The “quantum” paradigm is the appropriate terrain for understanding the complexity of the human being, the dynamic and collective nature of phenomena.

Patrizia Stefanini is a physicist and practitioner and teacher of Shiatsu and Yoga: for her Science and Energy Medicine find many points in common, she has been studying for years the relationship between the Meridians of the Eastern tradition and quantum physics.

What is the origin of research between physics and meridians?

My research on the meridians, or rather on the “Keiraku”, literally “connection channel” in the Japanese tradition, began by studying Shiatsu in Milan in the early 1980s , with the knowledge of the thought of master Shizuto Masunaga , whose approach I it seemed particularly enlightening.

In his book ” Manual of Diagnosis” , published with the aim of helping to use his map of meridians, the first and only autochthonous ones for Shiatsu, the ” to support the person being treated in the direction of his well-being” is highlighted. The result is a “meridian” object that detaches itself from mechanistic reductionism and lends itself well to a “vibrational” reading variable nature and depth of the meridian ” is highlighted, its not being a “line Which unites points but a place where it is more likely to perceive significant vital movements

. So I wrote in a couple of articles published in the British trade magazine Shiatsu Society News in the late 1990s. I remember a very significant feedback given to me at that time by a physicist: he suggested that I continue my research considering “ the physics of water ”. 

I then proposed to Emilio Del Giudice, an extremely competent theoretical physicist in quantum physics applied to living matter, to develop a research project that could give a modern scientific reading to this life perception tool and that would also suggest experimental possibilities.

Thus, starting from publications by Klaus Schlebusch, Fritz A. Popp et al. of the Neuss research group, which I will mention later, we collected images of human meridians using three different Therma CamsEmilio suggested that we take a break , “to leave time for technology(Infrared video camera) during a period ranging from 2008 to 2013. The images, never published, opened up new reflections and research desires for us. to provide us with adequate means for such a subtle research “. His sudden death left this data collection in abeyance but not my experimental futon research. More and more, changing the quality of my shiatsu touch in the direction suggested by the works written with Emilio, I felt different responses from the human field I was dealing with. This was matched by significant feedback and changes in my recipients. So I proposed to two prestigious physicists, close collaborators of Emilio, Larissa Brizhik and Peppino Vitiello

, to help me continue the scientific study of meridians. ”, Published in JAMS (Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies) in June 2018. In it we study the origin and dynamic propagation of an electromagnetic field in coherent states and the role it plays in the meridian model. Among other things, it analyzes the relationship between meridians and anatomical filamentous structures , the reciprocal actions between meridians and biochemical activity and the key role played by free energy, internal energy and entropy. The study and research continue, I am ready for new developments.

The result was an extraordinary article, “ Modeling Meridians within the Quantum Field Theory

What are the most profitable and important collaborations you have had in your studies?

My teachers of the degree course in Physics and the two-year post-degree of Medical Physics have been fundamental in “forming” my mind. In particular, Emanuele Reguzzon i, who directed me towards a thesis and later towards a specialization in medical physics and Emilio Del Giudice , one of the pioneers of string theory in the early seventies, known during the two-year specialty, who became a true guide in the development of my research between physics and oriental medicine.
From him I learned not to be wary, to be open to ideas, to search without prejudice, with joy and lightness.

The following sentence, of which I have the original writing, is for me a kind of sutrapersonal, and also a precious heritage that I want to preserve and respect: “ The most intimate aspect of reality is invisible and can be perceived not with the eyes but with a vibrant heart. The resonance of the oscillations of the heart with the oscillations of the universe is the essence of beauty ”.

The study of Shiatsu began in Milan to continue in various Italian cities, following workshops of Japanese teachers in Italy and abroad: Shizuko Yamamoto, Kazunori Sasaki, Wataru Ohashi and Pauline Sasaki. His ” Quantum Shiatsu ” resonated perfectly with my story and my vision. 

Then I was lucky enough to meet excellent teachers and guides also in the other disciplines I have practiced. In Yoga , after years of practice I completed the teacher course of master Carlo Patrian in Milan and I gained experiences in Rishikesh , India.

When I started attending the International Institute of Biophysics in Neuss, Germany , I got to know a team of world-renowned doctors, biologists and physicists: each of these meetings led to important collaborations.

What are the commonalities between oriental culture and quantum physics?

To answer this question comprehensively, I would need a lot of time and a lot of words. In this context, I therefore limit myself to some common aspects that have been fundamental for me:

• The Way of Personal Research with an Open and Intuitive Mind.
• The use of the concepts of “space” and “time”, which in both contexts lose their absolute and linear nature to become a circular place-time.
• The “n” dimensions that open up to new visions, readings, possibilities.
• The dynamic and impermanent Nature of systems in Physics, just like the “veil of Maya” of the Eastern World.

The poetic, almost mystical inspirations. One of these, among all, the one that while still a physics student I found in the book by F. Capra, ” The Tao of Physics “: ” The dance of Shiva is the dance of the Universe: the incessant flow of energy that crosses an infinite variety of configurations that blend into each other “

How do you use your physics knowledge in shiatsu practice?

I use the “quantum” paradigm because it provides an adequate ground for understanding the complexity of the human being. The most stimulating vision for me has to do with the dynamic and collective nature of phenomena concerning living systems, seen as quantum “ macrosystems ”.

The same holistic view is also one of the pillars on which traditional oriental medicines are based. Classical chemistry and biology are not exhaustive for describing vital phenomena, the wealth of information that travels between cells. An important role is in fact played by water and electromagnetic phenomena , generally underestimated by these sciences.

For me the meridian is a place where matter and energy are inseparable , creating very favorable conditions for a circulation of resources that allow the living system to function with maximum efficiency. This means feeling good.

“Science, which wants to” see “ what we touch with our hands, has already begun to validate the theses that we Shiatsu practitioners know and practice. But there is more: it begins to prove” scientifically “ “.

what are your future projects?

Understanding living systems in their complex functioning but above all in the multiplicity of interactions with other systems and with the environment .

Contribute to the vision of an integrated medicine where East and West meet, integrate and complement each other .

In a word: continue to translate oriental traditions of care into modern scientific language, especially the Japanese one to support the development of a “care relationship” where both parties play an active and conscious role, in mutual respect and the environment in which they are located.