First question I get when I tell people about this: How was it?
My answer: GOOD.
Second question: Did you pass out?
My answer: Almost. Twice.
I Fear Not “The Needle”
Buuuut…the needle fears me.
Here’s the scoop: in high school, I was always eager to volunteer to donate blood. I mean, it’s for a good cause. Karma. If I donate all of my great, healthy blood, then someday if I ever need blood, plenty of great, healthy blood will be available to me.
I would always watch the needle go into my arm through all nurses’ favorite vein. Yes, I had “nice-looking veins.” Creepy in other forums, a true compliment coming from a phlebotomist.
So I would WATCH the needle go it. Great, fine, worst part over. But then after all of my blood had been collected and it was time to head back to third period science, I’d faint. Cut to me, laying on a mat on the gym floor, eating cookies for an entire afternoon. It’s no wonder I loved donating, honestly.
But years passed, and I stopped donating in lieu of having my entire afternoons back.
A New Need for Needles
Cut to present-day, where I have a neck I can’t turn in either direction, for any apparent reason. I’m constantly in pain and—though I refuse blame it on my failure to stick with my yoga routine—I decide to give acupuncture a try.
Jonathan Olcutt, L.Ac., at Intuitive Acupuncture was my place of choice, at the recommendation of a fellow member of the ShareSLO street team. The morning I showed up there, I’d drunk plenty of water, skipped coffee, and even had the Ayurvedic-balanced food Kitchari for breakfast. I was ready to go.
You Need To Know WHAT?
The questionnaire I filled out pre-appointment took me a good 15 minutes or so, but man….was I ever thorough. I wanted to avoid any situations where I suddenly started seizing mid-procedure, Jonathan standing there saying, “Wait, what?! You had pizza two days ago? We can’t put needles in you if you had PIZZA two days ago!” (or some other slightly unrealistic trauma)
Next, Jonathan went through this form with me. Every tiny detail. So despite the awkwardness of the types of things I’d had to elaborate on the forms, I was glad he was at least thorough. He then carefully outlined the whole procedure for me, and we began.
The first needles went between the knuckles of my closed fists. Pretty cool! The second needles went in, and I felt my head start to grow cold and vision get spotty. “I think I’m going to pass out,” I said with a smile. Where is my needle bravery? I wondered. He laid me down and let me chill for a while before resuming.
Try #2: a couple of more needles… Cool! I thought. Next thing I knew, another wave of black-out was passing over me. I informed him. I was laid down.
Predicting as I did that the rest of the procedure would likely be like this, he had me stay laying down for the needles in my knee and ear tissue. But once those were in, I was allowed to rest in there in a dim room, soothing music playing, and relax while he moved to the next client in the other room.
Strange Purple Visions
What happened next was something I’ve only ever experienced before in a Reiki “massage:”
Behind my eyelids, I began to see waves of violet churning in various directions. Soon, I saw these waves begin spinning in a circle of violet…faster and faster, until they exploded in a ring of bright white, and then there was just calm, stillness and darkness behind my eyelids. I rested.
Upon some research, if this was real, it was a signal of the Crown Chakra (whose color is violet) rebalancing. There are also many other interpretations, but I didn’t dig too deeply into it. I’m open to other interpretations if you’d like to leave some below in “Comments.”
The key thing was, I was relaxed. My mobility in my neck, upon a second test of it, was greater…and my pain was less. It wasn’t gone, but then, these types of things can also take several treatments.
Extra Muscle Help
Before I left, Jonathan used a special clavicle-shaped tool to knead over the knots and pockets of toxins in my neck and shoulder. Though slightly painful (my fault, I put them there), it helped immensely. I could turn my head at least 25 degrees further than I could when I came in, and the pain I’d been experiencing had gone from a 7 to about a 3 on a scale of 10.
Overall Review
If you can handle the needles, this place was wonderful for acupuncture. Jonathan was great, kind and calming, and the office is nice and has a very good vibe to it. Plus, he’s a great resource on alternative medicine if you’re seeking a mentor on it.
Right now, you can book your first appointment for FREE, actually, if you just want to try it. So test it out, and hit me back with what you thought!
practiCali local 