Ant

Thanks a lot Aetherous, much appreciated..

I'm interested in how trauma is viewed from the TCM paradigm. I understand that the diagnostic procedures of TCM are very intricate, and reliable at painting a picture of a patients imbalances. I've personally experienced the immense healing power of TCM in treating health conditions. But can TCM address deeply held trauma, and free patients from the neurosis and suffering it brings? Are there Qigong healers that can do so? I have heard some teachers talk about trauma release through Qigong, but for people suffering from severe mental illness, putting in the hours of practice to eventually reach these deep states where such transformation could be possible, is simply not realistic. I am focused on this right now as I have a friend who is in a dire state of mental illness, and seems to be "slipping through the cracks" of the health system, and is also severely lacking in family support. Any responses are much appreciated..

Thanks Shubin, it's hard for me to read, is this master available for private healings?

Hi guys, I have a friend here in Taiwan with a serious condition, she may require surgery but I'm curious if anyone also knows of any well-renowned medical Qigong practitioners, healers here etc that could also provide healing and support. My command of Chinese is basic, so it's a little difficult for me to explore this on the ground, though I know there are some great practitioners here. Any information would be much appreciated : )

Personally I think the sheer amount of time needed to be put into learning characters discounts it from being "one of the easiest languages" haha.. I think the tone issue seems more daunting than it needs to be, with enough listening practice the tones and tone combinations of words and phrases become second nature.. a little like how a native english speaker naturally knows the emphasis of syllables in an English word, though obviously a level harder than that.. I also find that if I know the characters used in a new word already then I can recall and use the word much easier in conversation, , due to the logic behind the formation of much of the words.. if I only learn a word aurally, or dont have a good grasp of the characters used in its construction, the word will slip from my mind much easier.. I haven't done a Yoyo course but I have found some of her videos to be really great, especially in grasping pinyin and tones, tone combinations etc as a beginner : ) she has a great style of teaching I think.

I don't see a reason to choose one or the other. I've been treating a similar deficiency myself, and there is a certain nourishment I feel from herbs that I don't feel from Qigong. I know there's a temptation to look for a single cure-all solution, but I think it's more practical to cover all all bases. It's like with herbal treatment itself - a TCM doctor won't just prescribe one 'miracle' herb, but rather a formula containing a number of complimentary herbs.

Hi Kiyojj, I started teaching myself Chinese nine months ago, when I first moved to Taiwan, with the long term goal to able to delve deeper into Chinese medicine and related areas. I'm in my 30s, so I spent a lot of time researching how to go about it. Nine months in I'm glad I went this way instead of enrolling in a class. Here's what has helped me: -Watch Yoyo Chinese's youtube tutorial on tones. I found it an excellent intro, especially as she insists to only go low on the third tone, which is how it's pronounced most of the time in natural speech. Her tone combinations video is also great, as is this interactive chart, which I keep in a tab at all times if I get stuck on a pinyin sound. https://www.yoyochinese.com/chinese-learning-tools/Mandarin-Chinese-pronunciation-lesson/pinyin-chart-table -Learn Pinyin thoroughly, you'll need it when checking a dictionary etc -Have a look at Steve Kaufman's youtube videos, his language learning approach is great. Basically the idea is that comprehensive input is the most useful thing. Don't stress over analyzing grammar, which is what 90% of textbooks do. Research by people like Stephen Krashen suggests that reading and listening to story's is more helpful to language acquisiton than actually studying grammar explicitly. -With that in mind, sign up to something like LingQ, Chairman's Bao, Du Chinese, basically a place online where you can log in and read and listen to a vast range of material, starting at the beginner level. I use LingQ as I really like it's format, and I can import materials from other sites into it. It's just a great way to read a new language, click on a word to read the definition and hear the pronunciation, etc. LingQ has some great beginners Chinese stories. -once youve read a story or passage and you could follow along with it reasonably well, add the audio to a playlist and listen to it a LOT, on repeat. Listening is very neglected in many foreign language programs. If the speed is too fast for your ears, just relax, let it repeat as you do chores, travel, go about your day etc. Magically, your brain catches up and you start making out words here and there, and gradually, native speakers don't sound as fast as they initially did. Ollie Read's "Conversation" series is a brilliant Chinese listening course I couldn't recommend highly enough. -download Anki (digital flash card program) and browse online for a deck that will teach you Traditional Chinese characters. I found a great one called "Mastering Chinese Characters". It's helped my learn around 1000 so far, I suggest you keep an online dictionary open when you learn a new one, and follow the stroke order gif to learn how to write it. You'll forget how to write them all the time but the process helps with becoming more familiar with the character and reading it. -John Defrancis "Beginning Chinese Reader", as well as "Intermediate" and "Advanced" use an ingenious method to get you reading Chinese and hugely expand your vocab. The content is "dated", I guess, but don't let that deter you. To become comfortable and fluent with reading you need to read a vast range of material at a level you can comprehend, and this series is designed perfectly for that. -Glossika is a really awesome speaking program. It has helped me immensely in making the transition from very tentatively trying to string sentences together, to enjoying conversation with Chinese friends. If you can invest 20 minutes or so of your daily study program to it, it will really pay off : ) So that's what I've done so far anyway, so I hope it's of some use. Good luck!

It's definitely a good idea to follow your TCM doctor's advice and take a Yin replenishing formula of herbs over a long period. Avoid caffeine also. Meditation may well help, but if you're sure you have Yin deficiency I think it's paramount to find a good source of the right herbs and begin herbal treatment as soon as you can. Recovery from a deficiency usually takes longer than if you're treating an excess condition.

Wow, thanks for sharing this. It really reminds me of an experience I had several years ago just after finishing Qigong practice in my garden. I felt as if a sudden fresh breeze had swept through me, and the world around me was alive in a way I had never before observed. The usual "me" was like a distant memory, and I laughed gently at all the things I had been worrying about that day. I also felt what I'd describe as a "flickering" of energy, upwards through my face, it was intense but subsided gradually. I sat with a huge smile on my face for several hours, enjoying the deep peace I felt. Alas when I woke the next morning, I was back to "normal", and not only that, I had a bad headache, which is very out of the ordinary for me. Nevertheless it was a glimpse of something : )

Sounds like a true labor of love, I wish you well with it. What we refer to as "Chinese" can mean so many things can't it, it's fascinating. On the modern end of the spectrum, David Moser's book "A billion voices" looks like a great read, about the government's ongoing attempt to unite China under a common spoken language. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29501533-a-billion-voices It's interesting to note that the characters were nearly done away with entirely under the CCP's reforms , in favor of a phonetic script. Can you imagine reading Chinese entirely in pinyin? I can't wrap my head around how that would work..

I've put together my own study program mainly using methods I've learnt from Steve Kaufmann and Ollie Read, two of the online "polygot" guys who I think have a lot of great ideas. So I'm reading and listening to articles and stories using LingQ, and I've worked my way through Ollie Reads "Conversations" series, which has improved my listening hugely, just by listening to each episode on my mp3 player hundreds and hundreds of times as I go about my day. I'm working my way through traditional characters using Anki, and also bought John Defrancis "Beginning Chinese Reader". I'm largely avoiding textbooks and explicit grammar study. Henro that Nigel Wiseman series looks great, I'm gonna look at those thanks. Pimsleur 1 and 2 was a nice intro for me, now I'm using Glossika for daily speaking practice, which I find really great for getting my mouth used to the language. wandelaar, from my understanding, the characters themselves would be the traditional ones still used in HK and Taiwan, but the skill of reading Classical Chinese is a harder one to acquire, not just because of the characters but understanding the context and way things are written. I haven't attempted that yet but I hope to one day : )

I started self-studying Chinese in earnest around 6 months ago, mainly as a window into further engagement with TCM, Qigong etc. I'm currently living in Taiwan, so I've been focusing on traditional characters. I'd love to find some articles on these kinds of topics aimed more at lower level Chinese learners, has anyone run across such material? I've only covered around 700-800 characters so far, but with Lingq.com I'm able to tackle intermediate content. Thanks : )

Thanks for the replies : ) Appreciated..

Thanks S1va, yeah my friend has had a history with drugs so I don't really see that as the way for him.

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