Acupuncture

You can never worry your way to enlightenment.  ~Terri Guillemets

Interesting... Had my very first experience with acupuncture this week. I went in with an open mind. My husband had just gone to the good Doctor a few days before with help for quitting smoking. And although I don't consider myself a smoker, apparently in reality I am. I have been known to smoke when I'm having cocktails so...if Mark, who is a REAL smoker was quitting, I suppose I could knock out those cocktail hour smokes no problem. He made an appointment for me when he made his own and I went in not really knowing what to expect.

I was met by a very nice man of Cuban decent, (he told me). He was a snappy dresser with a very nice office with a receptionist in a professional medical building. No incense or anything else one might stereotypically associate with a man of Chinese medicine and acupuncture. I filled out the usual paperwork when going to a new doctor for the first time and he led me back to a small room with two comfortable chairs facing each other.

What came next was fascinating. We had about a 1-hour conversation, which felt more like a therapeutic session. He asked me about my childhood, my life, and myself now. How I felt when I had that cigarette. I was open and honest with him. I do truly believe that there is no sense in not being completely honest since my ultimate goal is to help him, help me. I said when I sit down at the end of the day and I pour that glass of wine that, (ok, I am being honest…I don’t necessarily want but I have anyway. I’m evolving slowly but surely.) Anyway, I digress. I told him when I sit down with that glass of wine and I light that cigarette, I feel..relief. Like a lot of women, like a lot of people, I suppose, it’s the first time during the day that I give myself permission to relax. A glass of wine and a cigarette equals relaxation time. We had a great conversation, he was very insightful and after about an hour of getting to know why I smoke and why I want to stop he brought me into what he called, the Frankenstein room. The first thing he had me do was stick out my tongue. He brought out a mirror and had me look and pointed out that when I stuck my tongue out it had a slight tremor to it. He explained that this internal wind was showing him that like a duck, I might appear calm, cool and collected on the outside; inside I had a lot of anxiety and stress. REALLY? Who wouldda thunk it? Like most “good girls”, I have forged through life not really dealing with things that potentially gave me stress or anxiety. (Who me? I am FINE!! Tough as nails, right as rain. Thanks for asking!) I don’t think I recognized my natural state as being the least bit stress filled or anxious. How do you recognize true calm if you don’t know what its like not to live with a twinge of anxiety at all times? (And I thought I was so ZEN!) He told me he would help me quiet that wind and not feel the need to self medicate to quiet it for me. INTERESTING! OK, I’m game for any and all enlightenment. Bring it.

I entered a warm room with a massage type table in the center and vials, bottles and jars lining the counter top. He said ok, this is where we make you bleed profusely. I looked at him for a split second and we both laughed and then he said, “No seriously, take off all your clothes and wrap these two towels around your top and bottom. Jewelry goes in the bowl on the desk.” He quickly left the room while I was still laughing, quickly realizing, he was in fact not kidding and I had to take off all my clothes and wrap up in these two what looked to me now like hand towels and lie on the table. I quickly undressed because whenever a doctor tells me he or she will give me a few minutes I race like they are waiting outside the door to burst in on me and catch me with one leg in my pants and one leg out hopping around frantically. Playing doctor jokes. So I secured the towels and was lying there breathing deeply when suddenly I realized I still had my wedding ring and watch on. AHHH! So now its like two whole minutes later and what do I do? He clearly told me to put my jewelry in the bowl on the desk. Shit! So I hopped off the table, clutching both towels but of course both towels fall by the wayside. Now I am holding both of them up while trying to quickly put my jewelry in said bowl. I am flailing around spastically; I hobble as quickly as I can back to the table and jump back up, arranging the towels demurely and wait for my doctor. Apparently I had plenty of time because 5 freezing minutes later he finally walked in.

He put about 3 needles in each foot, 2 on either calf, one right above my belly button 2 or 3 in each ear, 1 in either wrist and the last one was right in the middle of my chest. I immediately felt like my lungs were clear and opened like they have never been before. He left me alone like that for what seemed like a few minutes and then came back in and had me do some visualizations and what seemed like a little hypnosis techniques. 2 hours later I left with some calming tablets he concocted for me that he wants me to take 3 times a day. This is day 2. I feel great. I don’t know if he will be the cure or if it really comes down to making a good decision for myself. In any case I am ready and I loved the experience. Loving this path, its so interesting. Thanks for sharing it with me.