On Jan. 7, 2025, two fires began in Los Angeles that will change the landscape for the next decade to come. At 10:30 a.m., the Palisades Fire started in the Santa Monica Mountains during an unprecedented weather event with wind gusts of over 90 mph, causing evacuations of 200,000 people. It burned for three weeks, destroying 6,667 structures and over 23,448 acres, and took the lives of 11 people.
Just a few hours later that same day, at 6:18 p.m. the Eaton Fire started in the Altadena area of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains. With the driving force of wind, it became the fifth-deadliest fire in California history, killing 17 people, destroying 9,418 structures and burning 14,021 acres, with over 100,000 people evacuated.
Many people were affected in the Greater Los Angeles area, and those who arrived at the Yo San University Community Clinic reported both new symptoms related to breathing difficulties and also the return of conditions that were once manageable prior to the fires, but were now aggravated and flaring. The patients and the practitioners all felt the trauma of this catastrophic event with the shock and devastation being processed collectively.
When treating patients from the community, all impacted by the fires, each acupuncture session incorporated a somatic approach. A simple guided body scan exercise coupled with breathing and visualization was included; what resulted was a deep sense of connection and calmness for both the provider and the receiver.
Upon arriving, the patient was asked to sit comfortably in a chair, feet touching the ground, and the practitioner guided a visualization of KD 1 (Yong Guan) opening as if it was suction cupped to the ground, drawing in Earth’s energy. The spine was visualized as a string of pearls being lifted from heaven at the top of the head: Du 20 (Bai Hui).
Together the patient and practitioner did a guided meditation, with three long cycles of belly breathing. Next the patient was instructed to do a body scan, taking inventory of any areas that felt painful or disconnected. During this time the practitioner also had a chance to notice the restrictions in their own body. Together both individuals arrived in the treatment space in an intentional and present way.
Each session unfolded as it normally does, with a brief intake, palpation, bodywork, diagnosis, acupuncture point prescription, and herbs if indicated. While the patient rested on the treatment table, a guided meditation was offered. The patient was instructed to inhale a color associated with the organ/meridian system being treated and to exhale with sound, to release any stuck tension or pain in the body. At the very bottom of the exhale, the patient was guided to allow the fresh new color to flood back into the body with the next inhale.
The patient was left to relax and continue the somatic exercise for the next 20 minutes with the acupuncture needles retained. At the end of the session, after the needles were removed, the patient was invited to share feedback on the session. The practitioner asked if there were any noticeable differences in the areas identified in the initial body scan.
When working somatically with patients, curiosity is sparked regarding how healing is related to both mind and body. This sets the stage to offer the patient exercises to do at home if they are interested in continuing the internal discovery process.
When the patient returned the following session, the practitioner acknowledges the self-care work that was done between the sessions and reaffirms the individual’s dedication to the healing journey. Somatic awareness exercises give the patient a way to promote and cultivate a natural state of yin and yang balance between sessions, and what results is a strong empowerment to take an active role in their own health.
