Back in 1988 I completed a one year introduction course in Shiatsu, Japanese Acupressure therapy. Working with people on the course was a profound experience which launched a journey of discovery into health and human feelings. In the same year I also first experienced Acupuncture treatment, (with some trepidation!), but found it was both relaxing and energising.

My acupuncturist lent me The Web That Has No Weaver, by Ted Kaptchuk. This book describes the thinking in Eastern Medicine and it was my first introduction into the concepts of Yin and Yang and the Chinese philosophy of health.

I was fortunate to be able to continue to train in Shiatsu while living in Dorset, however I also began to suffer a repetitive strain in my wrist. Repairing my wrist with Acupuncture was the inspiration to move to Bristol, and in 1997 I began my training as an Acupuncturist with the fantastic teachers at CICM, the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. While studying, I worked part-time in the respected Health Food shop Wild Oats, learning much about diet and nutrition. I was also able to practice Ki-Aikido, a non-violent martial art that re-directs the opponent’s energy.

I qualified as an Acupuncturist in 2000 and was awarded a diploma in Chinese Herbs in 2001, and the following year I was the volunteer acupuncturist at St. Peter’s Hospice in Bristol.

In 2005 I returned to Bury St Edmunds and set up Suffolk Acupuncture.

While in Suffolk I have continued to expand my therapeutic knowledge and completed a four year training in Gestalt Counselling. In addition to Acupuncture and Gestalt I have explored other methods including Clean Language, Group Analysis, Neurolinguistic Programming, Shamanism, Somatic Parts work, Internal Family Systems, and Anatomy in Motion (gait analysis) to understand the connections between our body and mind,

After the pandemic I moved the practice to Crown Hill Clinic in Botesdale, which offers calm healing spaces in a historic building.

Acupuncture is a fascinating and useful tool to resolve many conditions, and the theory behind it is comprehensive and detailed. It does not see the body as merely chemical and mechanical and so it is sometimes difficult to translate Acupuncture theory into our western terms. For instance, in Acupuncture theory there is Liver Qi Stagnation (Qi = energy) which might give us headaches, bad moods, or stress related digestive problems. Part emotion, part physical symptom, Liver Qi Stagnation is very common, but has no western medical counterpart.

Acupuncture ideas may initially sound odd or unusual, but research shows it to be a useful and effective treatment for many common health conditions, and so it’s reputation and credibility continues to grow.