How Islington Acupuncture approaches stress, anxiety and low mood
Rather than treating “anxiety” as one isolated problem to switch off, we look at the whole pattern: how your sleep, digestion, energy and mood are all connected. Anxiety is not separate from a racing heart or a tight chest. Chronic worry shows up in digestion. Grief is connected to the lungs. Every organ system carries a physical function and an emotional state, and are treated as part of the same picture.
What to expect from treatment
Your first session starts with an in-depth consultation, usually 50 minutes to an hour. Your acupuncturist will ask about your physical and mental health together: sleep, digestion, energy, mood, and how long things have been building up.
From there, treatment involves fine, single-use sterile needles inserted at specific points, usually left in for 20–30 minutes while you rest. Most people feel a brief sensation on insertion, then little to nothing. Many fall asleep or feel deeply relaxed during treatment, which fits with acupuncture’s effect on calming the nervous system.
You’ll get feedback after each session on how your body responded and what to watch for over the following days – slightly better sleep, a calmer baseline, less digestive tension. For stress, anxiety and depression, benefit tends to build over a course of treatment rather than a single visit. Many clients start with weekly sessions for around 6–8 weeks before moving to less frequent maintenance care as things ease.
Is Acupuncture for Mental Health safe?
Acupuncture is generally very well tolerated, with a strong safety profile when carried out by a fully trained, BAcC-registered practitioner using single-use sterile needles.
Frequently asked questions
Is acupuncture effective for anxiety and depression?https://islingtonacupuncture.com/contact-us/
A growing body of clinical evidence, including systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, supports acupuncture as an effective option for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms in some cases alongside standard treatments such as SSRIs. (Jang, S. et al., 2026), (Yang, L., et al., 2025)
How many sessions will I need?
It varies from person to person and depends on how long symptoms have been present. Many clients start with weekly sessions over roughly 8–12 weeks, then move to less frequent visits as things settle a pattern reflected in the research on acupuncture and depression. (MacPherson, H. et al., 2013)
Does acupuncture hurt?
Needles are hair-fine, and most people feel little more than a brief tap or mild sensation on insertion. Most people find sessions deeply relaxing.
Can acupuncture help alongside medication or therapy?
Acupuncture is commonly used alongside other treatments such as counselling or medication, and research suggests it can add benefit rather than replace them (Yang, L et al., 2025). Always let your acupuncturist know about any medication you’re taking.
How quickly will I notice a difference?
Some people notice changes in sleep or general calm after the first session or two; for others, benefit builds more gradually over a full course of treatment. Your acupuncturist will check in on this with you at each visit.
What the research shows
Research is starting to back up a lot of what Chinese medicine has observed in practice for a long time.
- Brain activity: Functional MRI studies have shown acupuncture can affect activity in the limbic system, the brain’s emotional processing centre and related structures. (Hui et al, 2000 & 2010)
- Stress hormones: Research points to acupuncture affecting the HPA axis, the body’s central stress-response system, including reductions in stress hormones such as cortisol. (Frontiers in Neurology, 2025)
- Nervous system: Acupuncture has been shown to influence heart rate and nervous system activity during treatment consistent with a shift out of “fight-or-flight” and into a calmer state. (Uchida, C. et al., 2019)
- Symptom outcomes: Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials have found acupuncture leads to measurable improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms, in some cases performing comparably to, or alongside, standard treatments like SSRIs. (Jang, S. et al., 2026), (Frontiers in Neurology, 2025), (Yang, L., et al., 2025)
- Longer-term benefit: A University of York study found that weekly acupuncture sessions over twelve weeks reduced the severity of depression, with the benefits largely holding up a year later.
(MacPherson, H. et al., 2013)
Results vary between studies, and researchers agree more high-quality trials are needed. Even so, the evidence base is growing, and acupuncture is increasingly recognised as a genuine, evidence-informed option for stress, anxiety and depression.