The Miraculous Power of Acupressure
Acupressure - acupuncture for trypanophobics! - came to my rescue these past couple of weeks; and once again I had cause to thank my paternal Grandmother for gifting the knowledge of its existence to me from beyond the grave...
Acupressure is an easy, gentle, non-invasive technique which uses exactly the same 'points' as Acupuncture. Quite apart from the lack of needles (ALWAYS a good thing, right?), what I really love about Acupressure is the fact that I can treat myself without having to bother or rely upon anyone else. A little self-reliance goes a long way, and self-administered Acupressure is one of the ways I have managed to steer clear of doctors or pharmaceuticals for almost 15 years. It's as straightforward as massaging or pressing and releasing a 'point' on your body - no equipment or prior knowledge required. Literally anyone can do it (or have someone else do it for them) with a bit of sensitivity and absolutely no training whatsoever! I first encountered Acupressure back in 1998, whereupon I met it with scepticism and a raised eyebrow. But in the years since, I have had cause to thank Acupressure (and my Gran, who gifted it to me after her death) so many times I've lost count...
Photo - Massaging Acupressure point GB-35 on my leg to help release muscle tension in the neck
I was flying back to the UK from America on 27th March 1998, gazing quietly out of the window into the darkness beyond, when I suddenly felt terrifying panic seize me. I had never been afraid of flying, and had been perfectly calm and at peace the moment before, so I was confused and taken aback by it. After a few moments of me trying to get a grip (and gripping the arms of my seat!) had passed, I heard a voice say very clearly, "It's alright - everything's OK now. Your Gran just died, but she's fine now..." The panic immediately subsided, replaced by a sceptical wonder and trepidation.
As soon as I was back in the airport, I went straight to a payphone and called my parents. My Gran had, indeed, died whilst I was on the plane...
Photo - My paternal Grandmother Marian Victoria Moulton, photographer unknown
Skip forward a couple of weeks, and following Gran's funeral I was invited to look through her extensive library and choose any books I felt drawn to to add to my own collection. Gran Moulton was a very religious lady, and most of her books were of a heavily Christian bent. Not being that way inclined myself, there was not a great deal that inspired me! However, one funny-looking little hard-backed book caught my attention. It looked like one of those things that little old ladies periodically get conned into buying from door-to-door salesmen; or purchase from mail order circulars slotted inside their weekly copy of 'The People's Friend' or 'Reader's Digest' magazine.
I had no idea what possessed me to pick up this book, and to be honest, when I flicked through it, I was clueless as to why on earth my Gran had parted with money for it. 'The Energy That Heals - The Complete Acupressure Guide by Jacques Staehle', the faux-leather cover proclaimed in faux gilt lettering. It was illustrated with truly crappy drawings, and full of what seemed to me at the time to be bogus-sounding descriptions of 'energy meridians', 'elements' and 'yin and yang'. It seemed like something Gran would not have purchased unless she was in pain and feeling desperate, and even for me with several years of pot smoking and daily yoga practise, several 'unity consciousness' experiences and a history of non-mainstream thinking, it seemed pretty far fetched. But as I leafed through it, I heard my Gran's musical laughter in my head - "This one's for you, my darling!" I remember holding the book to my chest tightly, with tears in my eyes and the memory of my spirited, loving Gran in my heart. I took it home, put it on a bookshelf, and promptly forgot about it...
It was several years later, at some following the birth of my daughter in 2002, that I thought of this book again, and pulled it off the shelf for further consideration. By this time, my perspectives had shifted radically, and talk of 'energy' and 'meridians' was no longer kooky or suspicious. I'd discovered attachment parenting, bonding, unschooling, and was working through 'A Course in Miracles' - acupressure no longer seemed 'out there'... I was ready! :o)
The first time I used acupressure was to treat a cold. Despite my healthy scepticism, the acupressure stopped it dead in its tracks. Since that day, I have used acupressure on myself dozens of times, for things such as colds and flu, period pains, menopause symptoms, sadness and grief, headaches, insect bites, blood and food poisoning, toothache and gum disease. Acupressure has been so successful for me that I consider it to be nothing short of miraculous. Every time it works I'm like a child watching as the magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat - delighted, full of wonder, and profoundly happy! :o)
However, even as efficacious as I know it to be, I dismissed the notion of using acupressure to treat my neck when I experienced problems with it a couple of weeks ago. Having woken one morning with a thumping headache which quickly revealed itself to be connected to a stiff and very painful neck, over the next couple of days I was alarmed to find the muscles in my neck becoming so tense and painful that I could barely move my head - when I attempted to do so, the pain was instant and excruciating. Acupressure didn't seem indicated for a condition which, presumably, was going to require manipulation to put things back in place...
Luckily for me, I live with a bodyworker/massage therapist. But after a few gentle exploratory sessions my neck was so painful that I had to ask him to stop. We switched to working with my feet, which was fine for a couple of sessions before it, too, became intolerable. By now, I couldn't sit, lie down or walk without pain, type, sit at the computer, carry anything at all, sleep properly, or even get in and out of bed without pain shooting up through my neck into my to my face, scalp and eyes. The urge to blow my head off with a shotgun just to stop the pain was... well... ugh!
It was at this point that I set aside my preconceptions and pulled out 'The Energy That Heals'. After leafing through it in search of help and finding nothing about necks or neck pain, I was drawn to the word 'torticollis', which I had never encountered before. I looked it up - "Torticollis means 'twisted neck'... often called 'wry neck'. This is a common cause of neck pain and stiffness." Sounded promising. I began massaging the recommended points, which were predictably sore and hot (this is normal, and to be expected - if it hurts, you've hit a point that needs attention!) I immediately felt energy moving and shifting in the affected areas - for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a tingling, active feeling rather like goosebumps, but inside. The tension in my muscles began to relax immediately.
Photo - Triple Heater 3, a point I used when healing the pain in my neck
As I continued to look for answers, I noticed that the pain I was experiencing was exactly along part of the path of the 'Triple Heater Meridian', and began to follow Jacque Staehle's instructions for treating pain along it. Now I was REALLY cooking on gas! I progressively started to feel significant relief from the pain and constriction, and was finally able to sleep reasonably well again. As I carried on using the acupressure points, my neck steadily improved. After a couple of days I looked up neck pain in a second acupressure book I refer to ('The Encyclopedia of Healing Points' by Roger Dalet), and tried the points recommended there, which were equally effective. By the time I'd been treating myself with acupressure for 4 or 5 days the neck pain and stiffness was gone. There is a small sore spot right at the very base of my skull which is still letting me know not to do too much, but I'm listening to it and being carefully respectful. I will continue to massage the acupressure points I'm finding helpful until the condition has completely healed.
Nowadays there is so much information about Acupressure online that you don't even need to invest in books or attend classes - just look it up in your search engine of choice, and research to your heart's content.
So there you have it - the miraculous power of Acupressure, a gift I cannot thank my Gran enough for. It's my go-to treatment for pretty much anything life throws at me.
Any similarity to reflexology? I dont know why but the harder the pressure is, though it's painful I find it better. Am sure there are techniques in doing it ;) Maybe amazon have that book, it sounds very helpful.
Hi immarojas :o) There are similarities to reflexology, but whereas reflexology is focused on the feet/hands/ears each as a representation of the whole body, acupressure (acupuncture) meridians and their points actually cover the entire body itself. And yes, particularly where a condition is chronic, the advice in acupressure is often to keep treating those points until the pain in the point itself lessens or is gone. I'd recommend using intuition/instinct when manipulating the points, although some practitioners have very much set approaches - Jacques Staehle's book, for example, uses a method based on 'boosting' (massaging the point clockwise) or 'dispersing' (massaging the point counter-clockwise). I do also spend time from time to time just finding sore points and treating them to a massage: regardless of their meridians or the part of the body they relate to, I find it helpful just to take care of my body in this way as a preventative (and enjoyable!) measure.
It is enjoyable indeed. Acupuncture sessions helped my back yrs ago, though it made me jump one time when it hit a something. Cupping too was helpful and can make you so relaxed.