– Dr. Jen Resnick 8/8/17
Long a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine, Tui Na, or Chinese Medical Massage, is a powerful healing tool. I have seen clinical conditions respond better to Tui Na than they would to acupuncture or herbs. I have also seen that employing Tui Na and educated touch in the clinical encounter greatly enhances other modalities such as acupuncture and herbal or dietary therapies.
A complete curriculum in Classical Tui Na means teaching students the tools they need to bring this integral part of Chinese medicine to life. In modern China, Tui Na is often relegated to adjunct status, a handful of techniques and protocols to perform by rote. But this approach ignores the rich and diverse history and traditions of manual medicines in China. The Zheng Gu Tui Na (ZGTN) method adheres to a traditional lineage-based practice that is integrative with all of Chinese medicine’s profound tools, from acupuncture to externally applied herbs, internal herbs, dietary therapy and rehabilitative exercises.
The ZGTN method is an iterative learning structure: like much of Chinese medicine, the principles are fairly simple, but learning how to apply them correctly takes years of practice. Each class combines hand techniques, Qi Gong practice, treatment protocols and applied anatomy to give the student the means to understand clinical conditions and to effectively treat them. Externally applied herbal therapies greatly increase the student’s ability to treat trauma, pain and injury, and Qi Gong rehabilitative therapies supports the patient to return to normal function and structural alignment for better health outcomes.
As a teacher, I was very excited to learn that Jung Tao School wanted to gain this entire curriculum, and I felt immediately the commitment of the School to provide a complete program in Tui Na for its students. In my experience, and having taught in several schools throughout the US and Canada, this is a rare commitment to truly honor and study the physical medicines of China.
Having now begun the Classical Tui Na and Traumatology series, I have been happy to discover a deeply engaged faculty, administration and student body. Teaching in such beautiful facilities, with the commitment of the school to internal practice and engaged medicine, is a pleasure. I look forward to continued time at Jung Tao School, and bringing the wonderful practice of Tui Na to the students there.
Jen Resnick, DAHM, L. Ac. is Jung Tao School’s Tui Na teacher. She maintains a private practice at Evolve Health and Wellness in New York City.
