While acupuncture and meditation have always been an integral part of Chinese culture, Western culture has had a longstanding dismissal of both practices. In the United States, it is not uncommon to hear people speak of meditation and acupuncture as “woo-woo,” stating that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that they can really alter one’s health. In recent years, thanks to curious doctors and scientists, there has been an accumulation of scientific evidence to support the profound effects of meditation on the human nervous system. We also have thousands of medical journals to support the incredible impact that acupuncture, when administered appropriately, can have on the nervous system.
For those who have read the scientific literature and have experienced the effects of these two modalities firsthand, perhaps the combination of acupuncture and meditation has crossed their minds. What are the benefits of merging these two modalities? For as many studies as each individual modality there are, the combination of the two is less studied. Preliminary findings suggest that the combination has a powerful influence on neural pathways associated with emotional processing and stress regulation. As of now, what we do know from anecdotal evidence is that your acupuncture treatment has the power to improve your meditation practice, and your meditation practice has the power to improve your acupuncture treatment!
Acupuncture Improving Meditation
For those who feel like they have struggled to even get started with the practice of meditation, routine acupuncture treatments may just be the thing to get you rolling. Chronic pain, anxiety, fatigue, or stress can make getting into a meditative state very challenging. Have you ever felt like all you can think about is your back pain when you lay down on a mat to meditate? Or, maybe all you can think about when you try to empty your mind and engage with the present moment is the sound of the air-conditioning whirring in the background? Or, maybe you just cannot help but think of all the things you need to accomplish before the day concludes? While very intentional and routine meditation practices can certainly overcome these obstacles, an acupuncture treatment, via its ability to decrease pain and regulate the nervous system, may ease some of these distractions in order to get past those initial barriers that many beginning meditators face.
Meditation Improving Acupuncture
For those who are able to meditate for five minutes or more, engaging in their practice while under acupuncture needles may offer amplified treatment results. While the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for keeping us safe from perceived threats via the activation of the stress response and the production of stress hormones, the parasympathetic nervous system must be engaged in order for us to rest and digest. It is this relaxed parasympathetic state that allows our bodies to heal and shift out of states of disease.
While meditating and receiving acupuncture both bring the body out of the sympathetic and into the parasympathetic, their power further intensifies when combined. Of course, most people know that resting while under needles will result in a better treatment result than if you watch your favorite television show. But for those looking to derive the maximum benefit, consider falling into a deep meditative state during your treatment as it has the potential to outweigh simply resting on the table.
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