Modalities

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy

Table Shiatsu

Massage Therapy

Shamanic Healing

Spiritual Guidance

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy (BCST) is subtle yet profound. It is very gentle work that involves much stillness and precision at the same time. The work is slow with little external movement. Hand holds might last 5-15 minutes or longer. While physical pressure is light, there is profound contact and very deep “listening” or paying attention. Through listening to a person’s system this way, a practitioner is able to sense various patterns, and a client’s system is able to experience being very deeply “listened to.” This level of contact in itself can be remarkably healing.

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy stems from a branch of Osteopathy called Cranial Osteopathy. It is rooted in anatomy and structure, with notable emphasis on cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, and the spaces through which it flows. BCST practitioners work largely with the ventricular system, the four interconnected cavities within the brain which produce and transport CSF along with the main connecting foramina (openings) through which the CSF flows. Areas where the flow of CSF is blocked can cause significant disharmony and issues in a person’s system and life. Special attention is given to the sutures of the cranium (skull); their ease of movement (or not) can signify the degree of Health (a profound health of the whole system) in the fluid field (fluids both physical and nonphysical). Are the bones floating like corks, with ease, or is the system stuck or blocked in some way? Though the sutures of the cranium are given significant attention in this work because the level of ease in their movement can readily point to conditions of Health or obstructions, more accurately, it is the fluid field where BCST practitioners place much of their attention. Even more specifically, the more and more subtle versions of the fluid field, known as liquid light, are what the practitioner follows to gain deep perception into the Health of the client. We are working with both precise anatomy that also includes the more profound and ethereal reality that forms it; this exploration of the deeper life force is where Cranial Osteopathy first branches into Craniosacral Biodynamics, which has its own various branches, parallels, and overlaps of fields of work including Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy.

In particular, BCST focuses on embryology—specifically following the unfolding of the human from its moment of conception and throughout life until its final passage beyond. The force which first ignites and forms us continues to inform and sustain us, as well as continually help us adapt. This original force can be traced throughout a person’s system in the present moment to beyond space and time. This life force, deemed the Breath of Life, is what BCST practitioners work with directly. Its expression is known as Primary Respiration. Working with Primary Respiration only (and not manual force or manipulation) is what sets apart BCST from other fields of Craniosacral Therapy. While we contact and witness a person’s system deeply in the present moment, there is also an element of eternity and infinity that permeates this work. Again, we can sense and interact with this aspect of a person’s system through the perception of liquid light. BCST can be considered deeply anatomical work that not only includes but prioritizes the aspect of the life force that is so often left out in many forms of modern medicine. We work with the force of life and track it as it manifests as the human.

The work of Craniosacral Biodynamics involves sensing and interacting with this force, this Breath of Life and its expression in liquid light, through tracking cyclical tides of fluid movement in the human (and all things really). These tides of varying and specific lengths of time can be experienced as expansions and contractions in the whole system, or rotations inward and outward along midlines. The length of tide we track most notably is called the Long Tide, with a 50 second inward and 50 second outward moving pattern. This is the speed at which BCST practitioners mainly work, which is why the work feels slow and nearly still. Indeed, we are even tracking the points between the outward and inward flow of this tide: where does it go to and come from? A very deep Stillness lies there and sometimes it too arises. Likewise, what are the fluids and structures of the human body rotating around in their tides of internal and external rotation? These midlines without correlation of any defined physical structure lead to a center of limitless depth; they also are where we come from and where we go to. When we are first formed, our cells and structures organize around spaces without defined physical locations—a series of midlines and centers of gravity that seems to exist without anything other than the force of itself. This force that permeates and supersedes us, which can be experienced but not fully defined or touched, that is everywhere and nowhere and at the center of the center all at once, is what we are attuning to in this work. Its traces and doorways can be found in the human system. It never leaves us, and we can learn to access it more freely.

Through tracking the Liquid Light and its manifestation into CSF, we can also notice blockages, called fulcrums of obstruction, that might be disrupting the whole field and creating unhealthy patterns. Similar to quantum physics, simply bringing one’s attention to an area—being a witness—effects change. This work involves focused tracking and intentional hand placements, yet the true work is being done by the life force itself, the Breath of Life, while the practitioner witnesses and joins in this work. While obstructions are noted, it is the deeper Health and Wholeness of the person’s system we are constantly holding at a higher level of awareness. When the obstructions are resolved, the potential within them is released, and a greater, more unified sense of Health and wholeness can be accessed and integrated.

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy can address a wide realm of issues, often helping to resolve patterns held from various impacts/traumas to the system from early development, birth, and beyond. These might include illnesses, various toxic chemicals, physical impacts or traumas, structural issues, and emotional patterns held within the person’s system either early in their formation in the womb, through the birth process, or at any point in life. This type of work often brings the nervous system to a very relaxed state, which is deeply healing in itself.

Often BCST involves relieving pressure and tension in the system from the cranium to the sacrum—the top of the head to the bottom of the spine and everything in between where CSF mainly flows and also where the Central Nervous System (CNS) is located. Adjustments that happen in the sutures between the bones of the skull, in the inner structures and spaces in and around the brain, and throughout the entire spinal column can help restructure a wide range of physical, emotional, behavioral patterns in pronounced ways. The work can also be done anywhere on the body where it is most needed including limbs, joints, feet, abdomen, etc. Often a BCST session involves opening and closing a session at the lower legs and/or feet. Sometimes the cranium or sacrum might not even be touched at all in a session depending on the needs of the client. Sometimes there is no physical contact at all.

Many people choose BCST for assistance with various physical, mental, or emotional conditions or to gain or regain health in general. The nature of the work also lends itself, perhaps quite inherently, to those opening spiritually or seeking assistance with an awakening or transition process. Because BCST is so rooted in the physical world—and specifically the physical human form—at the same time that it transcends beyond and interacts with infinity, it can greatly help maintain grounding, ease symptoms, and assist with integration and embodiment associated with processes of spiritual nature.

One aspect of this work is that is can simply help one to access a deep sense of peace.

A pure Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy treatment is clothed; like in a Shiatsu session, the client wears comfortable clothing, and often a blanket is placed on top of the client. BCST can also be integrated into other session types, and many clients ask to add this modality into a session with other modalities. Clients may choose or request various modalities (or not), and often a person’s system itself will direct the type of work that is needed. Every session with Jenny includes at least some element of BCST. Though BCST is often integrated into sessions with other modalities, a pure BCST session is quite different from sessions mixed with other modalities.

While one session often creates change, and sometimes dramatic change, often a series of treatments with BCST are most effective at accessing deeper layers of a person’s system and producing more profound and lasting change, resolution of symptoms, and expansion into a deeper level of Health. Each person is different and always changing; while she gives recommendations, Jenny often recommends the client also tune into their own system regularly to help guide what is best. Sometimes one session is all a person needs; sometimes a short intensive series is most beneficial; some benefit most from regular ongoing work.

On an interesting note, the Breath of Light that expresses as Liquid Light also forms into ki (or qi or chi), a more subtle essence than the dense structures of the human that we call “physical.” Ki is subtle but not quite as subtle as liquid light. Jenny also works Biodynamically with the meridian system, orienting to the Breath of Life as it manifests into the meridians in much the same way it manifests as CSF and then into the other fluids and structures. It is with this perception that Jenny’s work often overlaps modalities, especially when no particular modality or a more general massage or bodywork session is requested. All these systems are manifesting at the same time and it is possible to access multiple systems at once or move between them fluidly. What one person benefits from most can change at any time. There is, of course, a very different feel to each specific modality, and there is much value in distinguishing and experiencing them separately. For multiple reasons, Jenny takes great care to maintain a designated BCST session a purely BCST session. The broader umbrella of massage, for instance, could include BCST, but BCST as it is defined could not include massage. There is overlap and yet they are very different.

Jenny practices BCST most often in person, and this work may also be done remotely. While the element of human touch itself is a key healing aspect of bodywork therapy and cannot be replaced, accessing and working with Primary Respiration can be readily achieved without physical contact or close proximity. Any session scheduled will be in person unless discussed ahead of time to be remote.

Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy is a newer, cutting edge, evolutionary form of bodywork therapy. It is very exciting to be part of this field of work. It involves a meeting the will of the individual with the will of the greater force—the Breath of Life—and not merely exploring and understanding human nature and potential, but directly participating in the ever-unfolding creation of what it means to be human.

Table Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese form of working with meridians, or energy channels, of the body. Table Shiatsu is performed on a treatment table instead of a mat or traditional futon on the floor. Hand (or finger, forearm, elbow, etc.) pressure is used to interact with the ki (also known as qi or chi), the flow of life force running through the meridians and forming the human body.

Meridians are a lot like river systems, and the individual points are like vessels, called “tsubos” in Japanese, which translates to “vases.” One’s ki could be overfull and stuck, creating an excess in the tsubos, like a dam creating a buildup and preventing the flow beyond. Likewise, a point could be deficient if it is not filled enough due to a retention somewhere upstream, or it might not be retaining enough ki itself, allowing the ki to slip through too easily. The methods of Shiatsu help move or retain the ki as needed to reach better balance in a person’s system. Sometimes the pressure of this style of treatment is very light or at times the practitioner is not even physically touching the body, while other times pressure might be deep. Pressure and level of contact required depend on the response of each person’s system, and it might change regularly throughout a session.

The ki can be perceived quite readily. Though it is a more subtle energy than a muscle contraction, one might feel it most readily as a pulsing, vibrating point of sensation. Once attuned to it, many realize it is quite a normal and natural experience to feel it—one they simply did not have a name for. Once it is perceived for what it is, it can be more accurately tracked along its pathways through the system. One can even observe the whole by touching into a single point. Some points have magnified potential to affect the whole due to their direct intersection with other meridians and even with other systems entirely.

Jenny’s method of meridian therapy incorporates traditional elements of Shiatsu along with additional theory and knowledge gained and further refined through the study of Chinese Medicine. Different forms of meridian therapy have different methods and approaches; there are infinite ways to work with the ki. Jenny’s style of Shiatsu might include a classic hara assessment: evaluating which meridian or area of the body to begin work by sensing and palpating the upper and lower abdominal areas. She might assess the system through other locations. Ultimately, she pays close attention to what the client’s system is presenting and communicating. A certain area of the body or a specific meridian or meridian point might be “drawing” her in or “pushing” her away. She might also direct her attention to certain areas looking for a likely point or meridian that might need to be addressed after a client shares symptoms and through her own assessment.

In a pure Shiatsu session, most likely many areas of the body will be addressed, including limbs, back, and abdomen. In a treatment session with mixed modalities, and typically in any session designated as a massage, work with the meridians happens when this system distinctly presents itself. Sometimes one particular system communicates the most open window through which the work will be most effective, and this is how Jenny allows a person’s system to guide her work. Jenny’s Shiatsu sessions might also include working Biodynamically with the meridians. This approach might be a slower, more gentle method involving holding points for longer periods of time than a more typical, faster-paced Shiatsu session. There is no exact formula and Jenny adjusts her work through what a client both verbally communicates and through her own ongoing assessment of the client’s system.

Shiatsu sessions are clothed. Clients wear comfortable clean clothing such as a t-shirt and sweatpants, along with clean socks. This type of work might be preferable to those wishing to stay clothed, for those who do not enjoy oil used in massage, and for those wishing to work specifically with the meridian system or the ki. Like all modalities in Jenny’s work, Shiatsu can be a pure, standalone session, or it can be combined with other treatment types. Generally, Shiatsu is integrated into every massage.

Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy is a manual therapy using methods of working with a person’s system through adjusting soft tissue—typically fascia, tendons, and muscle. A massage session might also include many of the bodywork modalities and techniques in which Jenny is trained. Massage might be implemented for a full-system approach or for specific areas of injury or concern.

Jenny incorporates a variety of techniques in massage treatments. These might involve sweeping motions to promote circulation and relaxation on a broad scale; more specialized techniques might include Trigger Point Therapy (TPT), Muscle Energy Techniques (MET’s), Myofascial Release (MFR), or Lymphatic Drainage (LD) to address specific areas or conditions. Tapotement (tapping techniques), Direct Pressure (DP), Linear Friction (LF), Cross-Fiber Friction (CFF), stretching, or traction might also be utilized as the tissue dictates. Her approach to massage and all bodywork sessions is largely based on helping a client attain alignment, optimal function, and the greatest potential of Health in their system.

Jenny is specially trained in Prenatal, Postpartum, and High-risk Pregnancy Massage.

Jenny incorporates multiple modalities during massage, often fluidly switching between them almost imperceptibly yet changing the outcome of the work by orientating to what is most effective for a person’s system at the time. She integrates meridian therapy in her massage sessions, moving interchangeably between modalities depending whether a physical soft tissue system or the more subtle ki presents itself more distinctly than another. Likewise, Jenny integrates Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy into massage sessions, even when doing deep tissue work, when this aspect of a client’s system is most notably interactive. BCST focus might happen either in a moment of calm or stillness with a light touch or even while working deep within a person’s muscle or other tissue. Working with the different modalities might happen instantaneously or in a more separately defined and sequential approach, either per request or as a client’s system presents itself.

Massage treatments generally include oil. Jenny uses grapeseed oil in her sessions because it is lightly absorbent (not greasy), unscented, and typically non-allergenic. Pesticides used on grapes generally do not make it to the seed, so it is thought to be automatically free of major toxins. When working specifically with fascia, the system of connective tissue throughout the entire body, oil typically is not applied.

When performing the technique guasha, Jenny applies additional grapeseed oil to avoid abrasion. Guasha is a method of moving qi or toxins in a problematic area through a repetitive and firm yet gentle scraping motion of an object such as a stone or spoon. Though traditionally practiced with materials such as jade or bone, for hygienic reasons Jenny uses soup spoons for guasha applications which are discarded after treatment (or which the client may take home). Guasha is not painful, even though it is called scraping. The soft edge of a thick spoon is moved over an area repeatedly with a medium pressure to move qi. The technique often produces areas of redness or a purple appearance, and sometimes hives arise with the release of toxins. Red or purple marks might last for only moments or sometimes days or longer. Jenny discusses this ahead of time and requests permission from any client before applying this technique. Because it can be very effective, the short-term discoloration is often worthwhile for those who choose it. However, it might not always be the best timing due to its visual effects, and for this reason other techniques may be preferable in certain instances.

Jenny might apply Chinese liniments during massage treatments to areas that may need extra attention—such as to help warm and move qi in a stagnant, or stuck, area.

Massage might also include heat packs to help open areas to circulation and to soften tissue. Jenny keeps a professional grade hydrocollator in the treatment room. The steel tank filled with hot water holdsheavy clay packs, ready to be wrapped in clean towels and applied to the body as needed. These hot packs are simply amazing! Many clients comment that just lying on the comfortable heated table alone, and especially with the addition of a hot pack, is incredibly healing in itself! Hot pack application has its own treatment code in the western healthcare system for good reason.

Jenny also maintains a pot of simmering ginger water in her office for applying hot compresses with towels soaked in the infusion. Ginger is a widely used ancient healing ally throughout Asia. Anti-inflammatory and antipathogenic, ginger is both heating and cooling; moving and tonifying, incredibly gentle yet seemingly magically effective at the same time—a remarkable balancing force always ready to aid in healing whatever ails us. A ginger kidney compress, or GKC (a hot ginger compress placed on the low back), is a classic remedy for those feeling a little deficient or just needing a boost, helping the body access its original ki at its source, Ming Men (Chinese) or Meimon (Japanese), also known as the Gate of Vitality, located in this area. This part of the body also correlates with an original point of ignition (umbilicus front and back) recognized in the Biodynamic Cranial Sacral system as a potent center that sparks when we take our first breath in the world, in our first moment of full embodiment of spirit into matter. It is a powerful place indeed, and ginger compresses are a great way to interact with the deep healing capability of working with this primal energy zone recognized in a multitude of traditions. Wherever they might be applied on the body, hot ginger compresses are simply delightful.

Clients are typically unclothed for massage treatments, though always covered by sheets and a blanket unless a specific area is receiving work. Jenny securely drapes clients (tucking sheets around limbs, etc.) so they feel safe and comfortable. Clients may choose to undress to their comfort level, which might be entirely undressed, keeping underclothes on, or keeping all clothes on. If choosing to remain clothed, a session might resemble a Shiatsu treatment and Jenny will work more with pressure and other techniques and less with oil and gliding therapies. Very effective work can be done while fully clothed. When clients undress, Jenny leaves the treatment room for several minutes, allowing clients privacy to disrobe and place themselves on the massage table fully covered under sheets and a blanket. When returning, Jenny first knocks and slightly opens the door to ask the client if they are ready.

Shamanic Healing

Jenny’s first major experience with South American healing practices began with a journey to Peru in January, 2015. She continued her explorations and trainings, eventually finding her way to study seriously with renowned Shaman, Itzhak Beery, and various indigenous healers in the Andes and Amazon regions of Ecuador, mainly Kichwa (Quechua) of the Andes and S’iekopai (Secoya) tribe of the Amazon River.

La Limpia is a specific standalone treatment that Jenny offers. It is a traditional healing ceremony used throughout South and Central America for ages. Jenny’s approach stems mainly from the High Andes tradition of the Kichwa people. La Limpia begins with shamanic diagnosis (which might include intuitive gazing, palm readings, candle readings, and egg readings) and moves through a series of techniques to clear negative energies and to strengthen, protect, and harmonize the client’s system.

Techniques might include smudging, spraying trago (sugar cane rum or similar) and agua de florida (flower water) all over the body, brushing briskly with aromatic plants, pulling out negative energies with eggs, moving stuck energy in the style of tacuma needles (tapping a pointed object on the surface of the skin), clearing energy with smoke, applying flower essences, and using various forms of healing with sound including rocks, whistles, bells, and song.

La Limpia sessions can be deeply healing, and after a La Limpia session one might experience a range of effects from highly blissed and energized to profoundly sad and angry. These effects typically last for a short amount of time to several days. Because of the preparation and clean up required for La Limpia, it is necessary to schedule this session in advance, offered at either 90 minutes or 120 minutes (two hours). La Limpia is an experience really like nothing else. For certain, everyone responds differently, and for many it can dramatically support for both spirit and body.

While clients may choose to do other types of work with Jenny following a La Limpia session, including other forms of shamanic work, spiritual guidance, or bodywork modalities, repeated La Limpia sessions must be spaced out at least two weeks apart for integration of the work. Clients should come prepared for La Limpia with minimal clothing to wear for the session, which could be a swimsuit, swim trunks, or sports bra/underwear. Traditionally La Limpia is received without clothes in South America, but in the United States our much more conservative laws and cultural comforts dictate a more modest approach. It is possible to wear more clothes if necessary for personal comfort, though too many layers and the healing affects may be diminished!

It is advised not to shower or bathe 24 hours following La Limpia. Clients might also need some time following the session before driving; it is best to plan spacious time without too many responsibilities after La Limpia.

Candle readings, egg readings, intuitive gazing, palm readings, tacuma needles, Aztec massage, shamanic journeys, journey to find your power animal, soul retrieval, and soul integration are all shamanic techniques that can be performed outside a La Limpia session at any time and could be either standalone or incorporated into other session types. Many find palm reading especially beneficial for finding life purpose; it is a remarkably accurate tool for navigating the soul’s journey in this lifetime. Like La Limpia, candle and egg readings must be done in person; all other shamanic techniques can be done either in person or online/remote.

Group ceremonies including Guayusa tea (dream tea), Cacao Ceremonies, and shamanic journeys can be arranged upon request. House or office clearing may also be arranged and includes La Limpia of the current inhabitants as well.

The purpose of shamanic healing, most simply put, is to reconnect with wholeness; oneness; the source; nature; our own true nature.

Spiritual Guidance

Jenny’s path of spirituality began at a very young age. Wandering the deer trails and native paths of the forests of her backyard, she easily connected with nature and found ready access to the true wonder of life.

Likewise, a family illness brought her recognition of the reality of life and death and contributed greatly to shaping her path, including a strong relationship with metaphysical realms. With simple ease, Jenny abandoned common paths of her peers, tossing makeup and hairspray in middle school and learning to understand her own inner strength and beauty—a flame that burns within each of us at our core.

She loved to move and be outside more than most anything. Her family’s garden showed her things she never dreamed possible. Did you know you can watch bean sprouts explode from the ground, if you wait for them, and their tendrils dance before your eyes if you take but a moment to watch them?

~~~~~

A baby rabbit passed by not too long ago; can you see the bends in the grass? Over there a deer stuck its nose to the feather where I left it behind for a short wander. Its breath hollowed a round in the new snow as it kissed the feather in the center. There are hoof prints all around, where just moments before there were none. They are following me now, and sometimes I follow them, both seeking each other. They call to me, gentle huffs; I feel their presence before I hear them, standing covered in the wood, watching me. They are so curious that sometimes I wonder if we might touch with ease if I took the time.

~~~~~

Leaving behind the religious expectations of her upbringing was easy also. Once she found a path of simple truth in the real world of nature, superimposed rules could hardly contain her spirit. And although the truth is within most all our religious practices, it is often so covered with other motives that it takes incredible work to sort through it all. Simple nature shares its secrets of the Source so easily, it is hardly worth looking toward any other path.

And yet, there are infinite paths to the top of the mountain, endless wells to the Source. We each choose our own way; indeed, we each have our own path with endless variations we might choose to complete our work. Jenny’s fascination with all things spiritual has continued to ignite.

Rock climbing highs of her 20’s turned to a dedicated yoga path, and a dedicated yoga path turned to endless hours of meditation. A love of wilderness brought her far into a journey of living and working in the outdoors in adventure and therapeutic settings. Immersed in deep swaths of nature for days, months, and years on end, it is nearly impossible not to notice a realness emerging in people from the land itself, magic of the impossible sort seeming to happen all the time. If you talk to the land, it talks back. Birds leave feathers if you ask. Rocks reveal secrets. Old land carries the voices of everyone who lived there. Something moves through us, a force, a very real current that brings us to life. It is in all things, and we have access to it all the time. This is where we can find our true power—the inner source of our own life energy and its interconnectedness with all things.

It is this sense of aliveness in all things that propelled Jenny deeper into healing and spiritual work, through massage and meridian therapy, yoga studies, Biodyanamic Cranial Sacral Therapy, sustainable farm work, studies of plant and herbal medicines and shamanic healing practices, explorations of various spiritual and healing practices, and travels around the world. Within the center of all these things one can start to find a pure sense of the truth, a presence that never begins or ends. Within the center of the self one can find the Infinite. Jenny always wanted the truth deeply, and continues to seek it further.

These practices really do work! In her early 30’s, Jenny experienced a classic kundalini awakening surrounded by years of the fabled dark night and followed by a long process of chaos and integration. The process of awakening never really ends; doors simply open and we continue to experience and grow. Later, a near-death experience during a multi-year illness, among a multitude of other harrowing events, brought her to her knees, and in the power of genuine prayer she found herself meeting her own will with that of the Universe, a more fully conscious individual participant alongside the infinite power of the Great Mystery.

We are in a time of great awakening and shift, yet we are still just beginning to transitioning from a world that is so out of balance that it can be difficult to find one’s way without many resources readily available to aid the process. Jenny finds that so many people deeply desire to explore the spiritual reality of our nature and so often look to her for guidance, finding relief in what so few can offer, or even still repress in our current paradigm. Though we are all different, there are classic experiences within the awakening process, including common hangups, and sometimes simple advice can go a very long way alongside more potent assistance. Many find Jenny’s voice of reason and steady grounded presence amidst direct phenomenal spiritual experiences invaluable in assisting to anchor their own inner paths more fully.

Jenny is able to intuitively see many subtle layers and inner workings. Those experiencing great transition, the spiritually curious, and those seeking assistance in clearing a more gentle, direct, and peaceful path in their awakening process often find Jenny to be of great service along the way. Jenny is available for conversation, questions and answers, and personal insight to assist those seeking spiritual guidance.