The Arrival of Qi

Dear Patient,

Acupuncture is relatively painless, but sometimes when the needle goes in you’ll feel a sensation—a dull ache, a zing, a tingling. We call this de qi.

De qi means the qi has arrived: the energy of your body revving up, electrical signals transmitting through the metal of the needle, forces converging. The magic is happening. 

De qi can feel a little uncomfortable. It’s sign that your body is paying attention to something you might rather ignore. De qi summons you to grow, to leave behind what you’ve known, to do the hard work of healing.

Even if you’ve never had acupuncture, you’ve experienced de qi thousands of times. It’s that thought you can’t shake, an image you can’t ignore, words that stay with you. We often use visceral language to describe the experience of de qi: a punch to the gut, a chill up the spine, a nerve struck. De qi is life saying, “Here, stop for a moment. Feel, or think, or do something with this.”

It’s tempting to try to quell the discomfort of de qi. But this is life ringing your doorbell. You can close the blinds and hope it goes away, or you can open the door and invite in transformation. 

Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist