genital de-armouring from a client’s perspective
Before I discovered the wonderful Jim Jones, I was stuck in deep heartbreak, disconnected from my inner intuition and ashamed of my overweight body. I had suffered a brutal breakup where my beloved ex of 3.5yrs had been cheating on me for most of our time together. I was shocked (cognitively), but my body knew it and it explained some of the strange symptoms e.g. chronic cystitis, numbness, exhausting periods, severe brain fog. As a bodyworker myself who is on a 4-year training, my little ego brain thought “I know what I need to do to get back to my true powerful self….”
I attempted various practices, womb meditations, spent my money on online courses, a Yoni egg, a de-armouring wand which I never even got round to using in 2 years! I was STUCK. I felt ashamed about this stuckness and of course, when you are in this place, you can’t really SEE that you’re in it. I was getting weekly hands-on therapeutic touch in my body psychotherapy sessions from my incredible therapist and many other things were unfolding, but my Yoni continued to be numb, painful and confused. I tried to connect with my womb space but heard nothing back from her.
When I saw Jim’s post on genital de-armouring, my heart fluttered. He said it would take 5-6 sessions to get to this so I stuck with the process aiming for this last session. Little did I know, along the way, some of the most powerful sessions were when we focused on other parts of my body - wow! For example, my stomach seemed to be at the core of my shame and much of my inner child wounds. Once I got to session 5, it made total sense why we could not jump straight into the genital work and it was one of the most profoundly beautiful processes I have been through. I understood the theory behind de-armouring, but properly experiencing it is a different story. I assumed it would work on the musculature/postural alignments, but to my surprise, Jim worked on my stomach, a lot on my breath, grounding, my boundaries/consent, the energy flow through the Chakras and even pulling my tongue!? Each session felt like an unexpected journey of slow, intentional detangling of fear and pain I had ignored for so long. It seemed to meet all parts of my being organically (my body, aura, mind and spirit) which had not been addressed in other bodywork workshops and sessions.
After each session, I was slowly re-discovering fragments of my joyful, pleasurable, connected, and magical self again! Although the de-armouring felt very vulnerable to receive, it was also a relief to have it met by someone who felt safe to me. Jim guided and supported my body so that all I had to focus on was to surrender and BREATHE. This is what finally led me to getting out of that deep hole of numbness and stuckness.
I was inspired by Jim’s confidence and lack of doubt at holding space for such deep expansive energy work. Stepping into the space he held so attentively for me, allowed me to really let go. My nervous system learnt that I didn’t need to HOLD on anymore – Jim held the boundaries, there was clarity in the session and he kept the flow naturally. And this was reflected in the actual physical space of his cosy home. I couldn’t hear neighbours and it was so important to step into a safe private haven where I could fully express myself, as I don’t like others hearing me!
When we worked deeply on the stomach and it was getting too much, Jim intuitively started moving the energy up to the chest and solar plexus and there were some huge releases here! Before meeting Jim, I have to say I was somewhat sceptical, as I have not been that convinced by many body / tantric workers I’ve met. I am a very sensitive and emotionally deep individual, so I can be quite protective of letting someone work on ALL layers of my being even though I am very curious, open and willing too.
What struck me immediately was how grounded and present Jim was from the get go and this was consistent. He is very contained and professional, which was great for someone like me – someone with at times slightly unclear boundaries. He always had a big welcoming smile on his face and a warmth in his hug hello. And we always began and ended our sessions with a down-to-earth-chat about general life things and a lovely cup of tea! He was just very real and genuine, and it was THIS that put me at ease.
Jim had a natural talent for spiralling his fingers down into the exact point of tension, meeting its resistance with mindful persistence and allowing it to release in its own time. It was painful of course, but what a relief it was to be met and seen in my pain without any hesitation in the touch! This led me into some small but profound releases where my whole body sunk into a sea of relaxation OR some explosive and tearful processes!
We would discuss what we wanted to work on before lying down, so there was no surprise for my nervous system which was very helpful e.g. one session we worked all around the heart/breast plates and solar plexus. Whereas in another session, we focused on de-armouring the throat, neck and jaw – one of my favourites! After the session, Jim never rushed me out the door because he had another session or something to do. This was KEY to integrating it all as my head was often spinning with energy and it would take me a while to face the outside world. This is also hugely important for letting the parasympathetic system do its important healing work and I was grateful for this space! He also never pressurized me to book another session but would check in every now and then to see if anything came up. This was also very valuable as it felt like a thread of holding and connection was continuing between sessions and I felt fully comfortable to say yes or no.
I was continually surprised at how much tension there was all over my body, especially in places I never knew there could be tension e.g. my pubic bone…. Words, old stories and images came up after sessions, meaning my body was processing it long afterwards. When we did get to Session 5, the genital de-armouring, Jim was gently feeding back what he could feel and what he was going to do next, allowing my body to be ready. It was like we were really working together in tandem, to explore my Yoni gently and with deep care and respect. I suddenly heard the voice of my Yoni again! I WAS IN AWE and wonder. Also, there was a spontaneous energetic release from my Yoni which was incredible. Jim’s confidence in this practice and his genuine respect for my Yoni brought me to so many tears and insights after – it had been so long since anyone, even myself, had treated it with this much care and love, I had forgotten how special and essential this connection was. Since this last session, my orgasms have changed significantly and I have managed to do some of my own Yoni de-armouring (although not as good as Jim’s I must say).
If you are thinking of trying out de-armouring with Jim, do it! Even 3 months later, the work we did together is still moving through me and re-organizing itself. Jim is a truly special guy who is really living from his truth and has a great gift of holding and guiding the body through resistance and fears. Your body will thank you!
Maryam A
