When I meet a patient for the first time we go over their health history and reason for treatment; fertility, digestive disorders, back pain, anxiety etc. And if they haven’t already mentioned it, I will ask them if they have ever had acupuncture. Most haven’t. Some are scared of needles. All are curious.

So, we take our time and when the 1st point is placed we pause, then the second point and usually by the third point they say something.

I wait for whatever it is they say. This is the start of something that has great potential. I listen, I don’t know what they will say. There are many similarities about what each person will feel. What they feel when receiving acupuncture is pretty amazing.

Some people feel very little after the initial point. People feel differently depending on where the needles are placed. But this is not what they comment on usually.

Usually they say; ‘it’s like I feel warm all over”, or “I can feel this current moving through me” or “I don’t know what it is but it’s like something is moving” or “wow, I just felt my whole body relax” or once I heard “it’s like I just felt the sun shine all over me”.

We can use biology and neuroscience to explain the sensations and feelings. Inserting a needle does increase blood flow, it does cause a mini injury sending information via the neurotransmitters to the brain creating a response system. We call it Qi.

This is what I find interesting, finding words to how we experience acupuncture is mostly about how we experience the subtle nature of our bodies. There are things we cannot see. There are things that are hard to explain. There are experiences that can only be known through the body. This somatic moment activates a deep knowing within us.

This experience, this knowing is the beginning of healing. Listen in, find the words, trust your experience and knowing. This awareness and articulation of self is an invaluable tool for the rest of your life in wellness.

Renee Pilgrim R.TCMP