Master Jiro Murai (1886­-1960)

Master Jiro Murai was born in Japan and came from a family of medical doctors. As he was not the first born son, he wasn't required to follow in his father’s footsteps as a medical professional and he was free to follow his heart. He became a sericulture engineer, worked in silk production and had fun partaking in eating contests which eventually took a toll on his health.

In 1912, at the age of 26, he became terminally ill and even his family of doctors couldn't help him. Having read about healing methods from the past, he decided to seek solitude in his final days and explore these ancient healing methods. He retreated to the family cabin in the mountains, instructing his relatives to return after 7 days to either see he was healed or to collect his body.

It was here that he practiced sitting in Zen meditation, fasting and using Mudras associated with Tantric Buddhism to prepare himself for his transition either to health or to the other side.

For six days he experienced his body cooling and on the seventh day a tremendous heat enveloped him. When his body returned to a normal temperature, he knew he had passed the crisis and was healed. The young Murai's world had transformed and for the next years he dedicated his life to the research, practice and teaching of how Life Energy from Source, flows in the human body. After a lot of careful thought, he named the practice “Jin Shin Jyutsu”. 

Jin-  Compassionate Human

Shin- Creator, Consciousness

Jyutsu- Art  (skillful mastery) 

Master Jiro Murai studied the Kojiki Records of Ancient Matters, which he believed held the story of human ailments. He also received documents from the private library at the Imperial Palace family since he treated the brother of the Emperor. Master Murai travelled to many places in Japan and treated people with specific Projects (diseases) and once he understood a Project he would move on to the next one. He would treat the patient once every month and instructed them to practice Self Help every day to maintain the proper movement of energy. He kept detailed case studies and made drawings of each patient's congested areas. He would sometimes design new flow patterns if the existent ones didn't resolve the Project. He also strongly requested that each patient and their family members would attend his lectures. 

Master Murai didn't have a lot of money and to continue his research, he would visit cattle slaughter houses and would buy the heads of cattle inexpensively. He dissected the heads and investigated the ways the interstitial fluid moved through the head. In this way he identified the movement of different flow patterns from the skin surface to the deeper parts. Master Murai traveled to many Shinto temples throughout Japan, they correspond to the placement of the Safety Energy Locations (SELs) on the body. He also did extensive research on his own body which included fasting for weeks at a time, eating only certain foods. He would observe and document how that process affected the energy flow in his body. He also experimented dissecting parts of his own body and played with the measurements of his own blood pressure. It is said that he spend about 10 years studying in libraries reading about 20,000 texts.

Through his studies and research he revived and re-organized a many centuries old healing art that had long been forgotten.

After World War 2 the Imperial family gave Master Jiro Murai permission to share and teach Jin Shin Jyutsu to the general population of Japan. He continued to standardize his discoveries of the energy flow in the body through practice, research, documentation and drawings until his final lecture series in 1957.

Master Murai’s two main protégés were Mary Burmeister and Haruki Kato.

 

Mary Burmeister (1918­-2008)

Mary (Ino) Burmeister was introduced to Master Jiro Murai in 1946. Mary was a young American women teaching English in Japan. Mary and Master Murai met at the home of a mutual student. When he met Mary he asked her, “Would you like to take a gift from Japan to the United States?” Mary was honored and immediately accepted the invitation to attend Master Murai’s lecture series.

For the next 6 years Mary studied with Master Murai and introduced her father Uhachi Ino to the lecture series as well. They developed a profoundly deep and meaningful relationship with their mentor, Master Jiro Murai. Mary departed Japan in 1953 to move back to America and continued to communicate and study with Jiro Murai for the next 12 years. She fulfilled her promise to her teacher and continued to study and translate her lecture notes into English while practicing  Jin Shin Jyutsu on friends and family. 

As knowledge of her healing hands spread, it was not long before Mary was treating and sharing this with anyone who found their way to her door. Mary authored two textbooks for practitioners, and three self help books. She continued to practice and teach the Art of Jin Shin throughout the United States.

Due to high demand, Mary chose 4 instructors in 1986, whom she trained to teach her 5-day workshops; Muriel Carlton, Philomena Dooley, Wayne Hackett and Pamela Markarian Smith. In 1990, Mary taught her last class in Santa Rosa. At this time is when Jin Shin Jyutsu Inc. was founded in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

Haruki Kato (1928-2014)

Haruki Kato was introduced to Master Jiro Murai by Mary Burmeister’s father, Uhachi Ino the year 1953 in Japan. Haruki’s mother received regular sessions of Jin Shin Jyutsu by Uhachi, and Haruki was allowed to observe these treatments. It was then that he decided to study the Art of Jin Shin with Master Murai and he became the youngest student at the age of 25.

Haruki studied with his teacher from 1953 until he passed away in 1960. He then became the successor of Master Jiro Murai’s teachings. Haruki opened his own clinic in Japan and published a textbook Japanese in 1993. He also authored two textbooks in English for practitioners. 

Haruki taught two classes in English in Hawaii, one class in 2002 and the other in Osaka, Japan in 2007. Sadaki Kato, Haruki’s only son is teaching from his father’s texts today.

 

Pamela Markarian Smith (1936­-2015)

Pamela Markarian Smith, a young woman living in California, was suffering from multiple unknown ailments that caused her to have skin disorders, respiratory illnesses and severe migraines. After exhausting all treatments of the medical community, she was facing exploratory surgery as a last resort. It was then that someone recommended she visit a woman who practices a Japanese healing art. She took the advice to heart and this was the beginning of Pamela’s journey into what became her life’s work. 

Pamela received treatments from Mary Burmeister for several months and her symptoms began to “go away”. Over a short period of time she was able to completely get off her medications. One day Pamela called Mary a healer and Mary said: “I’m not a healer, anyone can do this.” For the first time in her life, she made the decision to manage her own well being and began learning the Art of Jin Shin.

Pamela found her life’s passion and started to study with Mary Burmeister in the early sixties. Pamela’s dedication to the Art of Jin Shin comes from a deep spiritual belief which paralleled and was the foundation of Mary’s teaching. When Mary would speak about “The Breath That I Am” and “Now, Know Myself” Pamela felt like she was “coming home”. Mary and Pamela had a loving and profoundly respectful relationship that continued throughout both their lives. 

Mary moved to Scottsdale, Arizona and in 1973 Pamela moved to Santa Rosa, California where, following in Mary’s footsteps, she started treating and sharing the Art of Jin Shin with anyone who would listen, and there was a large audience. Following her two years of teaching for Jin Shin Jyutsu Inc., it was agreed that Pamela would venture out and create what is known today as Jin Shin Institute. Pamela founded Jin Shin Institute in 1993 and created 3 textbooks, a DVD set of a full workshop (now available digitally) and Self Help materials. Pamela's teachings are alive and continue to be studied by students around the world.

 

Philomena Dooley

Philomena Dooley RN, LMT, is a well respected instructor and practitioner of Jin Shin Jyutsu. After her work as a nurse and midwife, she has been practicing Western and Eastern Philosophy and energy medicine for over 55 years. She teaches the importance of harmonizing body energy in a profound way. Philomena brings to her classes a rich experience and understanding of the human body from a medical perspective. She founded the Morristown Memorial Hospital Jin Shin Jyutsu research project for cardiac patients with great success and results. Today nurses and medical professionals are being trained to use the Art of Jin Shin on patients in the hospital setting. Philomena’s knowledge is conveyed with grace and wit and is spiced with fascinating anecdotes. Her classes are attended by students from all over the world.

Alexis Brink

In 1986, Alexis Brink came to New York from the Netherlands to be a dancer and joined The American Dancemachine company. She sustained a knee injury which took her out of rehearsals for weeks at a time. One day a friend recommended for her to receive a session from master practitioner Philomena Dooley. Philomena gave her a short session, showed some Self Help and that was the end of the injury.

This miraculous event started her on the path to become an Art of Jin Shin practitioner.

Within several years of study, Alexis observed, practiced and experienced the art and learned the foundation, as she watched and worked with her teacher Philomena and her clients. Philomena has been her mentor ever since. Together they went and studied privately with Haruki Kato in Japan. Alexis also attended Kato's seminars as well as his son's, Sadaki Kato. 

Her intention of sharing the Art of Jin Shin with a larger audience led her to the meeting of Pamela Markarian Smith, who founded Jin Shin Institute in 1993. Pamela's devotion to Mary Burmeister and the integrity of the work was apparent. 

In January of 2015, Alexis Brink became the chosen successor of Jin Shin Institute by Pamela Markarian Smith. Alexis holds the same philosophy as Mary Burmeister and Pamela Markarian Smith, that Jin Shin is a healing art which is important to keep practicing, teaching and sharing to create continued awareness around the world, for generations to come. It is with humility and honor, and through her love for the Art of Jin Shin, that she will continue the legacy.

Alexis Brink LMT is the author of "The Art of Jin Shin" and “Healing at Your Fingertips,” published by Simon & Schuster and translated into 6 languages. She is the Director of Jin Shin Institute and has held a private practice in NYC since 1991. She has taught the Art of Jin Shin in hospitals to medical professionals, in the New York Public School system, and for wellness organizations and different communities around the world. Alexis has written two textbooks; "The Core" and "The Depth", on how to become a practitioner in the Art of Jin Shin. Jin Shin Institute, under Alexis' guidance, is offering a comprehensive curriculum to a new generation of practitioners and teachers. She is a Transactional Analysis Practitioner (TAP) of USATAA.