A journey to self-care and healing

Julianne Roshan Dow, a seasoned wellness educator and practitioner, has been bringing her expertise in Jin Shin Jyutsu and holistic health practices to a series of Women Wellness Wednesdays at the Dow Integrative Institute in Kent. These hybrid gatherings (in-person and online) have offered women a chance to explore self-care techniques tailored to address female health challenges, from fertility to menopause. This initiative has not only been an opportunity to support personal well-being, but has also served as a fundraiser for the Kent Food Bank, reflecting Julianne’s dedication to her community. The program will continue as long as there is interest.

The Wednesday sessions have been led out of Dow’s home, a mixed-use building in Kent, Connecticut across from the firehouse. Dow’s introduction to Eastern healing arts began in childhood, witnessing the transformative effects of acupuncture on her mother. Over 44 years, she has cultivated her expertise as an integrative medicine practitioner, a yoga instructor, and an ethics teacher. Her work spans hospital settings, including Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey, and a research team at Morristown Hospital, where Jin Shin Jyutsu protocols were used to alleviate pre- and post-surgical pain, anxiety, and nausea.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is an ancient Japanese healing art, “similar to acupuncture but without the needles,” explained Dow, harmonizing the body’s energy through gentle touch. The technique addresses emotional and physical challenges, with each finger corresponding to specific emotions and organ functions. The thumb is associated with anxiety and stress, the index finger with fear, middle finger with anger (“makes sense,” laughed Dow), the ring finger with deep grief, and the pinky with doing too much. As Dow explained, “All you need is your hands, and you can even do it with your breath.”

Julianne Roshan Dow with her dog. Yana Russell

Participants have learned practices like the “Emergency Hold,” a technique used in high-stress situations to calm the body and restore balance. Dow also works with animals, teaching owners how to use the practice to provide their pets with the same benefits it offers humans. “This is something that you can do while you’re watching TV, while you’re sitting in the passenger seat of a car,” Dow explained. “Some people do it as part of their meditation practice, but you don’t have to be a meditator to do it.”

While the Wednesday group has been a focused series, Dow envisions expanding her outreach through free “commUNITY self-care classes” possibly at the Kent Library, introducing more people to these transformative practices. Her goal is to empower individuals with tools they can use anytime, anywhere. “This is something that needs to get out there. People don’t know what this is, and it’s time they do.”

On keeping these offerings free of charge, Dow shared, “This is research-based, time-tested self-care and it’s is my offering to the community.” She continued, “Especially in these times, there is and will be a lot of need for self-care.”

For more information, visit juliannedow.com