Tigress Encircled by Snake

Tigress Encircled by Snake, watercolour on paper, December 2023

When it was the first lockdown, I started weekly acupuncture treatment. I’ve actually had acupuncture throughout my life—my mother is an acupuncturist with twenty years of experience—but after depression during school and university and at that point, a pandemic, I knew it was time to commit fully to regular treatment.

I remember when I used to believe that depression was normal, that waking up feeling low was reality, and that would never change. It was quite trapping. It felt as if I was a little tigress howling to the moon because she has no teeth, and all the while being constricted by a murky yellow snake.

Five-armed Season God, watercolour on paper, December 2023

In many cultures, snakes represent healing. Perhaps it is because of their ever-shedding skin, the idea of rebirth and change. Snake venom has healing properties too. It is interesting that snake venom cures itself. It reminds me of what I learnt from acupuncture when tackling depression. I learnt how my thoughts were self-pitying, negative, perhaps immature. I learnt that these thought patterns can be changed. Acupuncture, the influence of those extremely thin needles knocking against my cells, helped me shift my energy and therefore my way of thinking.

I can say I no longer have depression. That amazement of seeing that mental illness does not last forever is what inspired me to train as an acupuncturist. For the past year and a half, I have been learning about how this form of medicine is empirically guided by nature. We must observe the five elements by watching the five seasons. Here in the West, we only list four but the ancient Chinese noted down a fifth season, that period in between Summer and Autumn known as the Harvest. In the second painting, a five-armed season god stands amidst a landscape of mountains and organic growth. In each hand, it holds something representing each season. The acupuncturist must be aware of the essence of all the seasons and use our observations to allow nature to heal our patients physically, mentally and spiritually. The patient is treated as a whole human being, not just separate parts.

I no longer feel constricted. The healing snake encircles the tigress as she sits up tall. There is a fire in her chest, restored. She has learnt of ‘conscious suffering’, an awareness that suffering exists, but that one can learn from it and come out the other end wiser and stronger.

I am approaching the point in my training where I will be treating patients in the student clinic. It’s important for you to know that patients are not ‘guinea pigs’. You receive the best treatment possible as all sessions are supervised by Gabriella Doran, a practitioner of twenty years. It is at a reduced rate of £35 per treatment plus a free initial consultation in which I ask questions about your life—work, relationships, childhood. I’ll also ask general questions on sleep, diet, your experience of the seasons, etc. The student clinic will begin in March. Spaces are highly sought after, so why not contact me on 07807867432 now to ensure an appointment.