The remembrance of the self to fulfill destiny. The totality of ancestral wisdom and potential wisdom you will contribute.
Acupuncture for self worth, trauma, panic attacks, and identity issues.
The Primal Acupuncture Channel
The Chong mai is unique among all the vessels (mai tanslates to “channel” or “vessel”). As the most primal channel it houses numerous components necessary for life and holds them together in unity. These qualities make it a highly effective channel to use in an acupuncture treatment.
“The Tao gives birth to the One. The One gives birth to the Two. The Two gives birth to the Three. The Three gives birth to the ten thousand things.”
The above quote describes the progression of manifestation from Tao. “The One” is the original qi (yuan qi), which is neutral in polarity until it gives birth to “The Two,” which is yin and yang polarity. In the microcosm of the human, the Chong mai is “The One.” It is filled with undifferentiated yuan qi. It houses all potentials simultaneous.
Taoist tradition stresses the importance of destiny. A person’s destiny is unique to them and cannot be unraveled by anyone else. The Chong mai is relevant to destiny, because it houses two components vital for walking this path; these are the original identity of the soul and the planned lessons for the current lifetime.
Identity & Curriculum
The Chong mai connects to the Heart and allows the shen (spirit) to reside there. Many spiritual teachings emphasize the importance of connecting to the Heart. From a Taoist perspective, this is because the Heart is the palace of the original spirit. It connects to the clearest memory of the eternal self.
The Chong mai also contains the life lessons, often referred to as “curriculum” by acupuncturists. This is the path that you’ve been asked to walk. This is because the Chong mai contains the jing, which in this context means the genetic material. All of the contributions from your ancestors can be accessed from the Chong, including both strengths and maladaptations. It’s the maladaptations, the traumas, and the persistent negative thoughtforms that are within your power to heal. You have a mandate from Heaven to do so.
Since the Chong mai contains both identity (shen) and curriculum (jing), when it is fully functional it will leave you with a persistent knowledge of the self, giving you the strength to face the challenges of human life. From within its palace, the shen can shine its light down on the unconscious puzzle that exists within the jing. With a strong Chong mai, the work will be illuminated, so that the decisions you must make will be clear. In contrast, a dysfunctional Chong will leave you forgetting your original nature, and it will keep the work unconscious.
Prenatal to Postnatal
The Chong mai has both prenatal and postnatal aspects and is known for its important role in the birthing process. Not only is it vital for birth, but it also has the prenatal resources that support postnatal processes.
The prenatal resources are stored in and ruled over by the Kidneys. One of the most notable ways in which the Chong mai uses the prenatal to support the postnatal is with Kidney fire warming the Spleen (digestive function in Chinese medicine). Therefore, many dysfunctions that arise when the Chong is not adequately developed includes digestive problems.
Treatment with Acupuncture
A Chong treatment is of great benefit to almost everyone. As author Ann Cecil-Sterman writes in “Advanced Acupuncture,” needling the Chong is “… like inviting the patient to look right into the deep ocean of who they really are.”
We often hide from our authentic self. It gets buried under piles of beliefs that tell us who we should be instead of understanding that we are enough. An acupuncture treatment for the Chong mai will help strip away that social conditioning and bring you back to your authentic self. From that position, you can more easily grow your awareness of the tasks before you, shedding habitual avoidance of what needs to be done. No more playing hide and seek with the self.
The treatment presents a choice. You’ll be faced with a false version of yourself that has been cobbled together through indoctrination and cultural expectations and the eternal self that has always existed but has been forgotten. The one that you put your attention on will grow.
Who Will Benefit from a Chong Mai Acupuncture Treatment
If your Chong mai was underdeveloped prenatally or in the first years of your life, you may suffer from digestive problems. The Chong mai may also become dysfunctional with integration into society, leading to more problems with living as your authentic self. Below is a list of signs and symptoms related to this channel.
Birth Trauma
Identity issues & Poor self perception
Lack of self worth
Panic attacks
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia
Early morning diarrhea (cockcrow diarrhea)
Watery stools
Weak digestion
Leaky gut
Allergies starting in early childhood
Asthma
Celiac disease
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative Colitis
IBS
Hemorrhoids
Nausea
Vomiting
Heart pain
Joint pain
Urination issues
Incontinence
-Daniel Metzger, L.Ac. is a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine practicing in San Francisco. He specializes in mental/emotional health, digestion, and orthopedics.