Jim Thomas obtained a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1977 and a Masters Degree in Acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Laurel, Maryland, in 1986.
He was a co -founder of the Center of Healing Arts, a multi-disciplinary holistic healing center in Westminster, Maryland in 1986 and maintained a private practice there until completing construction of Samara, a healing and retreat center outside of Taneytown, Maryland, in the spring of 2010. In addition, Jim had a part time private practice from 2002 until 2006 at Fairhaven, a retirement community in Sykesville, Maryland.
Jim has integrated his extensive training and clinical experience in a process he calls TransHealing. This form of healing combines the classical wisdom of Oriental Medicine with the contemporary insights of Transpersonal Psychology.
He also has additional training in shamanic healing, cranio-sacral work and zero balancing and is certified in the Deep Memory Process by Dr. Roger Woolger. Jim has studied at the Washington Center for Consciousness Studies with Rudy Bauer, Ph.D. and been an Empty Force Qi Gong student of Master Shuren Ma. He completed Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Intensive in 2013 as well as the I Am Light program at Peace Valley Sanctuary in Arkansas in 2015; a curriculum that focuses on the development of energetic awareness and spiritual growth.
Jim leads a weekly friday morning Drop-In Mediation Class at Samara, and is the co-facilitator of both the Sound Healing Clinic and Sounds Of Spirit Concerts.
About TransHealing
As we are integrated beings, our body is our Spirit made manifest. What we experience through our body as a “symptom” is the expression of our consciousness through our physical form. Unresolved feelings and habituated patterns will be brought to our awareness through emotional, mental and physical signs.
There are two aspects of treatment in the TransHealing Process that are rooted in the philosophy of Chinese Medicine- they are clearing and nourishing interventions. Unresolved emotional themes tend to stagnate over long periods of time resulting in excesses of unexpressed feelings. On a physical level, poor dietary choices or substance abuse can also create a stagnation of our vital energy.
Acupuncture, gentle touch, breathwork and emotional processing work are combined to assist in clearing these excesses. Once these full places are emptied, we can begin to bring nourishment and support to those aspects of ourselves where we believe we are not enough or can not get enough, re-framing those events that led us to these self-limiting conclusions.
Another strength of Chinese Medicine is the evaluative tool of constitutional assessment. This appraisal gives language to a subtle understanding of our nature and therefore allows us to make more appropriate life choices that match our innate capacity with our output into the world. This knowledge can be of great assistance in our emotional and physical self-care planning, as we learn to choose for ourselves from a more informed vantage point.
“Jim Thomas changed my life — and saved it. And not just once, but several times. I’ve been a client of his for more than two decades, and however far away from Maryland I may travel now, I will still make the drive, any distance, to come back to see Jim when my heart, body mind and spirit need to realign.
“Through Jim’s healing work we’ve overcome my Anorexia Nervosa, healed double pneumonia in one session, and released years of trauma and severe emotional pain that had been, prior to our sessions, slowly eroding away at my life and health. With his profound knowledge, intuitive wisdom, and loving compassion, his work is simply unparalleled in the field of holistic medicine.
And most importantly to me, is that the healing space he provides, is the safest place in the world — and many times it’s been my only safe place. I pray that anyone who has ever been in pain, for whatever reason, could see Jim. His work is truly miraculous — and he is indeed a lifesaver.” – S.N.
“I came to Jim Thomas for acupuncture without a lot of hope in mind. I had tried everything and spent thousands of dollars and hours with various “therapies” to no avail. I honestly thought this would be just one more thing that wouldn’t make me feel better, but I was wrong. From the beginning it was easy to see that Jim was very easy to talk to and was very open and unassuming. For the first time ever I learned how to listen to my body, hear what it had been trying to tell me for years, and respond to what it was saying. I am grateful to him for having worked so hard to help me, as now I’m a very different person from the one he first met. I now run my own business and am out in that World that was once so scary, meeting new people every day, and loving it! “-E.L., Westminster
Respectful, attentive and skilled are adjectives I use to describe Jim’s work. Over the last five years, he has steadfastly encouraged my journey toward health and wholeness. Many say I look younger now than I did five years ago. I can recommend him without reservation. – S.V., Taneytown
“My Acupuncture and Breath works therapy with Jim Thomas for the past two years has been such a positive, uplifting, life changing event. He is a true giving healer. He listens first, guides you to find your center, then brings you to your own healing….physically, emotionally, and spiritually. From my very first visit, I felt trust in him for my personal care. What started as a medical need has become a nurturing retreat for me.” – B.D., Baltimore