03/23/2026
3.22.12 🤍
Naturally, I often get asked, “What got you into acupuncture?” It’s a question that always stops me in my tracks, because I never quite know which direction to take my story. So here’s my not-so-fun story of what got me into acupuncture. 🤍
TW : Su***de
14 years ago today, I went to school like any normal day. During my first class, I usually kept my phone on my desk, but something told me to flip it over and not check it until after class. When class ended, I looked at my phone and saw multiple missed calls and a text that read:
“Sybil, Andrew died in a car accident this morning.”
Andrew was a recent boyfriend of mine who went to a neighboring school. Reading that text felt like an out-of-body experience. I didn’t know if it was true, but deep down I knew this wasn’t something someone would joke about. When I got to my locker, a friend approached me. I don’t even remember if she said anything, but the look on her face confirmed everything.
The news quickly spread throughout the school, and counselors opened their doors for students. The counselor called my parents to pick me up, and it was later confirmed that Andrew had taken his own life.
In the days that followed, I began therapy and met with my primary care provider for additional support. Naturally, medication was suggested, anti-anxiety and antidepressants, but something in me resisted. It felt like a bandage over something I needed to fully feel and move through. I didn’t want to mask the grief, only to face it later.
While continuing weekly talk therapy, my dad mentioned he had met an acupuncturist through a BNI group. My mom came with me to my first appointment, and the sense of peace I felt on that treatment table was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Acupuncture helped calm my regular panic attacks.
It helped me sleep in my own bed again (I had been sleeping with my mom because I was too scared to sleep, my poor dad was on the couch for well over a month).
It helped me get through full days at school when everything felt overwhelming.
It brought light back into my life during one of my darkest seasons.
And that’s when I knew this was what I was meant to do. I wanted to give others that same sense of peace and hope, in a natural way. To still feel the feelings, but provide guidance with those feelings.
Acupuncture is one of the greatest blessings in my life, one that came from such a heartbreaking experience.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please don’t wait to get help. You are not alone. 🤍
Call or text 988 (Su***de & Crisis Lifeline) or chat via 988lifeline.org
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P.S. — With all this said, there is absolutely a time and place for western medicine!
Love, your Acupuncturist who is also on anti-anxiety medications 🤍
