ASK ABDI: WHY AM I HAVING PANIC ATTACKS AFTER ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT?

QUESTION: I started to have panic attacks after several acupuncture sessions. What do you think caused this?

ANSWER: Acupuncture, similar to any deep bodywork, can bring forward and release underlying emotions or repressed states of being. Most if not all of us carry varying levels of anxiety. And we all have different methods of repressing it: some with non-stop busyness, or excess amounts of caffeine, or a myriad of substance abuse and addictive behaviors. What happened to you is the release of this anxiety from the musculature and tissue where it is held. It was not and is not an external cause. Sit with it and identify the source of your underlying anxiety.