Asian Bodywork Therapy

Pam Ferguson, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), AOBTA & GSD-CI, LMT

Pamela Ellen Ferguson is semi-retired after years of teaching primarily CEU and advanced ABT courses in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. She was AOMA’s dean emerita of ABT  and a former board member of the AOBTA. For previous column articles, visit her online columnist page. She also welcomes comments via email: pamelacudot@gmail.com.

Previous Articles

The Art of Adapting
October 1, 2025 (Vol. 26, Issue 10)
Integrating Prior Skills Into Practice
July 1, 2025 (Vol. 26, Issue 7)
Sciatica - Personal Insights
March 1, 2025 (Vol. 26, Issue 3)
The Art of Caring for Seniors
December 1, 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 12)
The Power of Offsite Clinics
September 1, 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 9)
AOMA: A Time to Reflect
June 1, 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 6)
"My Back Is Killing Me!"
February 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 2)
Make Your Practice Stand Out: 14 Eye-Catching Packages to Offer
November 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 11)
Exploring the ART in ChARTing
September 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 09)
Your Client Asked You to Do What? Exploring Scope of Practice
June 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 06)
Quick Fix, Anyone? Exploring the Art of Combo Techniques
March 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 03)
The Simplest Diode Therapy
December 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 12)
Children and Gun Trauma
August 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 08)
On the Road With Asian Bodywork Therapy
May 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 05)
Stress-Busting Sessions for ICU and ER Crews!
February 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 02)
Asian Bodywork Therapy: Looking Back, Looking Forward
October 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 10)
COVID Long Haulers: Tips and Insights
June 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 06)
The Active Art of Working With Cancer Survivors
March 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 03)
Combating All the "isms" in Asian Medicine, Pt. 2
December 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 12)
Combating All the "isms" in Asian Medicine, Pt. 1: Racism
November 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 11)
From Classroom to Zoom and Much More
August 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 08)
Healing With That Ethnic Dash
May 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 05)
It's Time to Help Patients With Their No. 1 Health Issue: Screen Overload
November 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 11)
Occupational Hazards? Role of the Work Environment
September 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 09)
Where Did You Say You Trained? The Importance of Verifying Credentials
July 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 07)
The Art of Prepping for Clinic ... When Dealing With Clinical Characters
May 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 05)
What Prompts Survival? An Examination of Resilience and the Will to Live
March 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 03)
Calming the Disturbed Meridians: A Way to Treat "Phantom" Pain
January 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 01)
A New President for AOMA: A Conversation With Mary Faria
December 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 12)
Be Flamboyant With the Five Elements ... Study in 3D
October 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 10)
Prompting Memory: How to Stimulate Cognition
July 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 07)
Creating Awareness for the Transgender Community
April 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 04)
An Answer to the Opioid Crisis
January 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 01)
Relief for Hurricane Harvey Evacuees: A Project in Austin, Texas
November 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 11)
Knee Therapy: Art or Science?
October 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 10)
Moving With Imagery: Help More Patients
July 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 07)
The Qi Focus: A Guide to Managing Stress
April 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 04)
A Conversation With Dr. Betty Edmond
February 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 02)
Adventures With the Pericardium
October 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 10)
Adventures with the San Jiao
July 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 07)
Dealing with Parkinson's? Reach for Those Dancing Shoes
April 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 04)
The Zen Art of "One Point"
October 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 10)
The Art of Creating a Healing Space
August 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 08)
Integrating Art with Clinical Practice for Patients with PTSD: The Artemis Project
May 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 05)
There Really is No Room for Sexism
April 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 04)
Reflections: The Art of Teaching Asian Medicine
March 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 03)
The Art of Observation
January 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 01)
Creating Child-Friendly Clinics with ABT
April 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 04)
Compassionate ABT for Palliative Care
February 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 02)
It's All About Qi Focus
November 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 11)
Ergonomics For The Therapist
October 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 10)
Annual AOBTA Gathering Offers A Range of Perspectives
Co-Author: Deborah Valentine Smith, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), AOBTA® -CI, LMT
August 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 08)
The Art of Narrative Medicine
April 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 04)
All in the Family?
February 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 02)
Insights from a Cancer Survivor
November 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 11)
Troubled Patients? Look For These Signs
July 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 07)
The Art of the Interview
April 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 04)
Ergonomics of Asian Bodywork Therapy
January 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 01)
Useful Medical Insights
October 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 10)
Exploring The Link Between Pain and Trauma
July 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 07)
Taking a Closer Look at Migraines
April 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 04)
A CSI Approach to Pain - Part One
January 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 01)
Teaching Through Translation
December 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 12)
Instructors and Problem Students
July 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 07)
2006 AOBTA Convention Recap
September 2006 (Vol. 07, Issue 09)
Outgoings and Incomings on the AOBTA® Board
November 2005 (Vol. 06, Issue 11)
Report on the 2005 AOBTA National Convention
April 2005 (Vol. 06, Issue 04)
Ethics of Asian Bodywork Practice, Part Two
October 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 10)
Ethics of Asian Bodywork Practice, Part One
September 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 09)
Men's Health: From Male Cycles to Andropause
July 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 07)
Busting Taboos About Breast Cancer, Part Two
March 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 03)
Busting Taboos About Breast Cancer, Part One
January 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 01)
A Bird's-Eye View of the AOBTA National Convention
November 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 11)
Innovations in the Art of Teaching Asian Medicine
September 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 09)
Eye on Europe
June 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 06)
Trending
Health & Wellness / Lifestyle
Cultivating the Empowered Patient: Help Them Commit to Their Own Process
Cultivating the Empowered Patient: Help Them Commit to Their Own Process

The most important relationship I seek to nurture in the treatment room is the one a patient has with their own body. We live in a culture that teaches us to override pain, defer to outside authority, and push through discomfort. Patients often arrive hoping I can “fix” them, but the truth is, we can’t do the work for them. We can offer guidance, insight and support, but healing requires their full participation.

Aiden Jakob Seraphim, DACM, LAc
Healthcare / Public Health
From Needle to Knife
From Needle to Knife

Chinese medical theory details each meridian’s functions and associations, which can be extrapolated for metaphorical significance. For example, the Large Intestine (LI) meridian expels physical and emotional waste, supporting systemic purification and renewal. Its anatomical trajectory, which traverses the index finger, upper extremity, shoulder, neck, and terminates at the contralateral nasolabial groove, also serves as a narrative metaphor, eloquently illustrating my journey from acupuncturist to colon and rectal surgeon.

 |  Digital Exclusive
Vanessa Hortian, DO, MS, LAc, CHSE
Chronic / Acute Conditions
Transformational Work With Anxiety (Pt. 1): Panic Attack
Transformational Work With Anxiety

When we are in the grips of an anxious pattern, it dominates our brain and nervous system, and we lose our normal body-mind regulation. In this and subsequent articles, I present effective mindfulness-based method* via case study, that we can add to our acupuncture treatments to help clients consciously stop the dysregulating cascade of events and bring “distressed parts” into coherent body-mind-spirit integration.

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Kamala Quale, MSOM, LAc