More Than Pain Relief: Witnessing a Breakthrough in the Treatment Room

There are moments in this work that stay with you. Not because of a needle perfectly placed or a particularly stubborn muscle finally letting go—but because you get to witness a person reconnect with something they thought they'd lost for good.

My patient (let’s call him Tom) came to me at my Inglewood clinic originally for low back pain. Nothing too out of the ordinary. He was in his early 50s, working a physically demanding job, had done the rounds with physio and massage. The pain would improve, then return. He was frustrated but polite, the kind of patient who says, “It’s nothing, really,” even as he winces getting onto the table.

But it wasn’t just his back that was hurting.

It took a few sessions before he started to open up. That’s often the way. Sometimes, the body needs a little time to feel safe enough to speak. During one session, while lying face down with needles in his lower back and sacrum, he quietly said:

“I think I’m just tired of holding everything in.”

That was the crack.

As we continued treatment, it became clear that the physical pain was only part of the picture. What Tom had been carrying—grief, resentment, old disappointments—had all taken up residence in his body. Through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this looked like Liver Qi stagnation and unresolved emotional heat affecting the Heart and Sinews. In real life, it looked like a man who’d spent decades being the rock for everyone else, never letting himself fall apart.

The Shift

One day, in what was meant to be a routine session, something unexpected happened. As I inserted a needle at Gallbladder 34, influential point of the tendons (and by extension, emotional tension often "stores" in the sinews and muscles). It's often used to release stuck Qi and ease frustration, especially when emotional tension feels like it’s making you physically tight or irritable. Tom exhaled sharply and began to cry.

Not a breakdown. A release.

No words needed. Just years of tension, finally leaving the body. We sat in silence for a few minutes. When he got up from the table, he looked at me and said, “I feel lighter. Like I’ve been carrying around a backpack full of bricks and just now realized I could set it down.”

The Healing Isn't Always Physical

Tom’s back pain improved, yes. But the real healing was deeper. He started reconnecting with his wife. Taking walks alone in nature. Writing again—something he hadn’t done since his twenties.

That’s the kind of transformation acupuncture can spark. Not because the needles are magic, but because the body is. When given the right conditions—safety, presence, and support—healing naturally begins to unfold.

Holding Space for Change

What I love about this medicine is that it meets people where they are. Sometimes it’s about sleep, digestion, or pain. And sometimes, it’s about helping someone come back to themselves.

Tom’s story reminded me why I do this work. Not just to treat symptoms, but to hold space for breakthroughs—to help someone find freedom in their body, and maybe even in their life.

If you’re carrying something heavy—whether it shows up in your shoulders, your sleep, or somewhere you can’t quite name—I’d be honoured to help you explore what’s ready to shift.