moxa for emotional disturbance

February 11, 2006

To patients I often describe moxa as having some of the same qualities of Sage

(expelling

demons/bad energy). Once when some fellow students and I were " smudging " our

student

clinic with Sage, our usually straight arrow Chinese professor said that in

China they used

Qing Hao for the same demonology purposes.

doug

, " Deb Marshall " <taichideb wrote:

>

> Hi Folks,

>

> Six weeks ago I was struck with an inspiration to give a wad of moxa wool to a

patient

who was experiencing terrible grief and despair following the traumatic and

quite horrible

sudden death of her partner, with instruction to make it into small cones, put

it on a non-

flammable surface, light it with an incense stick, and use it as an incense when

she was

feeling overwhelmed.

>

> It worked like a miracle - she called a couple of days later to tell me that

the effect was

immediate and profound: it calmed her down, dissipated the evil part of the

grief, anxiety

and depression, and let her move into a space where she could grieve in a way

she felt was

productive and heartfull and not just frantic and out of control.

>

> I tried it again a couple of weeks ago, this time with a teenager who is in

chronic pain

from an old neck injury (afraid of needles, won't come for acupuncture), whose

first

boyfriend had just experienced a trauma that threatened to paralyze him, and

whose

father, a life-long alcoholic, has recently stopped drinking but as a result is

dealing, not

particularly gracefully or privately, with his addiction demons. The teen's

mother called

me, desperate one day - her kid was having nearly hysterical bouts of fear and

grief and

anxiety, not sleeping, etc. Western drugs prescribed for the condition had

simply made her

condition worse.

>

> Again, I gave her a handful of moxa wool with the same instructions. She

called me back

half an hour later to report that the minute she lit it the teenager, who had

been

screaming and crying, stopped, said, " Oh, that's good, " took the moxa cone into

her room,

and did her homework. That night after burning a second cone she slept through

for the

first time in several weeks. The effect continues.

>

> Can anyone tell me why this is working? It seems, from the descriptions I'm

getting, to

pull the scattered qi together and allow the shen to calm and settle. The mind

becomes

focussed and anxiety and fear is expelled. Neither reports a deadening of

feelings, but

rather that the feelings become the right size to experience without taking

over.

>

> Can anyone see any dangers in using moxa this way (besides the obvious one of

fire!)

>

> ---Deb Marshall

>

February 11, 2006

Hi Folks,

Six weeks ago I was struck with an inspiration to give a wad of moxa wool to a

patient who was experiencing terrible grief and despair following the traumatic

and quite horrible sudden death of her partner, with instruction to make it into

small cones, put it on a non-flammable surface, light it with an incense stick,

and use it as an incense when she was feeling overwhelmed.

It worked like a miracle - she called a couple of days later to tell me that the

effect was immediate and profound: it calmed her down, dissipated the evil part

of the grief, anxiety and depression, and let her move into a space where she

could grieve in a way she felt was productive and heartfull and not just frantic

and out of control.

I tried it again a couple of weeks ago, this time with a teenager who is in

chronic pain from an old neck injury (afraid of needles, won't come for

acupuncture), whose first boyfriend had just experienced a trauma that

threatened to paralyze him, and whose father, a life-long alcoholic, has

recently stopped drinking but as a result is dealing, not particularly

gracefully or privately, with his addiction demons. The teen's mother called me,

desperate one day - her kid was having nearly hysterical bouts of fear and

grief and anxiety, not sleeping, etc. Western drugs prescribed for the condition

had simply made her condition worse.

Again, I gave her a handful of moxa wool with the same instructions. She called

me back half an hour later to report that the minute she lit it the teenager,

who had been screaming and crying, stopped, said, " Oh, that's good, " took the

moxa cone into her room, and did her homework. That night after burning a second

cone she slept through for the first time in several weeks. The effect

continues.

Can anyone tell me why this is working? It seems, from the descriptions I'm

getting, to pull the scattered qi together and allow the shen to calm and

settle. The mind becomes focussed and anxiety and fear is expelled. Neither

reports a deadening of feelings, but rather that the feelings become the right

size to experience without taking over.

Can anyone see any dangers in using moxa this way (besides the obvious one of

fire!)

---Deb Marshall

February 11, 2006

Dear Deb,

Two summers ago I was in New Mexico at Zev's plant workshop. In their

Taos local herb store I ran into a great book that has a lot of

information about smokes. Smokes affect the brain quite readily and have

been used psychologically for a long time in native cultures. This

information did a lot towards repairing my relationship to tobacco, a

severely abused plant that does have some potent gifts for humans. Too

bad for us all the abuse and corporation alterations that has gone on.

The books title is " Smoke Plants of North America " The website is:

http://www.smokeplants.com/index.html

Ann was there and she tried the smokes with me a couple of the nights.

HI Ann!!! Maybe she can chip in with her view if she has one.

Well, that's all I can report officially. Unofficially, I've grown to

like Devil's club bark in my smokes and find that it supports the Zhong

Qi or upright Qi. I have also found that my local artemisia plant

worked wonderful for the same purpose as moxa and is fresher. Artemesia

absinthe,though, is too strong on the tranquilizing side to use for

calming purposes especially because it also has some toxins in

them(ledol oil). I also found out on one research foray that Bai Ji Li

or tribulus and Lilly stamen have both been used as a smoke ingredients

by the Chinese, but I can't comment on what for nor have I tried them.

Rozz

Deb Marshall wrote:

> Hi Folks,

>

> Six weeks ago I was struck with an inspiration to give a wad of moxa wool to a

patient who was experiencing terrible grief and despair following the traumatic

and quite horrible sudden death of her partner, with instruction to make it into

small cones, put it on a non-flammable surface, light it with an incense stick,

and use it as an incense when she was feeling overwhelmed.

>

> It worked like a miracle - she called a couple of days later to tell me that

the effect was immediate and profound: it calmed her down, dissipated the evil

part of the grief, anxiety and depression, and let her move into a space where

she could grieve in a way she felt was productive and heartfull and not just

frantic and out of control.