Qigong and Addiction

What are the hallmarks of addiction and how can one gauge if they are addicted to something, be it
drugs, work or some other compulsion?

Addiction forms when we rely so much on an external substance or process to fulfill an inner need, that
the removal of the substance or process leaves us agitated, uncomfortable and distressed or even ill.

In the case of drugs, we have made the choice to be harsh with our internal chemistry. Instead of allowing
the body to be the infinitely wise and subtle conductor of an orchestra of neuropeptides, we aggressively
stimulate and trigger massive cascades of short-term pleasure-feelings. The more we do this, the more
we lose the power to respond with sensitivity to the challenges of our life. We become powerless and
ineffective, sometimes quite insane? we become toxic, "dirty" creatures (interestingly, the root meaning of
sanity is "clean.")

Many of us become addicted to our work, finding it increasingly hard to relax, release and enjoy the
simple pleasures of life beyond the rollercoaster of our jobs' demands. And, of course, as a culture, we
have become addicted to stress, addicted to thinking, addicted to the high and lows of the "fight or flight"
response.
Addiction to anything reduces us spiritually, cripples us emotionally and poisons us physically.

Recovery from addiction requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses every problematic issue
simultaneously?the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
So how can qigong help?

Lets take addiction to drugs (including nicotine and alcohol) as the model:

Detoxification

Extensive drug use clogs the body with toxic debris. TCH, for instance, can lodge in the tissues for years.
Qigong's active stimulation of the lymph system speeds up the detox process, helping to remove
impurities from the bloodstream. "Dirty" blood is uncomfortable and often translates into "dirty thinking"
which in turn can lead to relapse.

Relaxation

Addiction to drugs diminishes our ability to manage stress and tension. For many months, if not years,
after stopping drug use, the internal chemistry remains in turmoil, creating all kinds of dangerous cravings
and instabilities. Group-therapeutic activities are invaluable as a partial remedy for these ups and downs.
But qigong can help speed the process of mastering our relaxation response. Qigong's breathing style,
hand movements and postures actively induce a long-lasting relaxation response and a sense of well-
being. If you own your own private toolkit for "switching on" feelings of contentment and internalization
almost at will you are less likely to become victimized by your chemical imbalances.

Acceptance

Spiritually-oriented approaches to drug-addiction emphasize the supreme importance of cultivating the

skill of "letting go" in our lives. Qigong, in its more meditative forms, is a superb vehicle for training this
skill experientially. Emotionally, qigong encourages us to accept and appreciate every emotion as valid
and necessary, even fear and anger. By accepting our emotions more readily, we release from them the
more easily (attachment and addiction are very close relatives.)

Self Care and Self Love

Self esteem, self care, and love in general, take a hammering when we get addicted to drugs. Qigong's
whole mindset is to encourage a sense of integrated well-being through daily practice. As we become
more genuinely at home in our own bodies, more generally loving of ourselves, we will finally have love
and care to share with others.

Energy

Most drug use impairs, depletes or rips off our energetic reserves. Qigong's techniques specifically
restore our energy and resilience by creating a fresh, balanced flow in the body.

Balance

Balance is actually a dynamic process of constant shifts in response to constant change. Drug use
narrows the range of our sensitivities, so we become less responsive and less capable of handling
change as it presents to us. Qigong training teaches us to constantly shift from dynamic to tranquil and to
master those transitions with increasing ease.

Community

And finally, there's communion with kindred spirits. Qigong group practice encourages a conspiracy of
good humor and gentle friendship. The Chinese rate the healing power of this group "qi field"
phenomenon so highly, they invite recovering cancer patients to immerse themselves in the "healing
bath" of a group qigong practice.

Drug addiction tends to make us contracted, tight, isolated, self-centered and delusional?"terminally
unique." Qigong helps redress this dis-ease by naturally encouraging us to be expansive, loose,
communal and appreciative.

Qigong – Excerpt from The Addiction Recovery Guide

Qigong is a traditional Chinese health practice for mind and body wellness. It integrates slow movement,
a relaxed posture, a focus on breathing, and a clear and calm state of mental awareness. It is considered
a form of exercise called “moving meditation".

National Qigong Association (NQA) www.nqa.org

Click on Find a Teacher to locate practitioners by state or zip code. Listings often include the practitioner's
own web site with their teaching schedule and further information as well as their specialties, membership
level, NQA teacher certification level, and email. The web site also includes an extensive list of articles
and information on Qigong.

Qigong Institute www.qigonginstitute.org

On the top menu bar under Teachers and Therapists the site provides a directory of members of the
Institute organized by state and internationally and briefly describes their practices. The site also includes
recommended books and videos on Qigong, blogs, podcasts, research and newsletters, and much more.
Qigong and Tai-Chi interventions have the potential to contribute to the relief of psychological and
psychosomatic sequelae of torture at two levels:

In populations of non-torture survivors, qigong and Tai-Chi have been demonstrated to relieve the same
symptoms that are highly prevalent in survivors of torture and, as such, have the potential to contribute to
alleviating symptoms of tortured individuals. Additionally, the increase in bodily awareness and mental
focus accompanying the practice of qigong and Tai-Chi may aid torture survivors in processing the bodily
aspects of their trauma and facilitating the healing of related psychological disturbances.

Qigong and Tai-Chi incorporate a cognitive aspect not present in most exercise, which may explain why
some controlled studies have found greater benefits from Tai-Chi or Qigong than activities of comparable
intensity. Due to their low impact on the body, Qigong and Tai-Chi are especially useful when aerobic
exercise may be too physically strenuous for the individual.
Tai-Chi and Qigong have been shown to produce statistically significant improvements in psychological
well-being, including significant reductions in mood disturbance, anxiety, stress, tension, depression,
anger, fatigue, confusion, and state-anxiety.

The cognitive component of Qigong and Tai-Chi practice is an important source of their therapeutic
potential. The practice of being fully attuned to one’s surroundings and aware of the present moment is
often called mindfulness. Mindfulness practice can help address dissociative alterations in identity by
facilitating the person’s identification with their inner self rather than their physical body, which is often a
source of suffering in survivors of torture. Qigong and Tai-Chi involve an essential mindfulness
component, similar to meditation practice that may aid in treating the dissociation characteristic of PTSD.
Both Qigong and Tai-Chi have been shown to reduce cortisol levels (stress levels), implicating the
hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in Qigong and Tai-Chi -induced stress and anxiety reduction.

Bai Yuan Dao Center for Cultural Heritage 白猿派

www.baiyuandao.com (a 501 c3 non-profit wellness ministry)