The following is just my personal opinion from my past experiences.  For qigong to be an effective and beneficial health exercise, the person who practices it must possess above all a sound mind.  Not necessarily an intelligent mind, but a mind that is alert and clear.  The problem with patients who are suffering from mental disorders is that they often lack the above criteria for qigong to be an effective treatment or benefit.  For the average person, qigong is beneficial to one's health and spiritual development if it is done correctly.  However, for patients suffering from mental disorders, it's more likely that qigong will do more harm than good, because they lack the mental acuity necessary to direct the energy to where it suppose to be.  As for treatment options, I believe these patients have better chances with acupunture and/or herbal medicine. 

 

I would like to think that qigong can benefit patients of mental disorder, but I think in cases like these the risks greatly overshadows the benefits even if the patient works closely with a qualified and talented qigong master.  This is also a topic I am concerned about, and I would also like to know more if there are qigong masters who will offer greater insight into this problem.

 

Ming

Matthew <mja55428@...> wrote: