The ability to perceive with our hands, to assess the flow of life through the body, is a valued skill in East Asian medicine. It’s a fine and discerning art that takes full form when thinking does not overshadow; when cognitive understanding of anatomical landmarks combines with the attentive impressionable mind. 

To fully understand and interpret what is felt underneath the hands, you must learn to listen respectfully to the ebb and flow of the fundamental substances Qi, Blood, Body Fluids, which are keenly involved in supporting human life itself. For this your critical, conscious mind has to quiet enough to accept the knowing that comes from your hands. 

In this conversation with Jeffrey Dann and Mark Petruzzi, we touch on the concrete yet nuanced experience of reading the body through touch, including how to create space for a more therapeutic connection for both the patient and practitioner. We explore the need to be attentive, the value of appreciation in our clinical work, and the application of the teishin. We also talk about their fittingly titled Qi, Blood, and Fluids class. 

Listen into this discussion on palpatory findings and the refinement of touch from a Japanese acupuncture perspective.