Longevitology

What It Is

Longevitology ("Chang Sen Xue" in Chinese, which translates as "study of long life") is one of several healing modalities intended to adjust energy flow throughout the body to improve the body's ability to heal itself. (Acupuncture, "Reiki" and Pranic Healing are others). Largely unknown outside the Asian community, Longevitology, which employs a simple laying-on-of-hands technique, is included within the general category of alternative medicine. (In the United States, laying-on-of-hands techniques are often taught in nursing schools and used in hospitals to calm patients and reduce pain.)

Theory of Health and Illness

The general theory of health and illness underlying Longevitology is the same as in other forms of Asian medicine: Good health is the result of energy (referred to as "Qi" or "Prana") and blood flowing smoothly through the organ systems of the body; illness results when the flow of "qi" is disrupted. When proper energy flow has been restored, conditions are optimized for the body to heal. The body lives in a rich field of universal "yang" energy. Just as a healthy body draws oxygen into the lungs to breathe, it also draws in universal energy to replenish itself. It does so through points on the body, neural plexes called "chakras". "Chakras" are the body’s power centers, energizing cells and organs so they can function. Each "chakra" governs the functioning of a different organ system. When all "chakras" are operating properly, metabolism will be efficient, the immune system will be effective, and waste and toxins will be readily excreted.

The Mechanics and Ethics of Longevitology Energy Adjustments

For a variety of reasons, including both physical and emotional trauma, over time a person's "chakras" are thought to become less efficient in drawing in universal energy. Longevitology adjustments channel universal energy directly into "chakras" to overcome this and restore energy flow throughout the body. In addition to being trained in the theory and practice of the method, Longevitology student/practitioners have their own "chakras" (re-)opened and adjusted by the Master Teachers during their course of study. (Once(re-)opened, the "chakras" can be kept open through daily meditation and use.) The open "chakras" enable the student/practitioners to take in more energy, which they can then transmit to others through energy centers in their hands. Universal energy first flows into and through the practitioner, restores optimal "qi" to the practitioner, and then flows into the person being adjusted, restoring his/her optimal "qi". There is no energy or illness "backwash" from the person being adjusted to the practitioner or vice-versa, and the practitioner does not use his/her own energy in making the adjustment.

This is one energy healing modality in which the practitioner and person being adjusted both benefit directly from the energy flow. Practitioners never report become depleted or fatigued from giving Longevitology energy adjustments. Instead, most practitioners report feeling energized themselves. This mutual energy flow is considered adequate recompense to the practitioner. Longevitology teachers stress that the energy flows best through an open, loving heart, and ego and greed have no place in a Longevitology session. There is no cost for Longevitology energy adjustments, and practitioners are discouraged from accepting gifts of any kind.

Longevitology practitioners use six "chakras" common to many forms of Asian medicine. C7 (located on the crown of the head) is at the proximal end of the spinal column. The other "chakras" are located along the midline of the body with dorsal and ventral openings: C6 (on the forehead between and slightly above the eyes and on the back of the skull), C5 (on the throat and the back of the neck at approximately the 5th-7th cervical vertebra), C4 (midline over the heart area, front and back of the body, approximately the 2nd-5th thoractic vertebra), C3 (the solar plexus, at the waist, front and back, approximately the 9th-12th thoractic vertebra), and C2 (between the navel and crest of the pubic bone in the front and above the coccyx in the back, approximately the 3rd-5th lumbar vertebra). Most Longevitology energy adjustments are given through the "chakras" on the back of the body. Chakra 1, located in the intimate area of the perineum, often referred to as the “Root Chakra” in other healing modalities, is never used in Longevitology adjustments. (It is paired with C7, which is adjusted instead).

Longevitology uses a simple laying-on-of-hands technique, in which one hand is placed upon the controlling "chakra(s)", and the other upon the area of discomfort. Longevitology energy adjustments need no special rooms, equipment, clothing, medicines, vitamins, herbs, food, or postures. Longevitology adjustments are given effectively to fully dressed people in public rooms with hundreds of others; privacy is never a requirement. A true Longevitology adjustment does not use massage, manipulation of limbs, or stimulation with needles, electricity or moxibustion. There is no inappropriate touching. Direct skin contact is not required. A trained Longevitology practitioner can channel "qi" without directly touching the body, if desired.

Longevitology adjustments must be requested by the person being adjusted or their guardians. Energy adjustments are never given without a person’s knowledge or against their wishes. The person being adjusted usually sits upright on a chair or stool, or lies down if this is not possible. The practitioner asks the person to indicate the area of their discomfort. The practitioner then rests one of his/her hands on or directly above the appropriate area of the body, and the other hand on or directly above the "chakra" that governs that area. No pressure is applied. Both the person being adjusted and the practitioner close their eyes during the adjustment to avoid being distracted by visual stimuli.

Longevitology practitioners are not medical professionals and do not diagnose or treat any disease, injury, or illness, and Longevitology energy adjustments should not be used as a substitute for appropriate medical care. Longevitology practitioners channel energy through their hands, and they determine the placement of their hands based upon their training, in accordance with what the person requesting the adjustment has told them. The practitioner will hold each hand placement approximately ten minutes or more and may adjust several "chakras" in a session. More than one practitioner may work together to adjust someone. A person can adjust him/herself, if need be, by using appropriate hand placements.

Sensations and Results

People have reported a wide range of physical sensations while their energy is being adjusted by a Longevitology practitioner. Common are sensations of warmth, tingling, prickling, mild vibration, and/or flashes of heat. Some people report becoming hyper-aware of certain body parts, or as though their spines are attempting to realign. These sensations may not always be comfortable while the adjustment is occurring, but they disappear when it is complete. Longevitology energy adjustments are reported never to cause pain. Some people sense nothing at all during an adjustment. At the completion of an adjustment, most people report either feeling very relaxed or calm but energized.

Results reported by recipients of Longevitology energy adjustments have included control of pain, profound calmness, relieved stress, ease of movement, a restored sense of well being, mental alertness, enhanced vitality, deeper sleep, faster healing, improved elimination, shrinking of tumors, and extended or improved quality of life. Even in end-of-life cases, quality of life is reported to have been improved. Longevitology practitioners do not claim that the energy adjustments will cure or treat any disease, nor are they a substitution for regular medical care. However, by restoring energy balance, practitioners believe the energy adjustments promote the body’s ability to heal itself to the extent it is able.

Origins, Meditation and Training

Dr. Lin Tzu-Hung, a Taiwanese acupuncturist, developed Longevitology in 1993 from an older healing method and refined it through more than 15 years of study and practice. Master teachers Lin Tzu-Chen and Wei Yu-Feng, also of Taiwan, continue to refine the technique to make it easy to learn and available to everyone who wants to learn it. They have said that even those who are ill or elderly can use this method to improve the body’s ability to heal itself and help others to do the same.

Beginning and Intermediate Longevitology Courses, approximately 10-12 hours in length and typically held in evenings or on weekends over a three-day period, are given once or twice yearly in several locations, at the request of a local Longevitology student group. An Advanced Course is offered every two years. Detailed, written course materials are provided to students during class (courtesy of the Longevitology Benevolent Foundation Preparatory Committee). Students practice a simple mindfulness-meditation technique called "sitting meditation," which focuses on the breath. They hear lectures on the theory, techniques, and ethics of Longevitology, share their own experiences with energy adjustments, and ask questions. The teachers re-open the students' "chakras". Once (re-)opened, the "chakras" can be kept open through daily meditation and giving energy adjustments to others. Course participants practice giving energy adjustments, first to themselves, then to other students. Often volunteers who have already completed the Intermediate or Advanced courses are present to give adjustments to course participants and others who request them. Courses are taught in Mandarin, though translation into local languages is available in some locations.

Master Teachers Lin and Wei teach Longevitology free of charge to those who want to learn. Donations toward expenses are accepted but never required. Just as the teachers give their skills free of charge, they request that the Longevitology student/practitioners whom they train do the same. Longevitology practitioners are all volunteers and do not derive their incomes from giving energy adjustments or selling related products or services. Groups of Longevitology student/practitioners arrange local Longevitology "centers," say in parks, homes or community centers, where they meet to practice giving energy adjustments to one another and to others who request assistance. In so doing, the practitioners' own "chakras" are kept open and functioning optimally. The benefits to the student/practitioners' own vitality is considered sufficient recompense. These groups are usually composed of individuals who met while attending Longevitology courses. They operate independently and are not controlled by a central organization. However, any trained Longevitology practitioner should be able to provide a student ID showing the date they completed a course and the level of course completed.

Longevitology is not a business; nothing is bought or sold. It is not a religion, and it has no political aspirations. Longevitology groups are present in several nations, including Taiwan, the US, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Austria and Belgium.

External links

* [http://www.longevitology-canada.com "Longevitology Canada's Site"] The Longevitology USA site is under construction.