A Remarkable Appointment
My first visit with a Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) Doctor was different, unlike any doctor visit in the west. As I walked into the small office, I was meet by a small smiling man of Tibetan descent. He was nodding and smiling and waving me in.
The whole appointment took well over an hour. He was gentle, kind and had an air of calmness. This is unlike a typical western doctors’ appointment pervaded by briskness, speed, efficiency and “doctor knows best” attitude.
The Tibetan doctor looked at my tongue, ears, eyes, nose, urine and pulse. We talked about diet, lifestyle, exercise, home life and spiritual practices. He seemed insightful, knowing things before I voiced them. He was quiet but reassuring.
I was so moved by the experience that I continued to see Tibetan doctors over many years. I became fascinated by the approach and wisdom of how it actually worked. I studied with Tibetan healing Lamas for fourteen years and enrolled and graduated in Traditional Tibetan Medicine Counselor program at Sowa Rigpa Institute.
Designed for Highly Sensitive Persons
One of the things about TTM that so attracted me was that it seemed so suitably designed for Highly Sensitive Persons (HSP). TTM seems to be born out of a culture that reveres sensitivity. Some of their highest teachers and leaders are sensitive, caring beings. Just look at His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
I am a typical HSP. Loud noises and bright lights are irritating and drain my energy. A lot of time socializing is very draining too. I don’t really like chit chat. Small talk I find very wearing if I have to keep it up for long. I prefer deep conversation on topics with some depth. I need time alone to recharge my batteries and I really connect with natural environments and animals.
So why is TTM so suited for HSPs? From my experience, there are four important therapies that really help: 1. releasing negative energies that I take on from others; 2. protecting my own energy; 3. therapies that calm my agitated nerves; and 4. Meditations that use sensitivity as a gateway to deeper realizations
TTM recognizes three humors or nyepas and these are the foundation of Tibetan medicine. The three humors are made up from the five elements. These humors are loong derived from wind, tripa derived from fire and beken derived from earth and water. Every person has each of the three humors but each person also tends to be dominated by one or two humors. The basic principle of Sowa Rigpa is to create balance in the three energies.
The beauty of TTM is that treatment regimes are tailored for your own particular energies. Also, one doesn’t have to be ill or injured to benefit from TTM. TTM is about creating balance in your life with body, mind and spirit. I once heard a Buddhist teacher say that in the west we don’t have a health care system but a “sick care” system. TTM is truly a health care system.
Releasing Negative Energies
For releasing negative energies, I was shown how to do gentle yoga movement, breathing exercises, mantra, meditation and some lifestyle recommendations. One yoga move involves gently rubbing the whole body to awaken and open the subtle energy channels. This is done while holding the breath. Then bending over, hanging arms and head and breathing out quickly saying Ha at the same time shaking the arms. This is done three times. It sounds strange but it really does release stuck and difficult energies.
Give It a Try – a wind calming acupressure treatment is to warm the palm of the hands by rubbing them together. Then place one palm on the crown of your head and rub in circles while holding your breath. Repeat three time. You will find yourself relaxing and muscle tension will release in the whole body.
Energy Protection
To protect my energy, I was shown how to do a Lha massage. Lha is a protective subtle energy sometimes translated as the protection life essence. Lha massage is a very gentle and soothing massage of the energy points on the body. There is a specific sequence that follows the cycle of the moon. One can do a self massage to protect and bring back the Lha energy. Having a qualified person do the massage on you is an energizing and beautiful experience. The therapist sings soothing mantras while doing the massage.
One TTM doctor I visited and happened to be doing a retreat with, managed to pull out of me that I was HSP. It is not normally something I readily admit to others until I know them well. That afternoon the doctor told a childhood story of his sensitivity to whole group. He talked about how he was so sensitive he could tell when the full moon was coming. I was deeply moved by his sensitivity and bravery to talk openly about it in front of strangers.
There are many other things to do to protect your energy such as always carrying turquoise or protection amulets. You place rings or strings on ring fingers and second last toes. This prevents loss of Lha.
The best Lha protection that I’ve experienced is Lha meditation. This meditation uses visualization of light and bliss that invigorates and energizes but relaxes too. I taught this meditation to one HSP woman who complained of lost energy and suffered from energy vampires at work. She was able to regain her energy and it helped her better able to cope with a hectic work situation. She said she found she was less susceptible to energy loss at work when she kept up with the meditation.
Calming Overstimulation
As an HSP it is easy to get overstimulated and when over stimulated it is hard to calm down. Despite being agitated you are drained of energy. In TTM overstimulated, unsettled nerves is known as wind disturbance. Thoughts are often spinning and the mind can be constantly ruminating. One has no energy but one can find it hard to settle.
One of the most helpful treatments for wind disturbance is hormé. A small cloth sac filled with herbs is dipped in warm oil. The sac is then applied to “the wind points”. Wind points include the soles of the feet, palms of the hand and the crown point. I do this treatment at home just before bed. This treatment is so soothing that as soon as I touch the warm coconut oil on my palm and smell the warm herbs, I feel my whole body start to relax.
Another powerful wind protection is called Five Nectars bath. This treatment involves an herbal bath using five different herbs. At a recent retreat, a lady with traumatic brain injury got up to speak. She described how several weeks of Five Nectar treatment helped her recover and regain her health. Somehow the bath treatment reduced her headaches, helped her regain her lost ability to focus and settled her frayed nerves. Wind energy is connected to nerves and brain function.
Acupressure and herbs are also commonly used to settle wind. These treatments usually require careful consideration of energy type and condition of each person. Kun Nye massage is a technique that is tailored to each individual’s energy. It requires a well trained professional to administer. Often they will use heated stones and warm, scented oil.
ཛ་ཏིGive It a Try – – a wind calming herbal treatment before bed is called Dza thi. Take a pinch of nutmeg in a warm cup of milk just before bed. It will calm the wind and help you sleep.
Meditation
The most profound and useful aspect of TTM, that I have found is the meditation. This meditation is part of the Tibetan Buddhist path but is also used in TTM. These meditations use sensitivity as a gateway to deeper realizations. For once I have found a program in which sensitivity is a distinct advantage. The meditations used in TTM call on our creativity to use imagery of light, sound and form.
The way these meditations call on sensitivity is by developing feeling deeply from our heart centre. HSPs feel things deeply, both negative and positive feelings. TTM meditation strengthens our ability to feel positive feelings. Research shows that long-term use of these meditations builds up neural pathways of positive feelings in the brain. fMRI show changes in the brain structure of these long-term meditators. Ongoing practice of strengthening these positive feelings of love, kindness and joy results in recall of these feelings more and more throughout the day until it is part of how we feel much the time.
Another extremely useful aspect of TTM meditation is learning the ability to transmute negative feelings into positive. This transmutation of difficult feelings into more positive is mostly done using compassion. For example, when an HSP sees something distressing, they can feel that deeply. With TTM meditation practice, we can turn that distress into compassion for the distressful situation. Compassion is a much more workable and healthier feeling. Thus compassion meditation is very much stressed in TTM so that it also becomes a regular way of looking at the world and the troubles around us.
Further, TTM practioners will tailor meditations to your own specific energetic makeup. Thus we are given meditations that reflect and strengthen our own particular abilities.
It works, it is profound and it is a beautiful practice.
If you want to explore TTM for yourself, I highly recommend looking for a TTM practioner near you. You can also contact me here.
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