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A Pointed Approach to Changing the World
"Acupuncture can change the world," says Robin Tiberi, LAc., Clinical Director of the Pacific Center of Health. She's putting that conviction to work with Pacific Center's Peace Clinic, an idea she and fellow acupuncturist, Lisa Jeanne Potyk, LAc. developed in response to the September 11 tragedies. When several Pacific Center patients began showing signs of acute stress, Tiberi and Potyk organized donations of medical supplies, recruited volunteer acupuncturists, and heavily promoted the Monday night clinic, where a 20-minute treatment designed to produce a calming sense of well-being is being offered free of charge. In the first weeks of the Peace Clinic, special invitations were sent to firefighters and police officers and their families, teachers and therapists. Those who have experienced the benefits of acupuncture seem to be drawn to the concept of a Peace Clinic and return again and again. In addition, Tiberi and Potyk have found that the Peace Clinic has become a positive introduction to Chinese Medicine for those who have never tried acupuncture. The common side-effect of well-being gives these patients a taste of the peace needling can offer. "Peace begins within," says Tiberi. "Acupuncture calms and stabilizes the mind, body and spirit, evoking an expansive compassion and generosity that influences our families, surrounding communities, our nation and our world." Chinese medicine provides the most benefit to emotional problems manifesting physical, emotional, mental and/or spiritual issues. And, according to Tiberi and Potyk, "since the 9-11 attacks, we've seen people with the whole gamut of imbalances. They've come with physical complaints such as insomnia and anxiety, and the emotional/mental problems of depression, tearfulness, tension, fear, instability and a lack of motivation." The Peace Clinic experience is unique. Upon entering a softly lit room where ethereal music plays and chairs have been arranged in a friendly circle, patients receive a sheet of paper describing the overall acupuncture experience, the specific treatment they will be receiving and a copy of a meditation designed to generate inner and outer peace. Tiberi and Potyk believe that the energy generated through group treatments is exponentially greater than what occurs in individual treatments. One Peace Clinic visitor described her meditation as more "powerful and absorbing" in this setting. All patients are given the same point prescription, but occasionally the point prescription in altered to more specifically address certain manifestations. The base point prescription used is as follows:
The vision of peace that is fostered by the Peace Clinic is one of unity between the inner and outer world. Therefore, Tiberi and Potyk believe, changes made internally affect the external world. "Personal power, intention and self-development are the ultimate keys to unlock the mystery of outer peace. What better way to facility this inner change than with acupuncture? If energy is the fuel for awareness, freeing the flow of qi brings clarity, which generates more energy to act in a harmonious way. This raised consciousness affects everything around it: co-workers, neighbors, the environment and the enemy. Once fear and other blockages are removed, one is left with their true essence, which is love. This is the mechanism for inner and outer peace," said Tiberi. The Peace Clinic plans to continue indefinitely. Robin Tiberi and Lisa Jeanne Potyk practice at the Pacific Center of Health in San Diego, and can be contacted at (619) 542-0884, or Doctorlotus@aol.com. Proceeds from the clinic benefit the New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund. In the future, the funds to which the proceeds go will periodically change.
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