Case Study 2
When Jovanna first came to Mindful Healing Heart, she was seeking relief from insomnia, chronic TMJ tension, and deep grief. As an artist and business owner, her mind rarely slowed down.
Following a season of significant loss and life transition, she felt as though her nervous system had become stuck in a constant state of alertness.
Sleep had become one of her greatest challenges. Many nights she wouldn’t fall asleep until 5:00, or even 9:00, in the morning, leaving her exhausted but unable to truly rest. At the same time, she had lived with jaw tension since high school. She noticed herself clenching, grinding, and even chewing unconsciously throughout the day, with the symptoms becoming much worse whenever she felt overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally unsafe.
Insomnia
When Jovanna came to Mindful Healing Heart, she was dealing with severe insomnia, TMJ pain, grief, deep sadness, and hypervigilance, a constant sense that her nervous system was still on alert.
She had also begun noticing how closely her posture, stress levels, and emotional state were feeding into the tension she carried in her jaw. During one especially difficult week, she rated her insomnia a full 10 out of 10, reflecting just how hard it had become for her body to settle into rest.
Dr. Winnie Chan Wang created a personalized Reiki-infused acupuncture session focused on helping Jovanna relax, easing the tension in her jaw, and supporting her emotionally as she moved through grief. Her first treatment used acupuncture points traditionally selected to help with emotional constraint, nervous system regulation, and jaw tension. At her follow-up visit, the treatment shifted more directly toward the jaw, neck, lingering grief, and the broader tension patterns running through her body.
Jovanna was also given a 5th Dimension Breathwork Qi Gong group session as an additional form of support.
The practice was framed as a kind of energetic shower: breathing in light, breathing out heaviness, and allowing grief and tension to soften through breath, movement, and guided awareness. For her, this added another gentle way to reconnect with her body and create space for emotional release alongside the acupuncture and Reiki work.
Jovanna described an immediate emotional shift after her first session. In her own words, it felt as though the depression had “left her body.”
She also reported feeling clearer emotionally and more connected to what she had been carrying.
By her next visit, the insomnia she had rated 10/10 during a particularly difficult week had improved to 4/10.
She reported three consecutive nights of more restful sleep, noticed that her mood was better when she fell asleep earlier, and even felt the desire to move and dance again, something that had felt out of reach during the heavier period.
Jovanna’s healing journey was still ongoing. Three better nights and a meaningful emotional shift were encouraging, but they were not presented as a cure for insomnia, grief, or TMJ dysfunction.
Continued care was recommended to support the remaining jaw tension, sleep disruption, and emotional stress patterns.
Her experience also reflects an important principle of whole-person care: acupuncture and Reiki can be valuable pieces of a broader support plan, but they are not substitutes for appropriate medical or mental-health treatment. Persistent insomnia, depression, trauma symptoms, or complicated grief may also benefit from evaluation and care from a physician or licensed mental-health professional.
After your first Reiki-infused acupuncture session with Winnie, you may receive one group healing session as a gift. Learn more at breathing.heartcenter.LA.
BOOK YOUR SESSION NOWQuestions? Text Winnie directly: 626-642-8993
2801 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107
Disclaimer: Acupuncture and spiritual wellness services complement, they don’t replace medical diagnosis, psychotherapy, medication, oncology care, or emergency treatment. Outcomes vary from person to person. Complimentary group session: breathing.heartcenter.LA
