Susan practices Five Element Acupuncture. She feels privileged to have studied with J.R. Worsley for fifteen years, the creator and Master English acupuncturist who introduced this beautiful system to the West. 

Nature is our greatest teacher. The flow of the seasons guides us towards the tasks and opportunities within the cycle of a year.  The balance that is manifest in the natural world around us is something that we can learn from every day. 

Winter is a time of stillness and rest. Our potential may seem hidden, but our capacity is apparent if we listen carefully to our needs. Spring awakens  a new beginning, and it is a time for planning as well as a time of initiation. We need to be physically strong and have creative energy to meet this season. Summer is expansive; long days, full sun, time to play or work hard to our heart’s content.  This season supports internal openness, friendship, relationship, and spontaneity. As the expansion of summer comes to an end, we have a distinct period we call late summer. This is the harvest time when we gather in the fruits of our labor, literally and figuratively. And finally, after late summer comes autumn or fall, which is a time of letting go and reflection. 

Good health is a balance of all of these energies. Can we move gracefully through the cycle of the seasons? Each season offers its own special task that in turns nourishes the whole. Forgoing rest in the winter may leave us without the necessary resources to meet the dramatic upsurge of spring. Without taking a harvest in late summer it may become difficult to surrender  and embrace the inevitable demands of fall and winter. 

Observing nature and seeing how the balance of these seasonal energies flow within us is the essence of Five Element Acupuncture and these principles guide Susan’s work.