James C. Nourse, Ph.D., L.Ac.

James C. Nourse has devoted both his personal and professional life to exploring and integrating mind, body and spirit. His professional training both as a clinical psychologist and Chinese medical physician represents a unique combination of healing methods, unifying ancient and modern approaches to treating dis-ease and promoting health.

Clinical Psychology is a profession devoted to the study and treatment of problems of the mind, emotions, and behavior. Dr. Nourse is a proponent of a school of thought within psychology known as transpersonal psychology, which advocates that the spiritual component of life is a vital part of a person's well-being. Although the transpersonal psychologist does not advocate for any particular religion or denomination, he believes that individuals are helped by learning to discover within themselves sources of wisdom, inspiration and a deeper understanding of their relationship to the whole of life. Modern psychological understandings of the human condition have established conclusively that the state of mind and emotions have measurable efffects on the state of the body. Dr. Nourse has had the good fortune to study with one of the founders of Transpersonal Psychology, Stanislav Grof. M.D. from whom he received certification in Holotropic Breathwork in 1992, and has undergone personal Jungian analysis, which he regards as a cornerstone of his 30+ year career. He has himself participated in what he invites his clients to experience.

Classical Chinese Medicine is a practice with at least a 3000 year history. It represents a continuous testing and refinement, ultimately recorded in classical Chinese texts. These texts describe a medicine that cannot, by its very nature, fail to treat mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. The human body is not just a physical object. It is a field of energy, and this energy flows along channels (sometimes called meridians) within and across the body. This energy is a field which includes and interconnects what we think of as mental, physical and spiritual aspects of the person. When this energy is blocked or imbalanced in any way, illness results, and, this can express itself as mental, physical and/or spiritual distress. Acupuncture and related methods go directly to the underlying energy problem and strive to bring the system back into balance, so that illness, of whatever type, has no comfortable place to live. Dr. Nourse has been blessed with the opportunity to study Classical Chinese Medicine with Dr.'s Sean Marshall, D.Ac. and Tran Viet-Dzung, M.D., who are the major inheritors, trustees and teachers of this body of knowledge in the world today.

When indicated, a combination of the two approaches creates a powerful momentum for healing. Chinese Medicine may help deepen and accelerate a person's progress in psychotherapy, and psychological techniques may enhance and complement the healing process of Chinese Medicine.

Psychotherapy
A term once reserved for Freudian-based practices for treating mental illness, Psychotherapy now refers to a broad spectrum of theories and techniques for relieving suffering, promoting health and, in general, understanding and improving the human condition. These practices range from highly focused behavioral techniques for resolving very specific problems such as phobias, traumas, or suboptimal social skills, to more philosophical approaches for facilitating major life transitions, dealing with loss and/or physical illness, or finding one’s life purpose. One size does not fit all, but what all approaches have in common is that the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client is a critical ingredient in the healing process. Psychotherapy is one of the very few venues in life for a person to openly reflect on his/her innermost thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive setting. Once the province of Medicine, psychotherapy is not largely offered by non-medical licensed professionals including clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and licensed professional counselors.

Psynerqi (sin-er-chee)
An approach to health and healing developed by James C. Nourse, Ph.D., L.Ac. from his nearly forty years experience as a health care professional. Dr. Jim, as his patients refer to him, is a clinical psychologist and board certified acupuncturist whose training embraces modern western scientific, as well as ancient and eastern understandings of health and disease. The components of this training that have informed his work are:

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee
• Ten years of personal psychoanalysis (Jungian)
  
• Graduate of Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine and Diplomate in Acupuncture, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• Meditation practice learned from various teachers, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Professionals, taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
• Holotropic Breathwork™ as taught by Christina and Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., Certified Practitioner
• Studies with Michael Harner, Ph.D. and faculty of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies; Beautiful Painted Arrow, Southern Ute/Picuris Pueblo elder and healer; Stanley Kopa Kaluahine, Hawaiian elder and healer: 'Ihaleakala Hew Len, Ph.D., Hawaiian psychologist and ho'oponopono teacher

The term Psynerqi is a synthesis of psychology and energy, specifically the ancient Chinese concept of a basic energy or force that pervades all living things, called qi (pronounced chee). According to this view health exists when the qi is flowing and balanced, and illness occurs when it is blocked or imbalanced. Chinese Medicine, using modalities such as acupuncture, restore the qi to flow and balance so that illness has greater difficulty manifesting. One of the master teachers in Dr. Jim's school of Chinese Medicine taught: "We are not here to compete with western medicine. We are here to complete western medicine." Another teacher noted: "Western medicine is about the moving leaf; eastern medicine is about the wind that moves the leaf. There is only one medicine."

A complete and integrated therapy ideally includes attention to mind and body and the flow of energy that underlies both, and is tailored to the individual. Physical problems are always influenced by and have an influence on a person's psychology, and psychological problems always have physical components. Psynerqi embraces the principle that at any given time a patient's needs may suggest one or several modalities. Thus, for example, a session might consist of conventional talk therapy alone, or this might be done in combination with acupuncture. Another session might be focused on relaxed breathing and visualization alone or in combination with acupuncture. Self-acupressure and meditative techniques might be prescribed for continuation of the work between sessions.

Dr. Jim has authored several papers and books including Simple Spirituality: Finding Your Own Way, and, soon to be released, Opening the Aloha Mind: Healing Self, Healing the World Through Ho'oponopono.

Education and Experience
PhD, University of Tennessee 1975,
Certified in Holotropic Breathwork(TM) and transpersonal psychology by the Grof Transpersonal Training Program.

Trained in:
Mindfulness based stress reduction of Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD.
Exceptional Cancer Patients by Bernie Siegel, MD.

Associate with Resource International, a Houston based management consultant firm specializing in stress management

Graduate and Faculty member biomedical sciences at the Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine

Clinical Psychologist; Individual, group and corporate stress management specialist; Certified Grof Holotropic BreathworkT Facilitator