Hello Friends!
Today I’ve got good news and bad news.
The good news is that our webinar on Trauma and Release was really good. One of our best, in fact! We heard great ideas and experience from Drs. Kimberly Thompson and Kenzie Agnew, as well as yours truly. We also enjoyed the special treat of hearing from Dr. David Mitts regarding his work at Destiny Restoration Center (destinyhouserc.org)—a non-profit foundation he an his wife formed to help victims of sex trafficking.
The bad news is that in the crush of preparing and presenting the webinar, I forgot to set it up for recording. So…yeah, it wasn’t recorded. When I found out, my stomach dropped straight through my shoes, but there’s literally nothing I can do. It only existed live, and now it’s over.
I feel terrible about this, since I know so many people depend on the recordings of our trainings when they can’t attend in person. I know it’s not a substitute for the actual webinar, but here are a few of the key takeaways from the training. I hope you find them helpful:
Trauma is a spectrum, ranging from minor and inconvenient (think hurt feelings) to major and debilitating (think PTSD). The mechanisms are the same, but the severity varies widely.
Trauma is captured and stored in several ways, which all interconnect:
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- Physically in the body: Prolonged nervous system activation resulting in chronic pain, muscle tension, autoimmune conditions and more.
- Energetically in the meridians: The small intestine and bladder meridians are often involved. Energy blockages and stagnation are often manifest.
- Emotionally through prolonged amygdala activation resulting in heightened emotional reactivity and threat readiness.
- Anxiety and insomnia are common symptoms, as are fatigue, digestive issues, headaches, immune suppression and more.
Acupuncturists are uniquely situated to help by addressing trauma in a way other practitioners cannot. We can treat the blockages, restore energetic flow and address the mental and emotional symptoms as well.
We highlighted two recent studies:
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- A 2023 Meta analysis that showed acupuncture outperformed both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for PTSD
- A 2020 Meta analysis that showed ear acupuncture helps with PTSD symptoms
We offer several very useful tools to assist in addressing trauma:
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- AcuGraph to identify and track blockages and stagnation in the channels
- CES Ultra to treat anxiety and insomnia with safe, effective, natural brain stimulation
- Gunalight to replenish and strengthen Qi, restoring balance and reserves
- Jade Vitality to create a safe space, stress-melting cocoon while restoring Qi circulation
- Lasers for gentle, non-needle stimulation of acupoints
Dr. Kimberly Thompson shared her “Brain Dump Journaling” technique and provided a free download of instructions you can share with patients. Click Here for this free resource: https://acubrain.com/trauma-and-release-special
A final thought: As acupuncturists, we can address the physical, mental, emotional and energetic blockages that come with trauma and help patients in their healing journey. It’s important we not neglect this significant area of practice.
OK, sorry for the brief outline, but I thought something would be better than nothing! I hope you find a useful reminder or two here, and wish you much success in helping your patients in their healing journeys.
Kind regards,
Dr. Adrian Larsen
