Book With Gina James Online!

April 26th, 2011

Very excited to offer fast and easy online scheduling with Gina James, Licensed Massage Therapist #7348.




It’s convenient, secure, and available 24×7. Plus you can select the precise service and the ideal time that’s right for you with instant confirmation – no more phone or email tag.

Gina looks forward to seeing you on the schedule and on her table very soon.

In Practice: Toshio Omura, LAc.

October 17th, 2009

Toshio Omura. LAcToshio’s practice has greatly evolved over the last few years. Rather than begin to specialize or narrow his focus to certain illnesses, treatment modalities or parts of the body as many practitioners do, he has instead found himself becoming something akin to a General Practitioner in Eastern medicine.

He believes in treating the whole person, not just bits, pieces or single systems, and doesn’t follow one model of healing or just one style of acupuncture. Instead he has been able to take the best of each developed model in the healing arts, to treat patients with a very personal, individual treatment plan, rather than relying on strict or prescribed protocols.

In this model, Toshio is able to keep his practice fresh, always learning, growing and developing and offers a “custom-built” approach in the assessment, treatment and follow-up care plan for every client.

Now, all of that being said, it turns out that Toshio has had some significant success with a very specific complaint: Headaches. Again, he approaches each case, symptom or ailment with a fresh look and an abundance of treatment options, and then he gets to work.

All of us at Numinosity have been pleased to see his practice grow so quickly since joining as an Affiliate earlier this year. And we’ve all been the happy recipients of his unique and healing treatment style. So be sure to let us know if you have any questions about Toshio’s practice or the general experience of acupuncture.


Marsha Hansen on the Topic of Trigger Points

August 1st, 2009

Marsha Hansen, LMT

Marsha Hansen, LMT

As you may know one of Marsha’s favorite topics is the concept of trigger points. But what are trigger points?

A trigger point is a tiny nodule in a tight band of muscle. Trigger points will be very tender when pressed on. One of the most fascinating characteristics of a trigger point is its ability to refer to a distant part of the body. This means that when a trigger point is pressed on, it is not only tender, but you are likely to feel a vague sensation radiating away from the actual point.

For example, a trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle (on the back of the shoulder blade) can refer sensation into the hand. Pain in the knee can be referred from trigger points in the quadricep muscles near the hip.  Deactivating trigger points is an essential part of unlocking pain and restoring range of motion.

Trigger points have been studied for several decades now. Arguably, the most comprehensive work is Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual (1983)which was written by Janet Travell, an American physician who treated John F. Kennedy’s post-surgical back pain. She released a second edition in 1992. Other books and workbooks are out on the market now as well.

For a fun and easy way to learn about trigger points to manage your own pain, join me for one of my Soft Tissue Detective Series classes: Pain Relief thru Trigger Points which are offered at Portland Community College.  The next classes are coming up in early October.  Email Marsha or call Numinosity for more information.

What Does A Chiropractor Do?

June 28th, 2009

What truly differentiates doctors of chiropractic from any other healthcare professionals is the fact that chiropractors  are trained to diagnose and treat what is called a “subluxation”.   The word “subluxation” comes from the Latin words meaning “somewhat or slight” (sub) and “to dislocate” (luxate).  So the term ‘vertebral subluxation’ literally means a slight dislocation or misalignment of the bones in the spine.

There are actually five components that contribute to vertebral subluxation.

  1. Bone Component-where the vertebra is either out of position, not moving properly, or are undergoing degeneration.  This frequently leads to a narrowing of the spaces between the bones through which the nerves pass; often resulting in irritation or impingement of the nerve itself.
  2. Nervous Component-is the disruption of the normal flow of energy along the nerve fibers, causing the messages traveling along the nerves to become distorted.  The result is that all of the tissues that are fed by those nerves receive distorted signals from the brain and, consequently, are not able to function normally.  Over time, this can lead to a whole host of conditions, such as peptic ulcers, constipation and other organ system dysfunction.
  3. Muscular Component-since nerves control the muscles that help hold the vertebrae in place, muscles have to be considered to be an integral part of the vertebral subluxation complex.  In fact, muscles both affect, and are affected by the vertebral subluxation.  A subluxation can irritate a nerve, the irritated nerve can cause a muscle to spasm, the spasmed muscle pulls the attached vertebrae further out of place, which then further irritates the nerve and you have a vicious cycle.
  4. Soft Tissue Component-the subluxation will also affect the surrounding tendons, ligaments, blood supply, and other tissues as the misaligned vertebrae tug and squeeze the connective tissue with tremendous force.  Over time, the soft tissues can become stretched out or scarred, leaving the spine with either a permanent instability or restriction.
  5. Chemical Component-is the change in the chemistry of the body due to the vertebral subluxation.  Most often, the chemical changes, such as the release of a class of chemicals called “kinins,” are pro-inflammatory; meaning that they increase inflammation in the affected area.

All of these changes get progressively worse over time if they are not treated correctly, leading to chronic pain, inflammation, arthritis, muscle trigger points, the formation of bone spurs, loss of movement,  as well as muscle weakness and spasm.  Chiropractors have known the dangers of the vertebral subluxation complex ever since the birth of the profession. More and more scientific research is demonstrating the tremendous detrimental impact that subluxation has on the tissues of the body. Chiropractors are the only health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex through the use of chiropractic care.

-Levy Chiropractic at Numinosity Wellness Center

Spiritual Direction In Challenging Times – Connecting Mind, Body and Spirit

May 29th, 2009

In our current times we are faced by many challenges that threaten to knock us off balance.

Spiritual Direction can offer a space to reflect on what these challenges mean to us. It can provide a time to recognize what has been lost, what must be grieved and what must be released.

Through spiritual direction we can discover how we find hope – that voice of Spirit, God, the Divine – resonating through our inner wisdom helping guide us into a sense of deep endurance through hardship. Reconnecting with that inner faith reminds us that we will be okay, that we will again find opportunities to thrive.

When life changing events happen, they can either be unexpected or perhaps we have a low level awareness of what’s to come. The stress we feel from watching the news, listening to friends, family and coworkers who are being affected can cause our bodies to shift into “fight or flight” mode. When we are directly affected we go into “shock”. Physically, our adrenal glands are on overdrive, trying to maintain a stream of constant energy that our bodies cannot sustain for long periods of time.

At some point, we “crash”, feeling the exhaustion of pushing ourselves beyond our current capabilities. This is when the grief over what we have lost begins. There can be confusion and often depression that sets in, spinning our world on its head.

Often our minds are looking for answers, justifications, ideas of where to go or what to do next. Our bodies are yearning to relax, to feel whole, strong yet flexible. Our spirits are yearning for awareness, to feel connected and not alone. We find ourselves scrambling for something to fill the gap.

Here we have the opportunity to look within and listen to the ways that we are being with the current situation. There is an opportunity here for Spiritual growth when we take the time to notice what is yearning to be attended to.

In a Spiritual Direction session we listen in order to notice where you are being “nudged” internally. We can look at what are the most appropriate and tantalizing places and practices to cultivate both inner and outer connection and consider how to best integrate them in your daily life.

We are all engaging daily on our Spiritual paths intertwined with our professional and personal journeys. By allowing ourselves the space to deeply acknowledge this interconnection and by making mindful choices along the way, we allow the bright light of hope to guide us through difficult experiences. We witness a deep knowing that this too shall pass and we will arrive on the other side with a renewed sense of clarity, health and peace.

Gina C James completed a two year Contemplative Listening program in Spiritual Direction in 2006 through Namaste. She is a member if Spiritual Director International. She currently offers Spiritual Direction Sessions through Numinosity where she can be reached for more information.

EMDR Overview

April 25th, 2009


Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of psychotherapy that was developed by Francine Shapiro, in 1987, to assist clients in resolving disturbing and/or traumatic life experiences. It uses a specific structured approach to address past, present, and future aspects of disturbing memories.

EMDR is based on the adaptive information processing model which hypothesizes that symptoms surface when disturbing events have not been adequately processed at the time of the experience, and that once fully processed these disturbing events can be resolved. EMDR uses an integrative approach, combining elements of traditional psychotherapy orientations and physiological approaches. It combines mind, body, spirit – or to put it another way the intellectual, the emotional and the physical. A very simple example of how to use an integrative approach is the question: When you think of that experience what emotions come up, where do you feel that in your body, and what negative thoughts do you notice?

The most unique aspect of EMDR versus other more traditional psychotherapies is the use of bilateral stimulation of the brain (moving back and forth between the right brain and the left brain.) To do this the EMDR therapist uses different forms of bilateral stimulation such as eye movements (moving the eyes back and forth – right and left,) bilateral sound (through ear phones hearing sounds go back and forth between the right ear and the left ear,) or bilateral tactile stimulation (ex., pulsars that are held in the hands or bilateral tapping on palms.)

With EMDR, an EMDR therapist would combine bilateral stimulation with negative thoughts, visualized images, and body sensations. EMDR also utilizes “dual awareness” to allow the individual to be able to move between the disturbing material of the past and what’s going on in the present moment. The intention of dual awareness is to prevent re-traumatization from exposure to the disturbing memory.

EMDR was originally used to treat PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,) currently it is used to treat many different types of issues including those that are less complicated than PTSD. Some of the other issues that can be addressed using EMDR during counseling are depression, anxiety, grief and loss. Clients also seek EMDR for symptoms that result from a car accident, surgery/hospitalization, and other experiences that were sudden and/or traumatic.

EMDR is useful for performance enhancement such as acting and or performing, presenting or giving a speech, preparing for tests, and other professional skills that the client wants to strengthen.
Depending on the issue or reason for seeking EMDR treatment, the number of sessions needed vary. For a single incident trauma the general recommendation for number of EMDR sessions is approximately six sessions. The EMDR sessions do not necessarily include the initial intake assessment, which can take several sessions depending on the client’s psychological and emotional needs. A qualified EMDR therapist can assist the client in determining an approximate number of session’s that may be needed.

For more invasive, chronic and long term issues there is not a general guideline for the number of EMDR sessions. It may take quite a number of traditional psychotherapy sessions before moving into EMDR; again a qualified EMDR therapist can help the client assess what that might look like.

For further information regarding EMDR visit the EMDR section on Christina’s website.