What If Acupuncture Was Not Relaxing?
Most People Talk About How Relaxing Acupuncture Is, Here Is The Story Of The Time It Was Not
If you’ve read my post The First Time Getting Acupuncture, you’ll know that my first experience with acupuncture was neutral.
Many acupuncturists, including myself, do what we can to set up a comforting patient setting. When you receive acupuncture despite the relaxing spa music, essential oil diffusers and comfy cozy cushions, your body releases endorphins which put you in that natural blissed out-state. This is why you’ll hear people talk about how relaxing it is.
On the contrary, though it is relaxing 9 times out of 10, there might be a time when it is not. There might be a time when you actually feel uncomfortable. During my first year in acupuncture school, I took on a lifestyle of overwork. I was sitting in class and then sitting to study, as well as running back and forth to teach yoga classes and other odd jobs. I developed upper back and neck tightness with a deep stubborn knot in between my shoulder blades. This was also an exacerbated injury from an uncalled for yoga adjustment from an overly handsy yoga teacher (but that story is for another time!) It was one of those things where some days it felt tight, other days it was achy and sore and some days it wasn’t so bad and I thought it would go away on its own. It did not.
Photo by Chanel Govreau, Model Nia Calloway
When I finally came to terms with the fact that it wasn’t going away, and I couldn’t stand the pain, I went to my acupuncturist. He put the needles in and immediately my entire right side felt heavy as if someone was pulling or tugging my arm down. My elbow was throbbing and then my whole arm started throbbing. When he came in to check on my I told him how uncomfortable I was. Usually, when he checks on me I would never notice because I’d be sleeping, but this time I had been waiting for him to come so I could tell him to remove the needles. When I told him about the discomfort, he gently asked if I could bear it because it was going to help. I begrudgingly agreed. When he finally returned to remove the needles, it still felt weird. My entire arm felt out of place, painful and uncomfortable. It bothered me for the rest of the day. It was as if my shoulder was put on wrong! I didn’t panic. I breathed a lot. I drank a lot of water as instructed and rested because I honestly could not do anything else. I went to sleep that night and woke up the next day without any pain what-so-ever.
Trust The Process, Trust Your Body
Photo by Chanel Govreau, Model Carol Tessitore
The lesson I learned was, that this particular experience of healing was needed because I treated my body poorly and waited too long to come in for acupuncture. The intense pain I felt while it was getting better was the consequence of how I treated myself. Maybe if I came at the first sign of imbalance, the process would have been more relaxing. Healing is not always beautiful or easy but the body knows what to do to get better. It is possible to have more soreness or pain after a treatment. This is not common, or uncommon, nor is it predictable. Some practitioners call this a “healing crisis”. As humans living in modern life, we have tendency to stuff our emotions, wait out our health problems and treat our mental health as secondary. I find that oftentimes an intense reaction after acupuncture is often linked to some of the later patterns.
What To Do If You Experience Pain or Discomfort During Or After Acupuncture
Communicate. I set up my practice so that I have ample time to check in on you in 15 minute intervals. I always ask my patients to let me know if they are uncomfortable, too hot, too cold, etc. I have some patients who will point out an overly sensitive needle but in the same breath say they’d also like to try to bear it for a few minutes to see if it changes. Most of the time it gets better.
Surrender to your healing process. Allow yourself to observe how energy moves around the body during acupuncture. A heavy or throbbing needle often is a place of stagnant energy or circulation that needs to be unblocked.
If your discomfort lingers after treatment, come back sooner -maybe the next day or the day after. Often times your body just needs more help.
Hydrate and refrain from caffeine or strenuous activity. Sometimes aches and soreness are just like the lactic acid build up from working out. Drinking water and being well hydrated will help you flush toxins out.
Rest. Often times we become ill or injured because our body needed a break and we did not listen to it. If you feel discomfort after acupuncture it is likely because you need to rest in order to get better.
Those who are not as familiar with acupuncture or East Asian cultures may have preconceived notions about it not being founded in science or coming from an archaic time or place. If you feel this way initially, I invite you to open your mind to the idea that we all come from different parts of the world and different upbringings. I also want to remind you that if you do have discomfort afterwards, to be grounded in the fact that acupuncture is a very safe treatment. Needles are disposable, very thin, sterile and do not penetrate deeply enough to create injury or permanent damage. However, if you feel like something emergent has occurred please seek medical attention. You know your body best.
By Emily Grace Siy, L.Ac.