Caregivers Explore Acupuncture

Caregivers Explore Acupuncture—“Resilience is Inherited”!

Members of the Daughters & Sons Support Group at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in New York City met with Acupuncturist Wendy Henry (LAc, ACA) to learn about stress releasing techniques and experience acupuncture in a group setting.   The mission of “Daughters & Sons” is to provide support for people whose parents... (Read more)

cope with mental health challenges.  We met with Wendy Henry on September 12, 2011 – the day after a stressful weekend in NYC of closed bridges, bomb scares and inescapable reminders of our personal 9-11 experiences.  Each person attending mentioned an increase in their symptoms of stress over the course of the week.

Wendy Henry’s specialty is bringing acupuncture treatment to first responders in disaster relief areas.  She travels between New York and New Orleans to provide clinical acupuncture services to people who survived 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina.  The Daughters & Sons, in our caregiving for parents, are first responders --we see changes in the symptoms our parents confront weeks before the health care team can address them.  Many of us live in hyper-vigilant state of awareness as we attempt to protect and advocate for the needs of our parents.  “Resilience is Inherited” is the mantra of self-care coined by the group facilitator, Stasia Pasela.

As we sat in a circle in Wendy’s small Greenwich Village office, she described basic principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine including meridians and the flow of chi energy.  We experienced acupressure, guided imagery, and acupuncture to five points on both our ears.  Most of us had prior experience with one or more of these techniques.  However, we were all impressed that using these practices in a supportive group setting was different—more potent for some, reassuring for others.

We learned three acupressure points to lower anxiety and then to the application of acupuncture needles to our ears.  We rested for a few moments in quiet and then I initiated a support group discussion.  Our anxiety had been softened just a little and it made a noticeable difference while we sought solutions to a problem a group member was experiencing.  At the end of the session we talked about what we observed -- “I saw his shoulders drop.”;  “I felt there was more air in the room.”; “We laughed more.”  The discussion leader noticed her speech slowed down.  She thought, ”How will I lead the group?  I must sound funny.”  Then she observed a shift in the group.  Their capacity to focus and listen expanded just a touch.  Wendy summarized that the acupuncture takes the edge off of the anxiety and the body has more room to make subtle adjustments of connectedness within the body and with the outside environment in a holistic process (i.e. lowering anxiety may change a sleep pattern, the immune system may be less strained, the overall health improves, and we have renewed energy for ourselves and perhaps the care of others.)  Indeed one outcome was that the group experienced more pleasure in our time together.

Wendy also told us about the research on Acu-detox by Dr. H.L Wen in Hong Kong and Dr. Michael Smith at Lincoln Hospital in New York and recommended the acudetox website.  Our field trip concluded with relaxed smiling faces and parting gifts: ear seeds and lavender aromatherapy packs.

Wendy Henry holds a Wednesday Night Acumobile Clinic in New York City.  To participate call Wendy, 212-243-0025, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . A donation is requested from participants; here is no fee for service. (Wendy Henry has also provided auricular acupuncture to the people attending the last two NAMI NYC Health and Wellness Fairs held in June at the NYS Psychiatric Institute.)

For information on the Daughters & Sons Support Group, phone the NAMI NYC Helpline at 212-684-3365. http://www.naminycmetro.org. Since 2004, the group holds monthly meetings, hosts conference calls, and advocates for family and parental care through NAMI public events in NYC and nationally.

By Stasia Pasela and David Bergman

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