What to Expect

Choose Your Experience

What will my visit look like?

Acupuncture Treatments

When you come to Lumen for the first time, your visit begins with a thorough medical review and intake. I spend some time going over your history and discussing any important areas or concerns. I may ask some follow-up questions or simply clarify some of the information. I also like to hear if my patients have any questions and what their primary goals are for the work. This appointment is for my patients and they can discuss whatever they like in their treatment session.

Your health goals and even your life goals are very important to help give me a better understanding of the long-term treatment plan, toward which we will be working. After the initial intake, I will feel your pulse.

The Chinese system of pulse taking is complex – all organ systems can be felt using the pulse at the wrist. I am feeling for rate and rhythm as well as particular qualities of the pulse – is it strong or weak? Is it soft, hard, wiry, choppy? Feeling the pulse can help me decide where to direct my acupuncture treatment as well as the possible herbal formula to apply later on.

After feeling the pulse, I will look at the tongue. This is very helpful in showing what diagnostic signs the body may be presenting. I look at the color, the body, the coating, and the different regions of the tongue. It’s important that you don’t brush or scrape your tongue before coming in to an appointment.  Also, before the appointment, try to stay away from colorful drinks or colorful foods (turmeric for example), as these will alter the color of the tongue coating.

I use a few different modalities in my treatments. This could include acupuncture, Shiatsu, Sotai, cupping, moxibustion, gua sha, topical liniments or perhaps even cranial sacral therapy or essential oils. Treatments can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on your needs.

After your treatment, we can discuss how to proceed. I usually recommend several treatments in a row – preferably every 1-2 weeks for 6-8 weeks. This helps establish a good base of support for future work.  After some stability is achieved, I typically see people every 4 weeks.  Depending on your needs, we can adjust a custom herbal formula over the next few weeks. Regardless of your treatment frequency, you will likely be asked to purchase and take herbs throughout your treatment plan. Some patients do not require such steady herbal treatment, but most do. The vast majority of patients with chronic problems will need to be seen for at least a year, at least monthly, and take herbs the entire time.  For people with very complex disease patterns or who are on very strong pharmaceutical medications, the treatment time can be longer. For patients with simple, usually acute, problems – treatment can be quite a bit faster.

Lucia Nº 03 Light Sessions

Please arrive prepared for your light session. I invite you to arrive hydrated and well rested for your Lucia N° 03 experience. Please refrain from drinking caffeine for at least a 4-5 hours before a light session. Come sober to your Light session as well. The light is a powerful tool in itself and it’s not necessary to “enhance” it in any way. The Lucia N°03 reminds us that there is a deep space within us that we can access at any point without taking any type of external substance. Come as you are — and breathe.

Ponder your intentions. Sit quietly, breathe, begin to listen to your Heart. What does it need? What does it desire? What will allow it to further soften or open with more ease? An intention could be: releasing fear, allowing more trust, moving on from a place of feeling stuck and stagnation, resolving a troubled relationship, or living more fully from your Heart.

Let go of any expectations for your session. Firstly, Lucia Nº 03 is not an entheogen (mind altering substance). The work is gentle and subtle. Your body and nervous system is not forced into any state of mind. This is your own work and your own meditative practice. For some, the first experience in the light is life-changing, for others, it may take a series of experiences to drop into deeper states.

Lay back and breathe. As you enter a comfortable and meditative space, the light experience will begin. The selected light program will best support your needs for the day and the headphones with selected music will allow you to enter your own world within the light. (You can also bring your own music if you choose.)

With eyes closed, your body begins to absorb the light. The warm glow of the central halogen bulb resembles the daylight of our sun, gently allowing the body to unwind and let go. The LED flickering lights will begin to flash on and off, in various rhythmic patterns and intensities.

In your mind’s eye and through your retinas and optic nerves, the lights will illuminate the quadrants of your brain. Visual patterns and colors may emerge, synesthesia (hearing sounds as colors or shapes) is also common. As with any practice, try not to analyze or attach to any one thought or image - observe and open yourself to the experience. Allow yourself to drift into a hypnogogic dream state, let your nervous system relax and unwind. Enjoy.

After your session, we can decompress and integrate the experience. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have and suggest any resources to follow up with, or breathwork to practice at home. You can always reach out with any questions, after your experience.

 Acupuncture and Lucia Light Combination Sessions

Welcome to a new frontier of wellness and healing. This combination of acupuncture and light is a rare find and a very special opportunity for you. The needles and selected points hold their own unique wisdom and medicine. Adding a high grade light machine into the mix illuminates and heightens the therapy of the acupuncture treatment.

Your experience will be just what you needed: calming, centering and potent.

The type of acupuncture treatments I blend with the Light are primarily geared towards calming the nervous system, calming the Shen (Spirit) and opening the Heart. These are supportive for processing past traumas and unraveling tension held throughout the body. These treatments allow us to further our own work of softening the heart, letting go and surrendering to this greater experience of life.