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At 11:14 PM 2/22/01 +0000, you wrote: >My other point was that as Tai Chi movements involve the whole body perhaps >there might be a professional reluctance to muddy the water and potentially >confuse the clinical picture ? Or, do we feel more secure as professional >therapists advocating more specific exercises to specifically strengthen and >/or stretch a specific area of the body for a specific reason ? Al Huang in "Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Chi" makes it very clear that Tai Chi is *not* a series of poses and postures as it has been taught most commonly, at least in the states. In fact, a friend of mine who understands this refers to what he's seen taught as "slow motion ballroom dancing," and that's not meant as a compliment. Huang says "it is the mind become motion," and emphasizes neither speed nor the direction nor the complete range of the motion, but, rather, its unexpected, calming and individually unique qualities. I see this every day when I encourage ideomotor activity, and I feel certain that its ability to resolve painful problems and induce an enduring parasympathetic state is easily explained. Therapists shy away from this because they are fearful of violating their traditional role, and people in pain will often fail to improve in their presence because of that. What some of us are asking for is an alteration in our culture's acceptance of creative (rather than productive) movement and individually acquired posture. As long as PTs play the role of posture police and highly educated personal trainers, we aren't going to the ones that stem the epidemic of chronic pain that surrounds us. Instead, we will only contribute to it. Barrett L. Dorko, P.T. <http://barrettdorko.com> Also <http://rehabedge.com> And <http://prorehabonline.com>