Welcome…
The intent of my website is twofold: to offer my services Reading the Body, and to share the abundance of insight that comes with 25 years of practice and reaching for a deeper knowledge of the healing process. What follows here is a brief narrative of my education and experience; then a more extended description of what I consider the heart and soul of learning the healing art: Partnerships in Discovery.
Education and Experience
I have a master’s degree in Counseling Education and a degree in Theater Arts from the University of Maine. I learned to Read the Body from Dr. J.R. Brodnax, an early pioneer of kinesiology and bio-magnetics. My initial study was between 1980 and 1982. He also introduced me to acupuncture, polarity, and folk medicines. I started my own practice in 1983, and continue to practice, working closely with physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other alternative practitioners and pioneers. I compose music, dance, and sing as well. Please contact me to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
Partnerships in Discovery
To fully describe my expertise and knowledge I have to describe the unique learning experiences that come from partnering with other professionals, both in the health care field and other areas, such as business, human resources, and the equestrian world.
Dr. J.R. Brodnax
In 1980 I became ill. I lost weight rapidly, had allergic reactions to many foods, especially proteins, and was unable to sleep. I sought help first from traditional medicine, and because they could not find the cause, was diagnosed as hypoglycemic or suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, which really means "I have no idea what is going on." So I pursued what alternatives I could. In August I went to visit my parents in Grove, Oklahoma. They introduced me to Dr. J.R. Brodnax, a retired chiropractor who was "Reading the Body". He was around 70 and practiced in his home outside of town. He was terribly excited about what he was learning and talked continually while working. He was a devout man and said once; "In heaven, a healer sits near to God, but a teacher sits at the right hand." So he taught as he healed. I was helped in short order and became determined to learn what he knew about kinesiology and Reading the Body. I told everyone I knew about this wonderful phenomenon and right directly Dr. Brodnax had more business than he could handle. He was the best reader I have ever met. By his own admittance, he could not write or instruct well. He was all hands on, communicating largely through touch. He loved to communicate with the body and gather up all the wisdom the body had to offer. And, of course, he wanted to share what he learned and I was all ears. I would return in the summer to watch him work. I would observe, take notes, tape record his continual talking, and interview him at the end of the day. But he would not teach me to read, using his technique, until I promised I would get an advanced degree of some kind. He had been run out of Louisiana back in the early days of chiropractic, which had been against the law in some states. So I went to back to college and got a Masters Degree in Counseling Education. Our close association continued until he died at age 92. He worked and shared his knowledge right to the end.
Thomas Graham
After graduating I opened my own counseling practice and made plans to augment the practice with Reading the Body. As I made plans, a friend became interested in learning to read as well and went to visit Dr. Brodnax. When he returned we began exploring the phenomenon of reading and kinesiology together . Everyday, 8 hours a day, for six months we read the body using Dr. Brodnax’s technique. We created a learning partnership unlike anything I had ever experienced. The combination of our learning styles and deep desire to know the truth was like opening a flood gate. We learned everything by tapping into the body’s intelligence. We wanted to learn straight from the source and were overwhelmed with the flood of information offerred. We were quite a pair - wild really, determined to plumb the depths and see the mystery for ourselves. The foundation of the healing process, the fundamental principles that determine ill-health and restoration of well-being were uncovered with Tom.
Dr. Christiane Northrup
Dr. Bodnax told us about a physician in Maine who had contacted him and suggested we get in touch. So we called Dr. Christiane Northrup, practicing in Yarmouth at the time, and made an appointment to visit and share our experiences and observations. She was as enthusiastic as one could hope and began making referrals. We had just learned to swim really, and were all of a sudden thrown into deep water. Dr. Northrup and her colleagues referred cases that covered the entire spectrum. Every day was intense. It was not unusual in a single day to see clients with cancer, arthritis, depression, skin rashes, and diabetes. The next day would bring a brain tumor, unexplained burning sensations, chronic pain, sleeplessness, lupus, and infertility. I began to see why practitioners became specialists. Once a week I would meet with Chris or her colleague, Annie Rafter, and review cases. I can say without hesitation that this period of my practice opened every channel and resource for learning I possessed. My partnership with healing intelligence became increasingly stronger. I was taken on a journey into the realm of healing where life and death hung in the balance. I learned more than I could ever write down. I simply try to make best use the profound depth of knowledge that was made available to me and pass it along.
Margaret Urqhardt
Margaret was referred by Dr. Northrup. Margaret was the president of a large New England company with headquarters based in Scarborough. She was talking in one session about wishing she could help the folks in her organization gain the kind of clarity and renewal she had experienced in her healing process. I took the bait and we soon began a learning partnership, another one that saw many hours and days spent in exploration of a new horizon: "organizational intelligence". What we learned is that an organizational body, or corporate body, looks and acts just like an individual human body, inside and out. So we created a program, based on two essential principles of the healing process, Intent and Partnership, and began working with the entire organization of 1000 people. It all went wonderfully well and years later people still talk enthusiastically about how much they learned and how their lives were changed. Margaret and I continued to present the program of Intent and Partnership wherever her professional life took her before she retired. I learned how to "see" a corporate body and how to read the signs of organizational ill-health. But best of all, I learned that what truly makes a difference in a single, individual life, are the same things that bring an organization into its integrity, and releases the energy and inner resources held within the people. In my opinion Margaret is the best of leaders. She knew that the best thing she could do for her organization and ensure its success was to open up all the potential of the people in a simple, direct, and practical way. She was loved for doing so.
Natalie Lowell
Natalie came to see me experiencing continual cold-like symptoms that continued through every season. Once we got her squared around we began talking horses. As an equestrian, Natalie wondered if I could "proxy" her horse, Radar. She wanted to know about his wheezing and stiffness. We tried the proxy and sure enough I could read her horse through her body. But what was really interesting was that the reading pointed us towards the "combined" body of horse and rider. We found that Radar was "hooking up" with Natalie and sharing her symptoms. Together we learned that the energy circuits of the rider’s body blend with that of the horse’s body in predictable patterns, especially when the rider is seated on the horse. We learned why Radar was stiff on one side and why he could not flex easily when traveling around the arena. It was all related to Natalie’s health issues. Radar was just helping her out. Actually, horses have no choice. Because the horse is a dedicated herd animal, it absorbs all the tension and concerns of the larger herd, which in the case of captivity includes human beings. Natalie was a nature girl, gifted with a wonderful communication with animals and instinctive riding abilities. We worked together for over 15 years, reading horses and riders and learning about the unique partnership of the two. The most distinctive bit of learning is this: The rider, owner, or trainer, and their inner life is empathetically absorbed by the horse. What the horse suffers is largely due to what is absorbed from the human being. If the rider wants to help the horse regain health, flexibility, impulsion, or focus, the rider must first help themselves attain these same attributes. This is not a popular observation in the horse world. Understandably. No one wants to be responsible for the suffering of another. Natalie championed the horse and did her best to communicate her unique understanding with others. But her primary connection was with the horse and she remained dedicated to helping those animals who were discarded or abused. Natalie passed away in 2006, but remains one of the greatest influences on my work and in my life.