To Acupuncture Or Not?

I think I'm going to start getting acupuncture again.

I first started getting acupuncture just over 2 years ago. I wanted to see if it could help with my various ailments, but mostly my colitis and my anxiety. I also felt that it was important to do something for myself. I came to love my treatments. I'm not sure it worked so well on my colitis, as that varies a lot, but it definitely helped my anxiety.

During that time, my practitioner left and I was recommended to another one at the same clinic, but that was fine. When the second practitioner decided to move to a private practice, I went too, even though the location was less convenient. At the start of this year, after my old job finished up, I had an appointment as per normal. Normally I would go after work, but I couldn't be bothered travelling there from home. Just as I did with my counsellor, I called up and cancelled my appointment, intending to make another one at a later date. But I never did.

Instead, I decided to observe myself, to see if my symptoms worsened -- to see if it was worth returning. Over time, I found that my anxiety was worse again. There was no logical reason for it to be. Many of the things that I knew to trigger my anxiety were not currently present in my life. I'm fairly certain that I have GAD (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) as well. Lately, it's been affecting my work, which is a real concern. I started to think about returning to acupuncture, but I hesitated.

I never liked the new practice very much. The way it was run, the logistics of getting home from there, the atmosphere and several other reasons made it so that I never settled in or felt comfortable there. In fact, I realised that my anxiety was increased when I went there. A treatment that was meant to reduce my anxiety actually increased it! Plus, the practitioner in the last few months had started to talk about various other treatments that I didn't feel were very relevant to me and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable. So, as much as I liked her personally and thought that her treatments were effective, I came to the conclusion that I would not return there.

I really like community acupuncture. The clinic I first went to was run this way. I thought I would return there, but I was saddened to find out yesterday that it's closed down. Apparently there are several community-style acupuncture clinics in Melbourne now, but of course there are also other options for dealing with anxiety as well. I'd like to do some research into these before deciding.