Recently, I experienced a series of Zentherapy sessions with Hudson area practitioner, Jim LaPeer. I found each session to be a fascinating process of letting go of not only physical tension, but mental tension as well. I experienced that when I hold tension in one area of my body, I also tend to hold tension in seemingly "unrelated areas." For example, when I consciously released the tension in my hip, tension in my shoulder or neck would release simultaneously. 

I chose to go through Zen Bodytherapy because, like so many people these days, I was experiencing a time of major transition in my life and felt I needed to let go, both physically and mentally, in order to see clearly what I needed to do. I met Jim LaPeer at the holistic center, Gentle Currents in Greenland, N.H., where he was seeing clients and I was offering psychic counseling sessions. One afternoon we spoke at length about the work he was doing and I decided that Zen Bodytherapy was just what I needed. 

Zentherapy, which is a blend of Eastern and Western bodywork methods and techniques, recognizes that from birth to death, life is a flow of energy. This energy takes shape through our attitudes, our emotions and our bodies. The work releases distortions caused by traumas (physical, mental and/or emotional) which create misalignment and block the free flow of energy both within the body as well as between the person and their greater surroundings. The blocks and misalignment prevent a person from realizing their full potential and from experiencing the oneness of all life. Once the blocks are removed and the structure is aligned, the body, mind and spirit will move to a higher plateau. 

Zentherapy is a system synthesized by Dub Leigh, who studied with some of the foremost ground breakers in the bodywork field. 

His first teacher was Ida Rolf®, developer of Rolfing® or, Structural Integration, as it is also known. Rolfing involves deep tissue work done by a certified practitioner and focuses on the proper physical alignment of the body with emotional release as a byproduct and adjunct benefit. Some years after becoming a rolfer, Dub studied and lived with Moshe Feldenkrais, who had developed his own technique called Functional Integration, which focuses on physical integration through movement. 

Following his studies with Feldenkrais, Dub trained with Laurel Berry, known for his joint work and Raymond Nirnmo, father of Trigger Point Therapy. 

Finally, Dub et Tanyoue Tenshin Rotaishi, a Zen Master, Martial Artist and Energy Worker, who taught him how to use Ki, the Vital Energy, to facilitate the healing process. Ki is probably the most under utilized aspect in the healing process and is critical in combination with other techniques to achieve optimum results. 

In Zentherapy, the trigger point work serves to get rid of pain and trauma in the body. It softens the tissue in order for realignment to occur. When it is combined with structural alignment work and energy work, the focus gradually moves from letting go to realigning on all levels. 

During my first session, Jim took "before" photos as a reference. Our work was spread over several months and progress was steady. Each session worked on a different area of the body: Legs, arms, neck and shoulders, torso, etc. Some sessions were more intense than others and some were more emotional. When we did the ribcage work, in an early session, I realized how labored and incomplete my breathing had been. The increased oxygen in my system was noticeable immediately and I left the session feeling relieved and exhilarated. 

Jim teaches his clients to give a number to the intensity of pressure so he knows when to lighten up or when it is ok to go "deeper." Initially, this was difficult for me, because "I don't think in numbers." However, Jim was patient and gently reminded me to "give a number" so he could appropriately release pressure. With his encouragement and continuous practice, I gradually became more able to follow this seemingly simple instruction. I always found Jim to be tuned in and supportive through each process of letting go. 

The most interesting aspect to our work was how much better I would feel after each session. The work became a process of gaining more clarity about my life and my life's work. I have become more effective in my work and more confident when making difficult choices in my life. 

Years prior to my Zen Bodytherapy sessions, I experienced Rolfing and tasted a bit of Moshe Feldenkrais work. I found the Feldenkrais fascinating as it used simple movements in unusual patterns to free up muscles and increase range of motion. 

Rolfing was an intense process which I underwent during my college days when I was dancing about 5 hours per day. The one difficulty I had with the Rolfing was that when I got off the table, I was very disoriented. Suddenly I was walking around in what seemed like a different body, without the brain patterns to match. It would take several days for the brain to catch up, which made my dancing quite challenging during that time period. 

The difference I have noticed with Zen Bodytherapy is that, although my body feels very different when I get up after a session, my brain feels like it has been patterned along with it. This is a direct result of the use of Feldenkrais: subtle movement during the bodywork session. For example, while the leg is being worked, the client may be asked to bend and straighten the knee and then step down with the heel of the foot. While having the arm worked on, they may be asked to slightly bend and straighten the point of the elbow. These movements are very small and subtle, yet they serve to assist in the repattening of the brain for optimal integration of the work. 

I experienced each session differently depending on the area of the body we were working on. I say "we" because I was definitely a conscious participant in the work. The Zentherapist never works "alone." Without my cooperation and participation in the movement of energy as well as the physical movements, the results of each session would have been much reduced. 

At the end of the last session, Jim took "after" photos and I was able to compare my posture and alignment with the "before" photos he had taken a few months prior when we began our work together. I knew I felt better, but it was also fascinating and very validating for both of us to actually see the difference in the photos. 

As a result of my work with Jim, I have noticed that I carry myself better, walk straighter, have less joint aggravation (especially my knees), and less back pain. I am also better able to handle both physical and emotional pain and stress. As a former energy and massage bodyworker, I have also discovered that I learned some trigger point and energy techniques which I sometimes use on my own body when I have bumped or bruised myself and speed up my healing process. 

Jim's first experience of Zen Bodytherapy was from practitioner Irene Heublein, a friend from a Zazen group where they both sat. She did some Zen Bodytherapywork on him. It "was intense, but I liked it," Jim said. She was able to get into places where no one else had and released years of pain and trauma from his body. "It was like a knock on the door," Jim recalled. He went through the ten sessions of Zen Bodytherapy and saw major changes in his body as well as in his mental/emotional well being. "I got rid of more internal garbage in those ten sessions than in 25 years of personal work, including Zazen sitting and being an instructor of lyengar Yoga." 

Irene recalled Jim's comments, "I like what this work is doing to me. I think I could sink my teeth into this!" After his comments, Irene invited Jim to attend a workshop with the originator of Zen Bodytherapy, Dub Leigh. 

By the third week of the training, Jim felt that Zen Bodytherapy was something very special. He quit his job and signed up for massage school to learn anatomy, physiology, kneisiology and get necessary credentials. 

"Prior to working with Irene, I had never experienced any type of bodywork at all. In fact, in spite of studying and teaching yoga for many years, I had limited concept of the body. Suddenly I was on the road to becoming a Zen Bodytherapist!" Jim remarked. 

"This work has a very powerful effect on people," Irene said. "I had been an attorney when I first experienced Zen Bodytherapy. I met Dub and Audrey as my teachers and dropped everything to begin studying to become a practitioner in 1992." 

According to Jim, Dub prefers to teach people with no previous experience because they have an open mind and space to learn. Jim explains, "It's like the story of the Zen master... 

"Once there was a man who wanted to become a student of Zen. He went to a Zen master and asked to become his student. The Zen master didn't answer, he only brought out a pot of tea and two cups. The man watched as the Zen master poured tea into one of the cups. He filled it to the brim and kept pouring. The tea flowed onto the table. 

Finally, the man couldn't stand it any longer and said, politely, 'Excuse me, master, the tea is overflowing onto the table. No more will go into the cup!' 

The Zen master stopped pouring and said, 'yes, like your mind, the cup is full. I can only teach you after you first empty your mind!'" 

When you have a beginner mind or Zen mind, you are open to the process and to the many changes that come about for the client as well as for the practitioner. The goal of Zen Bodytherapy is for both the practitioner and client to become like a child again: free of fear, hate, greed and pain, fully living each moment by moment, by moment. 

Jim spoke about his process in being a facilitator for clients, "My goal is to assist people in their process, whatever it is. l am a facilitator, I have no personal agenda. I ask clients, ' What do you want out of this work?' Then we talk about it. It could be physical release, mental release or spiritual growth. I make it clear to my clients that Zentherapy is not something that I do to them, it is something that we are doing together. 

"When someone is in pain, I recommend that we get them out of pain first, then look at what their goals are. Not everyone is ready for this process. Not everyone wants to take responsibility for their pain, their release, their transformation. This work is not a quick fix, it allows for permanent changes in people's lives and they have to be ready and willing to participate in the process." 

Zentherapy consists of a basic 10 session series designed to first , release the body in a very general sense and free up the ribcage to provide more oxygen. Then, gradually working the extremities for grounding and alignment. The body is balanced left and right, top and bottom, then integrated and fine tuned into a totally aligned, balanced unit. 

After the tenth session, a person usually has a new walk, the "slump" is gone from their posture and they feel "lifted" by gravity rather than pulled down. Considerable emotional armor has disappeared and the client moves more gracefully both on a physical as well as an emotional level. They are much more open to change in their life. 

A person can go through the 10 sessions multiple times. There is always another layer to experience. Jim has been through the work at least 6 times since he first began the process, initially as a client, then in training, as a practitioner. "At first, I didn't do it right and didn't take it right. But that process taught me how to help my clients get the most out of this work. I can show them how to release trauma and translate it into energy for their daily lives. The Zentherapy process helps create a calm, clear, more aware, more present individual."

Jim and all Zen Bodytherapy practitioners currently learn directly from Dub. After a recent training session, Jim told me, "I am awed by Dub's ability to do this work and to convey his knowledge even at his current age of 86! He is the last of the great masters, a treasure. Tanyoue Tenshin Rotaishi has given him Inka,' the designation of an enlightened individual. Dub is a man of integrity and will not sell himself (or anyone else) short. A Roshi in his own right, he is still very approachable." 

Jim is one of the few people hand picked by his teacher, Dub Leigh, to be certified as an Advanced Practitioner of Zen Bodytherapy. The Advanced sessions work the soft tissue in and around the joints for articulation, putting muscle and tissue back into their soft tissue groove. The tissue between the joints has a tendency to migrate, as in tennis and golf elbow, and sometimes needs assistance to return to its home location. In addition, the soft tissue work opens the channels for ki (chi) or energy to flow easier. 

The Advanced work also begins and ends with photographs so both client and practitioner can have the opportunity to clearly see the progress that has been made. I continued with Jim to do some advanced sessions and found the joint work especially satisfying. He was able to get into areas that I thought would never get relieved. My posture further improved and the way in which I move my body through space has shifted. 

"I am in a training process doing my work. I focus my energy and am on a spiritual path, training my mind and body to be present, coming back to my 'seat.' My job is to 'be here' and create the space for the Ki to flow through me as a facilitator. 

My preparation for working with a client is to go inside and then be an observer within the process while being fully present. As I work, I am also moving forward in a spiritual process." As a result of Jim's approach, clients usually get more than they expected from Zentherapy. 

Kevin, a seacoast area bodyworker and tai chi instructor, shared office space with Jim when his office was in Portsmouth at "A Place To Be." They did a trade and Kevin liked the work. He had some old injuries and residual stress from 15 years of teaching which were relieved by subsequent Zen Bodytherapy sessions. Kevin noticed changes in his posture: standing up straighter and growing taller. He had relief from lower back pain, shoulder pain, and pain from childhood broken bones.

The story of one courageous man, shows what is possible with Zen Bodytherapy in extreme cases: Peter was working in demolition and while on the job, cleaning under a steel platform, the 2000 Ib. platform came crashing down on him, not once, but twice! The first time, he locked his arms with his hands against the ground and literally held up the platform on his back. The machine lifted the platform slightly and then it fell again. This time, his arms collapsed and he was pinned. When the platform was finally lifted and Pete flopped over, he was trapped between the machinery and a wall. He felt like his legs were floating up behind him, his back was broken, some disks and vertebrae were crushed, but thankfully, because of his size and strength, his spinal cord was intact. 

After 2 surgeries totaling 13 hours, where a rib, pieces of hip bone, a titanium plate and rods were used to put his back together, Peter was told he would never walk again. Even though the feeling began to return to his legs, Peter was in such intense pain that even the heaviest doses of the strongest painkillers gave him no relief and the only movement he could achieve was in his big toe. "I knew that this was Hell and prayed I wouldn't be there forever! I have three young children and wanted to be able to get out there and play with them. I was determined to push myself to be able to walk again." 

"I spent 2 weeks in intensive care and then 4 months in New England Rehab Hospital. Miraculously, they helped get my legs moving again. I could walk about 200 ft. with a cane and assistance from another person. I had lost 35 Ibs of mostly muscle and the nerve endings in my legs were in pain mode all the time." 

After 8 months of outpatient rehabilitation, Peter was finally able to move on his own, maneuver stairs in very small quantities and drive again. Being very determined, he would go on nightly, family walks by flashlight, around his neighborhood, so no one would see him. Each night he would walk a little further until he finally made it around the block. Pete also utilized ultrasound and water therapy treatments, which were helpful, but the pain was still intense and his back muscles were still hard as rocks. Next, he tried acupuncture, which he found helpful for his organs, but didn't do much for the pain either. 

While at the Herbal Path in Dover, owner, Ron Stock, mentioned Jim LaPeer and Zen Bodytherapy. Peter decided to make an appointment. "I first went to Jim in June of ' 98. We hit it off and had some good talks. He would explain things, use different techniques. It was an amazing process. 

"When he first touched me, it felt like he had a handful of needles! Over time, he taught me to focus and how to deal with the pain. Little by little, the muscles got smaller, like a stonemaker tapping, chiseling, a little off at a time. Now the muscle is almost normal size. It's soft and pliable, where it used to be hard. The pain nearly disappears for days at a time, after a treatment. 

"Not only has Zen Bodytherapy helped me physically, but it has worked for me on a spiritual level, too. I had been skeptic about that energy stuff, but one day Jim held my feet and I felt as if air was flowing through the inside of my legs. I am not a skeptic anymore! This work has made my quality of life so much better." 

The difference in Peter's physically and mental well-being was so remarkable that his wife, Britt, decided to become a Zentherapist herself. That way, she could work on Pete everyday. 

Earlier this year, Peter had the opportunity to experience Zen Bodytherapy from its founder, Dub Leigh and his partner, Audrey. 

"Dub was an old guy and I wondered what he would be able do. When he first touched me, I felt electricity going down my back. He turned to Jim and said, 'Jim, you've done a great job on Pete.' Then he put one hand on my back and the other on my stomach. I looked down and saw my stomach just suddenly relax. My eyes changed and the pain was gone! It was as if he just took the pain right out of me. I was completely pain free for about 2 or 3 days!" 

Peter says that Zen Bodytherapy is the only thing that has really worked for him to be able to live a fairly normal life again. Unfortunately, the Worker's Comp Insurance won't pay for his treatments, which are actually much less expensive than what they are willing to pay for. 

"If I hadn't met Jim, I would be a lot more crippled and bent over and probably still on morphine to handle the pain. Now I am on small doses of percasset and very functional. I had to go through detox to get the morphine out of my system and have totally left the 'macho thing' behind. Being with my children is such a blessing for me. In fact, I have decided to go back to school and study early childhood education. Jim and Zen Bodytherapy have given me my life back!" 

Zentherapy has much to offer, whether your goal is letting go of emotions, improving your posture, relieving chronic pain, or just wanting to move your life to the next level. Jim LaPeer has offices at 238 Central St. (Rte III) Hudson as well as in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. For a free phone consultation or a brochure, please call 603-785-7865. 

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