YOUR wellbeing editor Kate tries out a treatment or event or activity each issue this time it is the experience of being needled.
I’M sure I’m not alone in experiencing feelings of serenity and calm as something of a rarity these days. So, I was surprised (and really pleased) to feel calmness spread through my body an hour or so after my latest Kate Does session.
I have to confess at the outset to being a bit of a wimp about acupuncture. I’ve had it a number of times and, while the experience of being needled is never exactly painful, I’ve always found the freeing up of blocked energy to cause discomfort, ranging from a sharp sensation to a dull ache. And, I’ve always been a bit apprehensive as the needles go in because I don’t know what the sensation will be at that particular point on my body.
So, it was with rather a sense of duty that I trudged up the stairs at the Arcturus Clinic in Totnes to meet up with Sally Daynes. In her white dress and cowboy boots (God, I love cowboy boots), Sally was not what I expected. Neither was the stuff on her table, which included a beautiful quartz sound healing triangle and rose quartz facial tools.
Sally explained that she uses much finer needles than most acupuncturists (immediate Brownie Points) and that she incorporates sound healing to intensify the healing effects and soothe any difficult emotions that arise. She’s also a naturopath and Indian Head Massage practitioner. Being in the midst of some extremely stressful life events (shocker, I know), I asked if the session could focus on relaxation and stress-relief and increasing my ability to cope. And, with my hand on my heart, I can tell you that it did. Afterwards, I felt like I’d emerged from a particularly fabulous Yoga Nidra session and that nothing and no-one could faze me.
My feelings of serenity were tested to destruction later that same day by a whole series of rather horrible events, which I won’t bore you with here. And, while I ended the day in a far less serene state than I started, I felt like the session gave me an added level of resilience that allowed me to navigate these events without becoming utterly overwhelmed. It also lessened a number of ongoing physical symptoms.
Sally recently relocated to the South West from London where she ran a private acupuncture practice. Her personal journey into this work was inspired by her grandfather, who was a missionary doctor in South Africa and her father, a painter, who engendered an interest in holistic healing. Sally studied biomedicine for a year before training as an acupuncturist.
Like all of us, she acknowledges that these are extraordinarily testing times. But, she says: “This is the perfect time for reflection and healing. Our senses have never been so un-bombarded and, in this space, subtle energies can come to the surface as well as more profound healings. Acupuncture is a perfect way to work with these energies.”
Sally treats people of all ages and is happy to have an informal conversation on the phone. Initial sessions are offered at a reduced price of £35 for 1.5 hours with follow up sessions costing £45.
• Contact Sally on 07368 320792 or at www.acupuncturehealth. co.uk