One therapy that deserves mention in the battle to keep stress at bay is Teishin therapy. Teishin therapy is an “in-between” therapy for treating stress. Described as ultra-focused acupressure, it can greatly manage the stress response.
With Teishin therapy, there is no penetration of the skin and, therefore, there is no issue of regulation or sanitation. Teishin can be applied to the body (meridian channel points) or to areas like the ear and scalp, which have strong and immediate effects on the nervous system.
Teishin is an in-between option because it provides many of the same beneficial effects of acupuncture, yet is safe and legal for use by massage practitioners. Teishin protocols for treating stress, anxiety and depression are simple and quick. This means that treatment can be made more affordable.
A typical treatment protocol might include body points as well as three to five ear points and a point or two on the scalp. Stimulation is applied until the client shows a bodily reaction, usually between six to 10 seconds. This is important: It is essential the client show a bodily response and not merely report calmly that she is feeling your stimulation. When the body responds involuntarily, there is a shift in the nervous system. Such involuntary response indicates that the body has been shocked out of its habitual fight-or-flight mode and back into something more sustainably parasympathetic.
Below is the standard treatment protocol I employ for the ubiquitous pattern of liver depression qi stagnation. I may use some of these points, but never altogether at one time. Such “shotgun” therapy negates the motif of quick results.
| Liv3 Tai Chong | Frees the flow of liver qi |
| LI 4 Hegu | Frees the flow of the channels |
| GB34 Yang Ling Quan | Harmonizes and disinhibits the liver, fortifies the spleen |
| LI11 Quchi | Harmonizes qi and blood, rectifies lung qi |
| P6 Neiguan | Rectifies the qi |
| TW6 Zhi Gou | Courses the liver and rectifies the qi |
| TW10 Tian Jing
| Rectifies the qi of the triple warmer channel
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| Ren17 Dan Zhong
| Upbears spleen qi, resolves depression
|
| Liv14 Qi Men
| Courses the liver, frees the channels and moves phlegm
|
In treating the ear, several points are considered essential and reliable to alleviate signs and symptoms associated with stress. I like:
• Endocrine point: Treats the nervous and endocrine function and is nearly always tender in adults.
• Point zero: Corresponds to the area of the diaphragm and unblocks the epigastrium and relieves fullness in the chest and pressure on the heart.
• Brain point: Strongly regulates and calms the area or the nervous system that is at the base of the brain. This area is where the hippocampus and thalamus are located. These master glands control many of the physiological responses and stimulating this point helps to snap them out of their overdrive mode.
• Sympathetic point: This point specifically dilates the blood vessels and thus brings relaxation to the entire circulatory and nervous systems.
• Liver point/area: This part of the ear is nearly always tender in stressed adults and has a dramatic effect in reducing muscular tension.
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