I wasn't afraid of the needles.
That was what I told Charlotte, and it was the truth. Charlotte was a robust, beautiful blonde nun with blue eyeshadow and a southern drawl; she was a beacon of contented serenity.
She was also a licensed acupuncturist, and on the day in question, she was about to pierce my tender flesh with half a dozen sharp needles. But I really wasn't nervous about this first encounter; I was looking forward to it.
I am not a masochist. Under most circumstances, I avoid pain at all costs. However, my mother assured me that the needles used in acupuncture cause only minimal discomfort. It was actually my mom who suggested this summer that I visit Charlotte to enhance my general well-being. My mom, who has experienced the benefits of acupuncture herself, knew what she was talking about.
In my first meeting with Charlotte, I told her as much as I could about myself within two hours. She asked me about my passions, dreams, best and worst memories, favorite body part and so on. She also told me a little more about acupuncture.
I learned that acupuncture is not only about healing sickness but promoting wellness. The whole idea behind it is to bring one in touch with one's body in order to take proper care of oneself. The purpose of the needles is to stimulate the flow of energy, the Chi, to certain parts of the body associated with different emotions and physical conditions. This increases the patient's awareness of the physical self in connection with the non-physical self.
After that first session with Charlotte, I felt better already. And I hadn't even seen a needle yet.
A week later, I received my first real treatment. The first needle pierced me above my left shoulder blade with a slight and fleeting pinch. Within seconds, it felt as though something was moving around that point, through my back, beneath my skin. I cannot explain it any better than that except to say that I had neither expected nor previously experienced anything like it. I told Charlotte what was going on. She pleasantly and matter-of-factly responded that it was the Chi moving around back there, and she proceeded to insert five other needles into various other points on my back. She told me to lie down on my side and relax, and she left the room.
I now know that I lay there for about 50 minutes with half a dozen needles in me, but I lost all sense of time as my mind wandered lazily in and out of thoughts and dreams and wakefulness. And I could feel the Chi moving in my back, like the purposeful, continuous flow of blood through my veins.
The rest of the day after that was surreal. As I went about my daily activities and interacted with people, it was as though I moved in a cloud of complete tranquility, perfectly contented and unperturbed by things that normally would have irritated me.
I might have thought this was all in my mind, but my back felt like it had just been kneaded for several hours by an incredibly enthusiastic masseuse. For what was probably the first time in my life, I felt free of all physical and mental tension. I was definitely doing that again.
Every treatment I received from Charlotte after that focused on different acupuncture points, resulting in different mental and physical experiences. And meanwhile, I focused on listening to my body's needs. I figured out that it doesn't need coffee; what it really needs is more rest. It doesn't like junk food as much as it likes fresh fruits and vegetables. And it really can't handle seven-mile runs every single day of the week, only some days. Everyone is different, but that's my body.
The most important thing I learned from my acupuncture treatments is that I can achieve wellness only if I nurture my body, soul and mind equally. I am currently trying to connect all three components of myself, and it's not any easier than it sounds. Of course I neglect one or more of them sometimes, but I usually pay later when I feel sick or lethargic or restless.
Acupuncture introduced me to my Chi, something I only vaguely knew I had. Now I'm doing my best to stay in touch with it. Lee Conderacci is a sophomore from Towson, Md. She can be reached at lcondera@princeton.edu.
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