This month, we’re excited to sit down with Ruscombe practitioner Jefferson Breland, a seasoned acupuncturist and medical Qi Gong practitioner, whose holistic approach to healing blends ancient wisdom with modern wellness practices. With years of experience helping clients restore balance and vitality, Jefferson shares insights into the power of energy medicine, the philosophy behind their work, and how practices like acupuncture and Qi Gong can support both physical and emotional well-being.
- What first inspired you to pursue a path in wellness and healing?
There are actually three or four parts to my answer. Each moved me closer to understanding this is my calling.
The first influence it was my experiencing the symptoms of asthma 35 years ago when I was 29-years old.
I had a bout of bronchitis that took two months to resolve. When the infection left me, I had the symptoms of asthma for the first time ever. I was given two inhalers to control with the symptoms and told I would be a pulmonary cripple for the rest of my life.
For six months I used the inhalers every four hours like clockwork even waking from sleep to use the inhalers and immediately falling back asleep. My friend Stacey MacFarlane recommended I see her acupuncturist. I had a crush on Stacey, so I followed her advice.
The benefits of the treatment were immediate. I needed the inhalers less and less over the next five to six years. I haven’t even had an inhaler for almost 30 years.
The second inspiration is two-fold as they overlapped for a time.
The first part of this chapter began when I noticed my father’s memory began to shift around 2003. His “new”memory affected his short-term memory and gradually decreased until his death in 2014. The last two years of his life he didn’t who I was.
The second part began in 2010 when Phil, my best friend of over 40 years, was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.
I was about one-third of the way in the Applied Healing Arts program at Tai Sophia Institute. I also had been married to Stacey for about 7 years and she had been an acupuncturist for about 9 years. Stacey also taught in the acupuncture and Applied Healing Arts program at the Tai Sophia Institute.
I mention Tai Sophia and Stacey because they were integral to my helping my father, my family, and my friend. The healing philosophy taught there was called SOPHIA (School of Philosophy and Healing in Action).
One of the major components of this framework is the Law of the Five Elements, a Daoist (Taoist) cosmology of the universe which focuses on living in harmony with the natural cycle of seasons.
This framework of being in life helped me to be fully present with Phil and his family. During the last 14 months of his life, I recognized the power of the SOPHIA work and began to see myself differently. I began to wonder about becoming an acupuncturist.
I would be remiss if I mention Tai Sophia Institute without naming the founders, Dianne Connolly and Bob Duggan. They are two of the most influential teachers in my life. Hands down, they are two of the finest humans I know.
Now the third or fourth inspiration.
In the early months of 2012, shortly after Phil’s passing, Stacey and I began training with Dr. Nan Lu, to become instructors of a program called Dragon’s Way Qigong. Dr. Lu is a grandmaster and lineage holder of Wu Ming Qigong.
During our training, Master Lu said to me, “If you pass my test, I will take you on as an (acupuncture) student.” He knew I was studying at Tai Sophia and assumed I was in the acupuncture program.
I took his offer as a sign to act on my intuition to become an acupuncturist.
What I didn’t know was that Master Lu would become the my next profoundly influential teacher.
Through his ongoing teaching of Daoism, acupuncture and Qigong, I have learned I have made the right choices on my path. I have also learned that each of us is more powerful than we might believe.
- What do you find most fulfilling about your work right now?
Helping people to see their life, body, and the world differently. To do this, I continue practice Wu Ming Qigong, study whatever catches my fancy, and share what I learn through teaching or sharing stories.
- For those unfamiliar, what is Medical Qi Gong, and what kind new clients expect from a session with you?
Medical Qigong is thousands of years old. It is one of the original branches of Chinese Medicine. In our Wu Ming lineage, we practice daily to continue to cultivate our energy body. Our Medical Qigong requires special training to connect to our ability to help the energy body of other people.
This form of healing allows one to experience energy healing without needles. It’s an excellent option for those who prefer not to use acupuncture or touch healing.
In a Medical Qigong treatment, we have a conversation to determine the best way to help you. You lie fully-clothed lies on the treatment table. I stand near you and do what I do. The goal of Medical Qigong is to create flow in the body so the body’s natural healing abilities can take over.
Medical Qigong helps with everything because it supports health and life. Just as in my acupuncture treatments, I don’t treat disease. I support the body’s natural healing ability.
I also do Qigong Meridian Therapy or QMT, for short. QMT is a form of touch therapy also known as energy massage. I gently move stagnant energy through the body’s energy channels. Results vary from deep relaxation to the release of tension and pain. QMT is a wonderful treatment on its own or as a addition to any of my other services.
- What advice would you give to someone who’s curious but unsure about trying Medical Qi Gong or working with you?
As I tell everyone about anything in their life, “Trust your gut, your intuition.” Be sure it is your intuitive mind, not your rational mind. The rational mind is limited to what you know. When you connect to your intuitive mind you have access to the infinite wisdom of the Universe.
Short of that, let’s have a conversation to see if we are a good match.
- Can you share a little about the course you’re developing for the fall?
I am planning on teaching the Four Energy Gates. These are simple energy practices one can do every day to help support and activate your body’s healing ability.
I will talk about some general principles of Chinese medicine, the Law of the Five Elements, and help people to understand that healing is available to us in every moment of every day.
There will be ample time for questions. I love questions.