Often my patients will say to me that something I am doing is helping but they are not sure what it is. I still need to explain better and there isn’t always time during a treatment. But in some ways it’s a mystery and really it’s the setting up of conditions so that people themselves heal in connection with the Benevolent Tao or Universal Love, God, or Source, Great Mystery, as we try to name that which we are part of. It may not matter what modalities are used, but that it’s a healing partnership. At my best, I have healing intentions, natural and developed intuition and connected knowing, and a lot of experience in various modalities. I love classical Five Element acupuncture and moxabustion and almost always that is my first approach. If a person wants pure classical acupuncture/moxa we will treat in that way. If a person wants to combine what I’m guided to include among various healing modalities, many of which are modern applications of Eastern healing arts, I ask for priority of treatment, or in general use the pulsed electromagnetic field ( PEMF ) mat and goggles ( MRS/SLRS ) while I check pulses, and energy balance. Because so many people have pain or inflammation, the MRS mat and wand is a terrific addition.
I’m excited about what the goggles/headphones ( SLRS) can do in getting the two hemispheres of our brain communicating subconsciously, and that is simple to include in the beginning of treatment. I also take into account what the person wants in the treatment if they ask for something in particular. I consistently check for balance in the meridians and support the person’s constitution according to the Five Element Acupuncture lineage, checking pulses.
Classical acupuncture has real depth, it can feel miraculous when a major or even minor block in the flow of energy is cleared. You feel your energy is pulled back together, or that you got a boost as if you had a deep nap or a vitamin shot, or for others, a deep sense of relaxation. All the functions of the body work better, and something you didn’t realize was bothering you may even show improvement.
Clearing blocks in the energy flow can feel like a new lease on life. Then we work to create balance by supporting the parts of us that are struggling and our true nature. If a person has spirit or mental level needs, there are points to address that level. Sticking with treatment over a year or more, even with monthly or seasonal treatments, can make a difference in a way that’s hard to explain, you just experience a coming home to yourself somehow.
People sometimes wonder why the acupuncture isn’t as dramatic as when they first came in, but then after more treatments that feeling of being “home in oneself ” kicks in and you experience a new level of wellness.
There’s an accumulative effect of finally feeling what it means to live from your true nature.
It’s like the acupuncture keeps putting little flags in our flow of energy to remind us that here’s the true path.
We may need a reminder more often when our lives are stressful. Experiencing balance in our treatment sessions can help a person notice when they are living in an out of balanced way and they will begin to make changes in their way of life naturally.
It can happen for people that what they feel within themselves is so much better that they almost don’t care about the symptom they came in with anymore. Changes on this level are hard to ask for because people don’t know how they and life can feel until they experience it. That’s hard to describe. We talk about root and branch treatment. Treating symptoms is the branch and treating the person is the root. I like using the MRS and micro-current or laser to treat the symptoms so I can do root level acupuncture. There are differing approaches among acupuncturists about this. Also it’s different for every patient. Often a branch symptom won’t get better unless and until you treat the root.
Some modern techniques in acupuncture are interesting and effective also. I love auricular therapy, or ear acupuncture. It’s great for stress, and there are points that relate to the brain and nervous and endocrine systems. It’s used a lot to help people quit smoking and for drug rehab because it helps the brain build back what it lost when the drug was taking the place of natural substances in the brain.
NAET gets some interesting results with particular allergens, and I’ve seen it help make a person more comfortable, especially if allergies is a major complaint. The points used to set the treatment are generally balancing. I will sometimes add to the treatment to be more specific to the needs of the person. I like it for consciously tracing back an emotional cause. Lately, I’ve been treating people for weakening thoughts, which is interesting. Applied Physiology has other ways to do this as well. Matrix Energetics has a way of using visual imagination metaphorically to see the cause and watch the energy of the issue change.
The infra-red sauna is great for detox. An individual sauna session can feel very good to people and help with aches and pains and weight loss also. It gets the heart rate up, so it’s a bit like exercise, but the sweating and detoxification comes from deeper in the body than in normal exercise or other types of saunas.