about 10% of people who have mental health problems may be possessed. The extreme cases are quite easy to spot, as I have shown, but the more subtle forms of possession will mostly manifest as a disconnection. One key thing is the quality of eye contact, if someone cannot make eye contact, or if when they do, it feels strange, this is important diagnostically. I remember a policeman who stopped me once, there was something else behind his eyes. It was frightening because I was meeting the “demon” not the man. I also remember a woman whose marriage had just ended, she was not really there with me and her spirit was scattered. Occasionally people may even say, “I feel that I have been taken over by something”
Basically what I’d say here is that if you are in doubt and things don’t seem right, then this could well be it. If you feel that you are not really reaching someone, not helping them at a core level, it’s worth thinking about this as a possibility. What is good to know is that doing a possession treatment when it’s not needed will not do any harm.
Treatment: Firstly, recognise that this is not acupuncture as we know it. We are not thinking about Qi, meridians and diagnosis in the normal way. We are using the acupuncture points like a combination to a safe. As we “click” each one in sequence, we are getting closer to the point where we can release the dragons to chase the demons away. Sensitive practitioners may need to protect themselves while these demons are in the room. Opening a window is usually a good idea.
My learning about the nature of Dragons and Demons owes more to Ursula Gunn than to ancient Chi-na, but it helps me understand the treatment protocol in a way that allows me to convey it to you. Imagine that your house had been taken over by squatters. They are nasty, aggressive, and they have settled themselves in and refuse to leave. Not only do you (your Shen) not have a home to go to, but your old one is being torn apart as you watch in despair. The police don’t care, your friends can’t help, your family are crying and stressed, and it is desperate. Such times call for desperate measures, and you might just call in some paid muscle to throw them out.
Dragons are dangerous fire breathing monsters and just like the paid muscle, you generally keep out of their way. But when you are desperate you can summon their assistance through the ritual which is offering them something. As the dragons sweep through your house they may scorch it a bit, but they will purge it, chasing the demons away.
I will not list the points here because there are actually 2 kinds of possession and the ritual needs to be followed carefully. To find out more, see the Lonny Jarrett book mentioned above or Nora Franglen’s book, “The Handbook of 5 Element Practice”
Results:How well this works is clearly unpredictable. There can be no obvious effect, it can be effective in a very subtle way, it can be effective in a very dramatic way. It can definitely be life changing, like getting your house back from the squatters. Peoples lives have been saved and changed forever by this treatment.
Author:
Jamie Hedger