By AFEA member Aine Dolan
“Can you heal me?”
“How long will it take?”
“Am I healing?”
“Is it working?”
In my student clinic year these were the phrases that came up most. Alongside physical symptoms of pains, migraines, among many others, client’s concerns are stress, lifestyle, overwhelmed by life and mainly deflated. Nowadays, more than ever, the health of the mind and spirit is critical with all the access to information, data, opinions, etc. However, looking after the mind and spirit can be evasive as neither can be seen so “healing” is objective.
What I can reassure the client is that with 5 Element acupuncture we do look at you as a unique person with genuine care and a deep sincerity and willingness to help you. By listening to the energy pulses on the left & right wrist we are listening to your bodies specific needs while always trying to find that “causative factor” from where source healing helps/allows the body to self-heal in its own unique way & time. This is a modality which recognizes your body’s self-healing abilities by tapping into an energy system discovered by the Chinese 2000+ years ago following the laws of Mother Nature.
The beauty of 5 Element is also that the “spirit” or “Shen” is recognized. We look not only at the physical level; the condition of the SPIRIT – MIND – BODY as a whole is considered. This is to say by nourishing the spirit, it feeds the mind which in turn helps the body and allows all levels to heal. Life can be a snow globe where we are being thrashed around and as a result can lose connection to our own inner compass.
These diagrams really resonated with me, an image is so effective.
Of course, I would love to say it will all be fixed in time for next weekend. What I have learned and now say to clients is we all have our own unique healing path and there is no crystal ball that can show us how long or what it will be like. Often healing can be confronting and scary, however, with the right support 5 Element acupuncture is so powerful and can have a profound healing effect. There can be leaps forward followed by steps back.
For some people this all sounds whacky and I have to admit yes, I was one of those sceptics too until I could no longer deny the effects. As a student we have learned about the Spirit of the Point and our intention when needling. The below points and names illustrate better what I try to put into words:
Heart 1 Utmost Source
Kidney 24 Spirit Burial Ground
Bladder 37 Soul Door
Needling such points has had an immediate impact on clients. “Wow, what did you do there I feel different”. We needle a specific point to help the person reconnect with themselves – their inner core and being. The next week some of the physical symptoms have alleviated. Most joy comes for me when I hear – “you know I feel good but I can’t explain it”. Jackpot we have tapped into the Spirit of the person.
Nowadays, we all want the instant fix although we all have a past in different shapes & forms which was moulded over years. The healing path can often take you back in order to heal & move forward.
Overall, it’s about getting and keeping the body’s energetic field in balance so that we can bounce with life’s daily stresses rather than get bogged down by it all, deflated/ill/other. Once we get to the root cause we recommend a treatment as the seasons change will suffice keep your body bouncing with life’s waves assuming no major life events occur.
In summary healing is not purely physical and the journey can be straight, curvy, extremely winding or bumpy. This we cannot prescribe for the client yet we do promise to be there fully present with them during the process.
