Guide IV-101

Dejian mind-body intervention

Agnes S. Chan, Shi Dejian2008Hong Kong (CUHK) and Shaolin, Henan
A 16 · L 55 · M 2916 interventions in the Trinity explorer1 described for recognition only
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: the group Dejian Mind-Body Intervention (DMBI) as described in the CUHK research team's trial papers (Chan et al. 2011 depressive mood RCT; Yu, Woo, Chan & Sze 2014, 12-week older-adult version; Chan et al. 2017, 10-week older-adult version), with the exercise set as specified for Nei Yang Gong in Chan et al. 2013 (PLoS One). The developers' manual (Chan AS, 2013, Contemporary Application of Shaolin Medicine: Dejian Mind-Body Intervention, 5th ed., Chinese, Chanwuyi Publishing) and The Shaolin Chanwuyi (Chan, 2010) are not drawn on; exercise detail beyond what the papers report is therefore marked [uncertain] or [synthesis].

DMBI is a manualised group lifestyle-and-practice programme developed by Agnes S. Chan (Department of Psychology, Chinese University of Hong Kong) with Grand Master Shi Dejian, a Shaolin monk of the Henan Songshan Research Institute for Chanwuyi (Sanhuangzhai monastery, Henan, mainland China; "Hong Kong" applies to Chan and the research centre, not to Shi Dejian). It derives from Chanwuyi: Chan (Zen) Buddhism, Wu (martial arts) and Yi (medicine) as taught at Shaolin. It has four interconnected components: (1) Chan practice (self-awareness and modification of "unrealistic desires" such as greed, anger and obsession), (2) mind-body exercises (Nei Gong / Nei Yang Gong: gentle movement, self-massage and passive Dan Tian breathing), (3) dietary modification (a vegetarian diet avoiding foods the school regards as generating "internal heat"), and (4) "clearing the bodily orifices". [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017; Chan et al. 2009 Cases J; CUHK press release 2008]

Theory of change, as the authors state it: psychological distress is addressed at its "root" in line with Buddhist philosophy, i.e. by recognising and loosening unrealistic desires and their bodily signs; diet supports physical health; Nei Gong is held to promote the circulation of Qi and blood; and a natural, relaxed attitude is held to keep Qi and blood flowing smoothly (the Chan medical model). Qi, blood circulation in the Chinese-medicine sense and "internal heat" are the school's own concepts, not physiological facts. In practical psychological terms the programme combines psychoeducation and cognitive work on craving/anger, daily self-regulation practice (breath awareness, relaxation, self-soothing massage) and a behavioural lifestyle change. [source: Chan et al. 2017; Chan et al. 2013] The research team has tested it with community adults with depressive mood, patients with depression, older adults with memory complaints, and children with autism; it is not a treatment for epilepsy or any physical disease, despite a single case report on epilepsy. [source: Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program research page; Chan et al. 2009]

2. Framework

No explicit phase model with entry/exit criteria is given in the sources; the manual may contain one [uncertain]. What the sources give is a fixed group format with all four components taught concurrently, plus daily home practice. Reported formats (name the one you follow):

  • Brief adult format: 4 weekly group sessions of 90 minutes, community adults with varying depressive mood (compared against CBT). [source: Chan et al. 2011, PolyU repository abstract]
  • 10-week older-adult format: 10 weekly group sessions of 1.5 hours, led by two clinical psychologists each with over 10 years' experience; therapist "closely monitored" each participant; attendance 91%. [source: Chan et al. 2017]
  • 12-week older-adult format: 12 weekly 90-minute group sessions, one clinical psychologist familiar with DMBI with over 10 years of group-therapy experience; home practice logged in a diary (mean about 25 minutes of mind-body exercise per day; 95% practised at home). [source: Yu et al. 2014]
  • Child exercise-only format (Nei Yang Gong): 8 group sessions, 1 hour, twice weekly for 4 weeks, led by a clinical psychologist experienced with autism; each round of the 5-movement sequence with music lasts about 5 minutes; children encouraged to practise 1–3 times daily, logged in booklets. Chan practice and diet were not part of this arm. [source: Chan et al. 2013]
  • Individual case formats: 3 months of Triarchic Body-pathway Relaxation Technique (TBRT) plus Natural Dan Tian Breathing for an adolescent with Asperger's disorder (Chan, Sze & Shi 2008); 4 months of full DMBI for an adult with chronic epilepsy, with Dan Tian breathing 2–3 times daily (Chan et al. 2009).

What each session contains: the papers do not publish a session-by-session schedule [uncertain]. A workable structure consistent with the sources [synthesis]:

  • Session 1 (orientation): rationale of the four components; screening (Section 5); teach Natural Dan Tian Breathing; introduce the practice diary; first look at the diet lists.
  • Early sessions: add the movement sequence one element at a time (tranquil stand, shoulder relaxation, nasal-bridge massage, Qi-circulating movement, passive Dan Tian breathing) until the participant can do the full round alone; Chan psychoeducation on greed, anger and obsession and their body signs; agree individual diet changes.
  • Middle sessions: each session opens with a group practice round and diary review, then Chan practice applied to members' current situations (noticing a desire, its bodily signal, and modifying the thought), then problem-solving around diet and home practice.
  • Final sessions: consolidate self-guided practice, relapse-prevention plan, self-soothing massage for distress.

Criteria for moving on [synthesis, since none were found]: add a new movement only when the participant performs the previous one in a relaxed, unforced way (the 2013 instructor checked each child's mastery every session); move from teaching to applying Chan practice once members can name at least one personal desire–body-signal link; taper therapist guidance once home practice is daily and logged.

3. Guiding principles

  • Natural and relaxed, not effortful. Movements are done "in a relaxed and natural manner" (Chan et al. 2013); the breath is natural, not controlled. Practical meaning: correct forcing, breath-holding and striving before correcting form.
  • Dose by bodily sign, not the clock. Practice continues "until they felt warm and relaxed" (Yu et al. 2014), "but not to the point of overexertion" (Chan et al. 2017); children stop once they begin sweating. Meaning: teach clients to stop at warmth and ease, never push through fatigue.
  • Stop and resume. Children were told to stop when tired or uncomfortable and resume after rest (Chan et al. 2013). Meaning: discomfort is a stop signal, not something to override.
  • Address the root of distress. Chan practice targets unrealistic desires (greed, anger, obsession) rather than symptoms alone (Chan et al. 2017). Meaning: in every session link the client's current distress to what they are craving, resisting or clinging to.
  • Body signs as feedback. Participants learn to notice physical signs linked to those desires, e.g. headaches, shortness of breath, insomnia (Yu et al. 2014). Meaning: use bodily symptoms as cues to self-observe, while referring new or unexplained symptoms for medical review [synthesis].
  • Mind, body and diet are interconnected. The four components are taught together (Chan et al. 2009). Meaning: do not deliver the exercises alone and call it DMBI; if you deliver only exercises, name it as such (as the 2013 Nei Yang Gong trial did).
  • Daily self-practice is the treatment. Home practice is expected daily and logged (Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2013). Meaning: review the diary at every session.
  • Close individual monitoring within a group. The trainer tracked each participant's progress (Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017). Meaning: check each member's form, diary and diet individually, even in groups.
  • Tailor the diet to the person. Dietary recommendations were adjusted to each individual's eating habits (Chan et al. 2017). Meaning: negotiate gradual, specific substitutions rather than imposing the full list at once.
  • Self-regulation tools for distress. Simple self-massage forms are taught for moments of frustration (Chan et al. 2013). Meaning: give clients a portable calming action they can do themselves.
  • Attribute the theory. Qi, internal heat and orifice-clearing are Chanwuyi concepts [source: Chan et al. 2013, 2017]. Meaning: present them to clients as the tradition's explanation, not as medical fact, and never as a reason to change medical treatment [synthesis].

[source for section: papers as cited; synthesis where marked]

4. Intervention inventory

Scope note: the papers name 16 elements but publish only brief procedures; step detail below that is not in a cited source is marked [synthesis]. Exact postures, repetitions and the music used are in the Chinese manual and the Chanwuyi materials, which are not drawn on [uncertain]. Touch: none of the sources describes therapist touch; all massage in DMBI is self-massage. If you choose to correct posture by touch, that is your addition [synthesis]: explain what and why first, ask, offer a verbal or demonstration-only alternative, agree a stop word, check in during and after, and only do it if you have training, supervision and your licence and jurisdiction permit it. Prefer demonstrating on yourself.

4.1 Chan practice: recognising unrealistic desires

  • Purpose / when: Core cognitive component in every full-DMBI session; targets the "root" of distress as greed, anger and obsession [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017].
  • Steps [synthesis on sequence]: (1) Psychoeducation: introduce the three desires as everyday mental habits (wanting more or wanting things to be otherwise; aversion and anger; fixation/clinging). (2) Ask each member to pick a recent upsetting episode. (3) Help them name which desire was active and what exactly they were demanding of themselves, others or life. (4) Rate how realistic the demand was. (5) Record one example in the diary for the week.
  • Example language (illustrative): "When you felt that surge last night, what were you wanting so badly, or refusing to accept?" / "Which of the three was it closest to: wanting, anger, or getting stuck on something?"
  • Watch for: Moralising or shame ("I'm a greedy person"): reframe desires as common mental habits, not character faults [synthesis]. Working when members spontaneously catch a desire in the moment and describe it without self-blame.

4.2 Chan practice: linking desires to bodily signs

  • Purpose / when: Teach participants to notice physical signals related to unrealistic desires, e.g. headaches, shortness of breath and insomnia [source: Yu et al. 2014].
  • Steps [synthesis]: (1) After identifying the desire in 4.1, ask where in the body it was felt. (2) Build a personal list of 2–3 early body signs. (3) Agree that each sign is a cue to pause and do Dan Tian breathing or self-massage (4.4, 4.11–4.12). (4) Track sign → pause in the diary.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before the anger had words, what did your body do?" / "Next time your chest tightens like that, treat it as a bell: stop, hands on the belly, a few natural breaths."
  • Watch for: Attributing new, severe or unexplained physical symptoms to desires: refer for medical assessment first [synthesis]. Working when the interval between sign and pause shortens.

4.3 Chan practice: modifying thought patterns

  • Purpose / when: Ease negative thinking by modifying thought processes in line with Buddhist philosophy [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017]. The specific teachings used are not given in the sources [uncertain].
  • Steps [synthesis]: (1) Take the demand identified in 4.1. (2) Invite a more realistic or less grasping stance (accepting impermanence, loosening the demand, letting go of what cannot be controlled). (3) Ask the client to phrase it in their own words. (4) Rehearse it while doing a round of Dan Tian breathing. (5) Practise once in a real situation before next session.
  • Example language (illustrative): "If you held this a little more loosely, how would you say it to yourself?" / "What would remain if you let go of needing this to turn out exactly your way?"
  • Watch for: Religious discomfort: present the ideas as practical philosophy, not a requirement to adopt Buddhism [synthesis]. Avoid using "letting go" to minimise abuse, injustice or grief that needs other work [synthesis]. Working when members report fewer ruminative loops and better sleep.

4.4 Natural Dan Tian Breathing (NDTB)

  • Purpose / when: Foundational relaxation and attention practice; taught early and used 2–3 times daily in the epilepsy case, and as a self-calming tool [source: Chan et al. 2009; Yu et al. 2014]. The team describes it as fostering a relaxed yet attentive state [source: CUHK press release 2008, EEG/fMRI claims are the authors'].
  • Steps: (1) Sit or stand comfortably (posture not specified in sources [uncertain]). (2) Place one or both hands gently on the Dan Tian, about half an inch below the navel. (3) Breathe naturally; do not deepen, slow or control the breath. (4) On the in-breath, passively and relaxedly observe the Dan Tian area; on the out-breath, observe the nose. (5) Continue until warm and relaxed. [source: Chan et al. 2009; Yu et al. 2014] (6) Close: lower hands, a brief pause, then ask what was noticed [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Rest your hands lightly below your navel. Let the breath do whatever it does. Breathing in, just notice your belly; breathing out, notice the air at your nose."
  • Watch for: Clients turning it into forced deep breathing or counting; light-headedness or tingling suggests over-breathing: return to ordinary breathing [synthesis]. In trauma survivors, attention to the abdomen can feel unsafe: allow eyes open and a hand on the chest or thigh instead [synthesis]. Working when the client reports warmth and ease and can use it unprompted.

4.5 Tranquil stand (Nei Yang Gong element 1)

  • Purpose / when: First of the five Nei Yang Gong movements, done in fixed order with music; settles attention [source: Chan et al. 2013].
  • Steps: Stand calmly and still in a relaxed, natural manner (Chan et al. 2013; The Transmitter 2013). Exact foot position, gaze and duration not given [uncertain]. Synthesis: feet about hip-width, knees soft, arms relaxed, eyes softly open or closed, a few breaths before moving on.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Just stand. Let your shoulders hang, knees not locked. Nothing to do yet."
  • Watch for: Dizziness or poor balance in older adults: offer a chair or a hand on a chair back [synthesis].

4.6 Shoulder relaxation (element 2)

  • Purpose / when: Relax the neck and shoulders; also used by the team as part of the adult exercises [source: Chan et al. 2013; Yu et al. 2014].
  • Steps: Gentle, relaxed shoulder movement intended to release the neck and shoulders. Exact movement not specified [uncertain]. Synthesis: slow shoulder lifts and releases, or slow rolls, with natural breath, several times, without forcing range.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let the shoulders rise a little, then drop as if putting down a heavy bag. Slowly, no strain."
  • Watch for: Pain or recent shoulder/neck injury: reduce range or do it imaginally [synthesis].

4.7 Nasal-bridge massage (element 3)

  • Purpose / when: Self-massage of both sides of the nasal bridge to ease nostril breathing; in the school's theory, also linked to "clearing the orifices" [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2013; orifice link is inferred, uncertain].
  • Steps: Standing calmly, the client massages both sides of the bridge of the nose with the fingers [source: Yu et al. 2014; The Transmitter 2013]. Pressure, direction and repetitions not given [uncertain]; synthesis: light up-and-down strokes with the index or middle fingers.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Use two fingers and stroke gently along both sides of your nose, as lightly as is comfortable."
  • Watch for: Skin conditions, recent facial surgery or nosebleeds: skip [synthesis]. Hygiene in groups.

4.8 Qi-circulating movement (element 4)

  • Purpose / when: In the school's theory, to circulate Qi and blood and increase limb flexibility [source: Chan et al. 2013].
  • Steps: Simple actions such as moving the hands or fingers up and down and bending the knees, in a relaxed, natural manner, with music [source: Chan et al. 2013]. Exact choreography not given [uncertain]; do not invent a named form, follow Chanwuyi training materials if available.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let your hands float up and down with the music, knees bending a little as they come down. Slow is better than big."
  • Watch for: Knee pain or fall risk: shallow bends or seated version [synthesis]. Children moving fast and agitated early is expected; the 2013 trial reported slower, calmer movement as training progressed, a sign it is working.

4.9 Passive Dan Tian breathing (element 5)

  • Purpose / when: Closes the Nei Yang Gong sequence [source: Chan et al. 2013].
  • Steps: As 4.4: hands on the lower abdomen, natural breath, passive observation. Then close the round, ask how the body feels, and record in the diary [synthesis].

4.10 Full Nei Yang Gong round with music

  • Purpose / when: Practising elements 4.5–4.9 as one sequence; each round with music lasted about 5 minutes; children practised 1–3 times daily at home (mean around 19 minutes/day among regular practisers) [source: Chan et al. 2013]. Adults averaged about 25 minutes/day of mind-body exercise [source: Yu et al. 2014].
  • Steps: (1) Demonstrate the whole round. (2) Teach one element at a time. (3) Run the full round with music together. (4) Check each person's form individually (the 2013 instructor monitored each child every session). (5) Repeat rounds until participants feel warm and relaxed, stopping before overexertion or, for children, when sweating starts. (6) Give the music or a recording for home use [synthesis]; the pieces used are not named [uncertain].
  • Example language (illustrative): "We'll go through all five pieces with the music. If you get tired, stop, rest, and join back in when you're ready."
  • Watch for: Overexertion, boredom in children (shorter rounds, more praise), and drift towards effortful performance. Working: participants complete rounds unprompted, logs show daily practice, and agitation reduces.

4.11 Self-soothing massage: rolling the hands between chest and abdomen

  • Purpose / when: A self-guided massage form taught for moments when the person feels distressed or frustrated [source: Chan et al. 2013].
  • Steps: Roll the hands slowly up and down between the chest and the abdomen [source: Chan et al. 2013]. Synthesis: seated or standing, palms on the body, slow strokes with natural breath, continue until calmer, then a moment of stillness.
  • Example language (illustrative): "When you notice the frustration rising, put both hands on your chest and slowly roll them down to your belly and back up."
  • Watch for: Some trauma survivors find touching the torso activating: offer the forearms or thighs instead [synthesis]. Working when the person uses it spontaneously and settles faster (the 2008 Asperger case reported faster self-calming after the first week).

4.12 Self-soothing: hands on the abdomen observing the breath

  • Purpose / when: Brief in-the-moment calming; the instructor in the child trial encouraged distressed children to rest their hands on their stomachs and observe the breath [source: Chan et al. 2013; The Transmitter 2013].
  • Steps: Pause the activity; rest the hands on the abdomen; observe the natural breath (as 4.4) for a few breaths; resume when ready [synthesis on closing].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let's stop for a moment. Hands on your tummy. Just feel it go up and down."
  • Watch for: Insisting on compliance during a meltdown; offer, model it yourself, and wait [synthesis].

4.13 Dietary modification (Chan diet)

  • Purpose / when: Component 3 of full DMBI; the authors' aim is to support physical health and, in their theory, to reduce "internal heat" [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017].
  • What the sources specify: a vegetarian diet; avoid foods regarded as generating internal heat: ginger, garlic, green onion, spicy foods, eggs, meat and fish/seafood; eat fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, mushrooms, nuts and root vegetables; recommendations tailored to each person's eating habits [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017; Chan et al. 2009]. In the 12-week trial, 60% reduced or avoided the not-recommended foods and 81% ate at least three recommended categories daily (Yu et al. 2014), which suggests partial adherence was accepted.
  • Steps [synthesis]: (1) Before any change, screen for eating disorders, medical diets (diabetes, kidney disease, anaemia, food allergy), pregnancy, children and frail older adults, and involve the client's physician or a dietitian where relevant. (2) Present the diet as part of the tradition, optional and adjustable. (3) Review current eating with the client. (4) Agree one or two specific substitutions per week (e.g. one meat meal replaced with beans and vegetables). (5) Track in the diary; review without judgement. Give no calorie or weight targets.
  • Example language (illustrative): "This tradition recommends a vegetarian, non-spicy diet. We'll pick one change you're willing to try this week and see how your body responds."
  • Watch for: Restriction becoming rigid, anxious or weight-focused; family or cultural conflict over food; nutritional adequacy of a vegetarian diet without eggs or fish (check protein, B12, iron with a dietitian) [synthesis]. Stop and refer if disordered eating appears.

4.14 Home-practice diary / log booklet

  • Purpose / when: Every format used daily home practice recorded in a diary or log booklet, reviewed by the trainer [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2013].
  • Steps [synthesis on format]: Daily entries for: practice times and minutes, how the body felt afterwards (warm/relaxed?), diet changes kept, one Chan-practice observation (desire, body sign, revised thought). Review individually at the start of every session.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let's look at your week. Which days did you practise, and what did you notice afterwards?"
  • Watch for: Empty logs (Section 5); for children, decide explicitly whether the parent or child fills it in (not stated in the source).

4.15 Triarchic Body-pathway Relaxation Technique (TBRT)

  • Purpose / when: Described by the team as an ancient Chinese mindfulness-based meditation aimed at a state where deep relaxation and internalised attention coexist; used with NDTB in the 2008 Asperger case and tested by EEG in students via audiotape [source: Chan, Han & Cheung 2008 abstract; Chan, Sze & Shi 2008 excerpt].
  • Steps: Not given in any source [uncertain]. The name implies three body pathways, but their routes and instructions are not given here; do not improvise a version under this name. Obtain the CUHK/Chanwuyi recording or manual before use.

4.16 "Clearing the bodily orifices"

  • Purpose / when: Component 4 of DMBI in the school's model [source: Chan et al. 2009; CUHK press release 2008]. In the epilepsy case it consisted of an herbal nasal drop made by the Chanwuyi foundation's herbal institute, applied several times daily over four months [source: Chan et al. 2009]. Most group trials do not describe how this component was delivered [source: Yu et al. 2014; Chan et al. 2017].
  • For the psychotherapist: Herbal products are outside psychotherapeutic scope; do not supply or recommend them. Nasal-bridge self-massage (4.7) is the only orifice-related element a therapist can deliver [synthesis]. Ensure clients do not stop prescribed medication (e.g. antiepileptic drugs) in favour of DMBI elements [synthesis].

5. Handling problems

The sources address problems only briefly: stop when tired or uncomfortable and resume after rest, practise until warm but not to overexertion, teach self-soothing massage for distress, and monitor each participant closely [source: Chan et al. 2013; Chan et al. 2017; Yu et al. 2014]. Everything else below is [synthesis].

Screening before starting [synthesis, informed by trial exclusions]. The trials excluded people with head injury, neurological or psychiatric disorders, inability to walk, severe illness, or high depression/anxiety/dementia scores (older-adult trial), and children with comorbidities or on psychiatric medication (autism trial) [source: Chan et al. 2017; Chan et al. 2013]; these are research exclusions, not validated contraindications. In clinical use, screen for: severe or psychotic depression and suicidality (DMBI alone is not adequate; use standard risk assessment and safety planning); balance problems and fall risk; cardiovascular or respiratory illness; recent injury or surgery; pregnancy; eating disorders or medical diets (diet component); severe dissociation or unstabilised trauma (internal attention practices). The exercises are gentle and non-intensifying, so the main physical risks are falls and overexertion.

  • Stuck client (no change after several sessions): check the diary for actual practice minutes; check whether practice is effortful rather than relaxed (correct form first); check whether Chan practice has been linked to the client's real problem; consider that DMBI may not fit and offer an evidence-based alternative for the presenting condition.
  • Resistance to the philosophy or diet: separate the components; offer the exercises and Chan-practice self-observation as secular skills; make diet optional; respect religious and cultural food practices. Name honestly that partial delivery is not the full DMBI.
  • Overwhelm or distress in session: stop the sequence, offer 4.12 or 4.11 with eyes open, orient to the room; for trauma reactions to body focus, shift attention to external sensory anchors and slow the pace. In child groups, the instructor modelled calming rather than insisting (Chan et al. 2013; The Transmitter 2013).
  • Physical discomfort, dizziness, fatigue: stop, sit, ordinary breathing; resume after rest as the sources advise; reduce duration or switch to seated movements.
  • Non-adherence to home practice: shrink the target (one 5-minute round a day), attach it to a fixed daily routine, give the music, review the log every session without criticism, problem-solve barriers.
  • Non-adherence to diet: reduce to one substitution; accept partial change (the 12-week trial reported partial adherence); stop pressing if it causes family conflict or anxious restriction.
  • Ruptures: these often arise when the client feels judged ("too greedy", "eating wrong") or pressured into beliefs; acknowledge, apologise for the stance, re-emphasise choice, and return to the client's own goals.
  • Group difficulties: uneven ability (pair stronger with newer members; individual checks of form); members comparing diets or practice minutes competitively (reframe as personal practice).
  • Medical claims and medication: do not present DMBI as treatment for epilepsy, autism's core features, cancer or other physical disease; clients should not alter medication without their doctor; refer herbal-remedy questions to the prescriber.
  • Fidelity and training: the trials used clinical psychologists with over 10 years' experience who were familiar with the DMBI model; training is available through the CUHK Chanwuyi Lifestyle Medicine Program and the Chanwuyi foundation (www.chanwuyi.org, cited by Chan et al. 2013). Without that training, describe what you offer as "DMBI-informed".

Sources

Sources:

Further reading (not drawn on) [uncertain]:

  • Chan, A. S. (2013). Contemporary Application of Shaolin Medicine: Dejian Mind-Body Intervention (5th ed., in Chinese). Hong Kong: Chanwuyi Publishing.
  • Chan, A. S. (2010). The Shaolin Chanwuyi: A Chinese Chan Buddhism. Hong Kong: Chanwuyi Publishing.
  • Chan, A. S., Wong, Q. Y., Sze, S. L., Kwong, P. P., Han, Y. M., & Cheung, M. C. (2012). A Chinese Chan-based mind-body intervention for patients with depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 142, 283–289.
  • Chan, A. S., Cheung, M. C., Sze, S. L., Leung, W. W., & Shi, D. (2011). Shaolin Dan Tian breathing fosters relaxed and attentive mind. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 180704.
  • Archived Chanwuyi Research Centre pages (CUHK web archive).