The answer is…It depends. I had my first experience with acupuncture when I was struggling with health issues while traveling in Australia. In the small mountain town of Katoomba, I met an old Chinese man who was practicing traditional medicine and acupuncture. He poked and prodded me to no end, using heavy stimulation with every point.  It took me quite a while to try acupuncture again.

Thankfully I later found a practitioner who understood that acupuncture doesn’t have to be painful to be effective.  In many cases, its much more effective when aggressive approaches are avoided.

I have taken this knowledge into my practice.  The needling techniques I use cause minimal discomfort to the client.  Acupuncture needles are tiny- about the width of a human hair.   Many times the client feels nothing at all, or simply a dull heavy or moving sensation that indicates Qi has arrived at the acupuncture point.

If you’ve hesitated to try acupuncture because you’re concerned that it might be a painful, I encourage you to come in for a treatment.  Receiving acupuncture can be a painless and pleasant experience!