Why do I go into such deep state during an acupuncture treatment?
Nearly 100% of the time, people receiving acupuncture go into a deep state of consciousness. It is the place between sleep and wakefulness. Some say it is a deep state of meditation. My brother says it is forced meditation because you can't get up with needles in your body. Often, this state is hard to come out of, and leaves us feeling deeply relaxed, sleepy, or as we like to say; acu-stoned.
However we describe it, the similarity of experience is real. Regardless of the focus of the treatment, whether we are working on a headache, a backache, digestive issues or fertility, there is a commonality in this experience of 'dropping in'. As long as the needle locations areindicated and appropriate, this experience happens. This has lead me to the understanding that this general experience is not based on the practitioner's theory or intention or on the patient's symptoms or state of being, it is simply an effect of being needled and needled well.
There is also something that happens to the pulse when the needles have been left in for an appropriate amount of time. I call it "a harmonizing" and it usually happens in cahoots with this sense of dropping in or deep meditation. The needles ask the body to do certain things. Some points ask the body to increase peristalsis in the large intestine, some points ask the body to calm the mind, some ask for increase in circulation, some ask for the eyes to brighten or the nasal passages to open, or the heart rate to slow down. There are over 500 acupuncture points on the body and each one has multiple possible requests for the natural healing capacity of the body. When these points are needled, it is like hitting a button on a keyboard and that request is activated. This communication is happening at the level of energy or Qi. Qi is everywhere, and within the body there are different 'forms' of Qi that collect in pathways called Meridians. Along the meridians, the Qi pools in little vortices called Points. Each point has a particular character and that uniqueness creates the request. Along the course of the meridians circulates a unique fluid filled with genetic material, neuropeptides, hormones, adrenaline, etc. Therefore acupuncture, or needling request, taps into a rich source of biochemicals which allow the treatment to communicate with all the body’s natural systems. This is the physical or tangible aspect of acupuncture. Underlying the intricacies of the physical process lies a general engagement with the energetic or non-physical aspects of the body. When we say 'energetic' there is a usually conventional response based in a gross misunderstanding that 'energetic' mean 'non-real'. At this time in history, our understanding of reality is not as limited as it once was and we can recognize the fallacy of this response. We now have some tools to be able to see that which was once unseen. Bacteria and viruses, atoms and subatomic particles, supernovas and distant star systems. We are still only ‘seeing’ the tip of the iceberg. There is a infinite formless realm that we still do not see. This is the realm of energy. The energetic realm is the most real, for all that is physical stems from the non-physical. Our bodies stem from an energetic blueprint known to the fertilized egg that was the origin of our reality in this particular body. This is not only woo woo nor only science. It is both. It is the place where the two meet that we now call our reality. Cel phones are real, and what are they doing? They are linking non-physical or energetic pathways of communication so that we can talk person to person. On a daily basis we are discovering the reality of what was once unknown or unseen. We are witnessing the formless creating form. How the wind bends the tree. How the sunlight warms our skin. On the home front and in our workplace, we see how our ideas become our creations and form our reality.
In our bodies, it is the formless, energetic, emotional, vibrational genetic world that determines our form, and the form of our well-being or state of dis-ease. Effective medicine is that which influences the the underlying energetic territory in order to create a sustainable difference in the state of being or state of form. This is the intrinsic capacity of the medicine I practice. That is why I call it Brilliant. Acupuncture effects the formed and the formless. Herbal medicine effects formed and the formless, so that the positive shifts in the physical body are sustainable.
Let’s return to the original question. How is the acupuncture itself creating this deep sense of rest? I understand the needles to be a bridge between the formed and the formless, between the energetic body and the physical body. As a bridge they open up channels of communication between these two bodies and this gifts the mind, body, spirit complex with a great opportunity to return to harmony. Like when you had a row with a friend or loved one and the disharmony has kept you from connecting clearly with each other, and then you finally get to talk about it. Communication lines open up again and your relationship is re-calibrated. This connection creates harmony. In the body, this harmony creates changes in the pulse. The pulse harmonizes. Instead of operating independently and running around with different intentions, these seemingly independent aspects of our self get to reconnect, and therefore become more powerful. This place of connection is what I call 'the place of healing'. The team is united and the work that needs to be done, gets done. Contrary to conventional belief, your body knows how to heal, wants to heal, and has a myriad of systems in place to keep you healthy. Our biology is immensely intelligent. Sometimes we just need to do a little coaxing and then get out of the way. Your body does a lot of work reorganizing and healing during an acupuncture session. This is why we often feel tired and sleepy afterwards. Plus we are coming out of that deep state that is the place of healing. It is good to take care of yourself afterwards. Spend some time alone, take a nap, or at least keep a strong sense of inward connection if you re-enter a workplace or social atmosphere. This allows the innate healing process to come to completion after a session. If you are still acu-stoned, your body-mind-spirit complex is still re-organizing.
Sleep easy.
Reya
