Spirit writing (fuji)

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · China

What it is

Spirit writing goes by several names: 扶乩 fuji ("supporting the planchette"), 扶鸞 fuluan ("supporting the phoenix") and 降筆 jiangbi ("descending brush"). In the tradition's own understanding, a deity or immortal sends a message through a medium. The medium moves a special stylus or planchette (鸞筆…

Format

• Spirit writing is a religious observance, not a therapy. No source gives phases, a session count or a format for clinical work alongside it. The structure below is a clinical sequence, built on the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) and its supplementary modules.
• Format: individual sessions, with family sessions where family decisions are tied up with revelations.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Who leads and authorises it. Practitioners describe the gods as the source of authority, both for doctrine and for decisions about the hall. A medium's mandate depends on divine approval and can be withdrawn. In one documented case, a medium's authority was revoked after persistent moral lapses, and the decision was conveyed through another medium. Halls have named roles, including the medium (鸞生 luansheng, also 正鸞生…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Phase E: Ongoing work and review. Goal: deliver standard evidence-based treatment for the presenting problem, with the practice included where the client chooses. Revisit the CFI as rapport grows.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• medical neglect, and exhaustion from late hours. Working: the child's welfare and voice are protected.
• coercion, financial exploitation, and harm to children (4.13). Working: fewer escalations, and decisions the family can live with.
• confidentiality leaks within a small community, and pressure on the client. Working: the client feels supported by both the hall and therapy.
• messages taken as blame, and repeated consultations driven by anxiety (see 4.8). Working: the client feels both connected to the person who died and able to go on.
• practice commitments pushing out sleep, work or family to the point of impairment. Ask about this neutrally. Working: attendance is steady and the client feels respected.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.