Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Your Appointment

  • Through the Schedule page you will be able to see all availability and select which of our offerings you are interested in.

    Use the scheduler by first selecting the appointment type.
    You'll then be prompted to choose between first available, or with the specific clinician or location you are booking with.

    All new clients must select “Initial Visit”

    If you are returning select a “Follow-Up” appointment.

    Scroll to the bottom for Community Acupuncture sign-up opens 7 days before the event.

  • We practice a comprehensive medicine that treats the root causes of illness through multiple approaches:

    • needling acupuncture channels

    • tui na (manual bodywork therapy)

    • cranial sacral therapy

    • moxibustion

    • prescribing herbs

    • cupping

    • gua sha

    • addressing lifestyle changes

  • You can reach us anytime via our Contact page, or by using the phone number or email listed at the bottom of every page.

    We aim to respond quickly but frequently have our hands full— please be patient with us and our small operation. We aim to reply within 72hrs.

  • 24 hrs notice is required for cancelling or rescheduling treatment. If notified of cancellation or rescheduling in less than 24 hrs, we ask for 50% of the agreed upon fee for treatment. In cases of emergency or contagious illness, no fee will be incurred for cancelling. In non-emergency cases, if a patient does not give notice and does not show for treatment, payment will be due in full. 

    Please feel free to reschedule online anytime prior to 24 hrs before your appointment, otherwise it is a cancellation.  If we need to reschedule an appointment, we will reach out to you via text or email as soon as possible and work with you to find a new time for treatment. If you cannot find a time that works for you, please contact us via text to see if we have “urgent hours” available that week.

  • We are HIPAA compliant & advocate for your right to your privacy.

    With that in mind we have opted to take additional steps to ensure that you are protected from exploitative technologies.

    In this time of unregulated AI, data & security leaks are common which makes confidential information harder to safeguard. Due to this we have resolved to go full analogue.

    All intake forms are filled out at the Initial Appointment in person, any session notes are taken on hard copy and kept in a locked filing cabinet.

  • We currently practice in a sweet one room cottage in the forests of Pacama, NY- 20ish minutes from Kingston, Woodstock, Stone Ridge, Accord, & Saugerties.

    On Fridays Edea is available in Kingston at Woven Bodies.

  • No we do not.

    If your insurance covers acupuncture you can pay out of pocket for your treatment and we will provide you a super bill so you may bring it to them for a refund.

  • The prices listed in our scheduler reflect the cost of the session & treatment. That said, we are open to discussing sliding scale for our services & treatments.

    If finances are a barrier to your accessing the care you need, please reach out through our Contact page to start a conversation with us before booking.

  • Cash, Venmo, or checks made out to Great Embrace Acupuncture.

  • Everyone! Because these treatments are shorter they make for a great booster when returning patients are between appointments. For beginners hoping to get an abbreviated sense of our treatment style you are also most welcome to join us.

  • Please reach out to us. We hold in our schedule availability for folks experiencing health crisis.
    Contact us via text through our business line at:

    (845) 750 7660

    We will get back to you as quickly as we are able, within 24-48hrs.

Questions About Acupuncture

  • To ensure your comfort, please dress in loose fitting clothes and arrive at your appointment well hydrated and having eaten a complete meal. If possible we recommend keeping your schedule light after the session to allow yourself time to acclimate afterwards, especially if you are not accustomed to how.

  • The rationale behind eating a complete meal is that “it takes Qi to move Qi”. In other words if you arrive undernourished you are asking your body to alchemise your treatment from resources other than food. That can leave you more fatigued than restored. A complete meal includes a cup and a half of food that incorporates a grain, vegetables, and meat. If you don’t eat meat, please make sure to take your iron supplements and B12 vitamins for three days in-a-row prior to and after your treatment date.

  • You are alive! Though felt on the wrist, this is not the heartbeat pulse that medical doctors take.  “Listening” means palpating points on the wrist.  We feel 12 pulses at different depths indicating the functioning of your internal physiology. Each pulse indicates the health of a particular physiological, emotional and energetic function. After listening, the practitioner maps the pulses to understand them in relation to one another, which helps determine diagnosis and treatment plan.

  • Acupuncture points are the specific, anatomically and energetically located spots where we place the needles to stimulate qi (energy). There are energetic pathways, called meridians, all along your arms, legs, torso, back, and head. These pathways correspond to the pulses we are listening to and each pathway has a number of points ranging from as few as 9 to as many as 67 on a single pathway.  Each point has a specific function and effect on that pathway, which effects the balance of the whole.

  • The width of a strand of hair. 10 acupuncture needles are the same as one hypodermic needle. All needles are sterile, single-use and disposed afterwards.

  • It depends on the treatment needed. Sometimes as few as 2, probably no more than 10.  Some treatments require leaving the needles in for at least 40 minutes, in other instances the needle goes in and out immediately.

  • It feels different for each person and different from point to point.  Some people describe a pulling sensation, an aching sensation, a bubbling sensation, a zinging or electric sensation.  When needled some people exhale sharply, some lay quietly and austerely, others laugh hysterically. Your sensations and reactions will be unique to you and will likely change depending on the day, the point, and the treatment.

  • How you feel after treatment varies depending on what you come in for, where you’re at with the progression of treatment, and what you need.

    Usually, you will feel more relaxed after treatment. Sometimes you may feel very sleepy, other times energized and awakened. Depending on your treatment & current state of being, you may feel worse initially after treatment.
    To treat disease we must first clear out anything excess or that is stuck.
    When working through disease it is not unusual for things to feel challenging before they feel better, because we are directly addressing the disease instead of trying to work around, suppress symptoms, or numb it. For certain diseases that have been suppressed, a brief flare following treatment is normal. After that period, you should feel relieved with a new sense of well-being.

    The term “acu-high” is used often to depict a kind of state of changed consciousness that can accompany you after treatment.  If at all possible, it’s great to plan to come in for treatment when you know you can have some spacious, unplanned time afterward. Treatment will take effect immediately, and will continue to evolve over the next three days. Sometimes you may experience a huge emotional release during or after treatment, which is totally normal and all part of the process.

    All responses to treatment are very relevant to your practitioner so keep notes on how you felt so we can continue to adapt to best serve your well being. We as your practitioners want to know how you are responding to treatments, and should you ever respond to a session with us in a way that is concerning to you we are available to offer guidance.

  • Needling reasserts balance and harmony by stimulating the qi, or vital energy, within a person, igniting our natural capacity for self-healing.

    In physics, we learn that matter is condensed energy with a measurable mass. We are at once whole, solid, boundaried beings unto ourselves and entirely porous, made up of constantly moving molecules in exchange with our environment.

    Like blood traveling to all parts of ourselves transporting nutrients, protecting us from invasion, clearing wastes, allowing our capacity for movement, temperature control, healing and sensation, qi is a more subtle, less substantive form of vitality that moves with the blood and performs the same functions. 

    While qi cannot be seen or measured by scientific means, its quality & quantity can be felt through the pulses and strengthened or directed by moxa & needling with very tangible effects on our health.

  • There are scientific research studies that have proven the efficacy of acupuncture in treating specific diseases, however, the mechanism of action is not understood in scientific terms. There are a number of theories out there though! Surrendering to the mystery of how this ancient medicine works is part of the healing process. 

    https://www.alpineacupuncture.com/what-is-acupuncture/modern-research/

    Evidence based.org

  • The medicine we practice does not consider your physical & emotional health as being separate.

    Your body is not just a physical body, as you are not only your physical body. Being embodied is an emotional, psychological, spiritual, generational, historical, cultural, systemically impacted, community experience.

    Maybe you’ve heard the phrase (or heard of the book) the Body Keeps the Score— this can be a helpful place to start in understanding how the realm of western psychology has come to understand pain of the mind & body as being one and the same.

    All that said, we are first and foremost a consent based practice. So if at anytime disclosure makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to.

  • The tongue also indicates the state of your insides and may give us corroborating information to know how to prioritize treatment.  It’s especially useful for herbal diagnosis.

  • Bruises are the most common side effect, they usually disappear within a few days to a week.  When needling, sometimes small capillaries are punctured, intentionally or unintentionally, causing a bruise or small amount of bleeding.

  • This is Gua Sha!
    Gua Sha is a process of releasing restrictions in the fascia & muscular tissues.  It helps to release muscular tension and clear illness.

    After a Gua Sha treatment you may briefly have “petechiae” or “Sha,” red marks on the skin from blood rising to the surface which pass within a week.

  • YES! Next question…

    …maybe we could put a footnote: In fact it is.

    The original Chinese character, phonetically pronounced Wu, translates to “female shaman” and depicts women dancing to ward off illness with their spiritual prowess. The cosmology and philosophy of acupuncture have origins in the teachings of Wu, evolving over time with changing culture.

    http://www.lysistrataproject.org/Wu-FemaleShamansofAncientChina_MaxDashu

Questions About Accessibility

  • Their names are Mu & Willy Su. Mu frequently is available to support sessions.
    We respect that having a positive history with dogs is not a given, please let us know if our babes need to have sibling time up in their area of the house when you are coming to the Center.

  • We are in the process of making The Center ADA accessible.


    In the mean time we rent from Woven Bodies in Kingston which has ADA accessible ramping, treatment rooms, and bathroom.

    We are able to travel to you and/or work with your needs if our space is inaccessible to you.

    Please Contact Us about your accessibility needs before scheduling if you have any needs you would like to be reassured that we can provide.

  • The bathroom at the Center is located up a flight of 8 porch stairs plus a dozen more steps once inside the house. The stairs have railings on either side that have lighting in the evening.

    The bathroom at Woven Bodies is a short hallway away from the entrance. From the treatment rooms, the bathroom is in the same hallway a room over.The bathroom at the Center is located up a flight of 8 porch stairs plus a dozen more steps once inside the house.

  • Parking is located close to either treatment rooms at the Center.
    One of the rooms is a dozen steps from the parking area, plus 2 stairs.
    The other room is located up a flight of 8 porch stairs, through a doorway, and then another dozen steps to the treatment room.

    Woven Bodies has street parking available half a block away. You will occasionally see cars parked in front of the office but you can be ticketed for parking there.

  • Everything we offer is opt-in, and we will always ask for your consent beforehand.
    We have neutral/no-scent massage oils, we do not have to use moxa (heat & smoke from mugwort), and we do not have to use essential oils in your treatment plan.

    Please be sure to inform us about any sensitivities & allergies so we can make sure we are not exposing you to something which would cause you harm.

  • 2020 was the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this potentially disabling virus is still among us. Our patients may be at high risk for serious consequence from infection, such as Long-Covid, hospitalization, and death.

    Your care is what is most important to us & we ask that you work with us to limit exposure risks. This is a collective task we can only do with your inclusion.

    If you feel sick or know you were recently exposed to someone who is sick or tested positive for Covid, please stay home, we will reschedule and find a time once you feel better.

  • During treatments your clinician will be wearing a high quality mask.

    Each treatment room at the Center is outfitted with a HEPA Airfilter:
    At the Center we use ALEN Breathesmart Flex units

    At Woven Bodies the central unit for air is HEPA filtered and there are additional small HEPA filters placed in each room.

  • We can find ways to work with you, so please Contact Us with these kinds of concerns so we can figure out how to support you.

    We are here to help figure out what barriers— including in our own practice— would be in the way of your receiving care.

  • While we are not (and should not be considered a replacement for) therapists, we are very familiar with how trauma can show up in the treatment room.
    We have done our own work to learn how to show up for those in our care, and we additionally encourage you to seek out the support of a therapist, coach, or healer who will be able to support you in ways we are unable to.

    If you need any support finding mental health support, please mention this to us and we will do what we can to help connect you with resources.