Colleen Foye Bollen
Flowing Stillness
About Colleen
Colleen is a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, a Reiki Master and certified Sound Healer. As a lineage holder, she brings ancestral healing wisdom into each session. All treatments are individually designed and co-created with her clients to best serve their personal needs and desires. Colleen’s working career includes more than 25 years as a professional writer/artist and speaker, as well as a decade in the field of education.
Colleen has completed numerous five-day Jin Shin Jyutsu workshops and special topic classes. In addition, she attends a weekly trade group that has allowed her to learn from other Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioners and develop deep friendships.
My Story
My journey into the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu® (pronounced "jin shin jitsu") began in 2002 when I was getting ready for a trip to Mexico. A few weeks before my departure, I dreamt a friend had a book about Mexico that I should read before my trip. As a member of an ongoing dream group, I knew to pay attention.
The next morning I called my friend and learned about a book called The Mayan Factor by José Argüelles. As I read this esoteric book about the Mayan calendar, I understood less than ten percent of the information. Page by page I slowly waded through the cryptic material. Then midway through the book, the author mentioned Jin Shin Jyutsu, describing it as a pressure-point massage technique that worked with specific energy pathways.
Accompanying that reference was an illustration of the Mayan calendar. Superimposed over the calendar was the outline of a human body, marked with 26 energy points along each side of the body. My body responded to this information with an internal humming. From past experience I knew that sensation signified something of great magnitude had just come into my life.
While in Mexico, I took a tour bus to Chichén Itzá, a sacred Mayan ruin and one of greatest wonders of the world. The weather was scorching hot and busloads of tourists swarmed the main attraction, the Kukulkan Pyramid. Looking for a cool, quiet place to meditate, I walked past rows of stone columns covered with carved serpents. Further into the ancient temple city, I found a sweathouse Mayans had used for cleansing rituals. Inside, I sat with my back against a cool wall and meditated. Within minutes, I heard an inner voice tell me, “We are not kidding, you need to learn Jin Shin Jyutsu.”
After returning home, I began researching Jin Shin Jyutsu on the Internet. As luck would have it, a five day training session was coming to Seattle within a couple of months. Based solely on my body’s reaction to the illustration in The Mayan Factor and my inner voice’s urging, I signed up for my first five-day workshop. I did not talk to anyone about Jin Shin Jyutsu, read a book, or receive a treatment before beginning my training. I knew nothing about the healing practice.
With no foundational knowledge about Jin Shin Jyutsu, my first five-day workshop was mentally exhausting. Yet, even in the mist of brain overload, I recognized that I had found a new path. As a curious person with a passion for learning, I knew I could study Jin Shin Jyutsu’s many facets for a lifetime and never get bored or know everything. It would be a life-long study.
I am eternally grateful the dream that led me to the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu. In appreciation for my introduction to Jin Shin Jyutsu, my ongoing goal is to share this practice with other people.