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Nan-Hie In

Alarmed by the high levels of stress in the community amid the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong, many groups and individuals are providing support services.
The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists launched the Care4ALL mental health programme last month, with more than 50 psychiatrists offering counselling services.
A small number of practitioners in the alternative healing circle are now inviting people to use their services to calm frayed nerves and cope with the discord.
Meditation is one way to help focus attention on the present, quiet the mind’s chatter and reach a relaxed state. Research shows it can lower the heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce stress and anxiety. And an upcoming wellness-themed festival comes at an opportune time.

1. Free reiki and meditation
On August 31, reiki healers April Tsai Wan-yu and Flavia White, and Vipassana meditation instructor Saptarshi Mukerji, will lead a session dedicated to healing protesters who have suffered physically, and people who are negatively impacted by the daily news reports about unrest. They describe the event as a way to calm nerves and “release your suffering from current events”.

“We [definitely] want to lift the energy up for Hong Kong,” says 38-year-old Tsai, who initiated the event after feeling sad about clashes between police and protesters, particularly those in the Tai Koo MTR station on August 11.
The session, indoors at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Sheung Wan, will begin with a 20-minute guided meditation, followed by reiki, a Japanese practice for reducing stress and helping people relax to facilitate healing.
For more information, visit freehealinghk.eventbrite.hk

2. Free workshop on navigating family politics
Politically divisive times can result in strained conversations with loved ones, especially if family members hold different political views than your own. Sometimes such discord hardens into permanent rifts.
This workshop aims to teach attendees communication strategies to help manage those political differences (as well as other, non-political conflicts within the family) so you can still connect peaceably with your relatives. Kimling Lau, a practitioner of non-violent communication, leads the September 1 session.

“Let’s hope that one day, even if we share different opinions and take opposite political stances, we and our families can understand and support each other with love,” an description of the event reads.
The workshop at 12.30pm (in Cantonese only) is part of the Women’s Festival at the Eaton Hong Kong hotel in Kowloon, a nine-day event themed around gender awareness and equality in the city.
For more information, visit womensfestival.hk, or visit link: https://womensfestival.hk/session/i-hate-my-mother-in-law-a-communication-workshop/

3. Yoga, meditation and more at mega-wellness festival
Iris: Your Escape with ManulifeMove 2019 is an annual outdoor wellness event established in 2015 that has mushroomed into a popular festival that attracts more than 6,000 attendees. It offers health enthusiasts opportunities to engage in yoga and other well-being and fitness practices, and other events also help visitors unwind and relax.
The next edition of the festival – which takes place twice a year – will take place at the Central Harbourfront Event Space on September 21 and 22. The Zen Garden zone will offer relaxation and healing-oriented meditation, such as a tea ceremony meditation led by the Global Tea Hut – a community of tea fans in the practice of Cha Rao and tea, to create spaces of reflection and foster inner harmony. A silent disco zone will feature mindfulness and well-being activities, including a hypnotherapy-based meditation session to heighten one’s relaxation experience.
Early-bird ticket sales end on August 31. A two-day pass costs HK$280 and a one-day pass HK$180. After that, prices rise to HK$280 for a single-day pass bought in advance, and HK$350 on the day. For more information, visit www.irisyourescape.com/


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Wellness

Stress busting in protest-hit Hong Kong: three alternative healing events to help you cope

A June protest against proposed extradition law changes, and police reaction to protests. Political and social unrest has left many Hongkongers feeling stressed out, but some alternative healing events may help relieve the pressure. Photo: James Wendlinger

Riot police arrest a protester around Sheung Wan MTR as riot police fires tear gas. Protesters clash with police at the Central and Sheung Wan districts while they have headed west to Sai Ying Pun to rally at Beijing's liaison office in the city. 28JUL19 SCMP/James Wendlinger

H6CEKY Close up of chiropractor doing reiki treatment on girls hand.

Kimling Lau.Photo: HANDOUT[FEATURES 2019]

J9P831 Couple ignoring each other in bedroom at home

iris Hong KongPhoto: HANDOUT[FEATURES 2019]

Flower power: how they improve emotional well-being, and which ones to pick for happiness at work and home

Florist Ken Tsui and customer Ellna Yu. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Nancy Etcoff, assistant clinical professor at Harvard Medical School

AJF89J Flowers in a bottle

FMNEP2 Japan; Kyoto; kado, flower arrangement,

(L-R) M Florist owner Ken Tsui Kee-yiu and his customer Ellna Yu Chun-ha, Lai Chi Kok. 07AUG19 [FEATURES HEALTH]SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Research shows that flowers are good for your health and well-being. Photo: Alamy

How solitude can bring happiness and peace of mind – just don’t fear being alone

New research shows solitude can bring comfort and peace of mind in a chaotic world. Photo: Alamy

PG68RN Woman sitting in armchair at home relaxing

DWRGMC Young asian woman with legs folded, sitting on a small wall reading a book in sun light, London, England, United Kingdom.

RMGT23 Pretty girl relax on window sill looking outside. Woman relax and rest at home

Psychologist Daniel Koh Photo: HANDOUT[FEATUES 2019]

FDWDT5 A man laying on a rock on the edge of North South lake in Upstate New York.

Marie MonozcaPhoto: HANDOUT[FEATUES 2019]

PTSD treatment: MDMA, active ingredient in Ecstasy, shows great promise in severe cases

MDMA has shown great promise as a treatment for severe PTSD and is in Phase 3 trials in the US. Photo: Handout

"When you have PTSD, you are living in this constantly triggered environment,"Â says patient Lori Tipton. More than a year after getting MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in a clinical trial, Tipton no longer qualifies as having PTSD. (Will Stone/TNS)

The treatment begins with patients swallowing a calibrated dose of MDMA in pill form. (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies/TNS)

Dr. Sue Sisley, president of the Scottsdale Research Institute, has spent much of her career working with people who have severe PTSD. (Will Stone/TNS)

Brad Burge, left, director of marketing for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies based in Santa Cruz, Calif., discusses the company's research into how MDMA, also known as ecstasy, can be used to treat PTSD and other disorders. (Dan Coyro/Santa Cruz Sentinel/MCT)

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness


A family politics workshop, a meditation and reiki session, and a wellness festival will be held to help Hongkongers decompress in city’s summer of discontent
‘We want to lift the energy up for Hong Kong,’ says organiser of one event



A workshop on family politics, meditation and reiki session, and wellness festival have been organised to help Hongkongers decompress through alternative healing amid the city’s summer of discontent.


Meditation and how to find balance