What is Acupressure?

What is Acupressure?

Acupressure is an ancient healing art using the fingers to gradually press key healing points, which stimulate the body's natural self-curative abilities. Acupressure was developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago. Using the power and sensitivity of the hand, Acupressure Therapy is effective in the relief of stress-related ailments, and is ideal for self-treatment and preventive health care for boosting the immune system. Acupressure releases tension, increases circulation, reduces pain, and develops spirituality and vibrant health. For a pressure point reference and a self-care guide for common complaints from A to Z, see Acupressure's Potent Points by Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., with 400 illustrations and over a hundred self-acupressure healing applications.

Acupuncture & Acupressure use the same pressure points and meridians, but Acupuncture employs needles, while Acupressure uses gentle to firm finger pressure. When these acupressure points are stimulated, they release muscular tension, promote circulation of blood, and enhance the body's life force energy to aid healing. Acupressure therapy can be used to relieve pain, fortify the sexual reproductive system, detoxify the body for greater health and beauty, and tone facial and back muscles.

Ways to Use Acupressure

The Applications of Using Acupressure include relieving pain, balancing body energy, and maintaining good health. Acupressure's healing touch reduces muscular tension, increases circulation, and enables deep relaxation. By relieving stress, Acupressure Therapy strengthens resistance to disease and promotes wellness. You can learn self-care applications and pressure point formulas for specific conditions, such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic muscular pain, mental stress, addiction recovery, learning disorders, trauma, emotional imbalances and more. Here are some areas for applying Acupressure effectively.

Beauty Treatment: The Chinese used acupressure points as a beauty treatment for thousands of years. An acupressure beauty treatment enhances muscle tone and increases circulation. The Heavenly Appearance and Facial Beauty acupressure points improve skin condition and the tone of facial muscles and connective tissue. This can lessen the appearance of wrinkles without drugs or surgery. After years of pulling and stretching the skin, the connective tissue is weakened, loosening the skin. Simple finger pressure on the Heavenly Appearance points, along with therapeutic facial exercises, relieves congested areas and relaxes the muscles. Thus toxins are released and eliminated, which of course benefits your outward appearance. Acupressure points release the flow of life energy, which improves both how you feel as well as how you look.

Better Sex Ancient Chinese Sexology practices use the acupressure points to cultivate sexual energy in lovemaking.Acupressure for lovers also fortifies fertility, arousal, and sexual endurance, enhancing sexual pleasure. Lovers have the advantage of stimulating the acupressure points with full body embraces, kisses, and the secrets of touch. Learn special points for heightening spiritual awareness and the chemistry of your love relationship. The book, Acupressure for Lovers, also provides answers for sexual problems such as inhibited sexual desire, premature ejaculation, impotency, infertility, and sexual frustration through an understanding of where sexual energy gets blocked and what points to use to release it. Achieve deeper sexual communication, spirituality, and learn acupressure techniques to unleash the dynamic force of love.

Back Care Acupressure Therapy is highly effective for relieving muscular tension in all areas of the back. Important points are located along either side of the spine and on the upper back. For self back care, lie down on a couple of tennis balls tied in a sock. Many people especially appreciate the release of tightness associated with lower back pain and sciatica. Acupressure, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, and self-acupressure for relieving back pain can also be an effective adjunct to chiropractic treatment. By relaxing and toning the back muscles, Acupressure makes the spinal adjustments easier and more effective, and the chiropractic results last longer. In fact, Acupressure and chiropractic treatments were originally practiced together in ancient China.

Healing Trauma & Emotional Pain Long known for its ability to alleviate physical pain, the ancient healing art of Acupressure can also relieve emotional pain. From day-to-day pressures to life's most significant trials, emotional stress causes the body to shut down, which keeps negative feelings stuck, resulting in physical ailments and emotional imbalances. Acupressure techniques release this muscular tension and restore the flow of vital energy, making resolution possible. For an in-depth focus on this topic, seeAcupressure for Emotional Healing: A Self-Care Guide for Trauma, Stress & Common Emotional Imbalances by Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., with 500 illustrations of emotional healing applications.

Acupressure relaxes the tight muscles that result from emotional stress and trauma, which cause the body to contract its muscles and harden, like protective armor, to shield your inner self. For instance, when something frightens you, or someone uptight treats you abrasively, your neck and shoulders may tighten immediately in response. This tension prevents energy from circulating freely in your body, which can lead to various physical and emotional imbalances. If you do not deal with these tensions and resulting afflictions, emotional problems may stay buried, and then resurface at a later time, when they're triggered by some new stress. Most therapies address the cognitive and emotional aspects of trauma, but do not get to the physiological source. Acupressure has an advantage in that it works directly with the body to relieve physical ailments, muscular tension, and the emotional imbalances associated with them.

Emotional imbalances and the physical symptoms that accompany them are often the body's response to unresolved issues and events. Someone who witnessed a fatal automobile accident, or an abusive incident, may live with the memory in the form of recurring nightmares and insomnia or other psychosomatic ailments. If left untreated, they can continue for years. Using acupressure points for today's tension headache, caused by a conflict at work or an argument over homework with one's teenager, may bring old conflicts or memories to the surface during an acupressure session or afterward. To follow up, use acupressure self-care methods, or explore the issues in therapy. Becoming conscious of old memories and bringing them out in the open can lessen their impact.

Divorce is another example of a life-changing transition that can cause emotional problems such as anxiety, worry, and depression, and also cause physical symptoms, such as stomachaches, ulcers, irritable bowel problems, and more. Acupressure can help balance these symptoms. Addictions: Compulsive behaviors occur in cycles and are cumulative; one stress leads to another. Poor choices and emotionally unhealthy situations contribute to muscular tensions, pressures and pain. People commonly use drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or overeating to avoid the stress and tension in their lives and to escape from feeling pain in the body. Acupressure can break the negative cycle of addiction, since it releases pain, stress, and tension, and heightens body awareness. Instead of the numbing affects of drugs, acupressure increases the circulation, helping to lift the fog of addiction and bringing a person back to the present moment. There are acupressure points for regaining stability, reducing cravings, for heightening morale, self-esteem, and self-confidence, and for boosting will power - all of which are vital for combating addictions.

Acupressure Methods

All Acupressure Massage techniques, methods and styles use the same ancient acupressure trigger points. They vary in using different rhythms and pressures for stimulating the acupressure points, using not only the fingers, but also the hands, arms, legs and even feet. Some styles also incorporate other healing techniques. Shiatsu Therapy, the traditional Japanese form of acupressure, can be quite vigorous, with deep pressure applied to each point for three to five seconds. In Jin Shin Acupressure, at least two points are gently held for a minute or more. This style also uses the Extra Meridians or Extraordinary Vessels, which balance the meridians. Tuina Chinese Massage and Thai Massage stimulate the Qi ("key") healing energy using acupressure hand movements, full body stretches, and Chinese massage techniques.

Healing Energy Work

Acupressure Points have a high electrical conductivity at the surface of the skin, and thus conduct and channel healing energy most effectively. This is why the most potent healing energy work uses acupressure points. The Chinese call healing energy Qi or Chi. In Japan, the life force is termed Ki, and channeling healing energy is called Reiki. Yoga practices refer to the body's life force as prana or pranic energy. These terms all relate to the same universal healing energy, which exists in our environment, and links us to all forms of life.

The 12 Meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine are the body's healing energy pathways. Meridian massage therapy moves this life energy through the meridians to improve flow and balance. Acupressure charts and Acupuncture charts show where the meridian lines are on the body. The points are where vital energy gets blocked on the meridians, and where you can most effectively release the resulting tension, numbness, or pain. As healing energy flows through the meridians, it governs blood circulation and harmonizes all functions of the body. Studying the meridian pathways and Acupressure points for transmitting Qi healing energy is key to transformational energy work, including therapeutic touch and massage therapy.

Energy blockages whether from stress, trauma, or an injury, can be traced to the root of all health problems. Your energy flow affects how you feel, how you think, and how you breathe. Just as negative thoughts can block your energy flow, positive thoughts can increase your healing energy. When the body's life-force energy becomes blocked, various emotional imbalances and physical symptoms also result. These energy blockages occur at the acupressure points. Through a variety of acupressure methods ranging from light touch, tapping, to simply holding the points, the body's life energy is able to flow and rebalance. A skilled Acupressurist can integrate many complementary health care methods and therapies into a complete treatment. Examples include therapeutic touch, somatic work, healing imagery, acupressure meridian therapy, five element assessments, pulse reading, Asian bodywork therapy, energy psychology (which involves tapping acupressure points), and acupressure massage therapy techniques.

Martial Arts & Healing Arts share a common focus on the flow of energy within the body. Both Martial Arts and the Healing Arts transmit powerful energy in their practices.  For instance, the point underneath the base of the skull (called the Gates of Consciousness) can be used in Martial Arts to paralyze the body, and block energy to the brain. However, the same Acupressure point can be used to open more healing energy into the brain, and relieve migraine headaches. An Acupressurist can use this point easily to balance the hemispheres and functions of the brain, leaving a person with mental alertness and clarity.

The healing arts use the life force for internal healing. In contrast, martial artists cultivate their energy internally, but use the life force externally for self-defense and physical power. Both practices cultivate healing energy through exercise, diet, and visualizations. A well-developed martial artist master knows how to use the life force for self-defense, and also knows how to use this vital energy to heal an opponent.

Use Qi Gong with Acupressure to cultivate internal healing. The ancient Chinese masters of healing and martial arts developed hundreds of internal healing art practices to strengthen the flow of the life force. These highly valued self-healing practices within the Chinese culture are known as Qi Gong (or Chi Gong). A skilled Acupressurist channels Chi or Qi energy throughout the body. By strengthening your life force through Qi Gong and martial art exercises, you can heighten your own ability to use Acupressure Therapy to heal yourself and others. Use Reiki on the Points to enhance healing. Traditional Reiki practitioners use the whole hand with light contact to channel energy and relieve pain. Learn how to heal the body by sending life energy (also known as Reiki) through the acupressure points. Channeling Reiki energy through the acupressure points can enable you to tap into Traditional Chinese Medicine's point-specific ancient healing knowledge. Energy Flow Governs Well-Being in people and animals alike. Within all living animals are meridian pathways. These life-force channels govern the functions of all body systems, such as the nervous, digestive, endocrine, vascular, lymphatic, and reproductive systems. The way energy flows through the meridians presides over wellness or dis-ease. Meridian blockages can cause all kinds of human suffering. However, when the life force flows through the meridians in a balanced way, health, harmony, and happiness results. Bud Karas