Breathing Spaces: Qigong, Psychiatry, and Healing in China

by Nancy N. Chen

Book Overview

The charismatic form of healing called qigong, based on meditative breathing exercises, has achieved enormous popularity in China during the last two decades. Qigong served a critical social organizational function, as practitioners formed new informal networks, sometimes on an international scale, at a time when China was shifting from state-subsidized medical care to for-profit market medicine. The emergence of new psychological states deemed to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231128053
• ISBN13: 9780231128056
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Breathing spaces

Breathing spaces by Nancy N. Chen shows a good connection between psychiatry and Qigong. It gives a rare insight to the non-Chinese practizing qigong and psychiatry. Aliza

Interesting Read

This book is a good read for anyone interested in the cultural rise of qigong in China post 1920's as well as other cultural influences on the health care in China. This book is more of a report of events and research than of any type of teachings that other qigong books may offer. The book covers a wide variety of topics and attempts to answer some tough questions with regards to qigong and health care. A good read on Chinese culture.