As an Acupuncturist, people come to me with all manner of unexplained physical ailments- headaches, chronic fatigue, insomnia, acid reflux, urinary tract infections, menstrual cramps…the list goes on. Yet to call these ailments merely “physical” is something of a misnomer…
The truth is, physical illness is an invitation to listen to what’s going on beneath the surface, because part of us has no other way to communicate and is trying to get our attention.
Where have we fallen out of right relationship with life? And, what is the way back?
The body is wise and can tell us everything, if we only make the space to listen, rather than just get rid of the symptoms.
What if pain and illness is not something to just get rid of? It can also be a messenger, a part of our spirit that’s looking to be seen and heard. The body is never wrong, even when it hurts or feels uncomfortable. And, our physical symptoms are never wrong either. The body wants and knows how to heal, and is trying to get our attention.
Certainly, we could just take an aspirin for the headache and keep pushing through….and the same message will keep returning to us over and over again. As the body continues to try to get our attention other ailments may start popping up- maybe digestive issues, or difficulty focusing, or sciatica. Whatever it may be…
Underneath every chronic condition is a story about ourselves and the events of our lives, which has solidified in our bodies.
Instead of feeling shut down by the back pain, the cramps, or the brain fog, we might say, “Thank you body, for showing me this. Thank you for carrying this for me, I’m willing to feel what is underneath these symptoms, and what you are trying to tell me”
When we allow and listen to our discomfort with kindness, miraculous healing can happen. Healing asks us to unravel both the physical discomfort and the story beneath it. And, all the answers are here inside us, we just have to learn to listen.
So how do we listen? Here’s where Acupuncture comes in. Acupuncture is a conversation with both the body and the spirit. And it’s about listening: to the pulse, the body, the qi, and responding with needles to bring greater harmony and flow. Not to get rid of anything, only to bring us closer to who and what we truly are. Classic Acupuncture texts tell us, “Where there is pain there is no free flow. If there is free flow there is no pain”.
When qi flows freely we relax and open more fully to our experience. From that place we can access the underlying energy, the part of ourselves that’s trying to be heard through the physical symptoms. Beautiful, potent healing that comes from the spirit and is lived into the physical.
And so Acupuncture points are physical doorways in the body through which we can listen more deeply to the hidden wisdom of illness. Yes, our illness is actually a form of wisdom. Thank you, body, for showing us.
