Jin Shin Therapy
“A Simple Art for Complicated Times”
by Rod Kaminski

The name Jin Shin Jyutsu means, “The Art of the Creator through the person of compassion.” This is a gentle non-invasive art that enables a person to bring about a sense of balance to their life. Jin Shin Jyutsu (pronounced Jin Shin Jit-Sue) can be best described as a light touch acupressure. With the reality that we live in, called “duality,” it is imperative that we arm ourselves with simple tools that we use daily, if needed. The goal is to harmonize the body to a balanced state by enacting a conscious strategy to ride with the waves of life in a more neutral/harmonious state of mind and being. Make no mistake that the highs and lows will come, but how extreme these shifts become in our reality can be determined by our actions.

During a Jin Shin Jyutsu treatment, the client lies on their back on a comfortable massage table, fully clothed. Through a process, the practitioner determines what flows to use and, through light touch, links up these points/positions (SEL – safety energy locks) into what we call a “flow.” There are 26 safety energy locks on the front of the body, and 26 safety energy locks on the back of the body.

As unique as every person is, the effects from a Jin Shin Jyutsu session can vary from person to person. Common sensations felt are light buzzing/vibrations in various parts of the body, gurgling in the abdominal area, heavy sighing, crying (unexpectedly), or laughing/giggling. Please realize that these possible reactions are gentle in nature, and are vehicles that are meant to help us release pain, trauma, and emotional issues, in a gentle manner and on our terms.

Sometimes the effects from a session can be felt instantly, or it can take time to manifest. On occasion, I have had clients that experience no physical feeling from the session, but an a-ha moment is experienced! Or, in an unexpected moment afterwards, where one realizes that something has shifted, what would have been a reaction to an event or situation resulted in a different response in that instance. The person has an epiphany and realizes he or she wasn’t triggered, or felt less pain, and remained neutral. This is a balanced state that we all consciously, or unconsciously, are looking for.

For myself, I describe it as being the OBSERVER! By being less emotional, calm, and neutral, a person can make better decisions in life, not based on being emotionally, physically, or mentally compromised. This is important because, if you have ever made important decisions when you were highly stressed or compromised, it probably didn’t turn out well because you were not getting your messages from your heart/intuition centre, but instead from a place of fear, insecurity, or ego. Jin Shin Jyutsu can aid in this process of decluttering the body on all levels so that we get closer to our authentic selves. Once the session is over, the flows utilized by the practitioner continue to work for the next eight hours, and that is why some people will only notice changes many hours later. The innate wisdom of the human body is truly remarkable, and all we must do is start the process and trust our incredibly intricate bodies.

I like to think of human bodies as accumulation jars. For each person the size/volume of their jar varies, but every person has a limit to the amount of trauma, stress, bodily strain, injury, anxiety, and emotional angst that one can hold UNTIL our jars are full and start to pour over. For most people, this is usually the point where they realize that something is up! Most often this will manifest in physical or emotional/mental pain that is attracted to the vulnerable point of the person. As a species we tend to be reactive rather than proactive, and so the effects of letting our jars fill up now takes centre stage! This accumulation results in a shift from a healthy state of living, to a chronic level of decline in health, if action is not taken. We have the tools available to us to make sure that we are consciously aware of our personal accumulation jars, the process that happens, and what we can do for maintenance. This is where I can help!

Recently I was talking to a client, and he was pleased with his session, and with prior sessions he has had. But he commented that he found it a little difficult to get his head around the concept of receiving less information than he was used to, in comparison with other modalities. Even though he was getting the end results that he was hoping for from the sessions, his monkey mind wanted details, Details, DETAILS!

This is not an art that conveys a lot of information to the client. Relevant information is indeed passed on, but as a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, I am acutely aware that some individuals can resonate with their projects (disease, issues, etc.) on various levels, and in some instances can manifest their project to its truest extent.

In Jin Shin Jyutsu we refer to disease, health conditions, emotional states as “PROJECTS.” We do not use labels (e.g. cancer, COPD) because some individuals can have the tendency to take on the project “AS THEIR OWN.” This can set individuals up for a growth acceleration phase of their project, and this is a road that should be avoided.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is perfectly simple and simply perfect!  With my hectic busy lifestyle, I wanted a modality that I would be able to incorporate my own self-care under any situation or circumstance that I was experiencing. One of the many gifts of this therapy includes simple holds for projects that anyone can do. Who would believe that simply touching two points on a body can bring about such a harmonious state? Who can believe that by grabbing your thumb, you can ease the emotion of worry? With Jin Shin Therapy it is possible!

If you need more information, or are interested in a session, please feel free to contact Rod Kaminski in Saskatoon at arktherapy4you.ca or 306.717.7250.