ABOUT US
East Coast Institute of Medical Qigong
Ted O’Brien founded the East Coast Institute of Medical Qigong (ECIMQ) in 2005 to bring the ancient Daoist healing art of Medical Qigong to interested practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. The ECIMQ is true to the teaching model introduced to the West by Ted’s teacher, Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, who founded the world-renowned International Institute of Medical Qigong in accordance with the standards as taught in the Hai Dian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, China. The curriculum Dr. Johnson developed is the result of years of study in China with the Daoist masters who shared their hidden knowledge with him because of his devotion to learning the arcane teachings of Medical Qigong, his mastery of Qigong, and his proficiency as a healer.
Students of the ECIMQ are taught using the same methodology through which Dr. Johnson was taught. Students not only learn to cultivate Qi (Energy) within themselves but they also learn to control that cultivation so as to emit Qi to others according to ancient healing protocols. The curriculum blends textbook lessons with Medical Qigong exercises and meditations, hands-on Qi emission practice sessions, and healing protocols performed on fellow students and volunteer patients. Three levels of instruction are offered: Practitioner, Therapist, and Master’s level certification.
The ECIMQ is open to Energetic Healers, Acupuncturists, Allopathic Doctors, Psychotherapists, Massage Therapists, Naturopathic Doctors, Physical Therapists and potential Medical Qigong practitioners in the ancient healing art of Medical Qigong. Every student brings their particular talents, skills and interests, which typically blend with the Daoist Medical Qigong teachings to reveal previously unknown healing abilities. Ted has fostered an atmosphere at the ECIMQ designed to develop such innate abilities in the students without straying from the Daoist discipline.
This site provides information on a variety of courses, treatments and educational materials offered by The East Coast Institute of Medical Qigong. Instruction is led by Ted O’Brien, L.Ac., MMQ. The coursework is from the 5-volume series of Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy textbooks written by Dr. Johnson (new editions published in 2015).
About the Founder, Ted O’Brien, L.Ac., MMQ
Ted O’Brien is a gifted healer who has been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine for over twenty years. Ted’s unique style of healing blends an intuitive sense of “knowing” with finely honed diagnostic and treatment protocols that enhance the healing experience for his patients. Outside of the clinic/classroom Ted lives a simple yet disciplined lifestyle devoted to mastering the art of Chinese Medicine in its many forms.
Ted is a Medical Qigong Therapist, Acupuncturist and the lead instructor at the East Coast Institute of Medical Qigong. He has worked with several prominent Doctors of Chinese Medicine and has performed thousands of patient treatments. Gaining insight and skill from years of practice and continuous study of the art of Chinese Medicine, Ted has learned to successfully treat a wide range of maladies including: musculoskeletal diseases (such as back pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc), psychological disorders (such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, mania), chronic diseases (such as irritable bowel disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia) and other disorders such as migraines, allergies, cold/flu, cancer (side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment) and digestive ailments.
Ted’s passion for helping others through his healing gifts finds expression in the treatment room, in the classroom and in his writing. Every acupuncture treatment is augmented with Medical Qigong intention, imbuing the needling protocols with even more focused and deep healing. His Medical Qigong treatments are profound, opening his patent’s mind to previously unknown healing potential. In the classroom, Ted allows each student to find his or her own path within the ancient Daoist teachings. The sharing and growth experienced by his students is an indelible part of the classes. A regular contributor to The Gettysburg Times newspaper with a monthly column on Holistic Health and Healing, Ted has recently embarked on his first book. Born a Catholic, he has spent years blending the Eastern healing arts with the fundamental love embodied in the scripture of Christ. His book, due to be released in 2016 and titled, “An Altar Boy Goes East: Discovering the Healing Jesus,” will recount that journey, exploring the near certainty that Jesus himself was taught healing by the Eastern masters before he embarked on his mission in the last years of his life.
Ted is the founder of the East Coast Institute of Medical Qigong and, before that, an accredited teacher of the International Institute of Medical Qigong. Ted also assisted Bernard Shannon for several years in teaching the first series of Medical Qigong classes in Canada, for 45 acupuncturists organized by the official Canadian acupuncture board of Montreal.
Recognized for his knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ted taught classes at the George Washington University Medical School during the five years he was on staff at the George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine, where he currently acts as a consultant.
Ted has performed dozens of public lectures and taught classes on Acupuncture and Medical Qigong throughout the Washington, DC metro area over the years at major colleges, universities and medical schools including his Alma Mata, UMass/Amherst. For two years he assisted Dr. Xiao Ming Tian, Policy Member of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Ted’s journey first led him to Eastern healing at age 24, when he began suffering from various maladies including IBS, parasites, candida, gallstones, fibromyalgia, chemical toxicity, food allergies and chronic fatigue syndrome. Frustrated with allopathic medicine, he began employing holistic therapies in an effort to heal himself. Qigong was the most significant single therapy in providing healing relief and led to a journey that continues to this day. Ted is healthier in his forties than he has ever been.
Ted received his MMQ from the International Institute of Medical Qigong in 2004.
He received his Master’s in Acupuncture from the Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, studied with Sam McClelland at the New England Institute of Integrative Acupressure and holds a BS in Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts.