Dear Patient,
Recently I was treating a patient for shoulder pain. I did what I always do before placing the needles, which is to feel the pulses, gather some info about the primary complaint, then ask, “Everything else feeling ok?”
She paused. “I’m just here for my shoulder,” she replied.
But there was something about the way she said it. I could tell there was more going on.
After the first few needles went in, tears welled up in her eyes. “Can acupuncture treat a broken heart?” She asked. She went on to describe the health challenges her son was facing. It was heartbreaking to watch him suffer. Her shoulder pain was easier to talk about, but the worry and fear were overwhelming.
Sometimes it’s just easier to focus on physical symptoms. We say “I’m tired” instead of expressing our true fear, or anger, or crippling sadness. We talk about wanting to regulate our hormones or digestive system, when what we really feel is a terrifying loss of control. We say “I’m just here for my shoulder” because we can’t bear to give voice to the deeper suffering.
Maybe the emotionally underpinnings feel too big to express. Or too powerful. We struggle to name what we’re feeling, or fear that if we do name it, we’ll unleash a torrent we cannot stop. We fixate on physical symptoms because it helps us cope. Because it’s easier to fix a frozen shoulder than a broken heart.
Physical pain can guide you toward deeper emotional healing. The symptoms get your attention and compel you to make changes. So… what is it you’re here for, really?
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
Well said. Thanks.
Dear goddess, yes. This is what we say. And do often because it’s what I can name - the other I can’t name until it bursts forth.