This course explores how to ethically and safely elicit de qi within a consent-informed, trauma-aware acupuncture practice. Participants learn practical communication and clinical decision-making strategies that protect patient autonomy while meeting research-aligned therapeutic goals.
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Most acupuncture bios don’t start with stories about activism — but most acupuncturists aren’t like Emma.
Before founding Little Fox, Emma spent years advocating for survivors of campus sexual assault through performance art, including her own piece Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight). That passion for trauma-informed care naturally led her to Chinese Medicine, which she sees as another way to empower people to take their healing into their own hands.
Emma has more than checked all the boxes of becoming a licensed acupuncturist: a masters in Traditional Chinese medicine, graduating at top of her class from Pacific College of Health and Science, externships at both Columbia University and OnPoint NYC. But the real proof is in her patients. Emma has helped clients reclaim movement in frozen necks, used physical healing as a conduit for emotional breakthroughs, and has probably flipped more breech babies than she’s actually held in her own arms. It’s these little wins that matter most to Emma, and why she is so proud to have built a space where this kind of care can happen every day.
When Emma is not nerding out over her favorite acupuncture points (toss up between Gallbladder 21 and Stomach 4, IYKYK), you can find her cooking, playing Baldur’s Gate 3, and continuing to transform Little Fox into a cozy den you’ll never want to leave.Description text goes here
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Description text goeWhat de qi actually means — not just in classical language, but in modern research and real clinical rooms
When strong needle sensation serves the patient… and when it doesn’t
How to talk about sensation in ways that empower patients instead of overriding them
How to work skillfully inside the very real power dynamic between practitioner and patient
Concrete, observable consent practices you can bring into your treatment room immediately
How to recognize nervous system shifts — and adjust your pacing accordingly
How to deliver effective, research-aligned care without sacrificing autonomy, trust, or safetys here
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Acupuncturists who work within research-informed or biomedical settings and want to do it without losing the soul of the medicine
Practitioners who know technical skill isn’t enough — and want their consent and communication practices to be just as strong as their needle technique
Clinicians ready to weave trauma-aware principles directly into how they needle, not just how they talk
Providers who believe patient trust isn’t a bonus outcome — it’s the foundation of effective care goes here
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Strong sensation has a place in acupuncture. But intensity without consent isn’t skill — it’s assumption. When we prioritize agency, pacing, and communication, we protect the therapeutic relationship and the nervous system at the same time. That’s not being cautious. That’s being competent.