While living in France many years ago, I had encountered the wonder of energy healing through acupuncture and trusted it to help me navigate the many stresses in my work and emotional life. Now in the USA, I have been connected to the Tao of Healing of Dr. Nan Lu for over 20 years. It has remained a lifeline not only for healing and prevention but also for a wealth of learning about the intelligence of my body, how my emotions impact my health, and what I could do through the recommended Qiqong exercises to help myself. I could never have anticipated how much it changed my life.

Reading Janine’s blog about the fear she experienced on bridges (http://tcmworld.org/qigong-practice-and-the-mind/) suddenly brought back a memory of a drive through Big Sur in California with my husband a few years ago.

We were driving on this curvy, narrow road. I looked out over an open abyss leading down to the ocean and turned into a total mess. My heart was pounding, the palms of my hands were sweating, and I had that awful suffocating feeling that my rib cage was being crushed by metal wires—it became so overwhelming that I motioned my husband to stop the car quickly. I got out of the car, walked toward some bushes, checked that no one else was around, and let out a “bloodcurdling scream heard in Japan,” as described by my husband!

Then I came back to the car, smiled at him, and we began to drive again. I was now peacefully looking out, admiring the scenery—the crashing waves below and the upcoming narrow bridge, which from a distance looked as if it was stretched over a row of spindly matchsticks. My husband was so incredulous—I had to explain!

It had become obvious to me that the intense stress of that fearful emotion had to be released, as I was on my way to a full-fledged panic attack.

If I had not learned so much from the Dragon’s Way, I would have bypassed one of its most powerful ways to release stress. Letting my voice out had rarely been an option for me but once I experienced this deep liberating scream, I could not forget the unbelievable relief and giddy laughter that quickly followed!

It makes me SMILE to remember all of this!

Thank you, Master Lu!

-Arlette Wiener