How I found Claire? How did I accept the needles? How has my body benefitted from this type of treatment (physically and mentally)? My perspective.
Rainbow after a rainy day walking home from school -- I turned left down the side street to stand by a tree and look out over the city where the clouds were parting and the shades of a rainbow were made visible. The reflection of these colors through the light are what drew me down that street. As I turned around to walk back, I crossed to the other side of the street, which is when I noticed Claire’s sign out front. I had been intending to search for an “alternative” way to heal the discomfort I had been feeling in my stomach for several months. When I noticed Claire’s clinic, it felt that I had found what I had not known I had been looking for.
I knocked on the door and Claire opened it with a smile. Within just a few brief moments of explaining the challenges I had been having with my stomach over time, I felt a reassurance from Claire that she would be able to support me. I remember one of the first things she did in this impromptu check-in, was check my tongue. ( Dr. Claire says: Tongue says a lot about ourselves. Tongue manifests the condition of heart. Heart is like the king of our body, mind and spirit."heart" in TCM, is not only a pumping organ.) From there it was clear that she had plenty of information to work with in guiding me to find the wellness that is within.
The following week I came in for a consultation and my first acupuncture session. If you had asked me a week prior what some of my greatest fears in life were, needles would have been among the top. I was a child that had the privilege of receiving regular vaccinations, yet my poor parents had to deal with the fact that I would always be overcome with dizziness and episodes of nearly passing out. (Dr. Claire says: young children know much more than adults, we need to communicate with them with no language.) Accepting needles was something I have consciously wanted to work through, and I am so glad that it has been through acupuncture that I have been able to face this reaction of fear.( Dr. Claire says: acupuncture needles are so different from injection needles. Ah, I see the smile on your face!)
What I love about acupuncture with Claire is that the needles make you feel the energy that is moving through and that Claire always makes an effort to help me understand how and why. The sensations I may have associated with “pain” in the past, Claire so perceptively pointed out that we can think of as encompassed in “sensation” instead. Sensation is neither positive nor negative. Sensations come and go. Through my experience, they come and go more freely when we are made aware of them, which is exactly what acupuncture has helped reveal. (Good Job, my dear)
From this sensing, I feel more capable as I grow greater awareness of the dis-comfort and fluidity that I experience in my physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies. The needles have a unique ability to pinpoint energy centers within the body, allowing for attention to be drawn to the sensations. In doing so, a sort of ripple effect is created that taps on blockages that might be present and further stimulates energy to flow and transform. Through consecutive sessions with Claire, I have felt the tension of energy released, to the point where, physically, my stomach no longer bothers me. Just as with anything though, it’s been important to realize that there’s no single “cure” for anything that may cause tension in our lives. There’s constantly a need and an opportunity to be working through the unravelling, releasing, and fulfilling of our energetic bodies. I am fulfilled with so much gratitude to Claire and the compassion, wisdom, and intention that she emits through her work, as it has made the “abundance of healing” all the more visible. (I am so lucky having you as my patient, our energies resonate well with each other. Thank you for letting me experience it.)