My Journey to Jin Shin Jyutsu

In 1993, I was in a serious car accident.

The injuries were significant. But what the doctors didn't expect — and what I would spend the next thirty years helping other people understand — was how quickly my body healed.

Not because I was lucky. Because for twenty years, without fully realizing it, I had been preparing my body for exactly this moment.

"You know this. Just do it."

That was the voice I heard in the aftermath. Clear and quiet, and completely certain.

So I closed my office, gave my business away, and stepped into the work I'd been doing in secret my whole adult life.

But to understand why that moment changed everything, you have to know what came before it.

It Started With a Spark I Didn't Know What to Do With

Back in the 1970s, a friend suggested I attend a presentation on energy medicine at our college campus. I was immediately intrigued — curious, hungry to know more.

From that point on I kept learning and experiencing, but it never entered my conscious thinking that this could be a livelihood. I mean, really — how could that even be a possibility?

When I moved from Minnesota to Colorado, I just kept going deeper. Chinese acupressure, Therapeutic Touch, Touch for Health, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Tsubo, Namakoshi, Shiatsu, Reiki. Meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, sound healing, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).

I was insatiable. Anything I heard about, I went to discover what that modality was about.

Out of all that exploration, something remarkable was taking shape — though I didn't fully see it yet.

Twenty Years of Wrong Hats

What I didn't realize was that all that exploring was quietly building something — a daily self-help practice that kept my body in a state of balance, harmony, ease, and calm, no matter what I was doing for work.

And I was doing a lot of different work.

Probation officer. Group home counselor for teenage kids. Quality control in a skiing product company. Waitressing. Real estate sales. Real estate broker and owner. Legal assistant. Mediator. Private detective. Escrow officer. Title insurance marketing. Insurance and securities agent. Negotiation skills trainer.

Over twenty years, I was good at most of it. Successful at a lot of it — even when a role was just something to do while looking for the next "perfect position." But fulfilled? Not for long. I'd get a suggestion or an offer that sounded intriguing, make another move, and find myself searching again.

What I couldn't see — not yet — was that the thing fulfilling me was already in my life. Every morning, quietly, on the side, I used acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu to keep my body aligned. It was just something I did. I hadn't recognized it as the thing I was meant to do.

Through those twenty years, I also experienced quite a few injuries — car accidents, falls, a few incidents involving horses. And each time, my body healed. Faster than expected, further than expected.

I noticed. But I still didn't fully listen.

The Moment I Finally Did

Then came 1993.

The accident was serious. The injuries were real. And yet my body healed quickly — more quickly than anyone expected.

That was when the light bulb came on.

"You know this. Just do it."

I closed my insurance and securities office. Gave the business away. And said: this is what I'm doing next.

I went back to school — attending the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, where I received certification as an Acupressure Massage Technician. I had already been studying Jin Shin Jyutsu, a Japanese form of acupressure, and pursued certification there as well.

Why These Two Traditions — and Why Jin Shin Became My Foundation

As I evaluated everything I'd experienced through all those years of discovery, something became clear.

The combination of Chinese and Japanese acupressure gave me something more than either tradition offered alone. It gave me a blend that could draw on the wisdom of every modality I'd spent decades exploring — all those morsels and nuggets of insight finding their home in a single cohesive practice.

And within that blend, Jin Shin Jyutsu became my go-to. Because Jin Shin has a quality I've come to love above all others: when energy moves, it allows old patterns to let go and new patterns to materialize. Being fully present with that insight changed how I understood this work entirely.

Jin Shin doesn't push. It invites.

It's all about light, gentle touch. Holding the points for several good breaths. Giving your body the space to feel and experience change, calm, and ease.

The body unravels whatever is in the way of flow — on its own terms. At its own pace. In its own wisdom.

That's not just a technique. That's a philosophy.

Thirty Years Later

I'm blessed to say that making that decision in 1993 — to become an Acupressurist and Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner and to work with energy patterns — means I've been doing this for over 30 years.

Almost every modality I've ever studied has a way of circling back. Your body is a magical space — physically, mentally, emotionally. It's always asking for something. Sometimes it's a holding pattern that needs releasing — a tight muscle, a chronic condition, a reactive response you bring to a relationship. Sometimes it's asking to change the way you move through the world.

I love listening. I love letting the body tell me what it needs in order to make the changes it's searching for. That's what energy balancing is — creating a conversation, a dialogue, so your body can show you exactly what it needs to be healthier, happier, more vital, more available to do what you want to do.

And here's what I know now that I couldn't see then: those twenty years of wearing all those different hats weren't wasted.

Anything we choose to spend time doing in our lives gives us the opportunity to learn what will feed our souls. So make use of what the universe brings you.

What This Means for You

This work isn't something done to you.

It's an invitation for your body to remember what it already knows — how to settle, how to release, how to flow.

The small shifts people notice — the jaw unclenching, the shoulders dropping, the breath that goes a little deeper than usual — those aren't flukes. That's your body doing what it was designed to do, when you give it the right invitation.

And here's what I want you to know: you can learn to do this for yourself. Using simple energy points and flows, whenever you need a little ease. No equipment. No experience. No special circumstances required.

No matter your age. No matter where you're starting. Youth or adults — we can all come full circle and create a relationship with our bodies that makes a difference for the rest of our lives.

That's the work I've been doing for over 30 years.

And it's the work I'd love to share with you.

Ready to experience it for yourself? Join me for Awaken Your Energy: Step into Fall with Balance — a live, online workshop on September 2 + 9, 2026.

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