What should I do during acupuncture?

Lately, when someone asks what they should do during acupuncture treatment, I’ve been suggesting Daydream! which is to say, allow yourself to drift into wordless states. If you can. It’s always worth finding out what can happen when someone gives themselves permission to slip into a state of not-doing, of just-being, during acupuncture.

But in case that feels like too much pressure, be assured that while many of our patients close their eyes and doze right away, we also have patients who listen to guided meditations during treatment, others who bring a novel (it might be the only time they have for reading all week) and of course there are folks who catch up on texting/scrolling. Acupuncture still works if you don’t really relax —ask someone whose spouse has all but dragged them in, who tolerates the treatment and then is pleasantly surprised by how well it worked — and it still works if you’re glued to your device the entire time, or if you wanted to relax but thought about the grocery list instead. Basically, if you’re asking that question from one of our recliners, you’ve already done the hardest part: getting yourself to your appointment. Hopefully that takes some of the pressure off :)