By Beth Quist

I was in a hospital gown, lying face up on a medical exam table. I was alone in the room except for a desk and some medical supplies. This was my first time having acupuncture and I was a bit nervous, so I closed my eyes to help me try to relax. Deep breath in, now out. Breathe in, and out.
Having been trained in Western Medicine, I couldn’t believe I was now visiting an acupuncturist with the hope of getting my migraines cured. Western Medicine could only offer me pain pills and I was tired of that route. A friend recommended acupuncture and I acquiesced, and here I was, staring up at the ceiling waiting to be poked with needles.
But now there was a new sensation. I could feel and SEE what seemed like a thousand different people in the exam room with me. I was in the middle of what seemed like an operating room theater and everyone else was separated from me by a type of clear barrier. They were on different floors circling around my puny self on the bottom rung of this huge tall operating room theater.
The audience was all filled with excitement, as if this was a big event, and they were coming to witness something they had never seen before. The clinic door opened and in walked my new health care provider, Pat, an acupuncturist in Berkeley, California. I opened my eyes and now could see it really was just Pat physically in the room with me, and the thousands of others were not physical – they were ethereal, but I could still FEEL their presence and excitement.
“Are you ready?” Pat asked.
“Well, I’m not sure. There seems to be a lot of people here observing as if I’m the main attraction in an operating room theater,” I told her.
She didn’t seem surprised. She just said, “OK, wait a minute” and then left the room. A minute later, she returned and said “How is it now?”
“Much better,” I said. “There are now only a few here. I can deal with a few.”
“Sorry about that,” she said. “I usually ask for help before I start an acupuncture treatment.”
“Okay,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say. I guess this happens to everyone, is what I thought. She then began the Acupuncture treatment and I closed my eyes, and journeyed into a land of moving colors and communication with some of these nonphysical beings. It was one of the most incredible experiences I had ever experienced.
After about 45 minutes, the treatment ended. I left knowing that something very special had just happened and I had entered through a gateway to a new world. I wanted to know more about this, and also wanted to explore this new world. Why could I see nonphysical beings and “hear” them? Why did I see so many colors during the treatment, and see so many images? I wanted answers to these questions, and to find those answers, I needed to learn more about Chinese Medicine. So I did. I applied to Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA, and was accepted. I then began a new journey - Chinese Medicine.
Having been trained in Western Medicine, I couldn’t believe I was now visiting an acupuncturist with the hope of getting my migraines cured. Western Medicine could only offer me pain pills and I was tired of that route. A friend recommended acupuncture and I acquiesced, and here I was, staring up at the ceiling waiting to be poked with needles.
But now there was a new sensation. I could feel and SEE what seemed like a thousand different people in the exam room with me. I was in the middle of what seemed like an operating room theater and everyone else was separated from me by a type of clear barrier. They were on different floors circling around my puny self on the bottom rung of this huge tall operating room theater.
The audience was all filled with excitement, as if this was a big event, and they were coming to witness something they had never seen before. The clinic door opened and in walked my new health care provider, Pat, an acupuncturist in Berkeley, California. I opened my eyes and now could see it really was just Pat physically in the room with me, and the thousands of others were not physical – they were ethereal, but I could still FEEL their presence and excitement.
“Are you ready?” Pat asked.
“Well, I’m not sure. There seems to be a lot of people here observing as if I’m the main attraction in an operating room theater,” I told her.
She didn’t seem surprised. She just said, “OK, wait a minute” and then left the room. A minute later, she returned and said “How is it now?”
“Much better,” I said. “There are now only a few here. I can deal with a few.”
“Sorry about that,” she said. “I usually ask for help before I start an acupuncture treatment.”
“Okay,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say. I guess this happens to everyone, is what I thought. She then began the Acupuncture treatment and I closed my eyes, and journeyed into a land of moving colors and communication with some of these nonphysical beings. It was one of the most incredible experiences I had ever experienced.
After about 45 minutes, the treatment ended. I left knowing that something very special had just happened and I had entered through a gateway to a new world. I wanted to know more about this, and also wanted to explore this new world. Why could I see nonphysical beings and “hear” them? Why did I see so many colors during the treatment, and see so many images? I wanted answers to these questions, and to find those answers, I needed to learn more about Chinese Medicine. So I did. I applied to Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA, and was accepted. I then began a new journey - Chinese Medicine.