Atlas›Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical›Guide 038
Guide X-038

Jin Shin Jyutsu (Murai) and Jin Shin Do (Teeguarden)

Jiro Murai, Mary Burmeister, Iona Marsaa Teeguarden1900Japan
A 30 · L 38 · M 3214 interventions in the Trinity explorer
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: Jin Shin Jyutsu® as described by Jin Shin Jyutsu, Inc. (Scottsdale, Arizona) on its own pages, and Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure® as described by the Jin Shin Do Foundation (JSDF) in its curriculum and articles. The two methods share the words "Jin Shin" and are both light-touch, clothes-on point-holding methods from a Japanese lineage, but they are separate systems with separate organisations, trademarks and training routes. Do not treat them as interchangeable. [source: JSJ Inc. pages; JSDF pages]

Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ). JSJ Inc. says the Art was "rediscovered" early in the 20th century by Master Jiro Murai, a Japanese philosopher. The organisation tells his story this way: as a young man he was given a terminal diagnosis, spent seven days alone in the mountains and recovered, then spent about 50 years experimenting on himself and studying ancient texts, including the Kojiki. Mary Burmeister (born Seattle, 1918; died 2008) was a Japanese-American who went to Japan in the late 1940s. There she studied with Murai for five years, and then by correspondence for seven more. She began taking clients and students in the US in the mid-1960s and moved to Scottsdale in 1972. Her son David has managed the Scottsdale office since 1985. JSJ Inc. also claims the Art is very old: it says records are held in the Imperial Palace archives and that the Art predates Gautama and Moses. These are the organisation's own historical claims, not established history. [source: JSJ Inc. "About Jin Shin Jyutsu" and "About Mary"] [uncertain: the founding date of Jin Shin Jyutsu, Inc. not verified]

  • Core idea as the organisation states it. JSJ calls itself "the Art of releasing tensions" and a "physio-philosophy". Its model holds that energy pathways "feed life into all of our cells" and that a blockage can cause discomfort and disharmonise a whole pathway. The practitioner lightly places the hands on 26 "Safety Energy Locks" (SELs). The organisation counts 26 per side of the body. One hospital programme describes 52, which is the same set counted on both sides. The hands are placed in sequenced combinations called "flows". Practitioners describe themselves as conduits and not the "do-er". Burmeister said practitioners do not diagnose, heal or cure, and compared them to "jumper cables". The system also teaches self-help holds people do on themselves. Energy, pathways, SELs and flows are concepts of the tradition, not established anatomy or physiology. [source: JSJ Inc. "Jin Shin Jyutsu Is"; "About Mary"; UK Markey Cancer Center report; Millspaugh et al. 2020 summary]

Jin Shin Do (JSD). Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, M.A., L.M.F.C.C., a California psychotherapist, developed Jin Shin Do beginning in 1976. The JSDF was founded as a trade organisation in 1982. JSDF subtitles the method "The Way of the Compassionate Spirit". JSDF describes it as a synthesis of five sources: traditional Japanese acupressure, classical Chinese acupressure theory, Taoist philosophy, Qigong exercises, and Wilhelm Reich's segmental theory of muscular "armoring". Its curriculum also draws on Ericksonian psychotherapy. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"; JSDF Class Descriptions; Bainbridge, JSDF article]

  • Core idea as the Foundation states it. JSD presents itself as "bodymind" acupressure: physical tension and emotional tension are treated as linked. The practitioner holds a local point of tension while pressing a related distal point. This is meant to release "armoring" and balance Qi along meridians and the "Strange Flows". Verbal Body Focusing accompanies the touch, so that feelings and images that arise can be noticed and processed rather than repressed. JSDF describes it as a "clothes-on method" for "stress- and trauma-related problems", usable both as self-help and as professional therapy. Qi, meridians, Strange Flows, the Five Elements and point–emotion links are concepts of the tradition, not established fact. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"; Class Descriptions]

Scope for the psychotherapist. Trained JSJ practitioners or JSD acupressurists deliver both methods hands-on. JSJ self-help is done by the client on their own body. JSD's own training includes counselling-type skills (active listening, transference, Ericksonian trancework), so in JSD the line between bodywork and psychotherapy is closer than in most bodywork. This guide is mainly for a psychotherapist who refers clients to these methods, works alongside a practitioner, or helps a client use self-help holds. Section 4 also says when a psychotherapist could ethically deliver the hands-on work themselves. Neither method is a treatment for cancer or any other physical disease. Hospital programmes use them as supportive care (see Section 2). [synthesis]

2. Framework

Session format as published.

  • JSJ practitioner session. A typical session lasts about an hour. The receiver stays clothed and lies face up on a cushioned surface. The practitioner first "listens" to the pulses at the wrists, then applies a harmonising sequence of flows chosen for the pathways judged to need it. Pressure is minimal and the tissue is not manipulated. JSJ Inc. says the most common effect is deep relaxation. [source: JSJ Inc. "Jin Shin Jyutsu Is"] In the Markey Cancer Center programme, patients removed only their shoes. Hands were placed over clothing on the SELs and on fingers, toes and midpoints of the limbs, in fixed flows. [source: UK Markey report]
  • JSJ self-help. People hold their own fingers or SELs, with no rubbing or massage. The published materials say there is "no wrong way" to do it. [source: Plettner, St. Jude Together article] JSJ Inc. also publishes "Self Help Meditations" ("We Are One" page). [uncertain: content of the self-help meditations page not verified]
  • JSD session. The client lies clothed on a treatment table. Loose, comfortable clothing is recommended. The practitioner holds points with the fingertips for some minutes, pairing a local and a distal point, and checks in often on comfort and consent. Talking is optional. [source: JSDF Class Descriptions; Bainbridge article] [uncertain: standard JSD session length not stated in the sources]

Session counts. None of the sources gives a standard course length for either method, and no session count is given here. In the Markey programme, patients came for first and later visits as needed. [source: UK Markey report] [uncertain]

Training and credential structure (who may deliver).

  • JSJ. Training is through JSJ Inc.'s 5-Day Basic Seminar, taught by named authorised instructors (19 listed). JSJ Inc. reports more than 19,000 students worldwide. A practitioner locator is run by JSJSMB (jinshinjyutsuspiritmindbody.com), not by JSJ Inc. A JSJ Code of Ethics exists on the JSJ Inc. site. [source: JSJ Inc. pages] [uncertain: the number of seminars required for practitioner listing, the content of the code of ethics, and the class prerequisites not verified]. One practitioner describes becoming "certified" in 2016. [source: Plettner article] JSJ is not a statutorily regulated profession. Many practitioners also hold another licence, such as massage therapy, nursing or naturopathy. [synthesis; uncertain: state-by-state legal position not verified]
  • JSD. JSDF has two categories. Registered Acupressurists complete 250 hours of training, 125 logged experience hours, 10 private sessions and practical exams. Authorized Teachers must also complete the Intensive Teacher Training Program and Module IV with Teeguarden. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"; Class Descriptions] The modules are:
    • Introductory classes: 5-Step Neck-Shoulder Release (2 h); Fundamentals of Self-Acupressure (8 h); Fundamentals of Acupressure (14 h).
    • Module I (150 h): Basic; Intermediate (organ meridians, "defensive attitudes", "emotional spectra", legal-ethical roles, active listening, peer counselling); Advanced (Five Elements, pulse reading, "Emotional Kaleidoscope"); Bodymind Processing Skills (verbal skills, Body Focusing, suggestion, transference and countertransference, implications of touch, ethics).
    • Module II (100 h): integration, a Master Class, and theory.
    • Module III (70 h): supervised clinical experience, covering contraindications, case notes, the JSD Code of Ethics and business practice. Externship supervisors can include a psychotherapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, physical therapist or doctor.
    • Module IV (70 h, teachers only): Bodymind Trancework; Trancework and Trauma (PTSD, "recovering feelings without retraumatization"); Emotional Kaleidoscope and Abuse Issues.
    [source: JSDF Class Descriptions]. Jin Shin Do is a registered service mark, and JSDF directs people to authorised, certificated teachers. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"]

Hospital and integrative-care uses (as sources describe).

  • University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (2012 report). A staff JSJ integrative practitioner, Jennifer Bradley, gave sessions in three places: a dedicated treatment room, the chemotherapy outpatient clinic, and inpatient rooms. A Lexington Cancer Foundation grant funded the programme. Sessions were free to cancer patients, who could self-refer; about half were referred by physicians or staff. An uncontrolled pre/post study of 159 patients reported lower self-rated pain, stress and nausea after sessions. The practitioner called the results promising and said more research was needed. [source: UK Markey report]
  • Nurse self-care programmes.
    • A quasi-experimental study (n = 20) gave nurses three 2-hour JSJ self-care classes from a certified trainer who was also a registered nurse. It reported improved self-rated stress and caring efficacy. [source: Lamke, Catlin & Mason-Chadd 2014]
    • A small randomised crossover study (n = 41) of JSJ Self-Help education for nurses reported sustained stress changes compared with controls. [source: Millspaugh et al. 2020 summary]
  • UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine. A JSJ practitioner there has written a patient-facing article. It presents JSJ as complementary to conventional care, "a valuable component to conventional healing methods". [source: Plettner, St. Jude Together article]

Evidence status. The sources cited contain only small uncontrolled or quasi-experimental studies, one small randomised study in nurses, and programme reports. All of them rely on self-rated outcomes. [uncertain: no systematic review assessing JSJ or JSD specifically was verified] The energy explanations, meaning SELs, flows, Qi, meridians and Strange Flows, have not been shown to exist as described. Any benefit is best framed as relaxation or comfort reported by recipients. [synthesis]

Criteria for moving between phases. Neither method publishes phase criteria for a client's course. For the psychotherapist, the decision points are those in Section 4: screen; suggest or refer; prepare the client; integrate; review. [synthesis]

3. Guiding principles

  • Attribute, don't assert. Present energy, SELs, flows, Qi, meridians, Strange Flows and point–emotion links as "what JSJ/JSD teaches". Practical meaning: in session, say "in this tradition…", never "your energy is blocked". [synthesis; tradition rule]
  • Supportive care, not treatment. JSJ practitioners do not diagnose, heal or cure (Burmeister). Hospital programmes place JSJ within integrative supportive care. Practical meaning: never suggest either method instead of medical care or psychotherapy for a disorder. [source: JSJ Inc. "About Mary"; UK Markey report]
  • Clothed, light touch, and the client in control. Both organisations describe clothes-on work with light pressure. JSD practitioners check comfort and consent often, and the client sets the pace and intensity. Practical meaning: any proposal that the client undress, or that touch go deeper or into intimate areas, is outside the method as published and is a red flag. [source: JSJ Inc.; JSDF Class Descriptions; Bainbridge article]
  • Consent before and during, and the right to stop. The USABP code requires informed consent before touch techniques and recommends written consent. It also requires ongoing monitoring of consent and gives the client the right to refuse or end touch at any time. Practical meaning: agree the stop signal before the first session and recheck consent during and after it. [source: USABP Code VIII]
  • Never sexual. Every code cited bans sexual contact with clients. USABP states that genital or other sexual touch is "always inappropriate". JSD training includes refraining from sex with clients. Practical meaning: zero tolerance; act on any report. [source: USABP; BACP; UKCP; APA; AAMFT; JSDF Class Descriptions]
  • Stay within competence. Offer only what you are trained in, and refer when needed (UKCP 23–24; BACP 13; BPS 2.3; APA 2.01; AAMFT 3.10). Practical meaning: a psychotherapist does not lay hands on clients unless their own code permits it and they hold JSJ/JSD training. [source: codes as listed]
  • Words carry weight (JSD). JSD teaches that "Words spoken are as powerful as touch given." Practical meaning: a JSD session can stir emotion and memory, so treat it as psychologically active, especially for trauma survivors. [source: Bainbridge article]
  • Sensation before analysis (JSD Body Focusing). Attention is guided back to sensation, feeling and image, not interpretation. Practical meaning: when integrating, start with what the client noticed in the body. [source: Bainbridge article]
  • Avoid retraumatisation. JSD's own trauma training aims at "recovering feelings without retraumatization". Practical meaning: pace, titrate, and keep the client within their window of tolerance. [source: JSDF Class Descriptions; synthesis]
  • Coordinate parallel services. The EABP code asks therapists to consider the implications when a client receives similar services from another professional, and to discuss this with the client. Practical meaning: talk with the client about who does what, and get consent before contacting the practitioner. [source: EABP 6.b]
  • Self-help is low-burden. JSJ self-help is presented as something anyone can do, with "no wrong way". Practical meaning: frame holds as optional comfort practices, never as homework the client can fail. [source: Plettner article; synthesis]

4. Intervention inventory

The inventory has two parts. Part A (4.1–4.6) covers the methods' own procedures. It describes them so you can explain them to clients and judge whether a session matched the published method. It is not a hands-on protocol for a psychotherapist. Part B (4.7–4.14) covers the psychotherapist's own interventions around these methods. No pressure, duration, breathing or session-count instructions are given. Where a source mentions timing, it is reported as the source's description only.

Part A: The methods as their organisations publish them

4.1 JSJ practitioner session (pulse listening and flows)

  • Purpose / when used: JSJ Inc. presents a session as a way to harmonise energy pathways. The most common reported effect is deep relaxation. Hospital programmes have used it for patients' self-rated stress, pain and nausea as supportive care. [source: JSJ Inc. "Jin Shin Jyutsu Is"; UK Markey report]
  • Steps (as published):
    1. The receiver lies clothed, face up, on a cushioned surface. Shoes are removed.
    2. The practitioner "listens" to the pulses at both wrists.
    3. The practitioner chooses a flow, a sequence of paired hand placements on SELs, for the pathways judged to need attention.
    4. Each placement is a light resting of the hands over clothing. Tissue is not manipulated.
    5. The session ends. JSJ Inc. says a typical session lasts about an hour.
    [source: JSJ Inc.; UK Markey report]
  • Example language (psychotherapist explaining it, illustrative): "In Jin Shin Jyutsu you stay fully dressed and lie on a table. The practitioner rests their hands lightly on a series of spots, often starting at the wrists. The tradition explains this in terms of energy pathways. What people most often report is that it's deeply relaxing. You can ask them to stop or change anything at any time."
  • Watch for: Departures from the published method:
    • requests to undress
    • deep pressure or massage
    • touch near intimate areas
    • claims to diagnose or cure
    • advice to stop medical treatment
    Also watch for the client's response to stillness and being touched while lying down. For some trauma survivors this is activating rather than relaxing. Signs it is helping: the client reports calm, better sleep or a sense of being cared for, with no rise in distress or avoidance. [synthesis]

4.2 JSJ self-help finger holds

  • Purpose / when used: Self-help is the part of JSJ a person does on themselves. JSJ Inc. calls the Art "the Art of Getting to Know (Help) Myself". A practitioner's patient-facing article links each finger to an emotional "attitude". These links are the tradition's teaching, not established fact:
    • thumb: worry, anxiety, trouble falling back to sleep
    • index finger: fear and mental confusion
    • middle finger: irritability, anger, indecision
    • ring finger: sadness
    • little finger: low self-esteem, not feeling able to be oneself
    [source: JSJ Inc. "About Jin Shin Jyutsu"; Plettner article]
  • Steps (as published):
    1. Wrap one hand gently around a finger of the other hand.
    2. Hold without rubbing or massaging, eyes closed if comfortable, attention on the breath.
    3. The article leaves timing to the person, for example until a pulse is felt to settle. It says there is "no wrong way". It also says the holds can be done anywhere: at home, while watching TV, in meetings.
    [source: Plettner article]
  • Example language (illustrative): "Some people find a simple hand-hold calming. In Jin Shin Jyutsu each finger is linked to a feeling; the thumb, for instance, is associated with worry. You don't have to believe the theory. It's just a way to give your hands something steady to do. Would you like to try it now, holding your own thumb, and tell me what you notice?"
  • Watch for: Holds being used to avoid feelings, or compulsively. Self-criticism ("I'm doing it wrong"). Twitching or stomach rumbling: the article presents these as tension releasing, so normalise them. Signs it is working: the client uses it spontaneously to settle, with no added burden. [source: Plettner article; synthesis]

4.3 JSD practitioner session (local–distal point holds, Strange Flows, segmental release)

  • Purpose / when used: JSDF presents JSD as releasing physical and emotional tension ("armoring") and balancing Qi. It names applications such as neck, shoulder and back pain, headache, insomnia, digestive stress and menstrual difficulties. It also names "stress- and trauma-related problems". These are the Foundation's claims. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"; Class Descriptions]
  • Steps (as published):
    1. The client lies clothed on a table.
    2. The practitioner finds a point of tension (local point).
    3. While holding the local point, the practitioner presses a related distal point on the same meridian.
    4. Points are held with the fingertips for some minutes.
    5. Sequences follow the Strange Flows or work segment by segment: head, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, pelvis.
    6. The practitioner checks comfort and consent often. The client sets the pace and intensity.
    The core system uses about 45–55 main points. The JSDF pages give 45 in one place and 55 in the Basic module. Advanced training adds the twelve organ meridians and a couple of hundred points. Recipients may report warmth, pulsing, tingling or "streaming", images or emotion. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"; Class Descriptions; Bainbridge article]
  • Note on the pelvic segment: Segmental work includes the pelvis. Any work near intimate areas must be described in advance in clinical terms, consented to explicitly, and done over clothing. Genital or sexual touch is never part of legitimate practice. If a client has a pelvic-floor or gynaecological concern, refer them to a regulated clinician. [source: USABP Code VIII; synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative): "In Jin Shin Do the practitioner holds two points at once, one where you feel tension and one further away, for a few minutes. The tradition says this releases 'armoring', and it often brings up feelings or memories. You can talk or stay quiet, and you can say 'stop' at any point."
  • Watch for: Strong emotion, memories or images arising, which JSD expects and invites. Dissociation, freezing, or the client feeling unable to say stop. Dependence on the practitioner. Practitioners interpreting trauma material beyond their training. Signs it is working: the client feels safe, stays present, and leaves more settled. [source: Bainbridge article; synthesis]

4.4 JSD Body Focusing (verbal guidance during touch)

  • Purpose / when used: Body Focusing is used during point holding. The practitioner guides attention to sensations, feelings and images so they can be processed instead of analysed or pushed away. [source: JSDF Class Descriptions; Bainbridge article]
  • Steps (as published):
    1. While holding a point, the practitioner invites attention to the area.
    2. If the client starts interpreting intellectually, the practitioner redirects them to physical sensation.
    3. The client may describe what they notice or stay silent.
    4. Active listening supports what emerges.
    JSDF lists "3 signs of release" but does not define them on its pages. [source: Bainbridge article; Class Descriptions] [uncertain: the 3 signs not verified]
  • Example language: Prompts reported in a JSDF article: "What's happening in that area now?" and "Stay with that sensation." [source: Bainbridge article] Illustrative addition for safety: "If this gets to be too much, we can come back to your feet on the table or open your eyes. You decide."
  • Watch for: Body Focusing resembles experiential psychotherapy techniques and can open trauma material. Watch for flooding, flashbacks, age-regressed states, or a client who complies with prompts instead of choosing. Signs it is working: feelings are noticed and settle within the session, and the client can describe them afterwards. [synthesis]

4.5 JSD self-acupressure and Qigong

  • Purpose / when used: The Fundamentals of Self-Acupressure class teaches several self-care practices:
    • self-release techniques
    • a 25-point self-acupressure pattern
    • self-care points for headache, backache, jaw pain, constipation, menstrual problems, heartburn and nausea
    • Qigong exercises (Pal Dan Gum and "Hara Breathing")
    [source: JSDF Class Descriptions]
  • Steps: The sources do not give the steps. Clients learn these from authorised JSD teachers in the 8-hour class. No breathing patterns or exercise instructions are given here. [source: JSDF Class Descriptions] [uncertain: technique details not verified]
  • Example language (illustrative): "If you'd like a self-care practice from this tradition, the Jin Shin Do Foundation runs an introductory self-acupressure class. Bring what you learn here and we can talk about how it fits your life."
  • Watch for: Physical symptoms being self-treated without medical assessment. Breathing exercises triggering panic or dizziness in anxious clients; stop and return to ordinary breathing. Self-practice becoming a way to avoid seeking care. [synthesis]

4.6 JSD Bodymind Trancework (Module IV)

  • Purpose / when used: Module IV teaches JSD teacher candidates Ericksonian methods alongside acupressure: suggestive language, indirection, "Place of Comfort", metaphor, storytelling, and an outline called "C.A.R.E. F.O.R.S." A trauma part covers PTSD and lists exposure and cognitive techniques. A further part uses the "Emotional Kaleidoscope" with Redecision Therapy for abuse-related wounds. [source: JSDF Class Descriptions]
  • Steps: Not given in the sources. These are psychotherapeutic interventions. Exposure work, trance and abuse-related processing belong with clinicians licensed for them. For a non-licensed acupressurist, they would be outside psychotherapy scope. [synthesis] [uncertain: how JSDF defines scope for non-licensed acupressurists not verified]
  • Example language (illustrative, psychotherapist to client): "Some Jin Shin Do practitioners are trained in trance and trauma work as well as acupressure. If yours offers that, let's talk first about who's best placed to do the trauma work, so you're not processing the same memories in two places without a plan."
  • Watch for: Trauma processing happening outside a treatment plan. Suggestion-based work with clients prone to dissociation or false-memory risk. Role confusion between acupressurist and therapist. [synthesis]

Part B: The psychotherapist's role

4.7 Screening and deciding when to suggest

  • Purpose / when to use: Use this when a client asks about JSJ or JSD, or when a gentle, clothed, light-touch relaxation practice might support stress management, coping with medical treatment, or reconnecting with the body. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. Clarify the client's goal. Steer away from any hope of curing a physical disease. Hospital programmes use these methods as supportive care only. [source: UK Markey report]
    2. Medical screening [synthesis; uncertain: the sources cited list no contraindications for JSJ, and JSD teaches contraindications in Module III without stating them]. Ask about:
      • acute injury or fracture, recent surgery or wounds at contact areas
      • skin conditions
      • suspected deep-vein thrombosis
      • pregnancy
      • serious illness under active treatment
      For these, advise the client to tell their medical team and get clearance. Ask the practitioner to adapt.
    3. Psychological screening [synthesis]. Ask about:
      • history of physical or sexual trauma
      • touch aversion
      • dissociation
      • current psychosis or mania
      • severe PTSD
      • recent assault
      • eating or body-image distress about lying down and being touched
    4. Check for magical thinking or any plan to drop medical or psychiatric treatment.
    5. Decide: suggest, defer until stabilised, or offer self-help holds only (4.14), which involve no other person's touch.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before we look into this, can I ask a few questions about your health and how you feel about being touched? That's so we can pick something that really suits you. Nothing you say will mean you're 'not allowed'. It just helps us plan."
  • Watch for: Ambivalence the client doesn't voice. Pressure from family or a hospital programme to accept touch. A wish to be fixed passively instead of engaging in therapy. [synthesis]

4.8 Choosing a practitioner and making the referral

  • Purpose / when to use: Once a client wants hands-on sessions. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. JSJ: look for completion of JSJ Inc. 5-Day Basic Seminars with authorised instructors. Check the JSJSMB practitioner locator. Ask whether the practitioner follows the JSJ Code of Ethics. [source: JSJ Inc. pages] [uncertain: listing criteria not verified]
    2. JSD: ask whether they are a JSDF Registered Acupressurist or an Authorized Teacher. Registered Acupressurists have 250 training hours, 125 logged experience hours, 10 private sessions and practical exams. [source: JSDF "What is Jin Shin Do"]
    3. Ask what other licence they hold, such as massage, nursing or acupuncture. If they hold one, its regulator applies. For example, five Canadian provinces regulate massage therapy through colleges: Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Elsewhere in Canada massage therapy is not government-regulated. [source: HHR Canada profile; CBC 2021] Australia has no national registration for massage therapists. A National Code of Conduct for unregistered health care workers, with state complaint bodies such as HaDSCO in WA, plus association routes such as AMT, covers them. [source: HaDSCO 2022; AMT complaint page]
    4. For hospital patients, ask whether the cancer centre or hospital has an integrative programme. Some, like Markey, have staff practitioners and accept self-referral. [source: UK Markey report]
    5. Give the client questions to ask: clothing (both methods are clothes-on), how they stop a session, whether talking is expected, and what happens if emotions come up. [source: JSDF; JSJ Inc.; synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative): "When you call, it's fine to ask what training they have, whether you stay dressed (in both methods you should), and how you'd let them know to stop. A good practitioner will welcome those questions."
  • Watch for: Practitioners who promise cures or discourage medical care. Practitioners who cannot describe their training or ethics code, or who ask the client to undress. [synthesis]

4.9 Preparing a trauma-affected client for touch

  • Purpose / when to use: Before the first session, for any client with a trauma, abuse or medical-trauma history. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. Explain the session in concrete terms: what the client will wear, where they will lie, where hands may rest (wrists, fingers, toes, limbs, torso over clothing), and that there is no deep pressure. [source: JSJ Inc.; UK Markey report]
    2. Build a consent plan with the client:
      • areas that are off-limits
      • whether eyes stay open
      • a verbal and a non-verbal stop signal
      • whether they want a chaperone or support person present (where appropriate)
      • permission to leave mid-session
      USABP requires informed consent before touch, recommends written consent, and states the right to refuse or end touch at any time. [source: USABP Code VIII]
    3. Rehearse saying "stop" or "please move your hand" in your session.
    4. Agree grounding options the client can use on the table, such as feeling their feet or opening their eyes. [synthesis]
    5. Schedule a psychotherapy session soon afterwards to integrate the experience.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let's practise the exact words you'd use to stop, so they're ready if you need them. 'Stop' is enough; you don't owe anyone an explanation."
  • Watch for: Freezing or appeasement, where the client consents to please. Rising anxiety as the date nears, which may mean you should defer. A client who cannot imagine saying stop; in that case consider self-help holds instead. [synthesis]

4.10 Collaborating with the practitioner

  • Purpose / when to use: When talk therapy and JSJ/JSD run in parallel. [source: EABP 6.b]
  • Steps:
    1. Discuss with the client how the two services fit together, to avoid confusion. EABP asks therapists to consider the implications of parallel similar services. [source: EABP 6.b]
    2. Get written consent before any contact with the practitioner, and agree what will be shared.
    3. With a JSD practitioner, agree who holds trauma processing. Body Focusing and trancework can open the same material you work on. [synthesis]
    4. Agree how either of you will raise concerns, such as distress after sessions or signs of dependence.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Would it help if I spoke briefly with your practitioner, only about what you're happy for me to share, so we're not pulling in different directions?"
  • Watch for: Splitting, where one provider is idealised and the other devalued. Overlapping trauma work. Missed information about adverse reactions. [synthesis]

4.11 Integrating body experience into psychotherapy

  • Purpose / when to use: In the session after a JSJ/JSD session, or after self-help practice. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. Start with sensation, following JSD's own emphasis: what the client noticed in the body, where, and how it changed. [source: Bainbridge article]
    2. Then feelings, images or memories that arose.
    3. Then meaning, held lightly. Frame the tradition's explanations (energy, armoring) as the tradition's language, and let the client choose their own.
    4. Link the experience to therapy goals, such as tolerating calm, receiving care, or noticing tension early.
    5. If trauma memories surfaced, assess them and work with them within your usual trauma framework and pacing.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before we get into what it meant, what do you remember noticing in your body during the session?" / "The practitioner called that 'releasing armoring'. How would you put it in your own words?"
  • Watch for: New intrusive memories. Distress lasting beyond the day. Interpretations given by the practitioner that the client has taken on uncritically, for example about past abuse. Positive signs: more body awareness, an easier time settling, more self-compassion. [synthesis]

4.12 Recognising and passing on adverse effects and boundary violations

  • Purpose / when to use: At every review and whenever the client mentions sessions. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. Ask directly and routinely about:
      • pain or discomfort
      • dizziness
      • emotional after-effects
      • touch the client did not expect or want
      • requests to undress
      • comments of a sexual nature
      • pressure to keep sessions secret or to stop medical treatment
    2. Name the norms. Both methods are clothes-on and light-touch. Sexual or genital touch is never legitimate; USABP calls it "always inappropriate". [source: USABP Code VIII; JSJ Inc.; JSDF]
    3. If there are physical symptoms, direct the client to their GP or medical team.
    4. If there is a boundary violation, support the client to choose a reporting route:
      • the JSD practitioner's organisation (JSDF Code of Ethics)
      • the JSJ code of ethics
      • the regulator of any licence the practitioner holds, such as a provincial massage college in Canada or a state health complaints entity under Australia's National Code
      • an association, such as AMT
      • the police where a crime is alleged
      [source: JSDF Class Descriptions; HHR Canada; CBC 2021; HaDSCO 2022; AMT] [uncertain: JSJ and JSDF complaint procedures not verified]
    5. Document what was disclosed, the safeguarding decisions, and consultation with your supervisor.
  • Example language (illustrative): "I ask everyone who has bodywork: did anything happen in the session that felt uncomfortable, unexpected or not okay? You won't be in trouble for saying so, and you decide what happens next."
  • Watch for: Minimising ("it was probably just part of the treatment"). Self-blame. Delayed disclosure. Grooming signs, such as special treatment, secrecy, or extended or free sessions. [synthesis]

4.13 When a psychotherapist delivers hands-on JSJ or JSD

  • Purpose / when to use: Only when your profession's code permits touch, you hold the method's training, and touch is clinically justified for this client. [synthesis]
  • What codes say:
    • The mainstream talk-therapy codes reviewed have no explicit touch clause: BACP 2018 and 2026, UKCP 2019, BPS 2009, HCPC 2023, APA 2002, amended 2010 and 2016 and AAMFT 2015. All of them ban sexual contact and require you to work within your competence.
    • Body-psychotherapy codes regulate touch directly. USABP requires an assessment of whether touch is appropriate for each client, documented consent, periodic re-consent, and the right to end touch. It also says touch must never meet the therapist's needs.
    • EABP says body techniques need "particular skills and ethical awareness", and that clients must be "informed beforehand" that physical techniques may be used.
    [source: touch-code summaries of BACP, UKCP, BPS, HCPC, APA, AAMFT, USABP, EABP]
  • Steps:
    1. Check your code and your indemnity insurance.
    2. Complete the method's training: the JSD Registered Acupressurist route or JSJ Inc. seminars.
    3. Contract the touch component separately and in writing.
    4. Re-consent each session.
    5. Consider a chaperone.
    6. Keep a referral option open so the client can have touch from someone else instead.
    7. Review dual-role effects, such as transference and dependency, in supervision.
    JSD's training itself covers transference and countertransference and the "implications of touch". [source: JSDF Class Descriptions; USABP; synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative): "Touch is always optional here. We can do this work entirely through talking, or I can refer you to a practitioner, and either choice is fine."
  • Watch for: The client feeling unable to refuse because you are their therapist. Erotic or dependent transference. Blurred session boundaries. [synthesis]

4.14 Supporting self-help holds in session (no therapist touch)

  • Purpose / when to use: For a client who wants a self-soothing practice but is not ready for, or does not want, another person's touch. [synthesis]
  • Steps:
    1. Describe the finger holds as JSJ publishes them, attributing the emotion links to the tradition (see 4.2). [source: Plettner article]
    2. Invite the client to try one hold in session if they wish. Do not touch them.
    3. Explore what they notice.
    4. Suggest optional use between sessions. For deeper learning, point them to JSJ Inc. self-help resources and classes. [source: JSJ Inc.]
    5. Review the practice at the next session, without framing it as compliance. [synthesis]
  • Example language (illustrative): "Would you like to try holding your thumb while we sit with that worry for a moment? Just notice. There's no right result."
  • Watch for: The hold replacing emotional processing. Superstitious use, such as fear of disaster if it is not done. Positive signs: the client uses it flexibly to settle and then returns to talking. [synthesis]

5. Handling problems

The sources address few of these problems directly. Most of the guidance below is [synthesis], with source-based points tagged.

  • Overwhelm or flooding during or after a JSD session.
    • JSD expects feelings, images and memories to arise, and its trauma training aims at "recovering feelings without retraumatization". [source: JSDF Class Descriptions]
    • Response: Stabilise first, with grounding and orientation. Then pause body sessions until the client can tolerate the material, and agree with the practitioner on lighter, non-processing work or a break.
    • If symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares or dissociation increase, treat this as an adverse effect (4.12) and review the treatment plan. [synthesis]
  • Client freezes and cannot say stop.
    • Response: Rehearse the non-verbal stop signal (4.9). Suggest eyes open and a practitioner who checks in often; JSD practitioners are described as doing this. [source: Bainbridge article]
    • Consider moving to self-help holds only (4.14). [synthesis]
  • Client feels nothing, or "it didn't work".
    • Response: Normalise this. JSJ Inc. says experiences vary from person to person. [source: JSJ Inc. "Jin Shin Jyutsu Is"]
    • Explore expectations, especially any hope of a cure. Decide with the client whether to stop. There is no obligation to continue. [synthesis]
  • Belief that energy blockage explains their illness, or plans to stop medical treatment.
    • Response: Respect the client's interest while separating the tradition's explanations from medical fact.
    • Point out that JSJ's own founder said practitioners do not diagnose, heal or cure, and that hospitals use JSJ alongside medical care. [source: JSJ Inc. "About Mary"; UK Markey report; Plettner article]
    • Bring in the medical team if treatment refusal is a risk. [synthesis]
  • Non-adherence to self-help.
    • Response: Drop the idea of adherence. JSJ self-help is presented as optional and "no wrong way". [source: Plettner article]
    • Explore what gets in the way, and keep only practices the client actually values. [synthesis]
  • Compulsive or ritualised self-help.
    • Response: Assess for obsessive-compulsive patterns or safety behaviours, and treat those patterns in therapy. Reduce use of the holds as a neutralising ritual. [synthesis]
  • Rupture with you over the referral (for example "you're sending me away" or "you don't believe in this").
    • Response: Name the rupture. Explain that you are offering an addition, not a replacement. Stay curious about the client's view of the tradition without arguing about energy concepts. [synthesis]
  • Splitting between you and the practitioner.
    • Response: With consent, coordinate (4.10). Bring the comparisons into the therapy as material. Keep roles clear, especially if the JSD practitioner does trancework or trauma work. [source: EABP 6.b; synthesis]
  • Erotic or dependent transference toward the practitioner, or toward you if you deliver touch.
    • Response: Address it in supervision. Use the USABP principle that touch must never serve the therapist's needs. Reduce or stop touch, and refer on if needed. [source: USABP Code VIII; synthesis]
  • Disclosure of a boundary violation or sexual touch.
    • Response: Believe and support the client, assess their safety, and offer reporting routes (4.12). Document, consult a supervisor and follow safeguarding duties. Never minimise it as "part of the method". [source: USABP; codes summary; synthesis]
  • Physical symptoms after a session (pain, dizziness, worsening of a condition).
    • Response: Refer to medical care and inform the practitioner, with consent. Ask for medical clearance before further sessions. [synthesis] [uncertain: no documented adverse-event data for JSJ or JSD were verified]
  • Children and young people.
    • Response: The sources say JSJ self-help can be done for a child; one article mentions holding a child's finger "without them knowing". [source: Plettner article]
    • In clinical work, get parental consent and the child's own assent before any touch or teaching. Do not touch a child covertly. Apply safeguarding procedures. [synthesis]
  • Cultural or spiritual discomfort, such as a client from a faith tradition who objects to energy or spiritual framing.
    • Response: Offer the practice without the metaphysics, as a calming hand-hold or relaxation, or choose a different body-based approach. [synthesis]
  • Hospital programme pressure, where a patient feels they should accept a free session.
    • Response: Affirm that declining is fine. Programmes such as Markey's run on self-referral and choice. [source: UK Markey report; synthesis]

Sources

Jin Shin Jyutsu, Inc.

Jin Shin Do Foundation

Hospital programmes and studies

Professional codes on touch, sexual contact, referral and competence

Massage regulation in Canada and Australia

← Previous · X-037AcupressureNext · X-039 →Auriculotherapy