New Jersey will require energy healers to be licensed in massage therapy

Here in New Jersey, on August 31. 2013, energy workers who place their hands on their clients will be required to have a massage license.  Although the State of New Jersey has been debating this issue for 15 years, this news is catching a lot of healers unprepared.  Many professional healers have been scrambling to understand the new law and it implications for their clients and themselves.

Those New Jersey practitioners who were aware of the coming change have been hoping that the State would not follow through.  Others have simply not known about the new law as it is not exactly front page news.  After 27 years as a resident of New Jersey, I know I still am poorly informed about developments in my state's current affairs.  I often wonder if it is peculiar to New Jersey given the amount of decentralization that exists here.

The change in the law puts a lot of healing practices in jeopardy.  Many of us who earn our primary living through our healing work will have to meet the new requirements or close down our practices.

Practitioners have the opportunity to meet the education requirement through a grandfathered clause that requires instruction in a State-approved program.  There's not much time in which to do this.  The hours need to be achieved before August 31st.

Luckily for my clients and for me, I am able to meet the new requirements through a massage course that is especially created for Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioners. 

My healing office will be open over the next month while I complete the education requirements.  Appointment hours will be restricted of course.

The good news for clients is that I will have a new skill to offer.  Adding massage to my current healing modalities willl be of great benefit to the people I work with.

Jin Shin Jyutsu Holding the Fingers

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a powerful healing modality.  It is a form of gentle acupressure that was developed in Japan.  I love to teach Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help techniques to people.  As a healer and a meditator, it is very satisfying to witness the individuals and the groups become relaxed and still as I lead them through simple self-help holds.

After their first Jin Shin Jyutsu experience, people are surprised by how much better they feel.  They regularly report less pain, reduced nausea, reduced anxiety, and an overall sense of improved well-being. 

Holding the Fingers is a simple series of holds that can address a multitiude of issues or projects - the preferred term in Jin Shin Jyutsu land. 

Holding the Fingers - How to do it

Simply wrap the fingers of one hand around each of the fingers of the other hand, one digit at a time.  I usually start by wrapping the fingers of my right hand (since I am right handed) around the thumb of my opposite hand, covering as much as possible of the thumb and subsequents digits.

Use a light touch and hold for several minutes, for 36 breaths, or until you feel pulsation in your fingers.  Then move on to the next finger.  When you finish with the first hand, move on to your opposite hand.

After holding each of your fingers,  touch the center of your palm with your thumb.  Switch hands after several minutes.  You have completed Holding the Fingers.

Use this practice whenever you don't have to use your hands - while going to sleep at night, upon waking in the morning or in the middle of the night, in meetings, watching TV or a movie, waiting for an appointment, riding in a car or a plane.  Find other ways and places to practice.

Work with it and see what works best for you.

Organs and Attitudes Associated With Each Finger

Jin Shin Jyutsu is about balancing the body's energy system.  The fingers are energetically connected to major organs.  Holding the fingers harmonizes these energies and improves our emotional states or attitudes.

Thumb        Stomach, Spleen                Worry

Index           Kidneys, Bladder                Fear

Middle         Liver, Gallbladder               Anger

Ring             Lungs, Large Intestine      Sadness

Little             Heart, Small Intestine        Try To

I think therefore I breathe

Lucky me.  I was recently in Europe, partly for work and partly for fun.  The work was in Helsinki, Finland where I facilitated the Family Constellations work with my dear friend and fellow healer, Kristiina Kurki-Suonio. 

There was fun in Helsinki and also in Spain where I spent the greater time.  Once in southern Spain, it didn't take long to adjust to a slow pace.  How easy it was to sit for hours at outdoor cafes sipping cafe con leche people watching or just staring into space - a new meditation practice for me!  How fun to explore new sights.  How warm and welcoming were the locals, even in the tourist areas. How delightful was the weather.

"I want to live here," often popped into my mind.  Then in the next moment came the reminder that vacation does not equal the reality of living long term in a place no matter how lovely.  Such disappointment that particular thought would bring.  Was my life in New Jersey so bland compared to life here in Granada or Sevilla?  Sure.  Take another breath.  Wow, that church on the plaza opposite the cafe is magnificent.  Breathe.  Nice to not have a schedule today.  Breathe. 

How do you say breathe in Spanish?

Schedule your creativity

A new study finds that our creative thinking might be most effective outside the time we consider our most optimal for work and thought.  This finding seems to be related to our circadian rhythms.

The study, conducted by the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University, suggests that if we wish to do our best creative thinking, we should perform such tasks outside the time of the day when we consider we do our best work.

This means that if you are a morning person, do the work that requires focus and analysis like doing your taxes in the morning and do your problem solving and creative work at night.  The oppposite is true for those who are more alert in the evening.

This seems counter-intuitive.  However, it seems that the less focused we are, the more open we can be to other ideas and solutions.  What often follows then is inspiration and insight, key ingredients to creative thinking.

So, if you're looking to write, paint, or solve a sticky problem, rethink the time of day when you might do your best work.