GAZETTE Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian News

By Linda Chrystal, LMT
Life is simply energy seeking a place to happen.-Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones.

TAMPA-Carrie struggles to get out of her wheelchair. With the help of her therapist, she propels her upper body across the massage table. Her legs refuse to budge. Due to the crippling effects of Multiple Sclerosis, her lower limbs hang heavy, like two frozen tree trunks. The therapist lifts Carrie's ice-cold legs to the table and begins her first soothing hour of Jin Shin Jyutsu(TM).

At the end of her session, Carrie is excited to feel warmth surging through her body. Not only can she feel tingles of energy running into her lower limbs, her legs are now rosy pink and she can actually raise them off the table with out assistance. She hugs her therapist as she says, "This is amazing! My muscle twitching has stopped and I have not felt so relaxed in years." A few sessions later she is exclaiming, "Look, I can even put weight on my legs," as she supports herself in a standing position for a short time between the table and her wheelchair. Carrie has experienced the energizing power of Jin Shin Jyutsu.

Quantum physics has proven that every living thing in the universe is made of energy. While different objects may vibrate at different frequencies, thereby appearing separate, everything is actually connected at the level of energy. It circulates throughout the universe and within every individual organism. We can work with this energy, which is ever present in our own body.

From a continuous life source, energy flows through the body just like water flows through a stream. If there is a beaver dam mid stream, the water will not flow freely and stagnation can occur. Daily stress as well as physical or emotional trauma can create the equivalent of river dams blocking the healthy flow of energy in the body.

Keeping this life force energy flowing in a balanced and harmonious way increases our personal vibration level for health and joy, so we feel better. Our body has an amazing innate ability to heal and rejuvenate itself. It is our task to remove the blockages that hinder abundant health.

Jin Shin Jyutsu, a healing art used for over 2000 years, can facilitate the release of energy blockages in the body thereby resulting in more vibrant health. Like Carrie, when this energy is unblocked in the body, we can experience profound results. It is not uncommon for grateful recipients to call their therapist a few days after a session and express amazement at their higher level of energy. One lady reported, "I usually feel so tired and run down. All I wanted to do was sleep. Now I am energized!" Another said, "I am thrilled. I played ball with my sister for the first time in three years."

Everyone experiences stress. Even "good" stress can affect the body. When the body is stressed the immune system is weakened and dis-harmony or dis-ease can result. Scientific studies are consistently proving the harmful effects of negativity and stress, and their consequential disease on the body. After an extended time of energy depletion, a physical "label" such as Cancer or Fibromyalgia may appear. Often people think this is something that suddenly happened to them, not realizing it may have taken decades of emotional, physical, environmental, or mental stressors to create the current imbalance.

Regardless of health challenge or "label," continually re-harmonizing the body encourages positive health maintenance. Revitalizing the body's energy on a regular basis can restore its essence at the level of cause, not merely by masking the symptoms of effect. Pain is a symptom, a warning light that something is out of harmony in our body. Just like the service engine light for a car, pain is an alert that our body needs attention. Our body vehicle cannot be traded in every few years, making routine maintenance and preventative care even more critical.

As a Holistic approach to wellness, Jin Shin Jyutsu Physio-Philosophy is an ancient art that encompasses the entire spiritual, psychological, and physical aspects of our existence. It helps to harmonize life energy for the whole body. This promotes optimal health by naturally bringing balance to mind and body functions that support mental attitudes, the immune system, hormones, and vital organs. Trained practitioners use their hands as "jumper cables" to ignite universal innate wisdom in the body, thereby facilitating its own profound healing capacity. Over time, the revitalized energy flow helps restore balance to existing disharmonies as well as helps reduce the effects of new tension and stress that accumulates through normal daily living.

Therefore, with regular sessions, people like Carrie can enjoy new levels of vitality and begin to notice they are experiencing more "good" days with less sick days. One lady said, "Before Jin Shin Jyutsu, I use to get the flu every year. It was so severe I could hear fluid sloshing around in my lungs. Now I have not even had a cold in years." Another noticed, "The morning after my Jin Shin Jyutsu, my feet did not hurt when they first touched the floor. This is a miracle."

Jin Shin Jyutsu is not massage (however Florida does require a massage, medical, or associated license to practice healing touch therapies). It is a gentle art, practiced by placing fingertips (over clothing) on designated safety energy locks to harmonize and restore the energy flow within the body. The practitioner does not transfer their personal energy into a patient. It does not involve the use of drugs, needles, or substances. It is not painful or invasive, so is perfect for people recovering from surgery or liposuction and those suffering from headaches, automobile accidents, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Cancer, Lupus, Depression, AIDS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or anyone who prefers to avoid physically aggressive type therapies.

Because Jin Shin Jyutsu is an art, not a mechanical technique, and because the energy flow in the body is often felt at a subtle level, sessions are best experienced as opposed to being technically explained. Like trying to explain the taste of chocolate, Jin Shin Jyutsu is best experienced in order to be fully appreciated.

Generally, after the first session, recipients will feel a deep sense of relaxation or a floating sensation, while others are actually able to feel the shift of energy within their own body or the easing of tension in previously painful areas. Some may hear audible stomach gurgles when the energy moves or they may suddenly experience the ability to take a deep breath. With regular sessions, recipients can develop more awareness and sensitivity. They often begin to shift into healthier patterns of living and experience new surges of energy. Many actually feel the sensation of the safety energy locks releasing. Frequent comments are: "How did you know I was sore there?" "That was so sore, now it doesn't hurt anymore," "Where did all my stress go?" "I feel so light," or "I don't know where my mind went, but it just went away. I feel so relaxed." One lady simply said, "I feel like you have put me back together."

Many people discover Jin Shin Jyutsu as a last resort or after years of searching for a better way to feel healthier and improve their quality of life. There is no need to wait until there is a life threatening illness looming to start preventative care. In many foreign countries Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioners are an accepted part of hospital staff. The therapist works side-by-side with medical personnel helping people heal and recover from surgical traumas. In the United States, individual sessions are available privately through certified practitioners.

Originally, this powerful oriental art was handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Initially revised in the early 1900s by Master Jiro Murai in Japan, Mary Burmeister brought the teachings to the United States in 1950. She demonstrated how Jin Shin Jyutsu utilizes specialized "flows" that occur at interrelated depths along major energy pathways in the body, through twelve main organ functions, and 26 safety energy lock sites on each side of the body. These "flows" unify and integrate the body. The safety energy locks act as circuit breaker alarms to protect and signal the body when the energy is blocked. Burmeister spent 39 years writing instructional textbooks and developing a process of education that takes several years to complete and a lifetime to perfect. Once discovered, most practitioners dedicate their lives to sharing their personal passion for Jin Shin Jyutsu.

Some people are initially attracted to Jin Shin Jyutsu for its powerful self-help sequences. They attend informative classes that offer simple ways to feel better on a daily basis by utilizing the energy flows at home and by applying their own hands as "jumper cables." People want to learn ways to help themselves, as well as their family, and even their pets. Daily application of Jin Shin Jyutsu at home is like a routine brushing of the teeth or a light housecleaning that keeps major cobwebs from forming.

Regular sessions with an experienced practitioner are like a deep cleaning that prevents dirty grit, grease, and grime from building a clog in the free flowing energy stream of life. Sessions are cumulative, where every jumpstart of energy is a healthy boost to the body. Thousands have been helped who suffer from the effects of daily stress as well as those like Carrie who are effected by more severe health challenges. There is a powerful source of energy available to all and we can use it for our good health, anytime, any place. Simply attach Jin Shin Jyutsu "jumper cables" and breathe.

Linda Chrystal, owner of Linda Chrystal Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork is a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner and Self Help Instructor accredited by Jin Shin Jyutsu International, Scottsdale, Arizona; a member of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association (FSMTA), and nationally certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). FMI 813-264-0303 or Spiritrover@hotmail.com.

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