Unlocking Endorphins: The Power of the 5-Needle Ear Acupuncture Protocol
When stress builds or grief lingers, when sleep feels elusive or emotions sit too close to the surface, your body needs a way to settle. The NADA Protocol offers that: quietly, gently, and without requiring you to explain a thing.
What Is the NADA Protocol?
The NADA Protocol (short for National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) is a simple, drug-free treatment that uses five tiny acupuncture needles placed in the ear. It’s often done in silence, in a calm group setting.
Originally developed in the 1970s as part of a revolutionary addiction recovery program in the South Bronx with the involvement of the Black Panther Party and Lincoln Hospital. The protocol has since become a trusted tool in trauma recovery, stress reduction, and behavioral health care around the world.
Five Small Points: Magical Support for Body and Mind
Each of the five points used in this protocol corresponds with a key area of emotional and physical well-being in Chinese Medicine:
1. Shen Men (Spirit Gate) – Calms the mind and eases emotional intensity
2. Sympathetic – Helps shift the body out of fight-or-flight and into a more regulated state
3. Kidney – Supports energy, willpower, and steadiness during fear or depletion
4. Liver – Helps manage frustration and tension; supports detoxification
5. Lung – Strengthens the breath, immune function, and the process of working through grief
Together, these points release endorphins- the body’s natural opioids- calming the nervous system, reducing emotional reactivity, and create more resiliency and patience.
Who Is This For?
Many of my clients, especially those who are experiencing burnout or stress, benefit from the profound, regulating nature of this treatment. You don’t need a specific diagnosis or acute situation to benefit. Many people choose to receive this treatment regularly as part of ongoing care, and it’s often included in my sessions.
Where It’s Used
The NADA Protocol is used in a wide range of settings because it works across a wide range of human experiences:
• Addiction recovery programs for withdrawal, emotional regulation, and long-term support
• Veterans’ and military services for PTSD, insomnia, and nervous system repair
• Disaster and crisis response for immediate grounding in overwhelming situations
• Mental health and behavioral care as a safe, low-barrier therapeutic intervention
Its effectiveness lies in its simplicity.
What to Expect
Treatment typically happens in a quiet room, with individuals sitting comfortably in chairs. The five needles are placed in the outer ear and left in for about 30–45 minutes while you rest. Sessions are often held in a group format, with people coming and going as needed, creating a steady, shared rhythm and vibe that many find comforting.
And most likely, if you’re already working with me, you’ve received this treatment as part of your session—perhaps without realizing it had a name. If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed, activated, or like you need extra support, just let me know. I’m always happy to include it.
This is one of the simplest, most powerful tools I offer—quiet, effective, and deeply regulating.