383 Touching the Invisible • Chris McAlister

There’s something about the act of touch that goes beyond the physical, isn’t there? It’s like we’re not just meeting someone at their skin but somehow dipping into the unseen—into emotions, memories, and layers that words can’t quite reach. What happens when we listen with our hands instead of our ears? 

The guest of this episode, Chris McAlister, us an acupuncturist and shiatsu practitioner who’s been exploring the art of presence and connection for years. He’s inquisitive about how the practical meets the mystical, constantly seeking ways to blend tradition with modern insight, and helping people discover parts of themselves they didn’t even know were there. From his experiences in Tibet to decades of teaching, Chris brings curiosity, exploration, and a touch of rebellion to the table.

Listen into this discussion as we unravel the power of not knowing, the healing spirals that shift our understanding of problems, and why it’s sometimes okay to let discomfort simmer. And there’s bending reality and what that means in the clinic.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• The power of not knowing in healing
• Exploring the layers beneath physical touch
• The spiral of healing: revisiting issues from new perspectives
• How discomfort can lead to transformation
• The intersection of the practical and mystical in acupuncture
• Healing as archeology: uncovering buried stories
• The role of presence in effective healing practices
• Touch as a tool for connecting beyond the physical
• Understanding the role of mentorship in Chinese medicine
• Qi is the active ingredient of change
• How to navigate when nothing ever stands still  
• The art of letting patients guide their own healing process
• The importance of curiosity and exploration in the healing process
• Why healing is more about connection than quick fixes

Expect nothing/expect everything. Be well prepared, always, but always be prepared to let your preconceived ideas dissolve in the moment – your clients are the experts in their lives and the body knows more than we can ever imagine.​​

Chris McAlister

I am educated in the East and have trained with highly qualified practitioners in a range of Qi modalities including acupuncture, Shiatsu, Taiji, Qigong and Chinese herbs. My main education was done during a 5-year stay in Japan with frequent study trips to China. I continued to educate myself back in Europe, partly through Ted Kaptchuk's 2-year Chinese herb course in Amsterdam, partly by inviting colleagues to teach here in Sweden and partly by linking up with top professionals in the field here.

Two of these colleagues and I wrote Touching the Invisible: Exploring the Way of Shiatsu. Two years later I published my first solo work: The Poetry of Touch: Alchemy, Transformation and Oriental Medicine. My next book, From Source to the Ten Thousand, is nearing completion.

Since 1995, I have taught Shiatsu, acupuncture, Taiji, Qigong, meditation and relaxation in Sweden and internationally: in France, Greece, Holland, Israel, Italy, Norway, the UK and the US. For 2024, new workshops are planned in Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Canada. Work in Progress is very much my motivation and learning from clients, students and colleagues is a constant inspiration. Dream work involving past masters seems to be another vital component.

Links and Resources

You can visit Chris on Facebook and also the website for his book Poetry of Touch. 

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