The term psychotherapy is derived from the ancient Greek word “psyche” meaning “breath”; “spirit”; “soul” and “therapeia” meaning “healing”; “medical treatment”. Counselling is the means by which one person through conversation with another can give advice, guidance and support. Within my work as a Five Element (FE) Acupuncturist I integrate aspects of psychotherapy (talking therapy) and counselling into my sessions as it’s important for patients to be given as much space as they need to speak openly. As a therapist using the medium of acupuncture points to bring about positive change, I have found that FE acupuncture is highly effective in transforming people on a deep mental and emotional level. I need to closely observe in each of my patients which behaviours or thought patterns are detrimental to their health as it is my role to then address any imbalances in the best way possible. Many patients will know if they are out of balance, for example, if they are feeling overly anxious, worried, angry, sad, depressed or in a low mood which is why they are seeking help. Effective treatment, combined with the right advice, can bring about a state of balance and improved well-being. Listening to a patient is very powerful in assisting any treatment. As a practitioner I need to be fully present with all my patients in a non- judgemental way because it can be very healing when a patient is fully heard. FE acupuncture, beyond any physical treatment, is to balance the emotions and bring about that person’s optimal state of being. The physical and emotional are often entwined, therefore, treatment aims to address both in a holistic way. Each patient is unique in what they present with, so each session must be tailor made for that person on that day. With a successful treatment, there can be a shift in perception of past or current events or a lessening of the intensity of pain from past traumas. As the cloud begins to lift, comments such as “I feel myself”; “I am more at ease”; “I haven’t felt like this for so long”; ; “life seems less stressful”; “I’m more relaxed”; “my daughter said I seem happier”; “I feel like I’m in control again” become more commonplace. As a practitioner I reflect back to my patients what they have said. I ask questions to better understand the patient’s needs and so they can better understand themselves. In the background I am choosing acupuncture points that will support that patient at that moment. For example, Acupuncture point bladder 37, also known as Soul Door, is a beautiful acupuncture point that allows someone to move through grief, despair or a sense of hopelessness. It also benefits the lungs and is therefore beneficial for all breathing issues including asthma. I ask myself “what does this person need of me today?” Some acupuncture points will treat the person’s psyche and others may have more of a physical benefit. All will aim to balance the person in a positive and healthy way. No therapy will have all the answers. A person’s life journey continues with its inevitable ups and downs. Ultimately, I believe that FE acupuncture can work at a profound level bringing about lasting transformational shifts. It can also be supportive on a day-to-day basis in helping people cope with the stresses of life. FE acupuncture very much deals with the psyche treating the “spirit” and “soul”. For example, the point Soul Door can help someone access the preciousness of life when something has caused them to retreat. Any person can be shown the door, but it will be their choice whether they step through it.
How Five Element Acupuncture can help with fertility and IVF support
Five Element Acupuncture (FEA) works on the principle that each person has a dominant element that shapes their way of being. When out of balance this can cause emotional or physical distress or illness. Also the balance and strength of these Elements and, in the case of FEA, the person’s core element, can dictate the speed of recovery after illness and their vulnerability to illness in the first instance. If a person is involved in a car accident and are injured the cause of the injury is very clear. In a lot of cases the cause of illness is not so clearly defined and when we then enter the field of emotions a person may suffer a myriad of conditions such as depression, anxiety, worry, sadness, fear and a whole array of states that can affect the psyche and lead to physical conditions. A person who has anxiety may develop chest pains. Someone who worries excessively may develop stomach problems. The list of possible variations is extensive but it is now established in current neuro-science how the mind affects the body and vice versa. Whereas most talking therapies pay their attention to the mind and physiotherapy directly relates to treatment of the body, FEA sees that there is a bridge between the body and mind. The connection is so important that both are treated as part and parcel of the same course of treatment. FEA in itself is a treatment that works with the body. The insertion of the acupuncture needle and the application of heat (moxibustion) is a treatment on the body. But acupuncture points stimulate and address so much more than the surface level of the body. If we take the acupuncture point Conception Vessel 14 (CV14) - Great Deficiency as an example. This point has a direct relationship to the Heart and is said to help with chest pains, stomach issues, abdominal pain and even cold extremities. But in addition it is said to calm palpitations due to fear, be good for depression and have a calming effect on anxiety and hysteria. But more than that it treats the spirit. Spirit here, is not in the religious sense, but is the deeper core of a person’s psyche. It is a slightly deeper level than that of the emotions (mind). It is said that of the three levels of body, mind and spirit, when distress has reached the spirit level, a person will feel somewhat cut off from the joys of life. Most people are able to view a sunset and marvel at its wonder and somehow not be able to express in words how it makes them feel. Whereas we can express joy and sadness spirit remains slightly elusive but for many we can relate to what this means. For some there is a total disconnection from the core of who they are. They wander through life not really knowing what their purpose is or knowing who they are. It may well be that they have suffered emotional or physical abuse, been involved in an accident or suffered from an illness. Anyone of these can be so overwhelming that it causes a person to cut off or be disconnected. In FEA terms we look at the patient and say that this person is out of “balance”. Treatment is aimed at restoring the balance to the best of the person’s ability. FEA sees that a person has a dominant element of which there are five: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each person has a dominant emotion which acts as a prism in the way they relate to their life: Anger, Joy, Sympathy, Grief, and Fear. We are all the elements and so we can feel all these emotions but it is when an emotion becomes extreme that we see states of imbalance. The person who is always angry. The person who seems to be living under a cloud of sadness. The person who is in a constant state of anxiety. People are very good at hiding their distress so to others they may seem okay but inside they are slowly but surely breaking down. FEA ultimately aims to address imbalances at the core level and by doing so restore a person to optimal well being. In the treatment room a patient is given full attention and is observed and listened to attentively. The practitioner will form a tentative diagnosis and seek to bring that person into balance through the selection of acupuncture points. The practitioner will ask how can I help this person? What are their needs today? A plan of treatment is then set out and revised at each session. For when the patient arrives each time they are not the same person they were at the last appointment. It goes beyond this article to explain fully how this is all achieved and really then goes into the realm of being taught FEA. But as an example and a way to understand let us look at a couple of ways the practitioner achieves this. As I mentioned a Five Element Acupuncture practitioner will assess what a person’s dominant element is and in this journey, work out what acupuncture points may benefit that person. Also a very effective and simple treatment is the clearing of blocks. The simplest way to view a block is to imagine a gutter that is blocked or a gate or door that is seized up. This is effectively what can happen in a person’s system. So a good practitioner will diagnose and clear these blocks as quickly as possible. In fact they are a priority and if not cleared will limit the potential of treatment. A clearing of a block can have a remarkable and profound effect in itself. A reconnection treatment that often comes up in the early sessions is a bit like rebooting a computer. It’s as if the person has too many windows open and running all at the same time. They simply cannot cope but also don’t have the mechanism in place to work out what to do. They feel like they are overwhelmed and out of control. This reconnection treatment allows them to move forwards and free them up so they can cope. It also allows the physical being of that person to function in a better way. It’s as if the person has stepped through a doorway into a new bright room that has otherwise been inaccessible. A comment that often is made by patients is “I feel myself again”. In this simple statement is captured the essence of Five Element Acupuncture. It is to bring the person seeking treatment into the best optimal state of well being that they can be in. It is to help the person be in a state of balance so that they may function and overcome life’s obstacles. It is to give them a sense of inner strength and resolve. David Thorpe MBAcC LicAc DipBSSD YTTC Clinics in Central London and Hemel Hempstead/Berkhamsted
To advise on whether acupuncture can help with menopause and perimenopause
Relax and Joy – Acupuncture point Triple Heater 12 Did you know that there is positive stress called “eustress” and negative stress called “distress” but most people associate stress with being negative, hence the comments such as “I’m so stressed out!”, “I can’t cope with the stress!”, “the stress, is really getting to me!”. Another thing about stress is what is negative for one person may be positive for another. Some people thrive when giving talks while others crumble under the “pressure”. One person may come alive through rock climbing and another may be petrified by the mere thought. Some people seem to have an in-built mechanism that they can cope much better in “stressful” situations than others. Often, but not always, if an adult has had a traumatic childhood or even if they have been brought up in a household where the parents are not calm, it can have an effect on how they respond in difficult situations. The programmed conditioning of our early years can cause us to be stuck in fight, flight or freeze mode so we are easily distressed. The good news is that the programming is not hard wired and we have the ability to both manage our stress levels and how we react in challenging situations. While there are many ways in which we can release stress, I will give instructions on how to use the breath to relax. Know that this is available at any time and any directed work that you do will send positive messages to your subconscious. Watch your breath We breathe continuously and most of the time without thought. Other organs we have little control over but we can consciously hold our breath, speed it up or slow it down. When we are under stress the breathing is often negatively affected. Next time you are stressed observe your breath. Is it shallow? Are you holding it? Has it speeded up? Sometimes just the observation alone will improve your breathing. Then take three conscious deep breaths. This act reminds the lungs what they are supposed to do and acts as a break in negative patterning. When we are stressed this can negatively affect the breath. If the breathing is impaired in anyway it can send a negative message back to the brain, which causes the stress to continue or even amplify it. So, you have taken the three breaths now simply observe your breath. Is it steady? Are you breathing into your diaphragm area (bottom of the rage)? Just by observing your breath it will improve and send a vital message to your brain to relax. Why do we breathe? In essence, each in breath brings oxygen into our body which is then transported via our lungs into our blood and then pumped by the heart to wherever it is needed in the body. Equally the waste product of Carbon dioxide makes the opposite route and is expelled on the out breath. A simple exercise This is best sitting or lying down. As you read these words observe the breath and know that with each in breath you receive fresh revitalising oxygen from the world. This air energises your whole system. It purifies and within seconds is sent via your bloodstream to wherever you need it in the body. Visualise or feel the oxygen as it is pumped by the heart, through your blood, to your toes, fingers and head. No part is left untouched by its purifying, uplifting presence. Close your eyes and sense the energy of your body. Consciously engage with the breath, breathing in gently through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel the vibrancy of your inner body. Know that with each out breath your body expels what it does not need. On a very deep level your body and mind know to let go of any tension you are holding. Allow each out breath to pass through you like a wave of relaxation. As your body moves into a state of ease so your mind clears and as your mind clears your body breathes another sigh of relief and relaxes even more deeply. Stay connected with the conscious breathing for a while. While it may be good to take three deep breaths at the outset it is best then to stay with normal deep breathing. Once you disengage with the conscious breathing observe your normal breathing. It may feel more deep, calm and steady. Notice how you feel. Do you feel more relaxed? Have your thoughts quietened down? How does your body feel? The above is a wonderful, simple and transformational technique that you will be able to access whenever you need. Once you have been through it 2/3 times It will be easy to remember. The positive effect will continue to work in the background via your subconscious. Just reading this will have an effect on your breathing in a positive way. It will send a ripple of energy that will continue to make you feel relaxed and calm. There may be situations where doing the above is not possible. If you feel tension rising take three deep breaths. It acts as a break and will instantly connect with the background work. In these times (24/3) of home schooling take a breath before you speak. This lessens the chance of making a reactionary comment that adds fuel to the situation. Listen – Breathe – Respond from a place of conscious awareness. Much peace, David
How nature can help us to let go of stress. The calming and grounding effects of nature.
Body awareness relaxation technique for de stressing, boosting immunity and aiding sleep.
