Sunday, October 12, 2008

On the practice of being an acupucturist in clinic verses being a patient

There is a profound difference between being a practitioner in the clinic and being a patient. This is of course obvious. One of the principal differences is what we aim to experience or feel while in clinic. My aim as a practitioner is for it to be an entirely common experience.. at least to a certain degree, I want the work I do to be as natural and easy a doing the dishes at home. To me this is an indicator of a much higher level of mastery, then being some sort of zen master, it takes a lot of study for things to come across as natural then for them to come across as overly stoic, serious and zen.
For the Patient the experience I hope for is one of relaxation and ease... No necessarily overly zen, but relaxed like it is when talking with a friend or an acquaintance. I hope as well that patients come out feeling like they have received a fair service for the amount that they have spent, and that they have received a professional treatment. Meaning a rather comfortable treatment that is also knowledgeable. It is also my hope that patients will start taking herbs, and following dietary instructions that I give. In other words, I hope patients will participate in the process of getting well, and that acupuncture and herbalism becomes more of a natural aspect of peoples lives.

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