As an acupuncturist, I am trained in "dry needling" or as we call it, trigger point needling. This deep tissue needling requires a deftness of technique and palpation skills that require hundreds of hours of training. Stand alone "dry needling" is unnecessarily painful. It's best applied within the framework of an acupuncture treatment, which prepares and cushions the body to receive the trigger point stimulation. This is not a technique to be taught in a few weekend courses for non-needling practitioners.