As a holistic practitioner, I believe there is more to a person than just the physical body that houses us. For years I’ve experimented with energy work (mostly for my own enjoyment and growth) and I’m fascinated by people who use energy as a tool to help the body heal. I’ve known about Reiki for some time, but it was not until recently that I discovered the practice of Auricular Medicine from my friend and colleague, Renée Pelletier. Renée is an Auricular Medicine Practitioner in Vancouver, British Columbia. We recently sat down for a coffee and she told me all about her journey into holistic medicine as the only Auricular Medicine Practitioner on the Canadian West Coast. Here’s how that conversation went…
RP: Basically, I use energy and the human pulse to help the body in its healing process. Auricular Medicine is an energetic technique that encompasses a few different modalities, of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Homeopathy, using the pulse to find out what’s going on in the body. We all have an electromagnetic field around the body and I can determine where that field is around your body - if it’s really close or if it’s really far away, by feeling your pulse. When your field moves (which it will when I introduce a stimulus like a certain food for example), it will give me information about what the body needs more or less of. So it’s really just another way of reading the body to assist it in its healing journey.
RP: Around 50 years ago, group of European practitioners of homeopathy and Traditional Medicine came together and decided there should be an easier way to determine how to help the body heal. They realized that the pulse could give them important insight into the body that they weren’t currently using. My teacher, Dr. Mikhael Adams was involved in this group for some time and it took them a while to fully understand it, develop it and then simplify it to become what it is today. It was a bit difficult to work with at the start but now has evolved into a practice that is possible for anyone to develop the skills. That’s why you see more and more practitioners popping up in recent years but they are mostly on the east coast at the moment.
RP: It can stand alone and also be quite complementary, especially for conventional medical care. For example, say someone has cancer and needed surgery to remove the tumour. Well they are best served to do that the in traditional medical system - only a trained medical surgeon can do that work. But where I can help is with the healing process AFTER that surgery. For example, I could help remove toxicity from the body from the drugs they were taking - help to clear things out and create a higher potential for healing.
RP: A lot of people ask me that actually. They assume I do something like Reiki. I am not a Reiki practitioner but from what I understand of the practice, it works to MOVE energy in the body. The body is all about the flow of energy and if that energy gets clogged or stagnant, that’s when disease can set in. Reiki helps to move the the flow of energy and communication in the body (just like blood flow between cells). Auricular Medicine by contrast does not move any energy around, but rather uses energy and the pulse to assesses where blockages might be, and what the body is going through to figure out what steps to healing are required. Once we know what the body needs, sometimes I use remedies like homeopathic to assist healing and other times I will send clients to other practitioners - like medical doctors, naturopaths, chiropractor or even a Reiki practitioner - if that’s what your body calls for.
RP: When someone comes in for a session, we start by having a chat about what they are going through in life at that time and go through a bit of a history. For example, past traumas or stresses, any recurring issues, etc… Next, I put that all aside and start the session. I take them into my office, have them lie down on my table and I start to feel their pulse. I would begin by checking all their organ systems and see if anything stands out to me. The process is kind of like peeling off layers of an onion. The body will show me the FIRST thing that it would like addressed - what the biggest priority is. Once I find that and deal with it, then the next thing will pop up. And the sessions are different for everyone. For some it may be physical, and for others emotional (or both). But the body usually wants to deal with one thing at a time. And continuing to peeling off the layers - one at a time - can often reveal things at the core that have been there for a really long time.
RP: It’s been a long journey. A long time ago I had some digestive troubles myself. And I went to every doctor but no one had any answers for me. Finally I went to see a chiropractor who happened to know a thing or two about nutrition. He gave me some tips on dietary changes and he was the first person to help me feel any different. That experience created an interest in food and I eventually went on to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. After that, I started practicing with food, but I still felt like there was more for me to explore with respect to the body and helping it heal. So I did more research and schooling and eventually someone introduced me to this Auricular Medicine class. The man teaching it was a brilliant man; Dr. Mikhael Adams. He’s an exceptional teacher and very passionate about helping people heal. The process is so simple yet extremely effective and I quickly fell in love with it.
RP: My first session was actually in class in front of all my colleagues - and it got really emotional! Before I got on the table my teacher warned me, “ok, you’re going in front of every body…it’s a bit like getting naked.” But I really wanted to try it so I got up on that table. All of a sudden all these emotions came pouring out of me. It was just stuff that needed to come out I guess. I still have a hard time explaining what happened to me that day but I can say that I got a lot of healing from it and I immediately felt the power of this work. From that day I knew I wanted to share it with others.
RP: People go through a wide array of symptoms or things that make them uncomfortable inside their bodies, but the most common I find are food allergies and sensitivities, undiagnosed gut aches and pains, weight issues, indigestion and poor elimination, and overall toxicity in the body. As much as we all want to eat well, there’s still a lot of toxicity around us - from what’s in the air, emotional stresses and others. All those things need to be cleared out of the liver and the liver gets overloaded. Its just not made for the amount of toxicity that our bodies are exposed to today.
RP: I don’t have any professional training in psychology, but I have found that sometimes just creating a safe space for someone to let go can go a long way. It can be really effective to help people clear things out or work through some emotional stuff because not everyone gets the opportunity to get help from a counsellor or physiotherapist - or they may not even realize they need help in that area. So having a safe space on my table to talk things out or maybe even let out a little cry can go a long way.
RP: It’s very interesting because everyone is different. Everyone's pulse feels a bit different and everyone will have a different reaction to the process. I’ve had people who have had absolutely no reaction whatsoever, making them very difficult to read. Other people feel EVERYTHING. I would introduce a remedy to their body and immediately they would react strongly. Like “what is THAT?” Or someone will immediately begin to cry because of that remedy so it’s really interesting on the other side of the table. For me, it’s most important that I stay grounded. After all, I am just a conduit. I am not actually the one who’s helping you heal anything. I’m just here to asses and listen and whatever comes through I’m there to read it and help you with it. You’re the one who’s actually in charge of your health.
RP: You’re right. You do have to be fairly “feely” to do this work. I suppose I have been fairly intuitive most of my life - but certainly not always. There was a time when I was much younger when there was none of that. I think I blocked myself from it because I had felt so much pain from humans that I remember thinking “People suck. Nothing feels very good.” I blocked myself off from feeling much of anything. My relationships were dull, everything was pretty dull and my intuitive sense was either missing or I couldn’t hear it. And eventually I wanted it back. So I sought it out. I did some research and took some classes that I thought would help my intuition grow, I started to meditate, until my “feely superpowers” come back. [laughing]
RP: Well, meditation is certainly a big part. I listen to some amazing audiobooks and podcasts about the law of attraction and practice affirmations. I’m in a routine right now where I’m trying to do specific affirmations right when I wake up, and then when I’m in the shower. The more I get into it, the more I’m thinking about those things throughout the day.
RP: Ya, the easiest and cheapest way would be learning to meditate. You don’t even have to do it on your own. There are apps everywhere that can help. Download a free app and plug in your earphones and just listen to someone. It’s super easy and inexpensive. Just let someone in your ear, guiding you to sleep or through some thought exercises. That’s the beginning of the process. The more and more you do that, the easier and easier it’s will be to calm your brain and train it. You will start to look within and you’ll be able to develop your “feely” powers as you go.
To learn more about Renée and Auricular Medicine, visit her website reneerhn.ca or reach out to her at info@reneerhn.ca
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