Acupuncture To Heal Trauma: What’s Possible?
Trauma, whether resulting from a single distressing event or prolonged exposure to systemic oppression, can deeply impact an individual's (and entire communities’) mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Acupuncture, a 5,000 year old Chinese medicine system, has gained recognition as a therapy that holds promise in healing trauma. In this article, we explore the principles of acupuncture and how it contributes to trauma recovery.
Understanding Trauma and its Impact
Trauma can manifest in various ways, impacting you on a physical, emotional, and psychological level. Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, autoimmunity, and chronic pain are common manifestations of trauma. Acupuncture approaches healing by focusing on the balance and flow of energy, known as "qi," within the body.
Acupuncture Principles in Trauma Healing
Unblocking and Regulating Energy Flow: Central to acupuncture is the concept of "Qi," a force that flows through meridians, or pathways, in the body. Trauma can disrupt the smooth flow of Qi, leading to imbalances and blockages. Acupuncture seeks to restore harmony by inserting thin pins into specific points along your meridians, encouraging the free flow of energy thereby undoing patterns created and reinforced by trauma.
Calming the Nervous System: Trauma often triggers a heightened state of arousal in your nervous system, leading to symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, digestive distress, frequent illness, and trouble sleeping. Acupuncture has been shown to have a calming effect on the sympathetic nervous system, promoting a state of relaxation which opens-up your window of tolerance.
Releasing Endorphins: Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, your body's natural painkillers and mood enhancers. This alleviates physical and emotional pain associated with trauma, providing you with a sense of relief and wellbeing that allows your body to heal from trauma patterns.
Addressing Physical Symptoms: Chronic pain and physical discomfort are common manifestations of trauma. Acupuncture can be effective in addressing these symptoms by promoting circulation, reducing inflammation, and releasing tension in muscles.
Restoring Sleep Patterns: Sleep disturbances are common for folks who have experienced trauma. Acupuncture has shown promise in improving sleep quality by regulating circadiant rhythms, balancing hormones, and regulating the nervous system. Better sleep allows the brain to access critical healing time overnight and is a foundational piece of the healing process.
Creating Mind-Body Awareness: Acupuncture sessions provide a unique opportunity for individuals to cultivate mind-body awareness (also known as interoception). The process of receiving acupuncture encourages you to be present in the moment, fostering a connection between physical sensations and mental-emotional experience.
Conclusion
Acupuncture offers a unique and holistic approach to trauma healing by addressing the interconnected nature of physical, emotional, and energetic wellbeing. Through the restoration of energy flow, calming the nervous system, and addressing physical symptoms, acupuncture provides a pathway to healing that goes beyond symptom management. As you navigate the complexities of trauma recovery, acupuncture stands as a supportive and integrative therapeutic modality, offering relief and fostering resilience on the journey toward greater ease and freedom. Book a Curiosity Call to learn more.
How To Find A Somatic Therapist In Burlington, VT
Embarking on the journey of self-discovery and healing often means finding a skilled therapist. Somatic therapy is a unique approach that recognizes the inextricable connection between the mind and body, emphasizing the importance of physical sensations in the therapeutic process both as a source of knowledge and a way to heal from the inside out. If you're considering somatic therapy to heal from anxiety, depression, trauma, body dysmorphia, or racialized/gendered harm, it's crucial to find a therapist who aligns with your needs and values and with whom you feel safe. In this guide, we'll explore the steps to help you find the right somatic therapist for your journey toward healing.
Understanding Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy is a holistic approach that acknowledges the integral connection between the mind and body. This form of therapy recognizes that emotional and psychological issues can manifest physically in the body, and vice versa. Somatic therapists employ various techniques to explore and address the impact of past experiences, stress, and trauma on the body. These techniques may include mindfulness, breathwork, movement, and touch.
Steps to Find a Somatic Therapist:
Research and Understand Somatic Therapy: Begin your search by gaining a clear understanding of somatic therapy. Read articles, books, and reputable online sources to grasp the fundamental principles and techniques of this approach. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions during the therapist selection process.
Identify Your Goals and Preferences: Clearly define your therapy goals and preferences. Consider the specific issues you want to address, your preferred therapeutic style, and any specific qualifications or characteristics you find important in a therapist.
Seek Recommendations: Reach out to friends, family, or colleagues who may have experience with somatic therapy or mental health professionals. Personal recommendations can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and compatibility of a therapist.
Online Directories: Utilize online therapy directories and platforms that specialize in connecting individuals with qualified therapists. Websites like Psychology Today, and the Vermont Counseling Network often allow you to filter therapists based on their specialization, location, and other criteria.
Check Credentials: Ensure that the therapist is licensed and certified in somatic therapy or a related field. Verify their credentials, education, and professional affiliations. This information is typically available on their website or through professional licensing boards.
Review Therapist Profiles: Explore the profiles of potential therapists. Look for information about their therapeutic approach, experience, and areas of expertise. Consider whether their values and philosophy align with your own.
Initial Consultation: Many therapists offer initial consultations, either in person or over the phone. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions, discuss your goals, and gauge the therapist's approach. Pay attention to how comfortable and supported you feel during the conversation.
Cost and Logistics: Consider practical factors such as cost, location, and scheduling. Determine whether the therapist accepts insurance or offers a sliding scale for fees. Additionally, assess whether the location and timing of sessions allow you to make a committment to the therapeutic process.
Trust Your Instincts: Trust your instincts when making a decision. If you feel a strong connection with a therapist and believe they can help you on your healing journey, that is a positive sign.
Finding the right somatic therapist is a crucial step toward healing. By conducting thorough research, identifying your goals, seeking recommendations, and assessing therapist credentials, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your unique needs. Remember that the therapeutic relationship is a collaborative process, and finding the right fit is key to unlocking the transformative potential of somatic therapy in your life.
How Somatic Therapy Changes The Brain
Intact medicines such as Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine have always understood that the mind and body are inextricable. But only in recent years has the Western model of mental health begun to acknowledge this age-old wisdom. As a result of the powerful healing potential of body-mind work, we’re now living in an era characterized by q surge of interest in somatic therapy. This approach recognizes the profound interplay between the mind and body, aiming to alleviate psychological distress and physical suffering by rebuilding our relationship with what’s below the neck. In this post, we delve into the specific neurobiological changes associated with somatic therapy, shedding light on the ways in which this therapeutic modality changes the brain=— inclining it toward greater ease and freedom.
Somatic Therapy: A Neurobiological Perspective
Let’s dive into the main ways that somatic psychotherapy has been shown to change the brain and help you heal from trauma, anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, and even physical pain:
Impact on the Amygdala: The amygdala is a key player in the brain's emotional processing center. And as a result, it is deeply implicated in trauma and stress responses. Somatic therapy, particularly approaches like Somatic Experiencing (SE), has been linked to a reduction in amygdala activation. This indicates that somatic therapy may contribute to the quieting of exaggerated fear responses associated with traumatic memories. That means a life with less fear.
Regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Somatic therapy actively engages with the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion. Trauma often dysregulates the ANS, leading to heightened states of arousal or shutdown. Through somatic techniques like breathwork, body scans, eye movement, and mindfulness, somatic therapy helps regulate the ANS, promoting a more balanced and adaptive response to stress. Meaning, you can encounter stressful situations and not be as impacted by them (i.e. less or no anxiety, fear, shutdown, or reactivity states).
Changes in Cortisol Levels: Chronic stress and trauma can result in dysregulation of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. Research suggests that somatic therapy, including mindful movement practices like yoga and tai chi, may contribute to the normalization of cortisol levels. This indicates a potential neuro-endocrine mechanism through which somatic therapy supports stress reduction.
Neuroplasticity and Structural Changes: Somatic therapy has been associated with neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Studies have indicated structural changes in areas of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex. This suggests that somatic therapy may play a role in reshaping neural circuits involved in emotional processing.
Enhanced Interoception: Interoception, the ability to perceive your internal bodily sensations, is a central focus of somatic therapy. Mindfulness practices and body-awareness techniques inherent in somatic therapy enhance interoceptive awareness. Research suggests that individuals who engage in somatic practices may show increased connectivity between brain regions associated with interoception.
Reduction in Default Mode Network (DMN) Activity: The default mode network, implicated in self-referential thoughts and mind-wandering, may exhibit altered activity in individuals with trauma or stress-related disorders. Somatic therapy, particularly mindfulness-based approaches, has been associated with a reduction in DMN activity. This shift may contribute to decreased rumination and an increased capacity for present-moment awareness.
The Impacts of Somatic Therapy On Emotional Regulation and Wellbeing
The neurobiological changes associated with somatic therapy hold significant implications for emotional regulation and overall wellbeing. By influencing key brain structures and pathways, somatic interventions contribute to the rewiring of the nervous system, offering individuals new possibilities for coping with stress, trauma, and emotional challenges and encouraging changes on the brain-level that are long-lasting.
Trauma-Transformational Somatic Therapy: Beyond Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma Transformational Care is an evolving paradigm in healthcare and therapy that goes deeper to address the root causes of trauma and facilitate comprehensive healing. I was first introduced to this approach by my social worker friend, Poa Mutino, over homemade gnocchi. He shared what Trauma Transformational Care means for him and I replied, “Oh wow, that’s exactly what we do at Refuge!” Moving beyond a “trauma-informed” approach allows you and your practitioner to not only recognize the profound and lasting effects systemic harm and trauma has had on you and alleviate your symptoms, but also offer a way to transform the impact of that trauma at its core. In this blog post, we’ll explore the principles, strategies, and liberatory potential of Trauma Transformational Care.
What Is Trauma Transformational Care?
Trauma Transformational Care is a whole-person approach that focuses on profound and lasting healing from trauma. It works to transform the way you perceive and respond to traumatic experiences and fosters resilience, empowerment, and a sense of wholeness. Here at Refuge, we never lose site of the systems of oppression that are present, real, and greatly impact especially LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Neurodivergent, Femmes, and other marginalized communities. Our take on Trauma Transformational Care guides you to heal deeply from these harms, while acknowledging their ubiquity and building robust rest and resiliency practices into your daily life.
What does Trauma Transformational Care Emphasize?
Moving beyond trauma-informed care, Trauma Transformational Care gets at the root of trauma to help you rebuild yourself, experience both joy and rest, and reengage with the collective.
Personal and Collective Power and Agency: Trauma Transformational Care aids you in unearthing your own sense of power and voice, and directs this embodied knowing into reclaiming agency over your life. With a more solid sense of your own power, you can explore and develop your role in your immediate circle of loved ones and in your wider community.
Identity and Self-Concept: This approach acknowledges the impact of trauma on your sense of self. Trauma Transformational Care fosters positive identity development and a healthy self-concept by helping you to redefine your narrative and build a more liberated and resilient sense of self.
Community and Connection: Trauma can often isolate you. Trauma Transformational Care places importance on building supportive communities and fostering meaningful connections as integral components of the healing journey.
Whole Body Wellbeing: Beyond addressing immediate symptoms, Trauma Transformational Care considers the whole body. It encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions, recognizing the interconnectedness of these aspects in the healing process.
Rebuilding the Mind-Body Partnership: This approach emphasizes the integration of mind and body in the healing process. Somatic Therapy techniques such as mindfulness, eye movements, breathworks, body scans, and expressive arts may be employed to facilitate a deeper connection between mental and physical experiences.
Somatic Therapy Strategies for Trauma Transformational Care
Narrative Therapy: Helping you reconstruct you narrative is central to Trauma Transformational Care. This involves exploring and reshaping the stories you tell about yourself and your experiences, promoting a sense of agency and resilience. Part and parcel of this process is acknowledging the harms of dominant culture while unearthing the resiliency and brilliance that has brought you to survive up until this point.
Present-moment awareness: Practices that cultivate knowing what’s happening right here, right now, such as meditation, are integral to Trauma Transformational Care. These techniques enhance individuals' ability to manage overwhelming emotions and to cultivate a sense of internal calm.
Expressive Arts: Creative and expressive arts therapies, such as art therapy, music therapy, and dance/movement therapy, are employed to facilitate non-verbal expression and processing of traumatic experiences. Your body has a lot to “say.”
Embodied Practices: Somatic techniques, eye movement, slow body movements, intuitive movement, yoga, and breathwork are utilized to promote body awareness and release the physical tension patterns associated with trauma. These practices enhance the mind-body connection, fostering a sense of groundedness and body sovereignty.
Peer Support and Group Therapy: Creating a supportive community through peer support and group therapy is a key strategy. Shared experiences within a safe and empathetic group setting can contribute significantly to the healing process.
Trauma Transformational Care represents a revolutionary approach to healing that goes beyond symptom management, aiming for profound and lasting transformation. By prioritizing your power and voice, identity reconstruction, and whole person healing, this approach paves the way for you to not just to survive trauma but to thrive in its aftermath. Trauma Transformational Care has great potential to bring about transformative change in the lives of trauma survivors and practitioners here at Refuge employ this significant advancement in the field of trauma-informed care.
What is Somatic Therapy?
The world of mental health is dominated by talking. The majority of therapists have tools to increase their clients’ analytical understanding of their suffering and try to change their behaviors through that understanding. Somatic therapy, however seeks to address the root of anxiety, depression, shame, obsessive thoughts/behaviors, shutdown, trauma, systemic oppressions, and other persistent issues through engaging the mind-body connection. This powerful and innovative form of psychotherapy places emphasis on the body's intelligence and the body’s central role in healing emotional wounds and opening to a more liberating, autonomous, joyful way of engaging the world. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the essence of somatic therapy, exploring its principles, techniques, and the transformative impact it can have on individuals seeking a deep, long-lasting, and transformative approach to their mental and physical health.
How is Somatic Therapy Different From Talk Therapy?
Somatic therapy, often referred to as body-centered psychotherapy, recognizes that the mind and body are inextricable, and emotional experiences are not confined solely to the realm of thoughts and feelings. Developed from a blend of Eastern and Western therapeutic traditions, somatic therapy acknowledges that the body holds a wealth of information about your emotional state, history, and overall wellbeing. And that that information can be leveraged to heal deep wounds, even those that your lineages have carried across many generations.
Here are some key principles that distinguish Somatic Therapy from Talk Therapy:
Embodiment: Somatic therapy develops embodiment, encouraging you to become more aware of, accepting of, and connected to your physical sensations. This involves bringing attention to bodily experiences, such as muscle tension, breath patterns, gestures, and more to deepen your understanding of your emotional responses.
Mind-Body Connection: Central to somatic therapy is the acknowledgment that psychological issues manifest physically and vice versa. By exploring the interplay between your mind and body, you can gain insight into the root causes of your suffering and utilize that relationship to work towards long-lasting healing.
Trauma-Informed Approach: Somatic therapy is particularly effective in addressing trauma. Traumatic experiences leave imprints on the body, at the cellular level. These experiences can lead to symptoms like tension, shutdown, anxiety, depression, physical pain, sleep issues, digestive distress, feelings of isolation and disconnection (among others). Somatic therapists use gentle and gradual techniques to help you process and release these stored traumas, promoting healing from the inside out.
What Does A Somatic Therapy Session Look Like?
Every session is difference and designed to work with what is arising for you in that very moment in time. Here are some techniques you might encounter in a somatic therapy session:
Body Scan: A foundational technique, the body scan involves bringing focused attention to different parts of the body, noting sensations without judgment. This practice enhances body awareness and helps you to develop a deeper connection to your physical experiences. This is a process that can take time, especially for those of us socialized female or for those who are physical trauma survivors, or who experience body dysmorphia.
Breathwork: By regulating and deepening the breath, you can release tension, calm the nervous system, and promote a sense of grounding. Breathwork comes in various levels of intensity and is always employed gently to begin.
Movement and Expression: Somatic therapy often incorporates gentle movement and expressive arts to facilitate emotional release and healing. This can include activities such as dance, drawing, sculptor, voicing/song, or simple exercises that encourage the body to release stored emotions.
Touch and Massage: In certain somatic approaches, therapists may use touch or massage to help you reconnect with you body and promote release. This is always done with explicit consent and in a safe, therapeutic context.
What Are the Benefits of Somatic Therapy?
Here at Refuge Acupuncture and Somatics, we see all of our offerings as a path toward greater liberation on an individual and collective level. On that path you will develop:
Increased Self-Awareness: Somatic therapy fosters a heightened awareness of the connection between your emotions and physical sensations, empowering you to understand yourself on a deeper level and to move from a place of reactivity to your own emotions, to one of greater care.
Emotional Regulation: By addressing physical manifestations of emotional distress, somatic therapy equips you with tools to regulate you emotions, manage stress, and cultivate a greater sense of well-being, including but not limited to greater ease, a more stable mood, deeper sleep, smoother digestion, decreased muscle tension, and a more neutral (or even positive) regard for your body shape.
Trauma Recovery: Somatic therapy is particularly effective for trauma survivors, offering a gentle and supportive path towards processing and integrating traumatic experiences.
Improved Body Image: Through the exploration of body sensations and movements, you often experience a positive shift in your relationship with your body, fostering improved body image, self-acceptance, and self-love.
Somatic therapy represents a paradigm shift in the field of psychotherapy, recognizing the profound impact that the body has on mental and emotional well-being and healing from trauma. By incorporating principles of embodiment, the mind-body connection, and trauma-informed care, somatic therapy offers a holistic approach to healing. Whether addressing specific mental health challenges or seeking a greater sense of liberation and connection, somatic therapy provides a unique and powerful avenue for self-discovery and transformation.
Finding The Right Acupuncturist For You In Burlington, VT
Dec. 5
There are a lot of acupuncturists here in Burlington, VT and we all have something particular to offer. At the point at which you’re researching your options, you’re probably ready for a change. You might be wanting to finally address a chronic illness or injury that just isn’t getting better, or you’re preparing for a big life change like getting pregnant, starting fertility treatments, giving birth, or figuring out what parenthood looks like in your baby, child, or teen’s phase of life. Finding the right fit for you is more important than finding “the Best Acupuncturist in Burlington”. Truth be told, there is no such thing. The best acupuncturist in Burlington, VT is the acupuncturist that you feel more comfortable with, who you “jive” with, who gives you confidence that you, or your child, really can heal from whatever you’re going through.
Top 3 Questions To Ask While Choosing An Acupuncturist
What is your approach to acupuncture?
The answer you get to this question will tell you a lot. For some, a long explanation of Chinese Medicine or acupuncture dynamics is your dream! For others, that wouldn’t be a good fit. Some might want to hear about a collaborative approach that takes your mental, physical, and spiritual health into account. Others might really resonate with the consent-based, trauma-informed approach that we use here for babies, kids, and adults alike. For some, having an acupuncturist who shares your identities: LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrant, fat, anti-racist, femme or masculine (to name a few), might be really important to feeling safe and seen.
Ask this question! I promise you’ll be better equipped to make an informed choice.
Do you have experience addressing what I’m coming to acupuncture for?
Now I’m not saying that in order to successfully support you to heal that your acupuncturist needs to have already treated what you’re coming in for. That’s because we don’t treat diseases persay, we treat your particular manifestation and tailor treatment to you. However, for some very long-standing, complex, or severe conditions, it can be helpful for your acupuncturist to have either direct experience working with what you’re presenting with.
Surprising to some, studies show that clinicians get better results within their first five years of practice than they do afterward. Why is this? In your early career as an acupuncturist, you are humble. You know you don’t know everything. You’re curious, thorough, inquisitive. You have most likely built mentorship networks so you have more experienced teachers to go to with challenging cases (I know I do!).
All of this said, listen carefully to how the acupuncturist answers this question and you will learn a lot about how they might approach your concerns.
What is getting acupuncture treatment in your clinic like?
There are so many ways to answer this question. For folks who come from historically marginalized communities or who have experienced trauma, describing the use of informed, enthusiastic consent might be a big factor in feeling ready to book an appointment. For those in larger bodies, learning that the acupuncturist’s table can accommodate 1,500 lbs and that they believe all bodies are good bodies (as we do here!), is key to starting a trusting relationship. For neurodiverse people or parents of neurodiverse kiddos, learning about our sensory-inclusive environment, that we lead with consent, and that the acupuncturist understands and honors neurodiversity, can make all the difference.
Wherever you are in your search for an acupuncturist here in Burlington, VT, I wish you well on finding just the right fit for you.
Neuro-inclusive Acupuncture in Burlington, VT
Jan. 18
East Asian Medicine is so much more than just acupuncture pins. It is a complete system of medicine which offers seven non-needle techniques and plant medicine to heal physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual concerns. When your practitioner is trained to use these seven techniques, it opens up acupuncture to kids, folks with sensory differences, and those whose fear of needles have kept them from trying acupuncture. Thanks to this approach, our clients are able to find either a neutral or comfortable way to benefit from acupuncture. Whether you have sensory needs that aren’t well-understood or respected by other practitioners, or identify with these neurotypes (ASD, ADHD, SPD, PDA), acupuncture and herbal medicine can open pathways to feeling more calm, getting better sleep, improving digestion, cognition, reducing pain, and more.
Kids, Teens, and Adults with ASD, ADHD, and Various Sensory Needs Are Welcome Here
Here, we understand that all brains are different and worthy of understanding. That means that we ask you what kind of touch feels good and what doesn’t. Before you even come in, our intake form asks you to share your sensory needs including things like a scent-free environment, low-light, or wearing your own headphones during treatment. Here, you can enjoy the freedom to stim without judgement. And if we didn’t ask you something on the intake, don’t worry, there will be time to share your sensory needs as we go along.
When in the office, some questions that we may ask you are:
What kind of pressure feels neutral or good?
During treatment, we only touch the head and neck, back, abdomen, arms, and legs. Are any of these areas a “no” for you today?
Would you like to me to demo an acupuncture pin and then you can decide if you want to try one?
Is there a non-needle technique you want to try? These include laser, microcurrent, herbal compress massage, acupressure, phototherapy patches, moxibustion, or pyonex. Let’s look at some together and we can go from there.
Here, we understand that Autism is a spectrum because, well, every single person is on it! I thank my teachers in the field of disability justice (especially Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha) for this framing and for the ways that it has inspired me to better serve folks who are neurodiverse/neurospicy.
Herbal Compress Massage For Deep Sensory Input
We always ask for consent and only use treatment methods that feel neutral or good to you. For those who need deep input, herbal compress massage uses firm pressure to activate acupuncture points. Herbal compresses look like socks filled with rice and tied-off at the top. They are soaked in hot water and then steamed for a few minutes. Then, either you or I apply them to different areas of the body. They can be used by tapping, scraping, pushing, circular pressure, and more. We experiment to see what feels best and treatment is guided by your feedback.
Herbal compress massage helps to develop proprioception, reduce allostatic load (stress), address pain, and improve the quality of your digestion and sleep. Over time, it can also improve speech and cognition. Each compress is filled with herbs tailored to you. In addition to the soothing nature of a warm compress, they smell great.
Tools for Light Sensory Input
For those who prefer no touch or light touch, we can choose from:
medical-grade lasers,
tiny taps,
phototherapy patches, or
microcurrent
All of these options are low-sensation and some you cannot feel other than the tool resting on the skin. These tools can be used quickly so that there is minimal physical proximity and touch from the practitioner. All of these methods balance the Qi in the meridians, bring down pain sensitivity, startle response, and help the systems of the body to function more smoothly.
Some folks who like light sensory input really enjoy more “traditional” acupuncture treatments. What makes our approach more sensory-inclusive is our explicit consent approach paired with pins that are super fine, about the thickness of a single strand of hair. Meaning, the insertion is gentler and many people cannot feel them while resting on the table in a low-light, quiet environment for 20-30 minutes.
Acupuncture For ADHD, ASD, and Sensory Processing Differences
Here we are committed to offering acupuncture that is accessible to folks with ADHD, ASD, SPD, and sensory processing differences. Acupuncture and herbal medicine is a profound, 5,000 year old medicine system that cultivates a sense of belonging in your body and mind. It can help to support cognition, speech, digestion, sleep, reduce pain, and bring calm to the body and mind.
As a Queer-owned, sensory-inclusive practice just across the street from the new Burlington, VT YMCA and in the old VDT Building in Bristol, VT, I look forward to collaborating with you.
What “Refuge” Has To Do With Acupuncture
Feb. 23
Credit where credit is due, right? When I was dreaming into how to serve the good folks of Burlington and Bristol, VT, I kept getting this deeply cozy, rooted, radically honest, and unconditionally present feeling. I envisioned a place that grew people’s relationship with their whole somatic experience, the earth beneath their feet, their ancestors, and the gifts that all of these offer us. I envisioned warmth, connection, and a place where people could un-mask, cry, get angry, or express the things that feel too hard or too taboo to say in daily life. What I was feeling into and dreaming into being was what I have been deeply cultivating for years… what the Buddha called “Refuge.”
Refuge Isn’t A Place in Burlington
or Bristol, It’s A Practice
When I was in my mid-twenties, working in a social change organization, I was in the kitchen heating up my lunch. While waiting beside the microwave, a colleague leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Did you know that so-and-so goes to these retreats for two weeks and DOESN’T TALK TO ANYONE THE WHOLE TIME?” Their tone told me they thought this was a bizarre, unpleasant idea. Clearly this was something they thought warranted a gossipy whisper. My internal voice thought, “Holy smokes, I gotta talk to so-and-so.”
(Side note: I come from a very raucous, opinionated, first generation blended Jewish-Italian household and am far from what most people think of as your typical meditator. I’m chubby, extroverted (for the most part), and not particularly calm, quiet, or patient by nature.)
The microwave beeped. Snatching my lunch from the microwave, I ate in a hurry and ran over to so-and-so’s door.
Knock-knock.
Hey, is so-and-so around?
Sorry, Rebecca, she’s not. I’ll tell her to stop by when she gets back.
Ok, I said, thanks.
I waited what seemed like an eternity until so-and-so poked her head around the corner of my shared office space and said, “You were looking for me?”
What ensued was a conversation that led to a retreat that led to a daily practice that changed everything for me. It opened the doors to my own body, to learning Chinese medicine, and to embarking on the the lifelong adventure of becoming an acupuncturist and herbalist.
What Taking Refuge In My Body Has Looked Like Over The Years
Let me disavow you of the idea that I’ve “arrived.” Taking refuge (especially in your body) is not something that ever ends, it’s an everyday practice, a cultivation, a tending-to that sometimes feels great, a lot of the time feels bleh, and can be a source of pain and even trauma. That’s because growing up in dominant culture here in North America/Turtle Island, we are taught to live from the neck-up. Our bodies are meant to be conquered, controlled, and squashed into submission. Especially for girls, women, and those socialized-female, we are taught that in order to love ourselves and be lovable, we need to take up the least amount of possible space. Be smaller physically and otherwise.
I really internalized that messaging. And as a “big-boned girl”, as my mother always described me, I struggled deeply with accepting the shape and size of my body from a very young age. So when I got to my very first meditation retreat recommended by so-and-so, and was instructed to relax and breathe through my belly, I physically could not. Years and years of being trained to pull-in my belly had resulted in a deep alienation from my soft midsection and a longstanding mistrust and hatred for its real shape. I recall vividly on Day 2 of my retreat going to one of the retreat managers and telling her, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t breathe. There’s something wrong with me.” I was deeply distraught, frustrated, and disillusioned with myself and the practice. This retreat manager was gentle, wise, and patient and maintained an unshakeable belief that there was nothing wrong with me. She practiced breathing with me and took a trauma-informed approach to the meditation instructions that the teacher was not. It was her loving support that kept me on that first retreat and I am still deeply grateful for her wisdom.
Today, more than a decade later, taking refuge in my body is still a core practice, even as it’s changed over the years. It’s ebbs and it flows and it’s ultimately about contacting (visually, and through touch and imagination) the truth of what my body is. And it’s not just about what it looks like, though that is a part of it. It means maintaining a relationship with my body through movement that feels nourishing and it’s about caring for it (not changing its shape or size). It looks like only keeping clothes in my closet that actually fit my body the way it is right now. It means intentionally looking in the mirror and giving myself appreciation for this curve or wrinkle, or that ability to lift my child or have the capacity for smell. It’s about tuning into the actual sensations that arise from the foods I choose to eat, and offering my body nourishment that feels good, not that conforms to a certain idea of “healthy” or the latest fashionable diet. It’s about surrounding myself with friends and (chosen) family who affirm my beauty, who I can be real with.
So Why “Acupuncture Refuge”?
In my humble understanding of the Buddha’s teaching on refuge, there is a practice that involves “taking refuge.” This practice is about developing an embodied confidence in every being’s capacity to 1) be free or liberated, 2) to maintain a clear and unmuddied understanding of things as they are, and 3) to cultivate these understandings in community with people trying to do the same. This practice acknowledges and looks oppression squarely in the eye and is anything but a Polly-anna concept of perfection or spiritual bypass.
In my experience, acupuncture and herbal medicine hold the profound potential to not only drastically reduce pain, address mental and emotional health, chronic illness, digestive and sleep issues, but also to grow people’s sense of connection. It can tend to deep-seated wounds, increase people’s capacity to show-up for what matters most, and to clarify their very purpose. This medicine is meant to occur in-relationship, and is most effective when the practitioner-client relationship is tended, and when the medicine is offered in the context of one’s own healing and the benefit of all people, everywhere, without exception.
But perhaps the most profound thing about acupuncture is that all that I’m describing can unfold without you having to believe anything. If you come for better sleep or less pain and that’s all that matters, that’s enough! If you come for anxiety and digestive issues and are open to these other aspects of healing, beautiful! Neither is better than another and experiencing healing does not require you to talk about it or believe in it — you just need to show up.