The Purpose of Pain

"Much of your pain is the bitter potion 

by which the physician within you 

heals your sick self." 

~Kahlil Gibran

When the life energy moves through us without obstruction, we are in perfect harmony.  If we have pain somewhere in the body, it is wise to pay attention to it, because it is a sign that something is out of balance. It warns us that something within the body isn't quite right. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that pain is there to serve you. If you only seek to alleviate pain by suppressing it, you have not addressed the fundamental cause of the pain. Pain is functional because of the signal it gives.

Pain is an indication of the presence of stagnation, a blockage of free movement of life energy through the body. When you feel those initial twinges of pain, it is wise to think of them as a signal from your body that there is a blockage and some attention is needed. I find that if I pay attention and I immediately seek help from my Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner or apply self-help, the pain melts away.

Most of us however ignore these initial twinges. We wait until we are sure that we are in pain and then we seek to suppress the pain with Over The Counter Medications. When these medications cease to "erase" the pain, we wait until the pain is constant and unbearable, then we finally pay attention to the signal and seek help.

Jin Shin Jyutsu helps us to be aware of the signal, and teaches us what to do to address the cause and to return to balance, harmony and wellness. Generally speaking, the longer we live with pain, the longer it will take to release it. With Jin Shin Jyutsu and Time, all things are possible. A return to balance is within your reach. Learn how to erase pain and improve your quality of life!

"Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling 

that even a tiny amount of it 
is enough to ruin every enjoyment." 

~Will Rogers

Jin Shin Jyutsu In the News

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." 

~Helen Keller 

      The Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky offers Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) free to its patients. JSJ practitioner Jennifer Bradley treats patients in a special therapy room or in their chair in the chemotherapy clinic. Research data from more than 450 sessions with 159 cancer patients revealed that all of these patients reported a decrease in stress, pain and nausea levels after JSJ. Based on this pilot data, Bradley's next study will examine if belief in JSJ, or spiritual beliefs in general, play a role in patient outcomes, as well as the therapy's impact on specific radiation side effects.
     "It was interesting to note that regardless of age, sex or diagnosis, cancer patients received a statistically significant improvement in the side effects from treatment," study researcher Jennifer Bradley, said in a statement. "It is encouraging to note that Jin Shin Jyutsu made improvements in these areas without adding additional unwanted effects that so often occur with medication interventions."

"One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have
is to wake up feeling healthy after we have been sick."
~Rabbi Harold Kushner
 

Let Go of Pain

Self-Help Tip:

Let Go of Pain   

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."
~Havelock Ellis

     If this weekend is any indication, Spring is definitely upon us. And for me, Spring means getting out in nature. This weekend we hiked a few miles on the Mountains to Sea Trail on Saturday and then I came home a worked for 3 or 4 hours digging in the garden. Then today, another 5 hours building raised beds, digging and planting and raking. Wow! Sounds like the potential for some sore muscles and pain. But I know that I can hold my ankles and let go of the pain from my joints and muscles!

     Here's how to do it. Place the fingertips of your right hand on the inner ankle just below the ankle bone and Place the fingertips of your left hand on the outer ankle just below the ankle bone. Use the same hand configuration on either foot (right hand on the inside, left hand on the outside).

     I love this simple one step flow any time that I have pushed myself, be it in a yoga class, on the hiking trail, or in the garden! My goal is to hold each foot for 20-30 minutes to move the energy. This flow brings stillness and balance. It is remarkable at easing pain-especially joint pain, it is helpful for swollen legs, headaches, stiffness, and relaxes the feet. Also helpful for arthritis and fibromyalgia. This flow brings back movement and keeps us limber and supple, so it is a good one for everyday maintainence. Give it a try! 

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."
~Deepak Chopra

Our Energy Centers

"All Creation proceeds from unity."
~Mary Burmeister

      This week I want to introduce you to the energy centers of the body that Jin Shin Jyutsu refers to as "Safety Energy Locks". I am sure that many of you are familiar with the Chakras from Yoga and other healing traditions. A chakra is defined as a wheel, or vortex of energy. There are seven major chakras that flow through a human’s energetic system. All of these major chakras are on the Main Central Flow Pathway and make up our energetic blueprint connecting us to Source energy and our soul purpose.
      Interestingly, Safety Energy Locks have the same definition! They are  defined as vortices of spiralling energy. To my way of thinking, they can be considered "minor chakras" on our energy map. They mark the locations of intersecting energetic pathways or meridians often at skeletal junctures.
      I have many clients ask about this curious name-Safety Energy Lock. Jin Shin Jyutsu recognizes 26 pairs of these energy centers in our bodies. These areas are much more than fixed points and encompass and area approximately the size of our hand. Each one of them has a specific meaning that is expressed through its number and is closely related to its placement on the body. They act like the circuit breakers on the electrical system in our homes and lock when the flow of energy in a pathway is too much, too little or stagnant-to warn and protect us from further disharmony. When one or more of these safety energy locks become blocked, a local disruption can occur, eventually resulting in disharmony of the energetic pathway completely. Just like in your home electrical system, if an outlet is overloaded, it blows the breaker that feeds that outlet, but does not shut down the whole electrical system. If the breaker is not reset, you can just shift the plugs to another outlet. This outlet will also break as it becomes overloaded and the process will continue until the entire system shuts down. A single breaker switch shutting down is a warning that you have overloaded the circuitry and attention must be paid to what you are doing. It is just the same thing with the energy system of our bodies. These twenty-six Energy Locks serve as breaker switches. If enough are blown over a period of time, disharmonies will occur in your physical, emotional, or mental well-being.  Another picture that describes for me what happens in the body, it to imagine our highway system of roads. Where many roads intersect there are overlaps and junctions, referred to in many cities as "malfunction junction". All it takes is one accident at the junction to slow traffic from coming and going in many directions!
     Jin Shin Jyutsu teaches us to heed the warning of pain-which is our indicator that something is out of order and energy locks are shutting down. By simply holding the stuck energy center we can unlock the flow of energy and return ourselves to harmony. It really is that simple: Hold the pain and clear the stagnation!

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Your Body is Precious

"Your body is precious. 
It is our vehicle for awakening. 
Treat it with care."
~Buddha

     Self-Help is the cornerstone of the Jin Shin Jyutsu and is the pathway to healing and continued balance. It is this Self-Help aspect that initially attracted me to Jin Shin Jyutsu. With Self-Help, I have witnessed miracles of healing in my body at my own hands. I truly believe that with Jin Shin Jyutsu, time and an open mind, all things are possible.

      I love that Jin Shin Jyutsu empowers us to take responsibility for our own healing, that it allows us to know ourselves in ways that connect us with our awareness and enables us to create balance for ourselves. I know so many people who present themselves to a medical professional and ask to be "fixed" by them when in actuality the body seldom works that way.

      The Self-Help aspect of Jin Shin Jyutsu gives us the means to identify and deal with stress in our bodies and clear that stress so that healing can occur.

      For many years now I have been able to have several Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions a month with a local practitioner. My practitioner is currently unavailable, so I am back to relying entirely on Self-Help. I practice Self-Help every day and often throughout each day. I can't imagine my life without this daily practice of tuning in and tuning up. It is in hindsight that I now realize the benefits of those weekly sessions! I always felt great after my sessions  and more capable of dealing with whatever life had to throw at me. But after a few months without sessions, I am more aware of the deeper health benefits of those treatments.  I look forward to my practitioner being available again!

      Regular sessions are more than a frivolous indulgence as the treatment calms the body and helps relax the mind which in turn helps to reduce stress by lowering the body's cortisol levels. Considering that stress is responsible for most illness, alleviating stress can make a major difference in overall health and attitude.

     The combination of daily self-help and regular healing sessions with your practitioner as part of your wellness routine will help you to maintain physical, mental and emotional well-being while instilling a sense of empowerment for your own healing. The many important health benefits of regular Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments include:

• Stress Relief
• Managing Anxiety and Depression
• Coping with Change
• Dealing with Pain
• Minimize Stiffness
• Blood Pressure Control
• Sports-related Injuries
• Boosting Immunity
• Promote Healing from Surgical Procedures
• Ease Negative Effects of Cancer Treatment

     Studies continue to show that the power of touch has miraculous effects with its ability to relax, heal, and help release emotions and tension without the aid of drugs. We all have an innate need for touch and the power of touch is the power to heal.

"Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
~Hippocrates

Balance Back Stress

I remember with awe my first look at my daughter's spine. It was at the initial ultrasound, pretty early on in the pregnancy, she was just a peanut but there was her spine. Beautiful and perfect, it reminded me of a strand of luminous pearls.

Embryologically, a detailed cascade of events must occur to result in the proper formation of both the musculoskeletal and neural elements of the spine.  The spine will become the structural support of the body as a whole and will be a conduit for safe passage of the neural elements. The spine is responsible for interaction with the brain. All of this is well underway at the 4th week after conception. Amazing!

So much depends on the proper functioning of our spine. It is small wonder that a backache can put us "Out of Commission"!

When I first discovered Jin Shin Jyutsu, I suffered from incapacitating back pain that had begun at age 10.  As a young child, my parents brought me to be checked out by the family doctor... He took one look at me and declared my hips to be uneven. He informed me that I would "always have back trouble." Thanks alot Doc! So I always had back trouble....he told me I would... so I did.

Jin Shin Jyutsu teaches us that all things are possible. I practice Jin Shin Jyutsu Self Help daily and now my back pain is gone most of the time. When there is a flair-up, I use my self help to get back in balance, usually within 24 hours. In the past, a flair-up meant weeks of recovery and pain.

I should tell you that it took about a year to see a big difference, although I felt improvement after a week or so of dedicated daily self-help. It has been since 2003 that I have made self-help a daily part of my life.  At that time, there we no other practitioners that I knew of in the area, so Jin Shin Jyutsu Sessions with a Practitioner were not possible, I had to depend on myself.

For back projects my self-help is simple. With one hand, HOLD the back of your head where your skull meets the spine. With the other hand HOLD your tailbone/sacrum area. This simple flow helps the life energy push through the stagnant places in the spine, strengthening the spine and balancing the energy that supports both bladder and kidney function energy ...among other things! 

You can begin your day with this flow before you even are fully awake. Then during the day, take a break and do this flow again. Once more at bedtime and this flow will help you sleep. Three times a day for 10-20 minutes, whatever you have time for, and you will be on your way to freeing yourself from back stress and pain. Use either the palm of your hand or the back of your hand, which ever will be the most comfortable for you.
Holding your index finger will also support this energy and is a simple hold to use during the day, in the middle of a meeting or watching a movie. Use the index finger at the first sign of pain or discomfort and you will feel the pain melt away.

To balance hips and shoulders, I hold the backs of my knees. This simple flow helps to balance shoulders and hips, opens the pelvis and relaxes tension in the body.

Another simple favorite of mine is to "sit on your hands"/hold your sitbones. This is the location of Safety Energy Lock 25, "Quietly Regenerating".

When you combine weekly sessions with dedicated daily self-help, and you will be amazed at the progress you will make! Learn how to dismiss stress. These flows are indeed simple and effective and will make a difference in your busy life! Be in Balance. You'll like it there!

"When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It's very simple. Everything is possible."
~Paulo Coelho

The Purpose of Pain

"Much of your pain is the bitter potion
by which the physician within you
heals your sick self."
~Kahlil Gibran

      When the life energy moves through us without obstruction, we are in perfect harmony.  If we have pain somewhere in the body, it is wise to pay attention to it, because it is a sign that something is out of balance. It warns us that something within the body isn't quite right. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that pain is there to serve you. If  you only seek to alleviate pain by suppressing it, you have not addressed the fundamental cause of the pain. Pain is functional because of the signal it gives.

      Pain is an indication of the presence of stagnation, a blockage of free movement of life energy through the body. When you feel those initial twinges of pain, it is wise to think of them as a signal from your body that there is a blockage and some attention is needed. I find that if I pay attention and I immediately seek help from my Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner or apply self-help, the pain melts away.

      Most of us however ignore these initial twinges. We wait until we are sure that we are in pain and then we seek to suppress the pain with Over The Counter Medications. When these medications cease to "erase" the pain, we wait until the pain is unbearable to pay attention to the signal and seek help.

      Jin Shin Jyutsu helps us to be aware of the signal, and teaches us what to do to address the cause and to return to balance, harmony and wellness. Generally speaking, the longer we live with pain, the longer it will take to release it. With Jin Shin Jyutsu and Time, all things are possible. A return to balance is within your reach. Learn how to erase pain and improve your quality of life!

"Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin every enjoyment."
~Will Rogers