The book you are holding in your hands is meant to provide a basic introduction to the foundation and principles of the Art of Jin Shin.
Maybe you already know a bit about the simple and effective form of energy medicine named the Art of Jin Shin, or maybe you’ve picked up this book without any prior knowledge of the energy healing modality we will be exploring in the pages that follow. Though the practice has many thousands of adherents all around the world—from my New York City–based clients, to the inmates at a jail in the Indian province of Gujarat, to several hospital programs in the US and the UK, and to the many men, women, and children who have been helped by Jin Shin in its birthplace of Japan—Jin Shin Jyutsu has not yet become a household name.
Initially spread throughout Japan through the hands-on work of Jiro Murai, the founding father of Jin Shin, in the early to mid nineteen hundreds, then more widely through his disciples, most notably Mary Burmeister and Haruki Kato, the energetic healing modality was first introduced to the American reader more than twenty years ago by the book The Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister and Tom Monte. Since that time, much has changed and evolved in the mainstream conception of health, with integrative healing and medicinal practices such as yoga, meditation, acupressure, acupuncture, Reiki, craniosacral therapy, and reflexology (to name just a few) becoming more and more popular in the West.
In comparison to its more widely known brethren, the Art of Jin Shin has remained a relatively well-kept secret. With this book, it is my intention to introduce a wider audience to its healing and restitutive powers.
With the modern world perpetually running at a breakneck pace, there has never been a better moment to spread the word of simple self-healing. Technology has become an inescapable part of our daily lives, and many of us find ourselves seeking a more integrated relationship between our body, mind, and spirit.
Whether you have picked up this book in search of relief for a particular ailment, from a minor complaint to a major symptom, or you are looking to build a self-care routine that will keep your body, mind, and spirit healthy—or you are simply curious about Jin Shin’s holistic approach to self-care—you will learn simple and effective skills to address a variety of common complaints within the pages that follow.
You may also find a surprising depth emerging from the practice, as Jin Shin is an art that allows for connection, limitless growth, and exploring the creative artist in you. Coming from a family of Holocaust survivors with a legacy of historical pain, loss, and generational suffering, I found that my practice and study of Jin Shin opened my heart in ways I had not necessarily expected. Gifting me with an awareness of my relationship to a higher energy and consciousness, the philosophy and practice remind me of the presence of something bigger than myself, connecting me to an expansive universal energy and reminding me of the wholeness of my soul. Putting us in touch with our innate wisdom and bringing us to a place where our intuition can reveal itself, the Art of Jin Shin is both vast and complete.
When I had my first session with my most influential teacher, Philomena Dooley, I had little knowledge of the immensity of the art I would eventually encounter. I did, however, have an immediate premonition that I had found what would come to be a lifelong path for me. Twenty years after that first encounter, another important teacher with whom I had the good fortune to study, Pamela Markarian Smith, passed on a legacy to me as she appointed me to lead Jin Shin Institute just a few years before she passed away.
The core of the institute’s work consists of education as well as our wellness center, with a certification program for novice and seasoned practitioners as well as opportunities to become a certified teacher. Presenting the Art of Jin Shin in all of its breadth is among our foremost goals, which is why we have made certain modifications to the terminology in order to reach a wider audience. For instance, those of you who have familiarity with the modality will know it as Jin Shin Jyutsu. In order to avoid a common source of confusion, we changed “Jyutsu” to its English translation, “art,” removing echoes to a martial art.
In writing this book, it was necessary for me to make choices on how to present the information as directly and accessibly as possible while maintaining the integrity of the work. At times, this was a challenge, requiring me to put multifaceted philosophical concepts into simple language. As all Jin Shin practitioners know, the healing practice we refer to as an “art” can encompass a lifetime’s worth of study and freedom to explore our own creativity. There are many paths leading to one goal. It is in my awareness at this moment that I am putting the practice into simple words so that it can be understood and used by many. If you decide to continue your exploration into the Art of Jin Shin after reading this book, you will find endless layers within the practice, along with links and similarities to other disciplines such as astrology and numerology. On the other hand, Jin Shin can be as simple as taking a breath and holding a finger. Both ways of practicing are equally wonderful and complete, neither one superior to the other. That is part of the beauty of Jin Shin, which can be practiced on all levels.
You can use The Art of Jin Shin to alleviate common ailments, such as bringing down your baby’s fever or helping yourself or your partner with a headache, or you can use it as a regular daily tune-up for general wellness. Most of my clients make Jin Shin self-help a part of their daily routines, many of them practicing before they get out of bed in the morning. Other great times to practice your Jin Shin include middle-of-the-night wake-ups, downtime while waiting for appointments, or couch time while watching movies or TV.
You never know when the opportunity will present itself. My college-aged son, who frequently calls me from school for some quick Jin Shin advice, phoned breathlessly a few weeks ago to tell me that a kid had collapsed outside his dorm. I gave him instructions for a simple hold and told him to stay with it until EMS arrived. A few minutes later I got a one-line follow-up text message: “I did it!” The young man was okay, and Tyler had had the opportunity to be there for him by applying some simple Jin Shin.
As my teacher likes to say of Jin Shin’s library of self-help quickies and recalibrations: “Don’t leave home without it!” You will find everything you need to get started within the pages that follow. And since this simple energy work involves no tools other than your own two hands, you will always have everything you need in order to relieve your aches and pains or set yourself up for a great day.