Bas van Dijk

Why did you choose the profession of acupuncturist? What or who inspired you?

Inspired by Tileke Bos, who worked in a nursing home where I did my internship as a physiotherapist in the early nineties. She showed me tongue diagnosis and shared beautiful stories about it. While on vacation in Portugal, lying in the sun, I decided to learn acupuncture. Interestingly enough, Tileke Bos was there at the training as my teacher, to further inspire me and give a great kickstart to my acupuncture career.

Bas van Dijk:

NVA member since June 1999

Interview: January 2014

What is your most beautiful experience with a patient?

The most beautiful experiences I generally find are the conversations with the clients. Sometimes a client prefers to remain lying down in relaxation without conversation, and that's fine too. The nicest compliment for me is when clients come back after a while or when there is word-of-mouth traffic. Apparently, the acupuncture treatment was well received, there was a good connection, or something beautiful happened otherwise.

What are you still amazed by in your field?

I am amazed daily by the impact that acupuncture can have on people. The change in the complaint, or gaining new insights. It's wonderful that there are many motivated acupuncturists who achieve this, each in their own way.

Is there something in your practice that embodies the essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine for you?

In the logo of my practice, du mai is central. When you lie on the treatment table in the practice in Utrecht, the logo is prominently displayed on the windows. At that time, I thought this was a very important point. Mingmen, fire between the kidneys. The needle and the lightning bolt imply movement of Qi. Always interesting to discuss with clients. Ultimately, of course, every point is equally important, that's the joke. Below you can see the logo and a client looking at it.

Bas van Dijk: www.acupunctuurpraktijk.nu