One of the great difficulties of being a five element acupuncturist is that all we really have to rely on is ourselves; we can't diagnose our patients' elements by looking at a textbook. The only way is to look deep within ourselves and ask our senses to give us pointers to the different elements. Can we see a white colour on our patient's skin, hear a harsh note in our patient's voice or feel ourselves drawn to one patient and pushed away by another? It is these sensory signs which, when interpreted appropriately, will turn us towards one element or another.
But we do need the help of more experienced practitioners to develop the skills necessary to differentiate one kind of colour from another or interpret one patient's reactions to us from that of another patient. This is where those who live far from other five element practitioners would seem to have problems, for it will be rare for them to have the kind of feedback those lucky enough to learn from their tutors in five element colleges can benefit from.
So what do this ever-growing band of five element acupuncturists living far from such help do? And this is particularly true for all those hundreds of Chinese five element acupuncturists. Each has to have the courage to use their own practice as a way of gaining experience. In some sense they can consider themselves still to be pioneers in the field of five element acupuncture, and rather than being frightened by this, revel in this fact, as I did. Even though I was fortunate enough to do my training in a five element college, I started my practice in London very much on my own, because there were few other five element acupuncturists close by whom I could consult if I had doubts about what I was doing. I remember feeling very much alone, particularly as we were only allowed to apply to join our college's postgraduate programme after we had completed two full years of practice.
Looking back I realise now that what helped me the most was my own belief in what I was doing, and also JR Worsley's insistence that, provided we followed the basic five element rules, we could all help our patients, even in the earliest days of our practice. I learnt that it was important not to be too hard on myself, not to ask too much of myself, and avoid the trap of thinking that it was essential to diagnose my patients' elements quickly. I took to heart what JR Worsley had told us, which was that he had had more than 40 years of practice to get to the stage he was at, and we were only starting on this path. Once I had accepted how difficult it is to diagnose the elements correctly, and how many years of experience are required to develop the necessary diagnostic skills, I stopped asking too much of myself, and allowed myself to relax. And a relaxed practitioner is much more likely to interpret the sensory signs accurately than one who is tense and anxious.
Another important lesson I learnt is that nothing I could do would harm my patient, provided I didn't needle points too deeply, drain energy from already depleted officials or add more energy to officials already with excess energy. No patient will object to having treatment directed at an element which is not their guardian element. All the elements circulate within us, and all will welcome some attention. They will just not be quite as receptive to the energy boosting a treatment gives them as when treatment is focused on the guardian element.
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