In acupuncture, we use needles. Lots of needles. Needles in the hands. Needles in the feet. Some in the head, too. The first thing any sane person may ask is...why? That's a great question,the answer of which belongs to the sage on the hill that decided to poke his friend's knee to stop a throbbing headache long ago. Whatever the reason, there is little doubt that the needles work, and work well. I see people everyday with all kinds of problems, and the vast, vast majority of these are truly helped by this strange and beautiful art.

But why needles? Why something that hurts? Granted, an acupuncturist never tries to hurt a client; in fact the truly gifted ones can pierce the skin without the acupunct-ee ever feeling a thing. However, whether or not the person feels it, the skin and surrounding tissue certainly does. In fact one could say that the area is made uncomfortable. Sometimes, our conscious awareness is made uncomfortable with the needling process and I think that is a good thing.

Acupuncture shakes us out of our pattern, it helps our body to realize its own potential for change. Change is part of the natural order of things, and we (like it or not) are part of that order. Sometimes, our body wants to change very easily. Sometimes, the body can be a bit stubborn. Either way, the more we can be comfortable with being uncomfortable, the more possibilities open up, and true change can happen.

What kind of change? Emotionally, it can be the kind of change that allows us to stop clinging to beliefs and emotions that no longer serve us, or allows us to process better a traumatic event that leaves us frozen, completely stuck in life. Physically, it can be change that allows muscles holding onto a painful back to relax and begin reorganizing to order for the body to truly heal a damaged area. This is real change. Change our bodies crave. Change that our bodies are really good at. But first we must begin getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Life is often uncomfortable, and often for good reasons. Sometimes it's uncomfortable for no reason at all. Either way, if we are comfortable with things we don't like, if we can surrender to those uncomfortable things in the trust that all things change, our body, our mind, our spirit will start healing themselves. In fact, if we lean into those things we don't find pleasant, we may receive a little wisdom on the other side.

So enjoy those needles! Feel them...really feel them! You may surprise yourself with how much you look forward to your next treatment.