Acupuncture- a treatment too powerful? ;-) (warning: LONG read!)

[Kelly Donovan]

I recently experienced an acupuncture treatment that was so powerful it scared me. I will share a bit about my acupuncture journey below for context! No rush to respond for any faculty moderators or fellow students… I just felt like putting this out there, feel free to respond if/when convenient.

I have been receiving various methods of manual & energetic healing since 2016 when myofascial release and craniosacral therapy healed a conglomeration of postpartum health issues that caused profound physical & mental distress for several months during the end of my residency training. Since that time, I have thought of myself as a “super responder” to these types of healing… for whatever reason, I really “feel” the energy moving with these treatments and for a time afterwards. Often when I receive treatment from the CMT that performs myofascial release and craniosacral, she’ll give me 10-20 minutes in the room afterwards to sort of return to my body, ground back into present time/space. I’ve had interesting and helpful healing experiences with reiki, sound healing, intuitive healing & qigong etc. It does seem practitioner dependent to a degree… and when I laugh, connect and feel comfortable with the healer, it does seem that I relax my body enough to receive & integrate the treatment.

My first experience with acupuncture around 2016 was underwhelming. I did not like that the practitioner placed the needles and left the room. When I became emotional describing the physical & emotional suffering I had been through, she listened somewhat patiently but suggested I “find someone to talk to.” It felt a little dismissive and seemed to double down on separation of mind and body. As a newbie, I felt nervous to move my body once I was a pin cushion and didn’t feel like I could relax. If I recall correctly, she used some electroacupuncture as well. I was overthinking everything and a little anxious about any sensations.

Since signing up for this course, I began work with an acupuncturist who I vibed with better. I enjoyed resolution of some aches and pains, improved sleep and less anxiety/stress. Her approach was TCM with pulse diagnosis, she placed needles focused along my wrists and ankles with a few points on the scalp (GB 20, DU 20.) She also left the room, but I felt comfortable enough and enjoyed sort of a dream-like state that felt equivalent to a refreshing nap. I would feel a little buzzy after, but was able to get up and out of the treatment space quickly.

Last week I had an initial appointment with a naturopath/acupuncturist Dra. Bianca in Puerto Rico (where I am living through May.) She practices in an incredible outdoor space in the mountains that is open air, nestled within a grove of bamboo and along a stream. If you are into the “woo woo” like me, you could feel the energy of the land just walking up to her little treatment hut. She spent a lot of time asking about my life, read my tongue and pulse and then began an initial treatment. This was the first time I had any abdominal, face or ear points treated. I could not believe how quickly I felt like a charged battery– it was such a powerful feeling of flow and release. Normally, I would try to drift off, but because I was in student mode, I was asking her about some points as she inserted the needles. She used Buddha’s triangle, ST 36, Sp 6, GB 20, the third eye point (yintang?), Du-20, ST 36, KD 13, REN 12 and a few more. I think she warmed some of the points on my stomach and used essential oils/ incense at different parts of the treatment. The feeling of intensity continued to grow. I felt an amazing opening of my chest/diaphragm area. I felt like I was breathing into new spaces in my low ribs. Incredible!

So when the treatment was over, I could hardly imagine sitting up, let alone make my way off the treatment table. I could not walk. Dr. Audette’s story of this happening to him when he received acupuncture helped keep me calm during this very strange situation. I sort of curled up on the floor and crawled my way out the hut. Dra. Bianca sensed what was happening and led me through some tapping/humming motions. I grounded my barefeet into the earth and followed along with her 5 senses meditation and I slowly returned to normal. I sipped water and sat in a lounge chair and then 25 minutes later or so, I was able to confidently walk away and drive home. I felt excellent for the following few days but also surprisingly fatigued during the afternoon following my session.

After such a powerful experience, I am just trying to make sense of it… I do think there was a deeper level of healing that occurred and that I should continue to receive treatments with Dra. Bianca, because there is still much to treat!

Do you think my theory of “super responders” makes any sense? Like, if I am receiving regular meridian-based energetic treatments, I am opening up channels to more easily release blockages? Perhaps I am more likely to activate the EOVs?

Since moving from Michigan a few months ago, I had not been receiving myofascial, craniosacral or intuitive healing, so perhaps I had more stagnation and more to release, thus leading to such an intense session (similar to the first time I received craniosacral tx)?

Are there other ways we can ground ourselves or our patients if a session seems too powerful?

Last note- Dra. Bianca stayed with me the whole time during the treatment session and her touch was so gentle, it almost felt like a Swedish massage combined with needle insertion. In the past, acupuncture has felt very procedural. She also talked me through visualizing energy flowing into these different points. It really reminded me how important our presence as physicians/healers is to the healing process for the patient.

Thanks all for your time and patience. Would be curious to hear about any profound healing experiences you all have had and strategies to reassure patients when the sensations are intense.

Light & Love,
Kelly

[Nicole Bussiere]

Thank you for sharing this – I have no advice but this has really inspired me to think about what I want my acupuncture practice to look like in the future. Really dig the less clinical atmosphere you described, remaining with the patient and incorporating visualization/meditation during the treatment. Lovely!

[Ingrid Mudge]

Agree! It echoes the practice that we all know works best in our western medical practice – to connect with the patient, draw them out and spend a few extra minutes. It also makes me think about the practitioner I want to be. Thank you so much for sharing that!

[Allison Bailey]

Joe is aware of your post and will take some time to respond to it this coming weekend in terms of the power of energy healing and thoughts on that.
I have been thinking about the concrete issue of the provider staying with the patient or leaving the room and had some thoughts. In my past practice I often had two rooms of patients at the same time, so I did not really have the option to stay in the room with a patient. I also probably under charged for my acupuncture treatments and took all insurances (so reimbursement varied) and found that having two rooms worked to run my practice economically. However, I also tried to center myself and not be rushed with each patient and found that just the nature of this style of acupuncture (examining the patient, having them participate in the treatment, letting their body guide the points to treat, etc) created a connection between practitioner and patient that was more powerful than what I had experienced in most of my prior years of medical practice. Currently, I am practicing with just one room/one patient at a time. I usually speak to my patients about what they feel would make them most comfortable during their treatment (do they want me to stay in the room or be just outside so they have privacy). I find the majority seem to prefer to rest with the needles in without me staying right in the room. Maybe that’s just me (LOL), but again,I think it is the message that they’re given…if they are resting alone in the room they know I am nearby and my energy says “I’m here for you if you need me”.

[Joseph Audette]

Hi,
My experience treating a lot of patients over the years is that there are some individuals who really sense the meridians and meridian flows when you put the needles in and so need closer monitoring and more discussion to help them understand the sensations to avoid causing anxiety. Usually you can tell when you start putting the needles in, as these patients will say “I feel that needle in my head” or “my hip” when you put a needle far removed from those locations. With these patients, I immediately start framing this sensation in a positive way by saying something like “Wow, you are really feeling your meridians, this is really going to help you.” With these patients, I generally will put in far fewer needles to not overwhelm them, I may also shift to the Seirin red needles (0.16 in diameter). I also may mention that as the energy starts flowing in the meridians, they may feel short periods where the energy is building up and even causing some discomfort before it flows through the area of stagnation. I will say something like try to relax and visualize the flow breaking through the blockage if you feel this.

It is the case that often these patients will be patients who have had other types of manual or even acupuncture treatments that have set the stage for them to have that more sensitive and acute internal monitoring system. These patients may need closer monitoring and I will often come back into the room after leaving them to “cook” to check on them and let them know I am still in the area. Sometimes I will also leave the door to their room open so I can hear them better if the call out to me.

The post treatment fatigue is usually a function of the number of needles used (so these patients need less stimulation, fewer needles and small gauge needles) and potentially a function of where they are in the treatment, as the fatigue generally lessens as the treatment goes on over a period of time.

So overall it is a positive and I think you should get some more treatments with the acupuncturist you mentioned in Puerto Rico as I think you will see that your body will adjust to the experience in a positive way.

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