I’m Terrified of Needles But Went To Acupuncture

I’ve always been intrigued by acupuncture. Okay, both intrigued and terrified.

While I’ve heard SO many stories from friends about the amazing things acupuncture can do, I also really really hate needles. Until [very] recently I’d cry my way through routine blood tests. I’m sure I’m not alone in my needle phobia.

When NYC acupuncturist Gabriel Sher reached out to me about trying acupuncture, I decided to bite the bullet, face my fears and go for it.

[image via]

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a medical practice which uses needles to stimulate certain points on the body. It uses the ancient Chinese energy principles of Qi, which I will admit I don’t know a ton about.

The idea is that when something “bad” is happening in the body, be it digestion issues, anxiety or acid reflux, it’s because something is blocking your Qi. Acupuncture is a way to unblock it. Different points in the body correspond to different issues.

 

What can acupuncture help with?

Uh everything. Slight exaggeration 🙂 There are a crazy number of ailments that acupuncture can be useful in treating. I have friends that use acupuncture to help with:

• acid reflex
• migraines
• anxiety
• stress relief
• digestion
• period problems
• fertility issues
• insomnia

And a myriad of other issues can also be alleviated with acupuncture.

[image via]

 

My Experience

As timing would have it, I went to my acupuncture appointment with Gabriel in the midst of a midterm induced meltdown. It’s a long, pretty boring story. In short, my computer, which I needed to take one of my in-class midterms, wasn’t compatible with what I needed for the midterm and I had to find a way around that. Because studying for my first math test in 8+ years wasn’t stressful enough.

So, I arrived at my appointment one giant ball of stress.

Before y’know diving in and getting pricked with a bunch of needles, Gabriel went through a super thorough rundown of my medical history to determine the best treatment for me. Some of it was pretty standard, asking about family medical issues, medication I’m on, etc.

One thing that was interesting and uh different was he inspected my tongue. The tongue tells you about your emotional state, digestion /diet, temperature issues and general disharmonies in the system.

Gabriel decided to focused on the heart which deals with anxiety, overthinking, and trouble sleeping. He also did additional points focusing on my jaw because I have unavoidable TMJ issues due to a malformed jaw joint and lastly my stomach for digestion. Because what eastern European Jew doesn’t have digestion issues 🙂

Then it was time for me to sit back, relax and get poked with a bunch of needles.

What is acupuncture like?

First things first, it didn’t hurt that much. The needles barely go into your skin and are super thin. I’ll admit, I was anticipating A LOT of pain.

Some points hurt more than others, my stomach for example felt really uncomfortable. Other points, like my scalp, I barely felt. Most of the needles felt like a teeny, tiny prick and then I forgot there was even a needle there. On a pain scale I’d say it was considerably less than eyebrow threading. That shit hurts.

I didn’t count but I would guess that there was over 20 needles “in” me by the end of it. They were all over– on my face, ears, jaw, arms, hands, belly, legs and feet.

Gabriel was absolutely awesome about checking in with me throughout to make sure I was doing alright.

After inserting all the needles, you lie there for 30+ minutes. For me the lights were turned off and I was given an eye mask. I had no idea that part of acupuncture was lying there doing nothing for awhile while the needles do their thing.

I used those 30 or so minutes to practice my “yoga breathing” as I like to think of it, and did my best to forget about the 20 needles in my body.

 

Did I freak out?

No! And I’m really proud of myself.

As I said, Gabriel was super patient, frequently checking in on how I was doing, and switching up the game plan depending on what was painful or not. I decided not to look at any of the needles in case it made me squeamish and would not let my brain take over with OMG OMG OMG THERE’S A NEEDLE GOING INTO MY SCALP thoughts. Instead I reminded myself to keep breathing #YogaForTheWin.

Acupuncture forced me to face my needle fear head on in a controlled, safe, environment.

I have a full blown phobia of vomit. It’s something I’ve had to deal with and live with most of my life. It’s not as bad as it used to be, however it’s still a part of my life. Facing my needle fears with minimal freaking out was a good mental test for me.

I can’t always avoid phobia situations. What I can do is feel equipped with the tools to get me through it with minimal panic. In an odd way acupuncture helped me practice just that.

 

How did I feel after acupuncture?

Dudes, I freaking floated out of that office. I kid you not. Granted anything was better than how I felt going into the appointment that day– I was on the verge of tears.

Prior to this appointment I couldn’t get through a study session without being overwhelmed by anxiety. After the appointment I swear my mental game totally shifted and I was able to power through and stop freaking the eff out about my midterms.

I noticed a HUGE shift and I don’t think it was just a “placebo” effect. Anything that helps me deal with anxiety is awesome in my book.

 

Would I go back?

Absolutely. I believe the hype.

It’s a bit pricey for my grad school budget at $140/session but I do want to go back in the near future. I’ve also heard about insurance companies covering acupuncture– I’ll have to check if that’s the case with my health insurance.

 

Thank you Gabriel for inviting me in for a free acupuncture session. If you’re looking for a great acupuncture experience in NYC I cannot recommend him enough. The space was super clean and nice and he was oh so patient with me as I battled my fear of needles

All opinions, and phobias, are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

 

Curious about other cool wellness things in NYC? Check out this blog post all about that time I froze my ass off (literally) thanks to cryotherapy and that time I floated naked in a pod filled with salt water in an attempt to be more zen.