Traditional Chinese Medicine for Animals Foundation Course

Explore the foundational principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and discover a different way of understanding animal health, balance, and wellness.

The TCM for Animals Foundation Course introduces students to the philosophy and core concepts that have shaped Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, with an emphasis on how these principles can be considered when working with animals.

Rather than viewing the body as a collection of separate systems, TCM takes a whole-animal approach, looking at patterns, relationships, environment, constitution, and the interconnected nature of physical and emotional well-being.

Throughout the course, students are introduced to fundamental TCM concepts including Qi, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, meridians, organ systems and their energetic relationships, patterns of balance and imbalance, and the influence of environmental and constitutional factors on the individual animal.

Students will begin learning how to observe an animal through a TCM-informed perspective and consider characteristics such as behavior, movement, physical presentation, preferences, and other patterns that may provide information about the animal as a whole.

The course also provides an introduction to how TCM principles relate to complementary modalities such as acupressure, nutrition, bodywork, and other holistic wellness practices, helping students understand the larger theoretical framework behind techniques they may encounter in more advanced training.

This is a foundation course, rather than a course intended to train students to diagnose or treat medical conditions using Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its purpose is to develop an understanding of TCM theory and terminology that can support continued education in animal acupressure and other TCM-based approaches.

This course is ideal for animal bodyworkers, massage practitioners, Reiki practitioners, holistic animal professionals, veterinary and animal-care professionals, animal owners, and anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine as it relates to animals.

No previous TCM experience is required.

Whether this is your first introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine or the beginning of more advanced study, this course provides a foundation for looking beyond individual symptoms and beginning to appreciate the relationships, patterns, and balance of the whole animal.

Learn the foundations. Recognize the patterns. Explore the relationships. Begin seeing the animal through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine.