What is Facial Diagnosis, really?

Are you looking at a wrinkle, or do you see a stagnant emotion that has been burdening the Gallbladder meridian for twenty years?

It involves observing and interpreting the inner landscape and recognizing the neurological and energetic “imprint” that life has left on the physiology. Every characteristic—from the brightness of the eyes to the color of the skin, the tone of the lips, and the depth of lines—is not coincidental but an accurate reflection of organ function, emotional vitality, and the flow of Qi within us.

The face is, as it were, a living health record that constantly communicates. By linking the unique facial features to the Five Elements, we gain a direct and unequivocal picture of where the body needs support and how your patient’s physical and emotional health truly manifests.

With a trained eye, you can recognize discoloration, swelling, dryness, asymmetry, or lines in certain areas as Qi stagnation, organ overload, or deep-seated emotional patterns. This will enable you to recognize illnesses at an early stage, identify hereditary or acquired vulnerabilities, and notice warning signs even before symptoms manifest.

But you probably already knew that.

Deciphering Trauma

This course takes a crucial step further and teaches you how to read trauma from the face. Mieke Fraussen has integrated the classical physiology of the Five Elements with modern health insights and trauma science. She thus bridges the gap between the visible and the invisible, between body and mind, between Eastern wisdom and Western knowledge. Thanks to her decades of experience as an acupuncturist, herbalist, nutritionist, and certified Compassionate Inquiry practitioner, she understands the neurological impact of trauma on the face like no other. She will teach you how to not only “look” at a face, but “see” a person with a clarity that is both scientific and transformative.

There’s often a barrier around the word “trauma.” We think of intense psychological sessions or insurmountable suffering. But within TCM and modern trauma science, we view things differently: trauma is simply a stored energetic and neurological imprint that obstructs the free flow of Qi. It is a physiological fact that is lodged in the fascia and musculature of the face.

Trauma begins early in life—sometimes even in the womb—and influences our choices, our physiology, and even our facial structure.

Trauma is not only what happened to us, but especially what happened within us as a result of that event. The impact on the nervous system and our emotional regulation leaves clear traces, visible in expression lines, asymmetries, and altered muscle tension in the face.

The Age Chart: Dating with Precision

You can read from the face not only that a trauma has occurred, but even when it occurred. By reading specific facial markings, you can map your patient’s timeline: from traumatic events in early childhood to recent physical crises. This enables you to pinpoint the root cause of a complaint with great precision and to treat it in a targeted manner.

By learning to read trauma traces through the face, you not only increase your diagnostic accuracy but also open the door to deeper healing. You will learn to distinguish between:

What will this bring you in practice?

Dare to Look

This masterclass is not a theoretical lecture; it is an invitation to the professional who is willing to look beyond the surface. It is your opportunity to be taught by an authority who knows the language of the face intimately, thanks to decades of clinical experience and in-depth study of its sources.

When we break through the layers of the “Survival Mask,” we unlock the patient’s Constitutional Gifts: the unique, innate potential often hidden beneath layers of tension. By freeing the Qi from traumatic blockages, you enable the body to function as it was intended. You give the patient the energy to recover from their own healing power and show their authentic self to the world again.

Not a perfect face. But the true face.