I have decided to try an experiment, from now on I will be accepting payment by donation for all my clinical work. There will be no set price, it will be up to the individual to decide how much they want to pay for my services. I realise that this is an unusual concept for many of us, so I have written the following post to explain some of the thinking behind it.
Healing with Qi
My primary treatment modality is qigong therapy. When treating with qigong the practitioner uses subtle energy flows to bring the client’s body back into balance and to stimulate any healing that is necessary. During this process the practitioner draws on energy from the surrounding environment and may even tap into their own energy reserves to effect change in the client’s energy flows. This process requires union between mind and body, thought and action.
Motivation
Motivation is very important in qigong treatment as this can subtly affect the quality of the energy flow and the overall outcome of the treatment. The best way to have the energy flow freely is to do the work with the only intention being the desired healing outcome. Motivations of money or any other type can block the flow of energy and reduce the overall benefit of the treatment.
The need for exchange
And yet there still needs to be an exchange. You can only run the taps for so long before the reservoir runs dry. The practitioner giving of their time, talents and energy needs to receive as well so that their needs can be met and they can continue to provide their services. Also the client receiving the treatment needs to give in return in order to fully appreciate the value of what they have received.
A question of value
We tend to gain the most benefit from the things we value the most. It’s a funny thing that those things that cost us little we tend to value little and those things that cost a lot we tend to value a lot, and yet the best things in life are free and the most important things can’t be bought for any price. How then do we value health and healing?
I have never had anyone tell me they thought that my prices were too expensive, in fact quite the opposite, I have been told many times that I am undercharging. Yet I have also found that sometimes people have felt they can’t afford treatment, or can’t afford it with the regularity that they would like and that would give them the best results. My preference is that cost should not be a factor in someone seeking treatment. By letting people pay whatever they want for my services it doesn’t have to be. People are free to pay as much or as little as they can afford and feel comfortable with.
Abundance
This may sound like a risky proposition to some, but I hope and believe that by freely giving to others what they want and need, I will in return be able to freely receive what I want and need. To be honest, deep in my heart, if I have a service or skill that you can benefit from I would rather just give it to you than worry about getting a certain price for it. I believe that most people deep inside understand the concept of fair exchange and will give in return appropriately according to what they can afford; and while some will give little, others will give more and in the end it will all work out.
We live in a world of abundance, when we each give and receive freely there is plenty for all.
Practical considerations
The simplest and easiest way for the client to give in exchange for the treatment they have received is by payment of money as this is the common medium of exchange in our society and can be easily used to meet such practical needs as paying for rent, power, fuel, food and so on. These payments can be made by Barry Snyder with cash, cheque, bank deposit or eftpos.
Sometimes a client may wish to give something non-monetary in exchange, such as goods or services. In many cases this may be acceptable, but please check with me first that I have a use for whatever it is you would like to donate. Part of the aim of accepting payment by donation is to promote the free exchange of energy. Non-monetary donations are only a useful exchange of energy if the recipient is able and wants to use them, otherwise disposing of the donation can actually become a drain of energy rather than a boost.
If you require or would like to buy some kind of health products from me there will be a set price as I need to cover the cost of purchasing those products.
Some people may wonder if the purpose of receiving payment like this is a way of getting out of paying taxes; actually all income received in this way is still liable for tax as ordinary income would be. A GST receipt is available for all payments if you would like one.
Not sure how much to pay?
This way of paying may take some getting used to, if you are a bit lost as to how much you should pay you could ask yourself the following questions as a guide to get you started: How much value do I get from my treatment? What difference does this make in my life? How much would I expect to pay another professional for their time? How much can I afford?
Conclusion
So that’s the thinking behind this experiment. I hope this post has helped you to understand where I am coming from with this and how it will work in practice. I am nervous about doing this, but excited to see how it works. It is an experiment at this stage, so I am not sure how long I will operate this way for. Ideally if things go well I will run my clinic this way indefinitely, but I always have the option of going back to fixed prices if I need to. I plan to do it for at least the next several months and I will hopefully write a follow up post in the near future to let you know how it is going.
