You are already doing enough
When I encounter patients in the clinic, they have often had quite a journey before they arrive in the room with me. They each have lists of things they have tried and places they have searched for relief. They have eaten this and not eaten that, incorporating all sorts of new and old habits into their lives on their quest to be well. They are intelligent, creative, kind and conscientious doers. So why, in all of this doing, have they found not relief?
We often think we are suffering because either we haven’t found the right thing to do or we are not doing enough. How many times have you bought something because it promised you relief only to find that the problem came back, changed or worsened?
It is human to be a doer. As a practitioner I can fall into the habit of doing too. I find myself (understandably) trying to do all of the things I know how to do to help a patient find relief. In some cases this flurry of doing is enough. However, in other cases, especially complex and chronic issues, there seems to be no end to the suffering. No matter what we do, the pain moves, the symptoms change, and the suffering continues.
On our journey together, the patient and I often discover that the key to their healing lies not in what is done, but in what is not done. The wisdom held in the tradition of East Asian Medicine tells us this. This is best exemplified in the Chinese concept of Wu Wei (無為), or inaction. This concept reminds us that often the best course of action is to encourage life to unfold on it’s own. It tells us that "true control comes from doing nothing”. Yet, this is a truth that most of us (including I) shudder to hear! The epic never ending list of things to do is comforting as we face the often random and senseless ups and downs of life, but it is not going to save us from suffering. What acupuncture and Chinese medicine really wishes to teach us is that the to do list is what is holding us back from the changes that we seek. In the treatment room I have found that when I do less, profound results occur. How do we explain this in a world of more is more?
The uncomfortable truth is that there is nothing to do here, our only task is to be. A tree doesn’t try to be tree, it is a tree. The sky doesn’t try to be the sky, it is the sky. We cannot be well by trying to be well, but we can be well. Chinese medicine teaches us that when we are in this clear state of being not doing, we are no longer attached to what being well should be, and we can then know in ourselves what wellbeing is for us. From that place we are able to choose it over and over again.
When we are aligned, we will choose the things that are right for us, without hesitation. When this happens we can ditch the lists of things we “should” be doing, and simply allow ourselves to be.
This does not mean that we do not experience pain or discomfort, but from a balanced place we do not react to our pain with suffering. We are able to hold compassion for ourselves and our pains and our journey in life can unfold in the way that is most true to ourselves and our capacity. Living well is a labyrinth, there is no end point, no clear peak.
Most of us do need help in the process of rediscovering this path to healing, because it is often not something that we are taught to do. Real medicine is a slow process and it is unpredictable, full of ups that feel like downs and downs that feel like ups. In the framework of many of our lives, it can feel like there is no space for this uncertainty. Something inside of us tell us there are no resources (such as space or time or money) for this. But if there are no resources in our lives for our wellbeing, what are we spending our resources on?
In the face of all of this, what I love about acupuncture is that it can be a beautiful invitation to wellness through non-doing. It is slow medicine. It asks you to lie in stillness and simply be. This can often be confronting. For many patients thoughts come up that try to derail our treatment plans such as this is lazy, I can’t relax, I can’t lie still, this is too indulgent, I can’t afford this etc. However, in choosing to attend anyway, in prioritizing lying still, we start to carve a different path for ourselves. There are infinite ways of meeting this journey inside of you, acupuncture is just one of them, and if you are still enough you will be able to find the way that most calls to you.
Does this resonate with you? I love holding space for this journey to unfold for my patients. If you think acupuncture could be a good addition to your support network, I would love to invite you to work with me.
To being and not doing.
