Healing mind and body with Okinawan Bodywork Dynamics

Paul Jefferies, who runs a clinic in Bournemouth with his wife Wendy, describes himself as an alternative healer and martial arts master.

Now he has written a book about Okinawan Bodywork Dynamics (OBWD), a form of Shiatsu that he has evolved over the past 20 years.

“The shortcoming of traditional medicine is often because it doesn’t take into account that a healthy mind and a healthy body go hand in hand,” Paul explains.

“All ailments are due to an imbalance between mind and body – a large number of clients spend their working life behind a desk, which requires mental hard work but not physical activity, which creates the imbalance which can cause illness.”

Using healing techniques based on Japanese practices that are thousands of years old, OBWD is a therapy based on touch.

The underlying philosophy is that energy (Chi) flows around the body through meridians or channels. If these become blocked it can cause an imbalance and ill health. By stimulating various acupressure points, tensions are released and the body and mind are harmonised, allowing the energy to flow, encouraging physical and emotional wellbeing.

Paul treats a wide array of conditions, particularly those with persistent symptoms, from the muscle and sports injuries of footballers, to conditions like migraine, sciatica, depression and epilepsy.

He has also worked with cancer patients like Louise, who had regular sessions with Paul, as well as hospital treatment. She said: “My consultant was amazed I could raise my arm above my head and I was experiencing sensation in the area where the lymph nodes had been removed.

“This is very rare after such an operation and can take up to a year for sensitivity and good muscle range to come back. I can only put this down to the work Paul was doing.”

Paul is one of a handful of Okinawan Te practitioners in the West. His book A Beginner’s Guide to Okinawan Bodywork Dynamics is available priced at £24.99 from Amazon.