The Compliment Channels Series 2026
StartTime: Sat 12 September 2026 9:00 am
Location: Auckland
What you'll learn
The Divergent Channels offer a lens for understanding pathology that primary channels alone cannot provide. When a pathogen cannot be expelled — or when an emotional–thought–belief continues to generate a Wei Qi response — the body faces a choice. Having that pathogen locked in with Wei Qi in the primary channels will, over time, threaten the organs themselves. The Divergents offer another strategy.
By communicating from the Wei Qi level down into the Yuan Qi realm, the Divergents allow the body to manage the situation differently — parking heat within the body’s fluids across the six confluences. Joints, spine, brain, blood, sense organs, hormones — each confluence has its own medium for holding pathology in latency, sometimes never to surface again within a person’s natural lifespan.
Until the Divergent channel fails. And that is when we begin to see symptoms: arthritis, lumbar pain, dizziness, sinusitis, fibrocystic breasts, nodules, chest pain, chronic inflammatory conditions. Much of the complex pathology we encounter in clinic today can be understood — and treated — through this lens.
- The six Divergent confluences and their clinical reasoning
- How pathogenic heat is stored within the body’s fluids
- Recognising which confluence is involved in a patient’s presentation
- Trajectory signs and latency patterns
- Divergent pulse taking
- Dietary recommendations that support this work
- Live patient demonstrations with the instructor
- Supervised hands-on practice — using the Divergents in your own hands and body
By the end of the weekend you will not only understand the framework — you will have experienced it, and be ready to begin using this work with your patients.
Weekend structure
- Detailed exploration of the six Divergent confluences
- Clinical reasoning and application
- Fluids and latency areas for each confluence
- Wei Qi and trajectory signs
- Divergent pulse taking
- Dietary recommendations
- Afternoon: live patient demonstrations
- Further live clinical observation
- Supervised peer practice — experience building mediumship and complement in your own hands and body
Reading for this workshop
Required
Illustrations of the Complete Acupuncture Channel System — Essential for class. Hardcopy or PDF. Contains all channel trajectory maps. Get it from Ann Cecil-Sterman’s website →
Recommended (optional)
Advanced Acupuncture: A Clinic Manual — The full clinic manual. Not required, but invaluable for deeper reference. View or purchase here →
About Ada Sobieszczuk
Ada holds a BSc (Hons) in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Middlesex University, London, and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Early in her training she was drawn to the Classical texts, and a formative encounter with Master Jeffrey Yuen showed her how complex Western medical thinking could be expressed through the elegant simplicity of that Classical lens.
The publication of Ann Cecil-Sterman’s Advanced Acupuncture: A Clinical Manual gave Ada the language and clinical framework to fully understand and apply these teachings. Integrating the Divergent channels into her practice meant being able to build resources, mediumship, and complement with her patients — buffering down inflammatory conditions with clarity. She looks forward to sharing that with you.
About the series
This weekend is the third in a four-part training series exploring the Complement Channels. Together they form a complete system — a coherent, comprehensive map for clinical work that means you’ll be equipped to treat every patient who walks through your door.
While individual weekends can be attended, it is strongly advised to take the series in full. Mixing these methods with other channel approaches can dilute the treatment and lead to confusion — you really do want all five.
18–19 Jul 2026 Sinew Channels
15–16 Aug 2026 Luo Channels
12–13 Sep 2026 Divergent Channels
10–11 Oct 2026 Extraordinary Channels