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A common misconception about acupuncture assumes that it is only useful for treating
physical pain. While it can be extremely effective in this regard, Chinese Medicine has
historically treated everything from physical injury to internal disease, to emotional distress.
During its two thousand plus years of development, this medicine has always considered
the health of the body, mind, and emotions to be intricately linked. (For example, it is a
common observation of Chinese medical practitioners that people who experience
prolonged periods of strong emotion can develop certain symptoms). The classic Chinese
medical texts even list emotions as potential causes of disease. Usually this only occurs
when the emotional state is either prolonged (for months or years), or of a particularly
intense nature, such as in traumatic events (Maciocia, 2015, p.253), but this fact helps to
illustrate just how highly Chinese Medicine considers the emotions in diagnosis and
treatment.
One of the things that drew me so deeply to the practice of Chinese Medicine was the
profound effect it had on my sense of emotional stability and well-being during a difficult
period of upheaval in my life. At that time, I was introduced to a few key teachers with some
life changing advice that ultimately gave me the tools to help manage and survive these
challenges. To this day I am amazed at how the principles and practices of Chinese
Medicine continue to inform and deepen a sense of “calm amidst the storm.” One of these
teachers is an experienced acupuncturist, Dr. YvonneFarrell, who was the clinic supervisor
at the acupuncture school where I was receiving treatment. To me she felt like the
archetype of a wise grandmother who, with plenty kindness, pointed out exactly where
things were going wrong for me. In time I came to realize that she was really the first
person who helped me identify one of the root causes that was contributing to my suffering.
A large part of her practice is devoted to helping her patients overcome the challenges that
are holding them back from becoming the best versions of themselves. To quote from her
book (2016), “We can create a treatment that instills hope and confidence that change is
possible. We are able to give our patients the ability to conceive of a new way of being. We
can support their ability to transform. We can support their ability to let go and finally to
reconnect with their authentic sense of self. We can do that at the same time we are
treating pain” (p.37-38).
We all have stumbling blocks, things that keep us from being the person we truly know we
are, somewhere, deep down at a core level, and acupuncture can be a valuable tool to help
unravel and remove those blocks, and to help us evolve.
References:
Farrell, Y. (2016). Psycho-Emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. London, United Kingdom: Singing Dragon.
Maciocia, G. (2015). The Foundations ofChinese Medicine. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
A common misconception about acupuncture assumes that it is only useful for treating
physical pain. While it can be extremely effective in this regard, Chinese Medicine has
historically treated everything from physical injury to internal disease, to emotional distress.
During its two thousand plus years of development, this medicine has always considered
the health of the body, mind, and emotions to be intricately linked. (For example, it is a
common observation of Chinese medical practitioners that people who experience
prolonged periods of strong emotion can develop certain symptoms). The classic Chinese
medical texts even list emotions as potential causes of disease. Usually this only occurs
when the emotional state is either prolonged (for months or years), or of a particularly
intense nature, such as in traumatic events (Maciocia, 2015, p.253), but this fact helps to
illustrate just how highly Chinese Medicine considers the emotions in diagnosis and
treatment.
One of the things that drew me so deeply to the practice of Chinese Medicine was the
profound effect it had on my sense of emotional stability and well-being during a difficult
period of upheaval in my life. At that time, I was introduced to a few key teachers with some
life changing advice that ultimately gave me the tools to help manage and survive these
challenges. To this day I am amazed at how the principles and practices of Chinese
Medicine continue to inform and deepen a sense of “calm amidst the storm.” One of these
teachers is an experienced acupuncturist, Dr. YvonneFarrell, who was the clinic supervisor
at the acupuncture school where I was receiving treatment. To me she felt like the
archetype of a wise grandmother who, with plenty kindness, pointed out exactly where
things were going wrong for me. In time I came to realize that she was really the first
person who helped me identify one of the root causes that was contributing to my suffering.
A large part of her practice is devoted to helping her patients overcome the challenges that
are holding them back from becoming the best versions of themselves. To quote from her
book (2016), “We can create a treatment that instills hope and confidence that change is
possible. We are able to give our patients the ability to conceive of a new way of being. We
can support their ability to transform. We can support their ability to let go and finally to
reconnect with their authentic sense of self. We can do that at the same time we are
treating pain” (p.37-38).
We all have stumbling blocks, things that keep us from being the person we truly know we
are, somewhere, deep down at a core level, and acupuncture can be a valuable tool to help
unravel and remove those blocks, and to help us evolve.
References:
Farrell, Y. (2016). Psycho-Emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. London, United Kingdom: Singing Dragon.
Maciocia, G. (2015). The Foundations ofChinese Medicine. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
