Beyond sight: the role of the visionary in acupuncture
In classical daoist texts, vision is rarely confined to the function of the eyes. The concept of jian 見 – to see – extends beyond the optical, encompassing perception, understanding, and foresight. True visionaries do not impose their will on the world – they perceive what is emerging and align with it.
As our profession stands at a crossroads – between integration and autonomy, between tradition and adaptation – the question is not merely how acupuncture will persist, but how it will evolve.
知人非以寅目而視也
Zhī rén fēi yǐ yín mù ér shì yě
To truly know a person, do not look with your eyes
Zhuangzi
This sentiment applies not only to the patient before us but also to the broader trajectory of our profession. The future of acupuncture will not be determined by what is immediately visible, but by the unseen forces shaping its course.
The practitioner: seeing beyond the needle
Whether we practise alone, in a multibed clinic, within a multidisciplinary team, or even in an NHS setting, the essence of our work remains the same. Acupuncture requires a capacity to perceive not just symptoms but systems – within the body, within society, within the profession itself.
A self-employed acupuncturist working alone must cultivate an expansive kind of vision, one that extends beyond the treatment room into business sustainability, patient education, and professional advocacy.
Unlike those employed in structured medical environments, independent practitioners must see opportunities where none seem obvious, anticipating the shifts in patient needs, public health trends, and economic pressures that influence our work.
大道无门，万径通路
Dà dào wú mén, wàn jìng tōng lù
The great Dao has no gate, yet all paths are connected
Daoist folk saying
A thriving acupuncture practice – like a well-regulated body – depends on flow. The visionary practitioner understands when to stand firm and when to yield, when to structure their work and when to follow its natural unfolding. Success is rarely about force – it is about recognising the underlying current and moving with it.
For those working within a multibed or multidisciplinary setting, vision is no less critical. Collaboration requires a different kind of sight – one that perceives acupuncture not in isolation but as part of a larger web of care. The strength of these settings lies in their ability to integrate knowledge from multiple perspectives – whether from fellow acupuncturists or practitioners of osteopathy, physiotherapy, or allopathic medicine.
Yet true collaboration is not about dilution. The best multidisciplinary acupuncturists do not try to make our medicine fit into rigid biomedical structures. Instead, they demonstrate its efficacy through clinical results, through the depth of their expertise, and through a quiet but unwavering confidence in its principles.
和而不同，同而不和
Hé ér bù tóng, tóng ér bù hé
Harmony is not the same as uniformity; similarity does not mean true harmony
Zhuangzi
A profession that embraces multiple ways of working – private practice, multibed models, integration within the NHS – can only benefit from this diversity.
But harmony does not require uniformity. Visionary practitioners recognise that the future of acupuncture does not rest in making it more like other forms of medicine, but in preserving what makes it distinct while demonstrating its value within a changing healthcare landscape.
The acupuncture student: learning to see differently
For those still in training, vision means something different. It is not yet about professional foresight but about developing the ability to see as an acupuncturist rather than as a student.
The shift from learning to knowing is often imperceptible at first. One can memorise The Spiritual Pivot and The Plain Questions, recite the Dao De Jing by heart, and score perfectly on theory exams – but none of this guarantees the ability to perceive: to recognise excess not just as a TCM pattern but as an energetic presence, to hear disharmony in the way a patient describes their pain, to sense the moment when the needle reaches the arrival of qi.
学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆
Xué ér bù sī zé wǎng, sī ér bù xué zé dài
To study without reflection leads to confusion; to reflect without study leads to danger
Zhuangzi
Visionary students move beyond intellectual accumulation. They cultivate presence, pattern recognition, and the ability to trust in what is not yet fully understood. The best students are not those who memorise the most but those who begin to see – who learn to notice before diagnosing, who listen before treating, who allow understanding to unfold rather than attempting to force it.
道法自然
Dào fǎ zì rán
The Dao follows nature
Dao De Jing 25
Mastery in acupuncture, as in all things, cannot be rushed. The vision of a student is not the vision of a seasoned practitioner, but both are necessary parts of the same unfolding path.
Visionary leadership in acupuncture
As acupuncture evolves, so too must our leadership. Governing bodies and professional associations carry the responsibility not only of safeguarding standards but of envisioning the future.
The modern world increasingly recognises the value of acupuncture, yet integration into mainstream healthcare comes with both opportunity and risk. Leadership in our profession must balance openness with integrity – welcoming new research, adapting to new healthcare models, but resisting the urge to diminish acupuncture into a standardised, protocol-driven practice that loses its depth in pursuit of wider acceptance.
上人下其人, 下人下其人
Shàng rén xià qí rén, xià rén xià qí rén
The highest leader empowers others; the lowest leader controls others
Dao De Jing 17
Defensive posturing does not serve acupuncture’s future. True leadership does not attempt to preserve the profession by keeping it small and exclusive – it ensures its growth by fostering excellence, accessibility, and financial sustainability for practitioners.
Acupuncture cannot afford to be reactive. It must anticipate change, lead conversations, and shape its own narrative rather than waiting to see how it will be defined by external institutions.
不为而为，不知而知
Bù wéi ér wéi, bù zhī ér zhī
To act without forcing, to know without knowing
Dao De Jing 63
Visionary leadership is effortless in the sense that it does not resist natural evolution, but it is intentional in its direction. The future of acupuncture will not be built on defensiveness or passive acceptance but on a willingness to see beyond the immediate – to recognise what is possible and to move with wisdom toward it.
The question before us all – practitioners, students, clinic owners and professional leaders – is not simply, how do we protect acupuncture. More importantly our question needs to be, how do we ensure that acupuncture thrives, evolves and steps into its rightful place in the modern world?
Endnote for forward thinkers
To accompany this reflection on the role of the visionary in acupuncture and for BAcC members only, I’ve put together some prompts that offer a foundation for deeper reflection and meaningful discussion – in regional groups, study circles and for personal contemplation.
Rev Deb Connor is a fellow of the British Acupuncture Council practising in St Helens, Merseyside. An ordained 22nd generation Dragon Gate Daoist monk, she is also a journal therapist and published author. Her substack ‘Creative Spirit with Rev Deb’ is a melting pot of creative spiritual alchemy for curious minds, creative souls and those exploring the in-between.
All illustrations © Rev Deb Connor 2025
