Being no stranger to alternative therapies (Reiki, hypnotherapy, breathwork – I’ve tried it all), I logged on to the session feeling open-minded and nervous (the blame lies in the third cup of coffee I had to drink to recharge after a sleepless night). We spent the first 15 minutes or so chatting about what’s been going on in my life lately, the pressures I’m under (staying at home all day, working full time with a baby that just started moving), and after weeks of just trying to get through each day, I felt very comfortable. good It was very hard to get someone to really ask how I was coping, and after patiently listening, Dr. Blakeway told me that in Chinese medicine I’d been diagnosed with Liver Qi Stasis (symptoms include irritability, frequent sighing, and trouble sleeping – triple check).
In layman’s terms, she told me she was “tired, but excited.” And I’d never felt more understood. That would explain why I feel fatigued nearly all the time and can’t sleep at night. “You’re anxious in a coping way…you’re stressed, but you’re managing it,” Blakeway explains. After all, this is a common diagnosis for people in New York City.
And so the session began. I closed my eyes and Blakeway had me go through an exercise in which I imagined light slowly moving through my body, particularly my liver. In a calming voice, she explained the exercise to me, similar to meditation exercises I’d done in the past. And, just like any other time I’ve attempted meditation, it took me a few minutes to actually get into the exercise and stop my inner monologue. But once I relaxed, I relaxed. After about 20 minutes, I opened my eyes and felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
