One morning my sweet 10-year-old dog, Jack, suddenly began yelping in pain and lifting his leg. I wasn’t aware of any incident to cause it. There was no sign of any injury.
I was very concerned and scheduled an appointment with a health practitioner for that afternoon. In the meantime, I wanted to do something to help him.
I thought of the Japanese healing art I had recently been introduced to called Jin Shin Jyutsu. It involves placing your fingertips on designated “safety energy locks.” It restores the energy flow and facilitates innate healing. I pulled out my newly acquired book, The Touch of Healing: Energizing Body, Mind, and Spirit with the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, by Alice Burmeister.
I looked up “leg” in the Jin Shin Jyutsu book and was directed to several safety energy locks (SELs.) I placed my hands on the SELs I could easily reach on Jack’s back. Because of his discomfort, he was a quiet and willing recipient.
After minutes or an hour of applying Jin Shin Jyutsu, Jack’s leg pain was gone. I don’t know what caused the problem, but it never returned. Jin Shin Jyutsu is also easily and powerfully applied to ourselves.
Recently a girlfriend of mine was experiencing anxiety and insomnia. I told her how she could gently hold her fingers with the opposite hand to assist any energy blockages. According to Jin Shin Jyutsu, each one of our fingers affects 14,400 functions within the body. Within a few weeks of holding her fingers, my friend started feeling better. After a month or so, she realized she was feeling so much happier. An unexpected bonus was that men suddenly started asking her out.
Jin Shin Jyutsu has been a part of my daily self-care routine for the past 11 years. Before getting out of bed each morning, I apply Jin Shin Jyutsu flows to myself for about 30 minutes.
One flow I frequently use is called the “Main Central.” It’s described in The Touch of Healing. You place your right fingers on the top of your head where they remain until the final step. Your left fingertips are placed between your eyebrows. You wait until you can feel the pulses in both locations beat in rhythm with each other.
Not everyone can feel the pulses so don’t be concerned if you can’t. Just hold each set of areas for a couple of minutes.
Your right hand stays on top of your head while your left hand continues to move to: the tip of your nose, the top of your sternum or breastbone, the base of your sternum, and the top of your pubic bone. For the last step, your right hand moves from the top of your head to the base of your spine or coccyx.
People have varied experiences when receiving Jin Shin Jyutsu. For some, it is very subtle. Eleven years ago, I hardly noticed anything. Now I experience much more: my gut growls, my eyes tear, bones crack, my body heats up, my inner sound gets louder, and I feel areas of tenderness and tension release. If I’m anxious, Jin Shin Jyutsu brings me greater calm. If I’m fatigued, it brings me energy.
Physical and mental health care has become so specialized and complicated. Additionally, there are often many side-effects to the recommended treatments. It’s comforting to have a simple and powerful option with no ill effects that we can use on ourselves and can offer to loved ones.
As Burmeister says, “Jin Shin Jyutsu can be used anywhere and at any time. Its methods are so easy and unobtrusive that you may use them on yourself in a crowded bus or in the middle of a difficult meeting. The only thing people may notice – if they notice anything at all – is a more balanced demeanor, an aura of relaxation, and – upon closer examination – that you are holding one or more of your fingers.”
Jin Shin Jyutsu is truly a gift. The Touch of Healing is a well-written and easy to understand guidebook available on Amazon or at your local bookstore. You may also learn more about Jin Shin Jyutsu at www.jsjinc.net.
