Healing through Pleasure
Sex: The Great Healer
Felice Dunas, Ph.D.
Recently, the esteemed practitioner and teacher, Dr. Shen, came to Los Angeles to teach a weekend seminar. A few fortunate patients had the benefit of his diagnostic abilities and were permitted a consultation. One woman in her early 20s came to him with great weakness and overall fatigue. With the prescription of her herbal formula, he also gave a firm reprimand, no sex for 6 months. A colleague who works in a prestigious university pain clinic happened to meet me at an oriental medicine day event that same weekend. Dumb founded by the doctor’s suggestion and knowing the nature of my work, she pulled me aside and presented the situation. Why on earth would Dr. Shen consider sex a bad thing for a young woman with an adoring lover? Would not the quality of that connection support the building of her strength? Why should any one who does not have to give up sex due to lack of partnership, choose to do so in the name of health?
Unfortunately, we are not taught the answers to these questions even though the answers were among the very earliest to be discovered by our professional ancestors. Oriental Medicine (OM) has always understood the value of sex, its expression and avoidance, in the name of health.
Our genitals are open doorways leading chi into and out of our bodies. If the door is sealed shut with a strong, protective energetic shield, little energy leaks out. But when the body is weak and the door stands ajar, sexual play can further weaken us as chi literally drips out of the holes that are part of the genital system. This is primarily because we as people and practitioners are not trained to transform our sexual encounters into chi building events.
Among the oldest teachings in OM is the understanding that sex can be used as an anti-aging, vitality building strategy. It can also, if conducted without the appropriate skill, further weaken the body. Its negative ramifications are profound as are its benefits.
Sexual teachings were kept very quiet even among the most elite in ancient China. Not all children of great emperors or noblepersons were trained in the erotic healing arts as to be cultivated in such skills would bestow great power. Only those who it was felt could benefit society with their exceptional strength would be taught. Those who were trained in these practices cultivated greater physical, intellectual and spiritual strength. Their lifespans would be longer and their leadership roles assured. No enemy could outwit a well-trained warrior unless that opponent was also educated in the erotic arts. His great stamina and brainpower would overwhelm any opponent.
Unfortunately, US based practitioners are not trained to understand the majesty or significance of these practices. Few of us have even heard of them. In my 31 years of study and practice in our field, I feel blessed to have had a few teachers who supported my studies in this area. Years of apprenticeship were required before I was considered worthy.
Without understanding the role of sex in healing and illness, many patients sabotage your work. Unknowingly, they express sexual love in a manner contradictory to their bodies needs which slows down their healing process.
In my best-selling book Passion Play: Ancient Secrets for a Lifetime of Health and Happiness Through Sensational Sex, I introduce these teachings to the American public and to my colleagues. How do your patients reflect their energetic profile behaviorally? Upon questioning them can you see a correlation between your diagnosis and their interpersonal challenges? By viewing a patient’s behavior the same way you would their eating or sleeping habits, you can more accurately asses their needs and more effectively alleviate the pain in their lives.
[Born in Los Angeles and raised in a medical family, Felice Dunas, Ph.D., is an acupuncture industry founder, international lecturer, published author and executive coach. She earned her Bachelors degree in Sociology/International Health Care from UCLA, and her Doctorate degree in Clinical Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology from Samra University. She uses ancient principles of the body and human behavior to enhance the lives of individuals, couples and corporate executives. Having lectured in over 60 countries, she addresses health, vitality, interpersonal intimacy and sexuality. Dr. Dunas is the author of the best selling book from Penguin-Putnam, “PASSION PLAY: Ancient Secrets for a Lifetime of Health and Happiness Through Sensational Sex”.]