This is the most commonly asked question of me from a client about to receive their initial acupuncture session and this article is the final in a series of three that examines how acupuncture can be a successful adjunctive therapy in the treatment of addictions.

The previous articles discussed how the use of auricular acupuncture — the placement of ultra-fine needles into specific spots of the outer ear — and traditional acupuncture — the placement of these same needles throughout the entire body — could be incorporated into a treatment plan for addictions. Now, we will focus on how acupuncture can assist in healing the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of a client.

Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM) can, and for thousands of years has, achieved benefits for the whole person because it arrives at a diagnosis and performs treatment through inclusive approaches. In opposition to the Western reductionism goal of isolation, there is no way in holistic medicine to separate the disease from the individual. In addition, TOM believes that there is no way to have a disease that only exists in the material realm, for there will always be mental, emotional and spiritual ramifications to any physical disharmony. In TOM, there are direct pathways to examine these connections and specific means to treat these intertwined components.

Chinese five elements
One branch of TOM that uses the physical characteristics as a doorway into the non-physical is called the Chinese Five Element system. This 4,000 year-old theory is a time-tested science based upon observation and experience of the reoccurring patterns in nature. These Five Elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, are not just viewed as forces of the environment located outside of oneself but are also the same powers that create and maintain life’s functions inside of the body, mind & spirit.

Whether they appear internally or externally, these stages of birth, growth, maturation, decline and death happen without fail and according to plan. They are rhythms that rise and fall by the minute, day, and month, during the course of many years and even over a lifetime. We diagnose a client by examining their relationship to the varying aspects of these cycles, which appear as these elemental phases. One way to do this is by making use of the following chart (see opposite page) that divides various elemental associations into their corresponding places.

This is a brief list to provide some insight into how this medicine works. For example, let’s say that we have an inpatient addict who has just completed detox and is experiencing difficulty adjusting to receiving therapy. Physically, withdrawal from heroin has gone well but emotionally he is not able “to be there” in group therapy. What are his body language signs?

There is a groaning quality to the voice, he does not seem to hear what is going on around him, he is chilly, and the black circles under the eyes have not yet disappeared. These are all Water element signs and a Doctor of Oriental Medicine• would take this into account when forming a diagnosis. From a TOM perspective, this client’s Chinese Kidneys would have to be strengthened and when this procedure is performed these symptoms should improve.

But how would this treatment address the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our client? To answer this, notice that the Zhi or will is the spiritual aspect and fear is the emot-ional aspect of Water, respectively. When a treatment to balance the client’s element of Water is done by strengthening the Chinese Kidneys, not only do the physical signs improve but we are also tonifying the client’s ability to face their fear and deal with issues involving their will. Obviously, this is imperative if one wishes to address Steps 1, 2 & 3 of the 12 Steps but it also becomes an important ongoing and lifelong process as the client deepens their understanding, awareness and growth during all stages of recovery.

Individual treatment
A Traditional Oriental Medicine treatment can be adjusted to emphasize any aspect of the body, mind and spirit through the choice of acupuncture points and/or herbs, the style in which the treatment was performed and also the intention of the participants. All of these factors will determine not only the level of success but also the depth of the treatment. As with any form of healing that attempts to approach these core-belief levels of an individual, it is often the capacity of the facilitator to create an atmosphere of absolute safety, and then carry out the techniques with bold compassion that will make the biggest differences in these matters.

• Doctor of Oriental Medicine is a state title given to licensed acupuncturists in Florida and New Mexico. Each state determines its own licensure titles.

Randal Lyons is a licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine in private practice in Boynton Beach, Florida and works as a consultant to several in-patient addiction treatment facilities. His new book, Opening the Eyes of the Heart, can be examined at www.7dragons.org and he can be contacted at (561) 313-1611.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, June 2006, v.7, n.3, pp.62-63.

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