Information for Upcoming Zentherapy® Training Courses with Bill Thompson, LMT

Prerequisites For All Courses:

• Receive at least one full series of Zentherapy® Bodytherapy® sessions.

• Either:

  • License in a Healthcare Profession or

  • An ability to demonstrate satisfactory bodywork skills and a knowledge of Anatomy & Physiology appropriate for this level of bodywork.*

• Interview with Course Instructor

• Commitment to the full training with no absences

Note: Not all applicants are accepted. Class space is limited, and students must be an even number.
*If you are not a holder of a healthcare license, you will not receive certification as you are attending training for your own personal enrichment. You will receive a certificate of completion.

Upcoming Classes

Zentherapy® Bodytherapy® Download Brochure
2024 April 13, 14, 20, & 21 May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, & 19

Zentherapy® Triggerpoint Anatomy® Download Brochure
2024 October 19, 20, 26, & 27 November 9, 10, 16, & 17

Zentherapy® Advanced Bodytherapy®
Winter 2025 TBD - No brochure is provided for this course as it is by invitation only. Invitations are only offered on a space available basis to practitioners who meet the Prerequisites.
Additional Prerequisites for Zentherapy® Advanced Bodytherapy®:

• Receiving Zentherapy® sessions on a regular basis from a certified practitioner (these may be paid sessions or trades)

• Successful Completion of 3 Bodytherapy® Trainings and 2 Triggerpoint Anatomy® Trainings

• Presentation of 3 sets of Zentherapy® Bodytherapy® session pictures from 3 different clients

• Discussion of case histories of the above clients with the Course Instructor

CALL 253.473.1142 To LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE INTRUCTOR BILL THOMPSON, LMT:

About Zentherapy®

 WELCOME!
MOMENT BY MOMENT your body is changing. As you age, your body gradually loses the freedom, firmness, and suppleness you had as a child. You may have picked up habits of posture or movement that are detrimental. Physical trauma from injuries, chemicals or illness, and emotional trauma from grief, anger or fear may have created knots of tension in your body. These knots block the free flow of energy that is your life force, the natural spirit that drives you and makes you feel alive, vigorous, and young.

This process occurs for almost everyone, but it does not have to be permanent. In fact, you have the choice to reverse the course, and rediscover the freedom you knew as a child. Zentherapy® can accelerate you toward moving lightly, feeling alive,, and living life fully, moment by moment.

WHAT IS ZENTHERAPY®?
ZENTHERAPY IS A METHOD of body work that can remove the blocks in your body that prevent you from living at your fullest. Zentherapy recognizes that from birth to death, life is a flow of energy. Freeing this energy in your body can change your physical alignment and movement, your emotional state, and even your spiritual perspective, for they are all subtly and solidly linked together.

 Zentherapy is a synthesis of Eastern and Western body work. Many techniques are used to achieve the desired results: Nimmo's trigger point work, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, Berry work and the teachings of Tanouye Roshi. Zentherapy was developed by master bodyworker William "Dub" Leigh, D.Z., and is unique in its use of universal energy.

 The process of Zentherapy is one of self development for both you and your practitioner. Together, you will work to release the blocks in your body, align your body back in its natural form, and learn ways to maintain the new condition that you achieve.

 ZENTHERAPY IS NOT a miracle cure, although many clients find the results quite miraculous. Zentherapy is not a religious indoctrination, yet it can certainly stir your spiritual development. Zentherapy is not a way to avoid group therapy or psychotherapy, but emotional issues are often resolved.

ZENTHERAPY IS a profoundly effective method of rejuvenating your being, creating genuine awareness of the unity between your body, mind, and spirit.

HOW DOES ZENTHERAPY WORK?
DURING ZENTHERAPY The practitioner will work through the superficial and deep soft tissues of your body, releasing pain, creating movement and increasing the flow of energy. The soft tissues include muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia -- a thin, filmy tissue that covers and holds everything else together, the way that the sections of a grapefruit or an orange are held by a fibrous, flexible sheath.

TENDER AREAS will be relaxed, usually with pressure. The practitioner will locate and work spots holding tension, while you breathe and move as directed to let the tension out. After each session, you will be taught exercises that will help you keep your body relaxed and improving.

YOUR PRACTITIONER will work your body according to your specific needs, while following the Zentherapy "recipe." You will discover that sometimes your body will improve in an area that your practitioner is not even touching. For example, you may notice that your lower back pain subsides after having your neck and shoulders worked, or that a pain in your chest vanishes after your feet are worked. For this reason, be patient. Communicate whatever your are feeling to your practitioner. Ask questions. By working your entire body, you will relax and open up areas that you never even knew were a problem!

YOUR JOB as a client is to take responsibility for your body. You are the one who is living in your body, you are the one who is holding on to whatever is in there, and you are the only one who can let it go. However your problems were created, it is now your choice to either stay the way you are, or to allow change for the better.

DURING THE SESSIONS you will be asked to communicate about the sensations in your body. You will be asked to breathe in a beneficial way, and to lay, sit, stand, or move in established patterns. Although most people feel tremendous relief after Zentherapy sessions, during the sessions you will be asked to focus and work hard.

TEN SESSIONS are the minimum required to work through your entire body. Each session lasts from one to two hours, and more may be required for especially troubled areas. Each session focuses on a different part of your body. You will probably find some sessions to be amazingly "easy" and other sessions to be extremely difficult. You should allow about one week between sessions for your body and mind to process the work being done.

YOU MAY EXPERIENCE some physical pain during Zentherapy sessions. You may feel emotions arising, or memories may surface. You may feel heat or tingling. You may even notice an unusual smell in the air or a taste in your mouth. This is normal. The human body has an extraordinary capacity to retain almost everything that happens to it, and these memories are retained physically, as well as mentally.

WHEN WORKED, these physical "hot spots" -- and the pain or toxins or emotions that are stored with them -- are released. You may talk about these things with your practitioner if you like, but it is not mandatory. It is certainly nothing to be embarrassed or frightened about. You can simply let these things go, just as you would get rid of shoes that are too small, or an old pair of eyeglasses that no longer meet your needs.

THE RESULTS of Zentherapy depend upon your desire and effort. Your practitioner will work with you to create the maximum positive change. Your commitment and trust will be rewarded with an experience that can benefit you for the rest of your life.

ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS:
WHAT IF I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PAIN OR PROBLEMS? Good for you! Still, the process of aging (even if you are a teenager!) has created conditions in your body that can be improved by Zentherapy. Graceful movement, proper body alignment and the free flow of energy require the proper training for all of us.

DO I HAVE TO WORK MY WHOLE BODY, OR CAN I JUST WORK ON SORE SPOTS? You can certainly work on sore spots, but you will only receive the full value of Zentherapy by processing your entire body. It is not unusual that pains are relieved by working on seemingly unrelated parts of the body.

WILL IT HURT? Most clients do feel discomfort at some points during Zentherapy. Almost everyone has some pain stored in their body. Zentherapy releases the pain, so you can be free of it. You will never be forced to do anything you do not want to do. You are constantly communicating with the practitioner about whether you want less or more...release!

ARE THE CHANGES PERMANENT? It is largely up to you. The follow-up exercises will help retain the improvements, and keep your body changing properly. You may continue to have the beliefs or circumstances in your life that created the misalignments or aberrations in the first place, and our body will continue to reflect your emotional and spiritual state. Everything works together. Zentherapy creates the opportunity for you to progress on all levels.

WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH ZEN? The teachings of Zen Master Tanouye Roshi of the International Chozen-ji Dojo in Hawaii dramatically shaped Zentherapy. The Master teaches how the use of universal energy, or "Chi," can speed the healing process, and create the changes that would not be possible with Western therapies. Zazen training and meditation are an integral part of your practitioner's development. You may not be aware on the surface of the effect this has on your body work, but at a subtle level, it makes all the difference.

DO I HAVE TO MEDITATE? Only if you want to. Your practitioner meditates, as do millions of other people from every part of the globe. Zazen meditation is a powerful way of building the energy within your body, creating a calm, steady base for living your life.

 IS ZENTHERAPY DANGEROUS? No. Your practitioner is trained to work safely with your body. You should inform your practitioner of any medications you are taking, any infections or viruses you may have, or any especially painful areas.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? You can read William S. Leigh's book, Bodytherapy; Water Margin Press.