I have been tense for as long as I can remember. If anyone did so much as touch my back I would wince and usually pull away. Massage has never been an option for me. The thought of someone digging into my back to work out muscles bothers me more than my strong phobia of needles. I’ve seen countless doctors to see if there was another way to work it out. I’ve used foam rollers and practiced yoga. Nothing has worked. Out of desperation, I looked into holistic medicine as a last resort. Now I can honestly say for the first time in my life I am truly relaxed in my mind, body and soul.

Before I visited Honeybee Wellness, I was a bit of a skeptic to say the least. While I certainly believe in holistic medicine, I used to think it was really only beneficial in the sense that it would cause a placebo effect, convincing your mind that it worked so you could relax.

Nonetheless, I made an appointment for acupuncture and acupressure, and hoped for the best.

As I first enter the wellness center, I am immediately bombarded with the warming and calming scent of essential oils. The front office is covered in plants and warm colors, and I’m feeling excited. I am greeted by the receptionist, Laura Cholewa, and she kindly offers me water or tea. While I didn’t want any at the time, I was beyond excited about this interaction because I am a self proclaimed “tea-head.” Any place that offers me tea is an automatic favorite of mine.

As I am filling out my medical history forms, I find it interesting how in depth the questions are. The first few pages were standard for any doctor, but then they asked about my emotions and mental state, as well as having me show where I am feeling general discomfort in my body.

Following this, I meet Dr. John Honey. He asks me a few questions about my forms and leads me into the acupuncture room.

In any other setting the room would seem cramped, but with Honey’s company it seems warm and welcoming. There is soft meditative music playing, and it smells overwhelmingly of lavender. I immediately begin to feel at ease, which is saying something considering I am aware I’m about to be willingly stuck with needles.

Honey begins with a combination of acupressure and chiropractic adjustments. He tells me to lay on my back and puts a pillow under my knees. After making sure I am comfortable, he starts pressing into my arms and legs, working out the kinks and popping joints I didn’t even know existed. While doing this though, he is also using his knuckles to work out the knots in my back.

My upper shoulders have always been a problem area for me, as it’s where I carry most (if not all) of my tension. Honey discovers the knots right away and begins to work them out. He doesn’t do this conventionally, however. He places his knuckles against the tender spots and pushed until he feels resistance. Then he simply keeps his hand there and lets your body relax into his knuckles, working out the knots through relaxation instead of brute force.

He does this through many spots in my body until I really feel like I’m beginning to relax. The entire time he works with me he is checking in, making sure everything feels comfortable and not too painful. As long as I’m able to relax into the discomfort that means it’s working, according to Honey.

He then moves on to pinpointing certain pressure points. He explains that each major part of the body is connected to a tiny surface just below certain spots on your skin. If you put enough pressure on them correctly it can begin to relieve pain within the body. Some points need more pressure than others. For example, there is a spot on the arch of my feet that he went so far as to tape up, so I can have continual pressure there for a while. You are allowed to keep the tape on your feet for as long as it stays, and you can bet mine is still on my feet right now.

After letting me fall into this state of tension-free relaxation, he pulls out the needles. If I am being totally honest, this is when all of my relaxation flew out of the window. I started to shake, not so much out of fear but from the adrenaline coursing through my body. This was the moment of truth.

I warn Honey that I had a slight fear of needles, and out of complete masochism I request to see them. I will admit that seeing them made me feel a bit better. Honey uses needles that are ridiculously small and thin. More importantly, however, they don’t look medical in the slightest. While I wasn’t expecting him to pull out syringes, I was expecting needles that were smaller and more hospital-esque. The needles he used looked almost like the straight pins in my grandmother’s sewing kit. It leaves me with a sense of relief.

Then he begins to insert them, and believe me when I tell you it’s nothing like you could ever imagine. You feel a prick, similar to a painful prick, but there is no pain that actually occurs. Then, waves of pleasure. Honey explains to me while he is doing this that acupuncture as a medical practice is actually very simple. When your brain registers the prick, it thinks you have hurt yourself. It sends endorphins through your body to assist in the pain relief. But because these needles don’t actually cause pain, you’re just left with all these amazing endorphins causing a true state of euphoria.

He places a needle at each point in my body. One in each ankle and shin, two to three in my hands and wrists, and one on top of my head. He explains that his causes your energy to centralize in your core, which causes maximum relaxation. After he places all the needles, he rings a gong like tone near your ears and scalp, and leaves you alone the last 15 minutes to relax and visualize.

While I am not much of a visualizer by nature, I start picturing the warmth in my body expanding and contracting (a suggestion that Honey had given me before he left the room). After a while my mind starts to wander, and I let it. The only times I stop myself is if I start to think about work or school. I am there to relax, and I won’t let myself become stressed from simple thoughts. A few times I tried to work up the courage to peek at the needles in my hands, but I chicken out, which is probably for the best.

After a calming 15 minutes, Honey enters again, and takes the needles out. I sit up, feeling a lot lighter than when I came in, and thank him for his help. For the first time in months I can stretch my back without feeling pain. I can lower my shoulders from my ears without resistance. I finally feel relaxed.

After this experience I cannot stress enough how important it is that anyone who is able to receive these services should do so. It’s so beneficial for your health and well being, not only physically but emotionally. In fact, according to the medical website Psych Central, acupuncture is becoming a common form of complementary therapy to pharmaceutical and talk therapy. They explain, “acupuncture and other forms of complementary therapies are gradually being proved to be legitimate treatments for anxiety, depression and other illnesses.”

As a person with severe anxiety I can attest to the positive effects of this practice. In fact, I’ve already made plans to make this a regular part of my self care routine.

Honey has had very successful experiences working with people who suffer from mental health disorders. “I’ve had patients with chronic pain or even depression, who on the first visit, right at the beginning, just start laughing and asking if it’s possible that they could already be feeling better,” he reminisces.

The best part is that acupuncture can be affordable. Many wellness centers take insurance, and if you are lucky enough to be covered then all you have to pay is a copay for your visit. Even if you are not however, the cost is not all that high.
At Honeybee Wellness, the cost of an acupuncture session (that includes acupressure therapy and energy work) is only $60 for an hour. While it may not be a weekly thing, I believe there are many people who could benefit from this treatment who can afford that at least every once in awhile. It’s important to let yourself feel good, and it’s important to take the time to take care of yourself, if you are able.