About this course

So many people are struggling with mental-health issues.  The weight of the world is heavy and life can be challenging.  Trying to find some mental-emotional equilibrium can be difficult and exhausting.  This may be part of why we so quickly rely on psychiatric medications for relief from suffering.

People often feel overwhelmed, stressed out or burdened by expectation. This emotional distress is a manifestation of the body-mind’s need for safety. We are trying to figure out how to survive the adversity of life.

Sometimes this emotional imbalance may be linked to a patient’s constitutional vulnerability. One can be genetically predisposed to anxiety or depression or one might even be carrying the unresolved trauma of previous generations. Here what we see is the struggle for meaning and purpose in life.  Existential questions like “who am i?” and “why am I here?” are keeping us up at night and leading us to loss of hope and deep despair.

The complete channel system has sub-systems that may be used to address both types of distress.  We need only understand these systems and recognize when they are not functioning well.

This 3-day course will look at the functions of both the Luo-collateral system and the 8 extraordinary Vessels.  We will explore the difference between post-natal function and pre-natal resources. Said another way, we will begin to investigate the difference between circumstance and curriculum.

Learning objectives

• Recognise the clinical distinction between post-natal emotional distress (circumstance) and pre-natal constitutional vulnerability (curriculum).
• Develop a working knowledge of the Luo-collateral system, including points, pathways, fullness and emptiness patterns, and treatment approaches.
• Understand the archetypal nature of the 8 Extraordinary Vessels and their role in a patient’s constitutional curriculum.
• Construct effective Luo-collateral and 8 Extraordinary Vessel treatments suited to the presenting pattern.
• Apply assessment tools — including pulse diagnosis — to differentiate appropriate treatment strategies.
• Demonstrate accurate point location and needle technique for Luo and 8EV master points through supervised group practice.

Course schedule

Dr. Farrell has been involved in helping others to restore balance in their lives for over 30 years. In 1996, she graduated from Emperor’s College with a Master’s Degree in Chinese Medicine. She has been in private practice since 1997. She was a faculty member and clinical supervisor at Emperor’s College for 13 years. In 2007 Yvonne received her Doctoral Degree (DAOM) from Emperor’s College. Dr. Farrell has been teaching CEU courses for several years and is a student of Jeffrey Yuen, who has given his blessings to continue to teach the practice of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and Channels (8EVC). Her courses are lively, informative and clinically relevant. She is very passionate about the medicine and enjoys sharing this through her teaching. Her first book, Psycho-emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, was published in 2016 and her second book Acupuncture for Surviving Adversity was published in 2021.