A prospective client called me the other day to inquire about my acupuncture services and about how I work with women who have hormonal and other gynecological issues.  Although she had been referred to my office she had specifically been given the name of my office mate who is no longer taking new clients. She told me that she had tried acupuncture for many years in the past and hadn't been satisfied by the results, feeling that her practitioner had misdiagnosed her, nevertheless she was attracted to acupuncture and alternative medicine. She was particularly interested in my diagnostic methods. I told her that I used pretty traditional Chinese methods of diagnosis: particularly questioning and examining the pulse and tongue, as well as tracking the basal body temperature to read hormone levels. There was a lot of anger and challenge in her voice and I felt confronted to try to prove my worthiness as a practitioner. Although I highlighted that I am different from other practitioners in that I often combine acupuncture with a hands-on healing method known as Reiki and felt I received enhanced results this way, I backed down from trying to sell myself too much. She didn't feel convinced. She thanked me and hung up the phone.
    A sadness struck me about this client. She obviously wanted something and had some hope of healing, but her abrasive manner closed more doors in our conversation than it opened. I reflected that maybe many relationships in her life were this way, perhaps with her husband and friends, and maybe that was a part of her unfulfilled desire to have a child. She did not know how to truly connect. I felt regret that I didn't have the skills necessary to reach across the chasm in that brief phone conversation to open a door way to trust. Trust, after all, I thought, lies at the heart of the healing relationship. There is definite risk for the client in getting involved. There are no guarantees that it will "work," and I have seen that healing is seldom a linear path. Often there appear to be some setbacks on the road to healing, but the client's willingness to keep showing up and to bring awareness and ultimately transformation to their lives is key. 
    Today I give thanks for all the people who have been willing to place some faith in me to assist them with their healing journeys. If you would like to explore such a connection, call me at (707) 775-8311 or explore tap://www.santarosa-acupuncture.com.
-Kat Delse, L.Ac.