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Like the English, whose early practitioners often had access to the
French teachings of de Morant and Lavier in their training, the
French often felt the need to expand upon the personality profiles
that correspond to the organ-energetic functions and meridians.
Given that the classical acupuncture texts show no separation
of mental and somatic symptoms, all of which might figure in a
disorder of a particular energetic zone or unit, it is important
for Western acupuncture practitioners to observe carefully that
place where the psyche and the body process converge in ener-
getic disturbances. This attention to mental as well as physical
signs and symptoms allows one to hone in more accurately on
a person's energetic imbalance while at the same time developing
a truly client-centered acupuncture therapy that seeks to educate
the client about his ways of being and coping in the world, rather
than just treating him for some supposedly objective syndrome
or complaint.
An appreciation ofbodymind interaction and a detailed focus
on the complexity of meridian energetics, with a special focus on
the upper/lower Great Meridian Units, is what characterizes
these French teachings, which have influenced my own style. In
some ways, this is very similar to the teachings of various
Japanese educators, as presented by Kiiko Matsumoto in her fine
works, to be studied in the next section.
4
This chapter first appeared in slightly different form in the American Juu17Ul1 of
Acupuncture, Vol. 14, No.4 (October-December 1986).
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32 Acupuncture Influences and Styles