About Jennie
Touch. Deep listening. Questions that invite others to dwell in wonder. Listening for Holy Invitations. Engaging the body’s wisdom. – These are my life’s work, and pursuing them unfolds something new in me daily. It has been an honor and a gift to walk this path with my clients for more than two decades.
Practices and Training that Inform My Work…
Swedish Massage, Reiki, Thai Bodywork, Oncology Massage, Myofascial Release, Dreamwork, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic Constitutional Evaluation, Western Herbalism, Energetics, Focusing, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Foot Reflexology, Spiritual Direction, Prayer, Christian Spirituality, Quaker Spirituality, Celtic Spirituality, Eco Spirituality
My Story
For the last two decades, I have worked with the goal of helping people be fully alive and joyful, in their bodies and in their lives. Much of this work has been as a massage therapist (since 2001), spiritual director (since 2007), and educator (for a long time in a lot of contexts, from massage school to seminary to community college, and at some community centers and yoga studios, too).
Bodywork is an important part of who I am, as is my long study of yoga, particularly of the therapeutic applications of yoga for all manner of concerns, from physical problems to emotional issues. My passion for dreamwork is just shy of three decades deep. In addition to some formal study, I have been profoundly influenced by the many, many (mostly female) people who bring their dreams to community circles and dining room tables I have been privileged to have a seat at.
Working at the oft-denied or overlooked intersection of spirit and body, I’ve found my way into studying a variety of disciplines that have shaped my understanding. In addition to a lot of continuing education in massage therapy and yoga, I have studied herbalism in three lineages: folk herbalism, community care, and clinical approaches. I am trained in Focusing and Emotional Freedom Technique, both of which I consider to be bridge modalities that link body to spirit. I have a masters degree in the humanities, which took me deep into poetry and visual arts, and a masters of divinity degree that confirmed my passion for all things incarnation/embodiment.
I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and I joyfully spend a lot of time with friends in the United Church of Christ, now as an associate. When not working, you may find me walking the land, celebrating the seasons, and speaking metaphor.
Professional Associations
A little bit more about me (books and video)...
I am co-author of Finding God in the Verbs: Crafting a Fresh Language of Prayer (Intervarsity Press, 2015, with J.Brent Bill), which is almost a retreat-in-a-book to help you unpack the language you use when speaking about God and to God. Our goal in writing was to rediscover joy and authenticity in the most Holy Conversation-- prayer!
I also wrote Leading Quakers: Discipleship Leadership, A Friends Model, (Earlham Press, 2008), which is a program of study for worshiping communities that aspire to name and nurture spiritual gifts within the congregation by taking the conversation back to shared understandings and relationships.
And here is a short magazine article I wrote on the diversity of sources of authority (and wisdom) in a community and how they can be useful in a shared discernment process.
I was interviewed in November 2015 about my understandings of faith-inspired activism. Press play on the video to see me in action.