SOBI Conference
Pictures!
Did you take pictures during the conference? Share them with your fellow attendees! You can upload them directly from your phone or computer through the Photos tab in Whova.
We created a slideshow of photos from past conferences you can view here and a slideshow from the 2023 conference here. Thank you for joining us!
Conference Presentations and Recordings
Thank you to all of our presenters!
Links to the recordings have been emailed to all conference attendees and are also available in Whova. If you attended the conference and did not receive the recordings email please contact the SOBI office.
If you did not attend the conference and would like to watch the recordings, you can gain access to the recordings, handouts, and slides (when applicable) by completing the form linked below.
These recordings will be available until April 30, 2024
Access the Conference Recordings
Live Presentations
Fluids as a System and the Essence of Fluids with Liz Olivas
Friday, October 20
9-10:30 a.m.
Looking at fluids as a system allows us to bring a different awareness and perhaps shift our perception of their role in our bodies. This presentation will include the updated information that was revealed by ICG Fluoroscopy imaging that includes the complete architecture of the fine lymphatic structures. Discussion on:
1. How do fluids really move through our bodies?
2. How far into or out of our bodies do we find fluid?
3. What is the essence of fluid?
Preparation for virtual attendees: space for movement
Elizabeth Olivas has been an Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy since 2004. The material in this presentation has developed out of her own class OB: Fluids Fascia and the Lymphatic System. It includes updated information on the effect of ICG Fluoroscopy's imaging on our understanding of the architecture and function of the Lymphatic System and the movement of fluids in our bodies.
1994 Certification in Manual Lymph Drainage by the Dr. Vodder School, Walschee, Austria
2000 Certification as a Registered Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy
2001 Certification as a Registered Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy
2004 Certification as a Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy
Fascia and Post Surgeries with Sheri Covey
Friday, October 20
10:45-11:45 a.m.
In this presentation Practitioners will learn how to feel fascia in relationship to surgery and tourniquets. The will also learn how surgery effects the body and how working with the intelligence of the body allows it to reorganize and heal efficiently.
Preparation for virtual attendees: none
Sheri Covey has been in Ortho Bionomy since 1994 and has loved the sheer beauty of the work and is grateful for the people who have come into her life since discovering her passion for the work. She is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Ortho Bionomy Center and is proud of their program and education levels within their programs.
The Art of Coordinating with Erin Long
Friday, October 20
12-1:30 p.m.
I will go over the nuts and bolts of coordinating, the benefits and work involved, and how the principles apply to the role of the coordinator. I want to offer people the tools for creating and sustaining an Ortho-Bionomy® community. I believe the Society needs more coordinators and this is a crucial component in expanding our Ortho-Bionomy numbers. It also eases the financial burdens of travel on students to have Ortho-Bionomy classes closer to home.
Preparation for virtual attendees: none
Erin Long grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, CA. She comes from a musical family and studied violin from the age of 5. She has a Bachelor and Masters degree in Violin performance from The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music respectively. Erin discovered Ortho-Bionomy® in her own healing process. The long hours of sitting as a professional violinist, decades of running, and the general accumulation of life impacted the health of her low back. Ortho-Bionomy gave Erin relief from her chronic pain and provided stability to her structure. It is now her passion. In 2014 Erin shifted her professional emphasis to the study of Ortho-Bionomy. Erin’s sensitivity, creativity, and receptive nature help her adapt to clients and students alike on their own path of discovery and the wondrous healing power of the body. Erin is an Instructor and Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy.
Where Science Meets Magic with Denise Deig
Friday, October 20
1:45-3:15 p.m.
Understanding the anatomy and function of the Neuromuscular system will influence your teaching and practice of Ortho-Bionomy. Two primary pillars of our bodywork, the Release and Isometrics, will be considered. Looking through the lens of Proprioceptors, including the Gamma Nervous System and Golgi Tendon Organs, we will see how knowledge of this hardwiring supports and guides our work. Understanding and incorporating this knowledge into your Ortho-Bionomy practice will influence your treatment approach and improve your success!
Preparation for virtual attendees: none
Denise Deig authored the book Positional Release Technique, from a Dynamic Systems Perspective originally published by Butterworth Heinmann in 2000. The 2nd revised edition was Published in 2006. She has taught Positional Release Muscle and Joint Continuing Education Classes to Physical Therapists on a National basis since 1985. Deig has taught Positional Release and Movement classes in the MHS postgraduate and DPT programs in the Physical Therapy program at the University of Indianapolis since 1989. She became an Ortho-Bionomy® Instructor in 1980 under the tutelage of its founder Arthur Lincoln Pauls. She became an Advanced Ortho-Bionomy Instructor in 2017. Deig has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Indiana University. Her professional training in Physical Therapy was completed at the University of California in San Francisco in 1976. She completed her MS degree in 1994 from the University of Indianapolis. She completed the Feldenkrais professional training program in 1992 and became a Bones for Life Trainer in 2006. She also teaches Walk for Life and Chairs programs through the Movement Intelligence Program and became a Senior Movement Intelligence Trainer in 2014. She has been a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitionercm for more than 20 years. Deig has extensive postgraduate training in orthopedic Physical Therapy. Much of her manual training was carried out at the school of Osteopathy at Michigan State University. She integrates Indirect Manual Therapy and Movement Intelligence work into her manual therapy practice in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Consciousness of the Phases with Debby Benson
Saturday, October 21
9-10:30 a.m.
Develop consciousness of the Phases through using skills and tools including recognizing the vibrations of the Phases using figure eights and the perceptions of the eyes, to give a sense of belonging in the relationship between the Ortho-Bionomist and client. This also includes other human and animal relationships in their lives.
Preparation for virtual attendees: a table and partner
Debby Benson is a SOBI Registered Advanced Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy. She began Ortho-Bionomy in 1995, has had a thirty-year career in education and is currently an accredited mediator with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice for ten years. Debby has been esoterically trained and has been studying since 2000 in this field. Debby completed the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Touch Skills four modules with Kathy Kain in 2018 and 2019.
Debby is known for her clarity, intuition and ability to negotiate with and assist people to find their own pathway through their Ortho-Bionomy learning. She has taught Ortho-Bionomy classes across the USA, New Zealand, and Australia. Debby is well-known for developing new techniques. She is especially known for the three-dimensional psoas release, spirals through the levels of the aura and her work with safety and trauma.
She was on the Board of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy Australia and the inaugural Chairperson of Ortho-Bionomy Australia over a fourteen-year period. Debby spent five years on the Board of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International, including eighteen months as the President. Debby understands the policies and training programs of these organisations and can help anyone through any challenges. She embodies the principles of Ortho-Bionomy and Debby has the ability to teach them to anyone in a light-hearted and easy way.
Empowering Families to Give Comfort to Their Dying with Jeanne Douglas
Saturday, October 21
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
This presentation will demonstrate how to get the whole family involved in giving comfort to their dying family member. It will show those feeling helpless that there are easy things they can “do” and be “involved in” so they aren’t helpless, and they will see they are able to give meaningful comfort that may bring relaxation to their family member.
Preparation for virtual attendees: none
Jeanne Douglas
1969-1971: Mankato State University - work toward a BS degree in Psychology. 1978-2021: Senior Research and Development Engineer at a Medical Components Manufacturer. 3 Patented Medical Devices. 1988 to Present: Member of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International 1988 to present: Maintain private practice in Shakopee, Minnesota 1994: Registered Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy 1995: Registered Senior Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy 1997: Basic Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy 1999-2005: President of the Board of Directors, Society of Ortho-Bionomy International 2014 to Present: Associate Advanced Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy 2019-2020: President of the Board of Directors, Society of Ortho-Bionomy International
Dynamic Somatic Touch® with Rouel Cazanjian
Saturday, October 21
2:30-4:00 p.m.
Touch work in somatic therapy is a quiet, non-moving, listening touch that is used for regulating adverse states of the nervous system from the effects of accumulated stress or trauma. Dynamic Somatic Touch (DST) integrates the skills of Ortho-Bionomy®, osteopathy, Somatic Experiencing and Focusing, and uses various micro-movements to support a quicker and more complete resolution of the nervous system. Positive effects can range from trauma recovery to syndrome resolution to chronic intractable mysterious pain resolution. In this introductory, you will learn the basics of DST to practice on yourself and transfer to your work with clients.
Preparation for virtual attendees: none
Rouel Cazanjian, M.A., LMFT, SEP, CMT, is bodywork therapist and a somatic psychotherapist. He is an advanced practitioner and instructor of Ortho-Bionomy® since 1988 and received his degree in psychology in 2001. Along with being a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, he has extensive training in body-oriented psychotherapies, such as Focusing, Biodynamic Psychology, Walking In Your Shoes, and mindfulness-based psychology. Rouel also has specialized training in subtle hands-on osteopathic methods. In his years of addressing physical complaints with bodywork therapy and psychological issues with his psychotherapy, Rouel has slowly combined and integrated all these methods into a single system for regulating the nervous system, renegotiating trauma, treating depression and anxiety, improving health syndromes, and getting his clients’ lives back on track.
Keynote by Dr. Patricia StandTal Clarke
Saturday, October 21
4:15-5:45 p.m.
Dr. Patrica StandTal Clarke is Eastern Band Cherokee (Wolf Clan), the daughter of Howard D. Clarke who survived forced boarding school to become a veteran officer and pilot in the United States Air Force. Dr. Clarke received her bachelors from UC Berkeley, her medical degree from the University of Minnesota (known for Primary Care), her Family Medicine fellowship at Dartmouth, and her DMin from Claremont School of Theology. She studied with Sophie Freud Lowenstein, the granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, in psychoanalysis. She is currently a fellow at the Andrew Weil’s Center of Integrative Medicine (University of Arizona – Tucson).
She has served over 4 decades as an ordained protestant Priest, 23 years as Medical Director of RedRoad Medicine (Native American clinical and research institute), 22 years in private practice, 20 years as a consulting diplomat with the United Nations, on faculty at two medical schools, and as principal investigator in HIV/ diabetes/ Native medicine research.
She is a Fellow with the American Academy of Family Physicians, a founding diplomat of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine (1996) and the American Board of Integrative Medicine (2014), a 2004 National Institutes of Health honoree: "Changing the Face of Medicine," and a Didanawisgi (Eastern Band Cherokee Native Healer) practicing integrative medicine of 1000 generations.
The Phases of Ortho-Bionomy® and the Poetics of Belonging with Richard Valasek
Sunday, October 22
9:30-11:00 a.m.
Can the feeling of belonging be reduced to a molecular matter of receptor sites, neurotransmitters, the interplay of agonists and antagonists? There is a larger story to be told, of networks, of relationship, kinships, interminglings and entanglements. The Phases allow us to play in the Extended Body, restoring connections with self and world, allowing new alliances. “Laws of Life” is a poetic stance, not a biological fact. “Poetics is a practice of engaging the world, in which one risks being transformed.” We will use the Phases and the principle of Reciprocity to experience some of the art of Ortho-Bionomy.
Preparation for virtual attendees: a table and partner
Richard Valasek BA Theater Arts, BS Animal Science, AD Nursing. Senior Advanced Instructor. Actor and theatrical sound designer. Cook. Husband father grandfather great grandfather. Neurodivergent. 45 years in Ortho-Bionomy. As a RN, 20 years at a major military medical center, behavioral health focused on PTSD, Addiction, and Pain Management.
Pre-Recorded Presentations
Presence, Holding a Universal Space, and Arthur’s Spirals with Ann Hoeffel
Available in Whova starting October 19th
Research has shown that a practitioner’s ability to hold a universal space, and feel a connection with the big picture, positively affects client outcomes. In this presentation, learn a step-by-step process, using Ortho-Bionomy principles and tools, for establishing and holding a universal space that enables clients to gain deeper releases and greater benefit from their sessions with you. Connect and align with this space as you work all day long and experience the difference in how you feel. Enjoy the same process as an embodiment meditation that can help you everyday, in whatever way you choose. You can feel more grounded and calm, find more ease in letting go of afflictive thoughts and emotions, develop your awareness and the ability to sense the world around you, and more. Two related Arthur-isms: Get out of your own way. Be who you really are.
Preparation: Paper, pen/pencil or other means of making a few notes from time to time
Ann Hoeffel, BS-Edu, LMT, CHt, CST, NCTMB, is an Advanced Instructor (2006) and Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy. She studied with founder, Arthur Pauls, D.O., many wonderful advanced instructors, and served as Vice President for the national organization. Ann has a BS in Education from Univ. of WI- Madison and several advanced certifications in wholistic therapies, comprising over 4600 hours of training. She integrates the principles of Ortho-Bionomy with other modalities and finds the results improve, including CranioSacral Therapy, Somato-Emotional Release, Visceral Work, Color Healing, VortexHealing, Meditation and Hypnotherapy. She began teaching in 1997 and enjoys training practitioners. For fun she enjoys painting oil on canvas. Students appreciate Ann’s clear explanations, her in-depth knowledge, decades of clinical experience and playful style. Ann has maintained a private practice in Chicago since 1984.
Ortho-Bionomy and the Sounds of Footsteps with Colin Gibbs
Available in Whova starting October 19th
I must confess that the feet have not been my favourite part of the body to work with—that is, until recently. Over the last two years I have been working on an exhibition of art works based on the music of song-poet jazz singer Caitlin Smith. Caitlin is blind, in fact since birth. She has taught me that in her walking and, in particular, through her feet, that she comes to know her world. From another perspective, Te ao Māori, the world of the indigenous people of Aotearoa-New Zealand, view footsteps (manea) as embodying a vital essence (hau).
How might this relate to Ortho-Bionomy? Arthur Pauls reminded us that “we must reject our educated belief that we know how things work before we can do them. Plant a seed—it grows” (Pauls, p. 39). I would like to think that this presentation might give us a chance to expand and free our ideas about Ortho-Bionomy, opening opportunities for deeper connection and awareness, and for us to celebrate and explore the notion of belonging as a source of healing in Ortho-Bionomy. Just as my foot is part of the earth (Papatūānuku) so too is my foot not separate from the universe, but is the universe.
Preparation: space to move and a partner
Colin Gibbs is an Advanced Ortho-Bionomy Instructor and Advanced Practitioner registered in Aotearoa-New Zealand, a registered massage practitioner, and a certified Chapman's reflex therapist. He is an education consultant and a Professor of educational psychology and teacher education but more importantly is a contemporary artist who loves exploring in a creative way. Colin runs. busy practice in his Ortho-Bionomy clinic in Hamilton Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Timing & Self Care with Ursula Hofer
Available in Whova starting October 19th
In Ortho-Bionomy we are fortunate to practice timing whenever we work with someone. Timing, feeling their rhythms, feeling their responses or of course sometimes non-responses will lead us to change our approach till we find the “right timing” again. How often do we tune into our own timing? Do we recognize our internal timing? Do we recognize when our muscles, our nerves, our bones are in sync with each other? How about the bones with the muscles or the nerves? Internal timing – being in sync: How do we notice when our internal body parts are not syncing up? Or maybe they are so tuned into the next-door neighbor that we can’t hear our own rhymes or tunes. External timing: Are we supposed to pay attention to others, getting in sync with them, being good and tuned in? How does our internal timing relate to our external timing? This presentation will provide an opportunity to explore timing from the inside out, to help us make choices and sync up with ourselves and the bigger pictures in ways that self-recognition can happen.
Preparation: Space to move around a bit, a chair to sit on which isn't too soft. Quiet environment.
Ursula Hofer For over 35 years Ursula has taught classes and workshops in Ortho-Bionomy, client-therapist relationship, energy awareness and how to help resolve trauma. Ortho-Bionomy, working with the body’s natural reflexes, still inspires her life and work every day. Her private practice in Santa Fe includes Ortho-Bionomy and Neurological trauma work. Ursula loves teaching interactively, allowing a bigger process to emerge as a group and as a living organism.
Whova
Whova is a virtual platform that provides many benefits to ensure you get the most out of the conference. It is available both as a mobile app for your phone and as an online web portal. All recordings of the presentations will be available on Whova soon.
To Log In to Whova:
Download the Whova app on your phone or visit the online portal on your computer. Sign in (on the mobile app) or sign up (on the web portal) with the same email address you used to register for the conference. You must use the same email you originally used to register; that's how Whova will recognize you. If you have any issues signing in please contact the SOBI office.
