Sometimes the most interesting things happen when we stop trying to confirm what we think we know. In clinic, certainty can close doors—but curiosity opens them. There’s a kind of listening that goes beyond the intellect, a way of paying attention that allows discovery to unfold on its own time.
In this conversation with Dan Bensky, we explore the art of noticing. What it means to let medicine be a call and response rather than a performance of knowledge. We talk about the practitioner’s stance—one that values modesty over mastery, sensation before interpretation, and the quiet skill of finding something you weren’t looking for.
Listen into this discussion as we trace ideas of Tong and connection, the dance between palpation and perception, the discipline involved with not-knowing, and how true competence might simply mean being willing to check yourself.
This is a conversation for anyone who’s ever paused mid-treatment and thought, “Huh… that’s odd.” Because sometimes, that moment—the one that unsettles what you thought you knew—is where the treatment really begins.
At the end of the interview for the first office call, I like to ask patients if they’d like to share anything with me that they have not previously shared with any health care practitioner. Often what they say to me then turns out to be extremely significant.
Dan Bensky, D.O.
I have been studying Chinese medicine and osteopathic medicine for many decades. I earned a Diploma in Chinese Medicine from the Macau Institute of Chinese Medicine in 1975, a Doctor of Osteopathy from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982, a Master’s in Classical Chinese from the University of Washington in 1996, and a Doctorate in the Discussion of Cold Damage from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in 2006.
Over the years, With this background I have contributed to several major translation projects, which lead to me being honored in 2008 with the Wang Dingyi Cup International Prize for my contributions to Chinese medicine.
I’ve had the privilege of studying under exceptional osteopathic teachers like John Upledger, Jean-Pierre Barral, and Robert Fulford. For over four decades, I’ve been sharing my knowledge of combining osteopathy with East Asian medicine, and it remains a fascinating journey.
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Interested in a short class. There are a couple Qiological Live classes available on the Net of Knowledge.
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