Brighton Oriental Medicine

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Brighton Oriental Medicine

I am a Therapist of Oriental Medicine specialising in Acupuncture, Shiatsu-ka
Deep tissue massage and as an emotional coach.

I work from my homes and practices in Brighton, UK and Barcelona, Spain.

18/03/2023

In their observation of the laws of nature the pioneers of T.O.M. found that the world can be seen as based on five different phases or elements.

Four seasons follow each other during the year with an intermediate period between two seasons, which they called the fifth season, when the cosmic energy comes back to the earth.

They systemised these observations in the law of the five elements. All phenomena in the universe are marked by one of these five elements: water, wood, fire, earth, metal.

These five elements correspond to the organs, tastes, grains, colours, smells, vegetables etc. The earth element is represented by the spleen that loves the sweet taste, the wood is reflected in the liver that loves the acid taste, fire is reflected in the hearth that loves the bitter taste, metal is reflected in the lungs which love the spicy taste and the kidneys represent the water element with its predilection for the salty taste.

They are in constant motion and transformation. Water produces wood, wood produces fire, whose ashes produce the earth, inside which there is the metal, that in turn produces water.

Water extinguishes fire, fire melts steel, steel cuts wood, the wooden plough controls the earth, the earthen dam controls the water etc…

Therefore there is a balance between the five elements producing and controlling each other and therefore the organs also ‘create each other’ and ‘control each other’.

This is the base of the T.O.M. Dieatary System that tries to restore the imbalances in the organ energies by adjusting the diet with grains, meat, vegetables, pulses, herbs, fruits, seeds, etc. that have a certain character and property, according to the necessity of every individual.

Specific nutrition that is used is aimed at strengthening or calming certain organs to restore the balance in blood and energy production.

23/02/2023

Life coaching, or emotional coaching - depending on what the patient needs - is based on the treatment of the ‘Shen’, the T.O.M. concept of the psyche.

When I was working in Psychiatric intervention teams in Holland, I already observed that mental issues have a physical factor. After studying Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen and Bioenergetics I realised that also in the west there is a scientific understanding of this.
Simply said there is a category of people who want ‘A change in their life’.

Often suffering from long lasting but more or less manageable physical and emotional problems people find themselves confronted with feelings of unhappiness, ‘emptiness’, stress, relationship issues, career items, or the ‘simple’ lack of the feeling of growth in their life.

Life coaching consists in guiding people to define and centre on their priorities, overcoming obstacles and reconnecting with motivation, inspiration and life force.

This implies intuitivity training, reassessment of one own’s personal history and character, aiming at redefining the direction in our life and focusing on the necessary life changing decision making.

T.O.M. can be of incredible help in this process based on the oriental understanding that the different aspects of the psyche are energetically connected to the main internal organs.

I developed a training method that aims at strengthening the weaker or underdeveloped parts of our personality and smoothing the overcharged parts of our character.
I called it five element Ki training based on the T.O.M. theory of the five elements.

It is a form of applied Qi Kung training that directly connects with our emotional constellation.

13/02/2023

When an embryo develops in the womb of the mother how do the cells know HOW to develop?

According to T.O.M. before there is a physical body, there is an energetic body, a structure of channels that the Chinese called ‘Jing Luo’, or ‘Meridians’.

On top of this energetical structure the physical body is built. The energy that flows through this network was called ‘Qi’ or ‘Ki’, life energy, a vital intent that moves all things in life.

Everything in life possesses ‘Qi’, every living creature in life has meridians, even an amoeba.
The fact that this is not simply a theoretical hypothesis is, for example, shown by what in Western Medicine is called ‘Phantom pain’. Patients feel pain in amputated limbs or hands. The physical structure has been removed, but the energetic structure can not.

Knowledge and mastering of this energy is the base of all martial arts as well as T.O.M..

Everybody knows the instinctive reflex to put a hand on a painful part of the body. This can be seen as the most primitive form of Shiatsu.
Shiatsu is the specific form of manipulation of ‘Ki’ as it is known, developed in Japan.

According to the definition of the Japanese Imperial Ministry of Health and Wellbeing, Shiatsu is a manual therapy, a manipulation using thumbs, fingers, hand palms without the use of any instrument that aims through the application of pressure on the skin to resolve internal disturbances, promote health and treat specific diseases.

Shiatsu works directly on the vital life energy and the internal bodily functions. In health this ‘Ki’ flows freely through the channels. When disturbances or blockage occurs vague complaints like tiredness, irritation, headache or even depression can appear.

If these signals are ignored through a longer period more outspoken diseases occur.

It is especially in this early stage that Shiatsu is of invaluable worth. Shiatsu can restore health and improve condition and resistance.
Last but not least, Shiatsu when well practiced is very pleasant to receive.
I often combine it with acupuncture to encourage deeper relaxation and qi flow in my treatments.

10/02/2023

One of the most challenging and often heart wrenching problems of modern life is the problems that modern couples face trying to conceive.

In the UK 1 in 7 couples face this problem.

The couple, or as many times is the case, the hopeful mother comes with a charge of anxiety and other emotional issues that should be attended in any successful therapy.
As Oriental Attitude teaches: we’re not treating a problem, we’re treating the person.

Anxiety influences your quality of breath and that influences your levels of energy (Qi in Chinese).

According to ancient understanding the levels of energy in a woman’s body define the quality of her egg cells in her ovaries. Modern society has produced unprecedented levels of stress that have a massive impact on the wellbeing of women. According to ancient understanding it’s of crucial importance to keep her ovaries in the best energetic condition possible.

As well as reducing levels of stress to preserve energy, energy economics also depend a lot on body temperature. In ancient attitude one of the main factors is simply body and especially ‘Hara’ (Japanese for centre, abdomen) temperature. Normally we’re not aware of how much energy is needed to keep our temperature at around 37 degrees.

Last week I passed on my bicycle through Brighton and saw two young women eating ice creams dressed in crop tops with their bellies open in the air, me in my double layered North Face dawn jacket, temperature was 5 degrees.

In my town, Amsterdam in mid winter people order chilled orange juice for breakfast. Citrus fruit already has a cooling quality, chilled even more.

Most of us have seen pictures of traditionally dressed Japanese Geishas in their kimonos wearing their ‘Obi’ (knot) on their lower back.

Geishas who were nothing underneath but with their Obi keep their kidneys and therefore their ovaries warm.

In Oriental tradition this is crucial.
Maybe we can learn from them.

Read the full article containing more explanations around the magic and mysteries of procreation on my blog. Website link in bio.

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09/02/2023

My approach: the four pillars of T.O.M.

In my approach to Traditional Oriental Medicine my intention is to integrate its different aspects in the way they were applied by the early practitioners. This implies the adjustment of: breathing, moving, life attitude and diet and the application of manual therapy and acupuncture.

The four pillars of T.O.M combine acupuncture with physical treatment, Qi Kung, medicinal plants, diet, and the counselling of life attitude.

Probably the best known and sought after branch of Traditional Oriental MedIcine (T.O.M.) is Acupuncture. It’s practice has taken a big rise in the west during the last 30 years as its effectiveness is becoming widely acknowledged.

The massage therapy that is an essential part of T.O.M. is called Tuina in China and Shiatsu in Japan. I practice them both. Both these techniques are aimed at opening up the energy flow and stimulating the self healing power of the patient.

Another big pillar of T.O.M.is the use of medicinal herbs. Ancient knowledge states that when the disease has penetrated deeper in the body, the blood should be treated, therefore the use of herbs, combined with diet, as food was seen as a form of medicine.
 I reserve a place for reflection and personal reassessment whenever required: ‘Life Coaching’ and Five Element Ki training.

I also teach Qi Kung courses for people strictly interested in that, as well as Shiatsu.

It has been an honour for me to be in this situation as a practitioner trying to help and it is no cliché to state that my clients have been my biggest teachers to whom I am infinitely grateful.

25/09/2022

If you’re interested in knowing a little bit more about my therapeutic training and experience, here is a little history…

I have been studying and practicing TOM since 1988.

I worked in mental health care in The Netherlands in Utrecht and Amsterdam from 1979 to 1991. During those years, I worked with people with special needs and autism, in psychiatric institutes and later in an intervention team in Amsterdam, dealing with victims of violence, drug and domestic abuse.

From 1982 till 1986 I studied Tai Chi and Chi Kung in the Benjamin Lo school in Amsterdam.

In 1989 I passed the Dutch National Exam for deep tissue and sport massage as well as graduating from ‘Hogere School voor Shiatsu Amsterdam’ (Higher School for Shiatsu Amsterdam). The next year I became a teacher there, until 1993.

Simultaneously, in 1987 I had started simultaneously to study in L’Academie Europeaine de IOKAI (Shiatsu and Traditional Oriental Medicine) with Kasunori Sasaki Sensei (who brought the Zen Shiatsu from Masunaga Sensei to Europe) where I graduated in 1992.

Between 1991 and 1992 I studied pulse diagnose with professor Heng from the University of Shanghai, China.

After moving to Spain in 1993, I studied acupuncture in CENAC Academy in Barcelona, graduating in 1997, followed by one clinical year in the academy.

I established my practice in Traditional Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Chi Kung and Life Coaching in Barcelona in 1997. Focusing apart from general medicine on posture, pain treatment, anxiety, immunity, mental health, fertility and pregnancy.

I moved to Brighton in 2013 and I hold a practice in Barcelona and in Brighton. I work in Barcelona one week a month.

I trained for two years in Facial Enhancement Acupuncture and after my exam, I now am a member of the Cosmetic Acupuncture UK since September 2021.

I have been a member of The Acupuncture Society UK since 2014.

If it sounds like you’d like to try my treatments, get in touch!

23/09/2022

Hello! I’d like to introduce myself 😊👋

My name is Marcus van Slageren and I am a Dutch Therapist of Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM).

My treatments often tend to incorporate a blend of my skills in Acupuncture, Shiatsu Chi K emotional coaching. The combination of shiatsu and acupuncture is very effective, as shiatsu opens up the meridians, and acupuncture adjusts the energy flow.

I’m currently offering my services in Brighton, UK , as well as my other hometown, Barcelona, Spain.

Get in touch if you’d like to work with me on your healing journey 😊

Address

Central Brighton

Telephone

+447824430759

Website

http://brighton-oriental-medicine.co.uk/

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