Acupuncture for Prolonged Grief

Question:

About 6 months ago I lost my sister to a fatal car accident. Since then I’ve been depressed, I have no energy, and I cannot sleep well. I don’t want to take pharmaceutical medications for depression. Is there anything acupuncture can do to help me cope with how I am feeling?

Answer:

To a degree, grief and sadness following a loss is normal and healthy. We shouldn’t be afraid to feel sadness, even deep mourning and grief. It is natural and part of the process of healing and acceptance.

But, when the grieving process (or any strong emotion) goes on too intensely or for too long, it can cause an imbalance that not only disrupts your life, but also your vital life energy. In Oriental Medicine, the body, mind, and spirit are inseparable, such that one cannot experience an imbalance in one area without affecting the others.

Just as the word itself literally says “e-motion” or “Energy in Motion”, emotions are meant to move freely through the body and mind, be experienced, and then released. But when emotions don’t move freely, for any number of reasons, they can become “stuck” in the mind and body, making it difficult to let go and accept our loss. Eventually this stagnant energy affects the body in negative ways.

The emotion of grief, in Oriental Medicine, is known to most directly affect the energy of the Lungs. Many people have experienced catching a cold or contracting bronchitis simultaneous to a deep sense of grief. The most extreme examples of this are some of the cases of “unexplained” lung cancer that we hear about in the news, including the sudden death of Christopher Reeves’ wife after his passing; her overwhelming grief so disrupted the energy of her lungs that she developed cancer.

This is certainly not to say that all grieving people will eventually develop lung cancer; it is only to point out that our emotions are inextricably linked to the energies of our physical bodies.

It is in this realm that Oriental medicine is helpful. Acupuncture helps to move energy in the body that has become stagnant, encouraging it to flow freely again. It also helps to nourish energy where it is deficient, which helps to strengthen the Lung and Heart energy.

After a Clearwater acupuncture treatment for emotional release, you might feel lighter and freer, as though a burden has been lifted. Or you might feel the emotion come to the surface, to be fully experienced before then being released. It is important that this process not be stifled; breathing deeply will assist the energy in flowing freely.

Chinese herbal formulas can also be helpful with releasing stagnant energy, nourishing the Lung and Heart energy, and abating the symptoms common to grief such as insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, appetite changes, digestive disturbances, tension, nervousness, and low energy.

Lastly, because of the connection between the flow of energy and breath, and between the emotion of grief and the Lung, engaging in mindful breathing techniques and/or getting some light form of aerobic exercise daily can be of great benefit.

Start Clearwater Acupuncture For Grief

Are you currently grieving? Interested in Clearwater acupuncture treatment? Herbs? Other guidance? We would be happy to provide a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your exact needs and see if our treatment options are a good match.

--- Dawn Potter, AP, Dipl.OM

#Heartqi #emotion #grief #acupuncture #bodymindconnection #loss #Lungqi #sadness #orientalmedicine

Qi Gong for Self-Healing

You’ve heard of yoga and its wonderful benefits, right? And meditation, of course. And many people are familiar with the slow, martial arts type movements of Tai Qi (“tie chee”). But, have you heard about Qi Gong (“chee gung”)? In fact, Tai Qi is one form of Qi Gong, of which there are many forms and lineages that have been passed down through the millenia in China.

My friend, classmate, and fellow acupuncture colleague, Brodie Welch, L.Ac, has been practicing and teaching Qi Gong for many years, and has finally created an online class that teaches you how to do the movements, how each movement benefits you, and how to think about the energy flow through each movement, in order to get the most from each Qi Gong exercise. I am excited to be able to take her class myself, and to share it with you.

Here is how Brodie describes Qi Gong:

Want to increase your energy and calm your mind in 20 minutes a day? Let me introduce you to a good friend of mine. Her name is Qi Gong. She’s Yoga and Meditation’s less-sexy, easy-to-underestimate cousin — and she’s AMAZING.

Qi Gong (“chee gung”) is originally from China and her name means “energy exercise.” Like her Indian cousin Yoga, Qi Gong links up the body, breath, and intention. She’s less flashy than her cousin Yoga. But don’t overlook her — those still waters run deep.

Here are 10 reasons why you’ll love getting to know Qi Gong:

1. She’s an incredible healer. She can reduce arthritis, chronic pain, heart disease, fatigue, diabetes, and inflammation, while boosting your immunity, energy, bone density, sleep, focus, and balance. She’s even got the studies to prove it.

2. She’s over 3000 years old and still looks great. She’s got gorgeous curves. Unlike the straight lines of her angular cousin Yoga, Qi Gong moves in circles and spirals: she flows.

3. She’s unpretentious. There’s nothing showy about her. Her movements are slow, mindful, graceful, and powerful. While she’s great at building strength and balance, her moves aren’t particularly difficult, and you probably won’t see her on the cover of a glossy magazine sporting lululemon. No stretchy pants are required to hang with her.

4. She’s energizing. Spend just 20 minutes with her and you’ll feel revitalized, more positive, and more mobile throughout your day.

5. She’s easy to be with. Unlike her cousin Meditation (who’s awesome, but let’s face it, can be kinda uptight sometimes), Qi Gong doesn’t ask you to sit there and try to not pay attention to your thoughts. Instead, she helps the mind and nervous system to settle down by giving you lots to pay attention to, like your breath, and simple movements that repeat.

6. She’ll help you relax. She can help tame anxiety and stress. You might even sleep better.

7. She’ll help you get out of your head better than Yoga. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll love Yoga forever, but a lot of what she does is so challenging that it often feels like a “mind-over-body” practice rather than one of mind-body unity. With Qi Gong, the struggle to do it “right” or make it look like someone else’s practice goes away. The simplicity of the movements make it easy to feel the qi flowing in your body and between your hands.

8. She’ll make you feel good. She’ll love you no matter how strong or how flexible you are, and you’ll love her back.

9. She’ll help you love your body. Rather than seeing the body as something you need to ignore or transcend (like Meditation sometimes says), Qi Gong encourages you to tune into the body as a focal point for concentration. Your body becomes a portal for tuning into the more subtle layers. (So she’s kind of a feminist — none of that “body is dirty and mundane” baggage here.)

10. She’s sophisticated. She’s got different routines designed to support each system of the body. She’ll even teach you some points that acupuncturists use to get qi to move properly. Want to meet her? She’s available in a new home-study course, “12 Treasures Qi Gong: Your Movement MultiVitamin,” created by Brodie Welch, L.Ac., M.S.O.M.

Click here to learn more about her program, and to start your own Qi Gong practice.

Dawn Potter, AP, Dipl.OM

#breathtechnique #Exercise #qigong #stressreduction #bodymindconnection #selfhealing

Cultivating “Calm”

Do you know anyone who experiences stress on a consistent basis? Could it be you?

No matter what your health goals are — whether it’s pain relief, more sleep, weight loss, or hormone balance — chronic stress can work against your progress. And even though you can leave an acupuncture treatment feeling wonderfully grounded and centered, life often creeps back in and you can end up feeling tense, anxious, exhausted, and burned out.

What if you could fundamentally change your relationship with your nervous system to feel calm and confident, no matter what’s going on in your life?

My friend, classmate and fellow acupuncture colleague, Brodie Welch, L.Ac., M.S.O.M., is offering a game-changing online subscription.

Brodie’s been practicing Chinese Medicine, yoga, meditation and qi gong for over 13 years. She is an amazing wealth of information, especially as it relates to educating patients on self-care. She’s assembled an awesome toolkit of the most clinically effective strategies — bodymind bio-hacks like breathing, qi gong, and meditation; along with practical info on acupoints, essential oils, diet, and lifestyle — to empower you to change your relationship with stress and anxiety. The course is designed to fit into the cracks of your busy life.

“I think most all Westerners would benefit from having the amazing tools in the Calm Yourself toolkit” – Jennie Cramer, Corvallis, OR

Like all good acupuncturists, we’re interested in getting to the root of the problem, not just managing the symptoms. So this course also comes with reflection sheets that help you identify the thought and belief patterns that keep you stuck in stress patterns, and the not-so-helpful behaviors that we fall into — things like relying on caffeine and sugar to get through your day, or letting your Inner Critic say mean things about you.

Her lectures are dynamite – really informative, clear, and very human. She really understands what it is to live our modern, stressful lifestyle, and her class is wonderful at teaching you ways to cultivate the much needed Calm to balance it. And the last module of the class delves into the science of habit change and gives you strategies to make it all stick.

“It was a life changer for sure!” – Kay Graven, Corvallis, OR

This course was made for you if:

1. You get that there’s a connection between how you’re living and how you’re feeling.

2. You’re interested in learning body-mind strategies.

3. You’re willing to let go of the idea that self-care is selfish.

4. You want to start a practice of meditation, qi gong, or yoga but haven’t been able to make it stick.

5. You’re interested in learning more about yourself from a Chinese Medicine perspective.

You can take the course in your own home, at any time, at your pace.

“I  learned how good it feels to be as good to myself as I am to others. It doesn’t take away from my life.  It adds to it.”- Susan Richardson, Corvallis, OR.

Check it out here.

Dawn Potter, AP, Dipl.OM

#breathtechnique #mentalshift #BrodieWelch #calmingtechniques #meditation #qigong #anxiety #stress #bodymindconnection #calm #stressrelief #relax #calmclass