Chi Nei Tsang
I found Chi Nei Tsang kind of by accident. Wandering Ascendant Books one day in 2018- as one does. I found a book called Five Elements, Six Conditions- A Taoist Approach to Emotional Healing, Psychology and Internal Alchemy by Gilles Marin.
The title piqued my interest as I am always curious about holistic perspectives. Acupuncture meridians and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) had caught my attention a year or so earlier. I have plans on going back to school for Acupuncture when my kids are older- but until then had decided to focus on reading as much as possible about TCM theory. So I purchased it.
The information inside was thrilling - melding physical, emotional, mental and spiritual together. Working on so many humans and my recent personal experiences, had given me insight to the emotional, spiritual, energetic aspects of massage that I suspected but didn’t really understand or know how to wrap my mind around. It also introduced Chi Nei Tsang- an abdominal massage coupled with energy work to help digest our emotions and keep our Qi (chi/energy) flowing smoothly. About how our abdomens can become stagnant and filled with unprocessed emotions.
I read the book with myself as the lens. At the beginning of my massage career I was in the process of ending an unhealthy marriage. I had been having gallbladder attacks for a year and was working with my stress and food triggers trying to resolve them without surgery. This book introduced the ideas of the emotions that each organ housed. Liver/GB housed unprocessed anger, resentment. That rang very true for me I had felt the intense emotional connection between my life situations and my body’s reactions. I also dealt with a ulcer that started with anxiety pangs in my stomach- and intense “oh no” feeling. Day after day eventually manifested into real physical symptoms and a hospital trip. So hello, Chi Nei Tsang (CNT)… I wonder what you are about.
I googled if anyone in the Edmonton area offered CNT, since as small as Edmonton is, we actually have so many things available! And of course we did have someone who offered this- Peter Melnychuk. I booked in as soon as I could and eventually took training in Chi Nei Tsang.
My first session with Peter was odd. I didn’t really know what to expect and as much as I had enough body acceptance to be ok with my soft, stretch marked, mummy tummy be touched- the idea of stirring up old emotions and possible trauma was a little daunting. I was very surprised at the sensations of having my abdomen touched- the different thoughts and feelings. I could feel my childhood under my left ribs- yellow colors filling my mind. Around my navel and the center of my abdomen felt scary- like something bad might happen. Some areas had some pain. Breathing was lovely. Breathing down to where he was working. Feeling how restricted by rib cage was.
At the end of session I was tired, relaxed and stimulated. Knew I would cry as soon as I got into the car, I left. Cried the whole way home. The next day I woke up and my whole body hurt as if I had received full body deep tissues massage- instead of just work on my abdomen. I then proceeded to spiral mentally for about 5 months. Binge eating, smoking too much weed, promiscuity, spending money, staying up too late and throwing myself through each day exhausted and overwhelmed. Old issues with my mom were suddenly filling my mind, old issues with my ex. Out loud conversations in my car to the open road as I tried to work through all that was coming up. Old things I thought I had processed. By month 3 I realized I was emotionally overwhelmed and using a lot of numbing, avoiding behaviors to cope instead of processing. I didn’t successfully pull myself out but I suddenly had awareness- that this was what I acted like when I was struggling to cope. I saw myself from a new perspective.
From a professional perspective I was fascinated with the practice. My bodies reaction - in terms of feeling like my whole body had been worked on, the emotional reaction, how good my abdomen felt after. It felt like my massage practice of working on everything EXCEPT the abdomen was this hilarious practice of avoiding the root issue. I suddenly felt like a work horse as a massage therapist. I wanted to learn how to address the body more effectively and how to stimulate the digestion of the energetic/emotional aspect of our pain. Energy work had been a professional goal of mine since my first day of massage school. Reiki had peaked my interest but I was turned off by the training model. Everyone seemed to advertise that I could become a Reiki Master in one weekend if I paid enough. I found it offensive to be told I could call myself a master after a weekend, considering mastery takes somewhere around 10,000 hours of practice. I wanted to find an energy practice that asked more dedication from me. Now please understand- I love Reiki and receive it regularly and every practitioner I have gone to has been skilled, professional and compassionate. Being trained in it just didn’t call to my heart. But with Chi Nei Tsang suddenly I had found a energy practice that seemed to take the idea of mastery in a way that I agreed with - I was very interested!
When I finally went back to Peter 5 months later he asked what took me so long to return. I was nervous at spiraling again but once I shared my experience with Peter, he scaled back how much work we were doing in a single session to allow my nervous system to integrate easier. My second session was lovely, soothing, relaxing. I didn’t feel overwhelmed. Later in 2019 I took my training with Peter. A eight day intro to Qi Gong and Chi Nei Tsang.
So what IS Chi Nei Tsang ?
The simplest explanation would be: a gentle abdomen massage that explores restriction and pain with breath and focused awareness. My job is then to educate you about their elements,characteristics, relationships between our inner and outter worlds- ways of connecting to yourself to help bring you awareness internally. Our loving, focused attention to our bodies can create space for connection and understanding within yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally. As a practitioner I am not a healer but more of a educator. I am learning and practicing CNT in my own life and when I work on others it is an extension of my practice, of my exploration, helping others feel and connect and become empowered to work on themselves. To understand that our symptoms and pain are showing us where we are ready to grow. To understand that healing is when we allow ourselves to out grow ourselves. We mature.
If you have more curiosity about Chi Nei Tsang I highly recommend google! Reading books! Find what resonates with you. https://www.chineitsang.com/bibliography Here is more about one of my teachers and the man who introduced me to CNT with this books- Gilles Marin.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to seeing you on my table!