I Love Coffee...

But, I'm not sleeping well and I'm anxious. There are two types of coffee drinkers that come to see me. Those that realize they're drinking too much and it's impacting their sleep and mood, and those that like to drink coffee and don't want to cut down on coffee at all.

Let's start with the second scenario. I'm always a little surprised when someone comes to me for insomnia or anxiety, and they're drinking a lot of coffee during the day, and they don't realize the connection. When I mention that cutting down on their coffee intake could help improve their sleep, and reduce their anxiety, the response I often hear is something like:

    •    Ugh, I can't live without my coffee!
    •    I can't think function without my coffee!
    •    It's how I get going in the morning!
    •    I really don't think I can cut it down!

These patients don't realize that their morning coffee intake could be causing or contributing to their insomnia or their anxiety. They're getting something from the coffee that they need, so they're not looking to reduce their intake. They like drinking it, it makes them feel good. 

In these cases, I suggest that they see if they can reduce it slightly, but that with Acupuncture, they may find their need or desire for coffee fades naturally. This is because their body is wanting the caffeine and stimulation of coffee for a reason. There's a depletion of nutrients or energy in their body and they are getting feel good chemicals released in their brains that is addictive. But, when those feel good chemicals start flowing due to treatment (Acupuncture, herbs or both), their desire fades, and they are surprised. Their other symptoms fade too, and they're less anxious and better able to sleep.

Patients That Want to Cut Down on Coffee, But Can't

The first scenario goes like this. Someone comes to me because they want to cut down on their coffee, but they can't. They're tried, but couln't do it, the urge to drink coffee was just too strong. The coffee may be affecting them in terms of sleep, anxiety or any number of things, but they can't cut it down.

For example, I worked recently with a woman that was drinking 6 shots of espresso (in the form of mocha latte) during the day and was experiencing insomnia and anxiety, which she knew was related to her caffeine intake. She came to me for Acupressure, because she was aware of the impact of the caffeine and wanted to change her habits. The Acupressure session, helped her immediately reduce her intake to a small fraction of that amount (next morning) without any withdrawals.



It's Not About Deprivation Here

So, in conclusion, you don't need to cut down on your intake of coffee and feel deprived or go through withdrawals. The better option would be to help your body/mind heal so that you don't feel such a strong need for something like caffeine. The need for caffeine is a symptom. Meet the need and the symptom fades. Wouldn't it be better to be able to make a choice about drinking coffee just on taste and enjoyment, not on need?

If you'd like help with this, please contact me, I'm happy to help you make peace with coffee.

Yours in Health,

Kara Sorensen, MS, LAc
The Food Craving Solution
15066 Los Gatos-Almaden Rd
Suite 200
Los Gatos, CA
e: kara(at)karasorensen.com
p: 408.805.5272 (KARA)
p: 800.514.1406

It's Not About Getting Rid of Something

One thing that I love about my work is the insights that emerge for patients during their Acupressure sessions. When a truth comes to our awareness, a truth that is specific to our struggles, it can be such a relief.

Often, when there's something we don't like, we want to push it away, get rid of it and get rid of it FAST! But, that doesn't always work, and can actually make things worse. You've heard the saying:

'What You Resist Persists'  

Resistance requires a lot of energy and a lot of willpower especially when it comes to food issues. But, if you can look at 'it' (the problem), things can change. If you can be with it for a minute, be a witness to it, things can shift. The 'hold' that 'it' had on you starts to fade, you have insights about why this has been such a problem, and how it came to be. The best part, is that the problem then becomes a thing of the past, it fades away just as quickly as the insight came. Not because it's something you've gotten rid of, but because you were willing to not resist it, and see the truth about it. This is powerful, yes?

It's hard to explain in advance what can happen during an Acupressure session. Each person's experience is unique to their body/mind and life experiences, but truth is predictable. The good news is, that you don't have to figure out how to get rid of something. You just need a willingness to be open and look at the problem, and maybe there's nothing to even get rid of after all. 

A Return to Balance

What happens during this process is more of an integration and a returning to balance, not a removing of things unwanted, though habits change. Things aren't taken away as much as balance is restored and things out of balance fade away as they are no longer needed. Here's something a patient wrote about her experience:

 'It became clear in my session that difficulties with a particular food were linked to a character trait in myself which I resisted mightily. I thought Kara would help me to "get rid of" the food problem and the character trait . . . Instead, through her gifted work, a place inside of me widened to make space both for loving the part of me I'd wanted to obliterate (I'm human; it's okay to accept all of me) and for a new experience--both with that food, and with a healthy desire for growth.'

Erika B.

Berkeley, CA

This is one patients experience, unique to her, but it's part of a common theme, as we're not all that different from each other. So, if you've been struggling with a problem and you can't get beyond it, know that it's not your fault. It's possible that you just need a different way of approaching the problem. If you would like help with this, contact me, I'd be happy to be of service.

Yours in Health,

Kara Sorensen, MS, LAc
The Food Craving Solution
15066 Los Gatos-Almaden Rd
Suite 200
Los Gatos, CA
e: kara(at)karasorensen.com
p: 408.805.5272 (KARA)
p: 800.514.1406

Have You Watched My Video on Food Cravings?

I recorded this video over a year ago, but it still explains the work I do with Food Cravings. I'm still helping people be free of their Food Cravings and my passion for this work persists.  Watch the video, I explain how I use a Self-Applied Acupressure technique to help unwind the neural patterns that drive your Food Cravings and behavior. Give it a try...