Mental and Physical Health: Ai Chi’s Essential Role
By Patricia Henry-Schneider, MS, LPC
Reprinted with Permission from the Aquatic Exercise Association, www.aeawave.com

 

Part One: An Overview
In Western medicine, there has been a growing interest in the role of the mind as it applies to
physical healing. At the same time, there is a growing recognition in psychotherapy of the
role of the body as it applies to psychological healing. Since I am interested in both physical
and mental health and am a Licensed Professional Counselor who is certified in EMDR (Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and in Ai Chi, I have come to see myself in an
integrative role. The word “confluence” comes from the Latin “confluere”, meaning to flow
together. This applies, literally, to the junction of rivers and, figuratively, to “an act or process
of merging.” That’s how I experience the integration of various health practices, in this case
Ai Chi and psychotherapy (specifically EMDR).

In an attempt to convey my overall perspective of health, I want to share a broader view that
embraces Ai Chi as a way of experiencing the mind/body connection while gently moving the
human organism toward health in a flowing and supportive environment. My growing
understanding of how Ai Chi fits into a larger theoretical overview of human development has
taken place over a number of years in a way that I could never have anticipated. That is what
I have come to recognize as synchronicity—in other words “meaningful coincidence” (coincidents).

To give you a sense of the timing of all of this, I go back to 1994 when I happened to see a
program on 20/20 featuring EMDR. At the time this was a relatively new type of
psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD. It involved rapid eye movements within
a model of adaptive information processing. Specifically in regard to post traumatic stress
disorder, this therapy helped clients to move from being stuck in the past to a place of
adaptive resolution in which they could integrate their thoughts about themselves, their
feelings, and their bodily sensations linked to past traumatic events. This all made sense to
me, and I said to myself, “That’s it.” So from that point on, I pursued training in EMDR, got
the appropriate supervision, and tried to spread the word about its effectiveness.

Let’s now fast forward a few years into the future. At the recommendation of my doctor, I
began swimming at our local warm water pool. That’s where the next synchronicity took
place. I crossed paths with a former co-worker who told me about an Ai Chi class. After
trying it out, I noticed that, among other things, it involved a lot of bilateral movements. Ideas
starting clicking in my mind because, by then I was much more versed in EMDR and knew
that it did not have to involve just rapid eye movements but instead could involve other forms
of bilateral stimulation. The more I practiced Ai Chi, the more I recognized the similarities. I
kept looking for a way to understand the connections so that I might explain how the two
modalities fit together.

Which brings us to the third piece of the puzzle—the theoretical underpinnings that bring it all
together. At an EMDR conference, I heard Daniel Siegel, MD, (a psychiatrist at UCLA) speak
about EMDR but offered a larger point of view. As I studied his works over the years, all of
the pieces started coming together in my mind. He defined mind as “a process that regulates
the flow of energy and information” and defined mental health to include qualities of being
flexible, adaptive, coherent, energized, and stable. It became clearer how EMDR and Ai Chi
support and reinforce each other for the purpose of both physical and mental health. Siegel’s
way of looking at human development and mental health (and illness) is summarized in his
model of “interpersonal neurobiology.” He described nine areas of neural integration, and I
noticed that all of these areas are promoted by the practice of Ai Chi. Finally I had a
theoretical framework through which I could understand how EMDR and Ai Chi reinforce
each other for the overall healing of the individual and how this individual healing could “ripple
out” toward improving our relationships and beyond. I’m not saying that one has to
experience both. However, when one does, there is more complete movement toward
balance and integration, essential qualities of both physical and mental health.

Now, add in the knowledge brought to us by Masaru Emoto’s “Messages from Water.” This
shows us how we can affect the molecular structure of water by the kind of messages we
send to it. While doing Ai Chi, we are sending positive messages to the water both within our
bodies and all around us. Thus, we are changing ourselves for the better both physically and
mentally. If we are so inclined, we are also becoming more spiritually aware and developing
a sense of how it all fits together. So here we have it—the integration of mind, body, and
spirit for the sake of each of us and beyond. That sounds like a big goal. Why not?
Specifically as this relates to Ai Chi, as we practice the individual movements, we can
become those movements, and they can remind us literally and figuratively of how we want to
be. The more we practice, the more these patterns become part of who we are. David
Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, speaks of the importance of breath work, and to quote him,
“Acting on thoughts affects body functions. Acting on body functions affects thoughts. Health
is an emerging property of their relationship.” Ai Chi involves breath work and acting on both
body functions and thoughts at the same time in a nurturing warm water environment.

Patricia Henry-Schneider MS, LPC is a psychotherapist certified in EMDR and a certified Ai
Chi presenter. She has encouraged movement toward wellness by including body, mind, and
spirit in the journey toward mental health. Creating a bridge between providers of aquatic
therapy and providers ofmental health services has become her passion.