Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine
The practice of acupuncture is the practice of witnessing how the natural world shows up in a person. Once we see what is flowing and where energy is stuck, we use needles to restore the wholesome current of qi.
In East Asian medicine, we look for what is healthy and thriving and enhance that. We also see what is weak, confused, constrained, blocked or over-bearing and encourage it to harmonize with the entire system.
If a person has a specific complaint, we usually have a two-hour long first session to garner all details. After the first session, folks usually come once a week for four to six weeks so we can assess how treatment is changing things. The follow up appointments are an 70 minutes long.
Do acupuncture needles hurt?
Acupuncture needles are very fine, about the diameter of a human hair. Most people find that the needles are virtually painless. Generally needles are inserted only superficially, about 1/4th of an inch. Once the needle is inserted, a person might feel an ache, a swirling sensation, a warmth, an opening along a pathway of energy, or really any sensation.
How do you decide where to put the needles?
There are about 400 documented acupuncture points on the primary channels of energy. “Ah shi” points are places where a person feels a tenderness or locus of pain. There are innumerable ah shi points. Points are chosen based on classical patterns of rebalancing energy. Reading a person’s pulses, listening to their story, and palpation of areas of concern are a few ways a practitioner determines where the needles go on any particular day.
How often do I need to be treated?
Sometimes acute conditions call for treatment more than once a week. Some people find that acupuncture assists them in maintaining a healthy lifestyle so that they continue to come every few weeks, once a month, or seasonally. It’s important to find what works best for you.
What about herbs?
Chinese herbs can be very helpful as a compliment to acupuncture treatments. Herbs are a daily reminder that you are caring for your health and well-being. They empower you to continue the treatment that the needles began.
Chinese herbal medicine (as well as acupuncture) is an ancient, sophisticated form of treatment. A combination of herbs is used in a formula much in the same way that a group of people join to accomplish a task (like the carpenter, brick-layer, electrician, plumber and roofer all working together to build a house).
What about essential oils?
Asian medicine is resonance medicine. Essential oils have a vibrational quality which makes them particularly useful. We use the essential oils primarily topically on one or more acupuncture points or a region of the body. Oils can be used during a treatment or a home routine can be prescribed. The fragrances are appealing and add to the potency of the medicine.
Send Daisy an email at daisy@daisybarquist.com to set up a phone consultation.
Initial visit is a two and 1/4 hour appointment: $240
Follow up visits are typically 70 minutes: $120
Somatics & Embodiment
Soma is the Greek word for body. In Somatics and Embodiment explorations, we become more present to life in the moment. We embody our physical form and can even recognize the consciousness of our cells. We invite our inner knowings to come forth. Our creativity is unleashed. Every aspect of our personality is welcomed.
Somatic Therapy calls on the wisdom of the body to support what is free and flowing and to understand what might be blocked or holding on. A somatic therapist sees the person in their wholeness and beauty. We listen together. And explore the body’s voice with curiosity and love. Creativity and freedom are reborn.
What does a typical session look like?
We might begin with focusing on our breathing for the first 2 to 3 minutes. This allows us to let go of kerfuffles encountered in getting to our session, or carry-over from our last experience. Once we have settled, Daisy will listen to what is arising for you in the present moment. And this will guide our session.
Sessions can include authentic movement where you listen to your body in a non-verbal way. The movement could look like dance. Or could be almost imperceptible movement.
Daisy could share a guided meditation to enliven an aspect of your being. For instance, your breathing, your pain or injury. Our western culture of athletics tends to focus on our muscles and bones. We can also access the fluids of our bodies. And the organs. We take time to embody all of the physical form we call “body.”
Daisy might also do some hands-on work (while you are clothed), similar to cranial sacral work, working with the flow of energy and any obstacles in torso and limbs.
Sessions can also include dialogue work interspersed with movement and/or hands-on work. Zoom sessions are available for clients at a distance.
Why would I go to a somatic movement therapist?
When we are stuck with a habit energy that we know is not truly what we want, accessing that stuck place in the body can unravel the habit. Sometimes this stuckness is an injury that won’t resolve no matter how much attention we give it.
Other examples include a thought pattern that recurs. A constriction in our movement. Pain in our body. A desire to access more of our creativity. A longing to understand ourselves more deeply.
Send Daisy an email at daisy@daisybarquist.com to set up a phone consultation.
typical Appointment is 70 minutes: $120
Spiritual Mentoring
Daisy is available to consult on a variety of spiritual matters. Daisy’s teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, said “My life is my message.” Daisy has the aspiration to walk this same path. If you feel you would benefit from spiritual mentoring, send Daisy an email at daisy@daisybarquist.com to set up a phone consultation.