This century is considered as the century of advanced industrialization both in material and machines. But contrary to the convenience of daily life, our earth is facing an existential crisis because of pollutants like industrial waste and trash, the traffic chaos and its rising death toll, conflicts among nations, wars fought with modernized weapons, refugees and starvation. There is a huge increase in patients who suffer from alcoholism, narcotism, and other psychological illness. More and more aged people and children commit suicide. It is essential to prevent mental disorders as we approach the coming century, which will be the century of the brain, the heart, the 'qi' and spiritual civilization. Thus, for the coexistence of human beings and the earth, it is imperative to popularize qigong globally and make everyone broad-minded, strong-willed, healthy and happy.
Based on a survey of 226 Japanese in central Japan in 1992, the following mental effects of exercising qigong were described
1. Emotional stability 54 incidence 20.30%
2. Increased joy of life 52 19.54%
3. Decreased selfishness 40 15.03%
4. More open attitude 40 15.03%
5. Increased interest 35 13.15%
6. Increased willpower 32 12.03%
7. Care about others 29 10.90%
Moreover, every qigong trainee of the Aosora Gigong School established thirteen years ago, became spiritually open, strong-willed, healthy and happy, based on a 30-minute exercise that starts at 6:30 am. every weekday morning. Volunteers teach people how to exercise and look after lonely and helpless aged persons. All of these activities can be explained as effects of qigong exercise.
Based on the clinical practice of qigong treatment for nearly ten years, the following measures are suggested for the combination of qigong exercise and mental health:
1. As preparation for the treatment, the qigong tutor should introduce his patients to qigong and talk about the meaning of consciousness. Details related by the patients should be listened to carefully and problems clarified beforehand.
2. The tutor should explain to the patients that the Yin-Yang (Negative-Positive) is integral, interchangeable and inclusive and tell that a miserable feeling can be turned into a feeling of strength, and he should emphasize the importance of the exercise.
3. While the patients approaches the 'rujing' state, he should try to make the patients enter a realm void of lust, self-consciousness, thoughts and ideas, and make them feel the spirit of 'tian ren he yi' ±Integration of man and environment) and 'ru wo wo ru' (interchangability of man and environment), which will reform their outlook on life.
4. In order to help the patients keep a responsive subconsciousness until the end of the exercise, positive suggestions should be repeatedly given to them in forms of simple words, in a low voice and with clear meaning, e.g . 'You are very healthy both physiologically and psychologically', ''You will be full of vitality after your qigong exercise', ''Your are definitely recovering from your disease!'l 'Your ability to resist diseases is getting better and better'.
With these measures, I was able to help a young man recover from his psychosomatic disease as he left his long-used wheel-chair, walked freely, went back to school, and later found a job.
Although there is much more to qigong, the 'rujing' training and the positive suggestions help the trainee to advance more easily and double the effects of exercise.
5. Qigong treatment is suited for the treatment of neuropathy, mild depression, hysteria and neurosis. In the case of schizophrenia, great care must be taken in teaching qigong so that the patients will not miss the right realm during the exercise. Many treatments by experienced tutors were successful through appropriate induction. For those in an acute stage of the disease, it is better to choose the mild move mood of qigong exercise instead of the quiet mood. It is generally not advised to practice qigong in the case of active schizophrenia. But those in catabasis may choose the move mood of natural qigong instead of practicing the move or quiet moods of conscious qigong.
The treatment of mental disorders requires cautious accumulation of experience. Through investigating differences, it is possible to learn how to apply qigong and to prevent mental disorders. The treatment of neuropathological cases is therefore strongly encouraged. It is highly possible to achieve recovery from schizophrenia with careful qigong treatment. The prevention of mental disorders based on the effects of qigong on mental health is an even more significant possibility. Let us continue our endeavors in popularizing qigong throughout the world.
