Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment®
Whole Person Support: Body + Psyche + Energy
Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment®, developed by Dr. Pino Ferroni, is a gentle, integrative bodywork modality designed to support nervous system balance and whole-person living. This work is offered by Christina Cunningham, who has studied and practiced Bioenergetic-Shen–based work for over 20 years.
Working with Vital Energy and the Shen - the conscious, animating spirit that integrates body, emotion, and mind - this approach invites the system into greater regulation, coherence, and ease through slow, attentive, relational touch and somatic reflection.
This treatment supports the body’s natural ability to settle, self-regulate and restore balance, especially for those who feel easily overstimulated, overextended, or disconnected from their body. Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® engages the whole person - body, psyche, and energetic system - within the reality of their lived experience.
How It Works
Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® integrates Western bioenergetics with Taoist energetic principles and somatic awareness. Its core premise is simple: Vital Energy must be felt, lived, and allowed to flow freely in order to support well-being.
For sensitive individuals, prolonged stress, emotional load, or vigilance can restrict this flow, leading to tension, fatigue, anxiety, or a sense of being “too much” or “not quite here.” Through slow, attentive touch, this work gently invites the system back into rootedness, awareness, and presence, allowing energy to circulate naturally without force.
The Shen Touch
A defining feature of this modality is the Shen Touch - a slow, rhythmic, and intuitive form of contact that is relational rather than mechanical. Using long, continuous movements, the practitioner supports the nervous system in unwinding patterns of contraction and over-stimulation. The touch is gentle, enveloping, and deeply listening, creating a sense of being held, supported, and met rather than worked on.
A Path Toward Balance and Creativity
The aim of Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® is not only relief from discomfort, but the restoration of a person’s capacity to live with sensitivity, awareness, and creative presence. As Dr. Ferroni wrote, “Cultivating the Shen should be the reason for living.” Many clients report feeling calmer, clearer, more grounded, and more connected to their vitality and sense of direction.
What Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® Supports
This work may be beneficial for individuals experiencing:
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Chronic stress or nervous system overload
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Anxiety, fear, or persistent inner tension
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Psychosomatic or stress-related discomfort
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Fatigue or a sense of depleted vitality
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Difficulty relaxing or inhabiting the body
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Emotional holding related to past experiences
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A desire to reconnect with creativity and life direction
As balance is restored, many people experience:
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a sense of calm and inner stability
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increased clarity and self-awareness
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improved emotional regulation
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renewed vitality and creativity
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a feeling of becoming more present and active participants in their own lives
There is no expected outcome or emotional process required. The work unfolds according to the needs and rhythms of the individual’s system.
What to Expect in a Session
Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® is approached as a process rather than a one-time session. Your first appointment is a 90-minute initial session that includes time for conversation, listening, and foundation-building, followed by gentle, hands-on work. This allows Christina to attune to your system and establish the relational conditions that support nervous system regulation and whole-person balance.
Sessions are performed on a massage table, with you undressed to your essential undergarments and fully draped. No oil or lotion is used, allowing for direct, precise contact through slow, rhythmic, and non-forceful touch. The pace of the work is guided by your comfort and nervous system readiness.
After the initial session, you and Christina can explore whether this modality feels supportive. If so, ongoing sessions are often recommended as a cumulative process, allowing the work to unfold gradually and responsively over time. Sessions may be scheduled regularly for ongoing support or periodically during times of increased stress, transition, or fatigue. Christina can help determine an appropriate rhythm based on individual needs.
Initial Apt - 90 Minute Bioenergetic Shen Treatment®: $191
$162 Session + $29 Tip
The initial Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® session is designed to establish a clear understanding of the client’s overall state and begin to establish the relational field between you, the client, and Christina, the practitioner. The session begins with a thorough intake, which includes discussion of health history and current physical concerns, emotional and nervous system patterns, stress levels, life circumstances, and transitions, as well as the client’s current sense of vitality, current goals, and who you are becoming. This conversation helps orient the work within the reality of the person’s lived experience, a principle central to Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment®. From the start, Christina is attuning to your system and opening a relational field — a shared atmosphere of attentive listening, safety, and energetic awareness in which the body can begin to soften without effort or performance. This relational aspect is another essential component in Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment®, as it supports the nervous system in shifting out of vigilance and into a state where self-regulation and balance can naturally emerge. The hands-on portion of the session is conducted with the client undressed to essential undergarments and fully draped, in a manner similar to a massage session. No oil or lotion is used, allowing Christina to work directly with the nervous system, muscular tone, and energetic responsiveness through precise, intentional contact. Using slow, rhythmic, and intuitive touch — often referred to as the Shen Touch — Christina supports the body in unwinding from accumulated stress, tension, and energetic holding. Movements are fluid and continuous, creating a sense of being held, supported, and gently reorganized rather than manipulated. Touch may include long, enveloping strokes, gentle pressure and connective movements, subtle stretching and unwinding, and pauses that allow the nervous system to integrate. The work is responsive rather than prescriptive, guided by the client’s state and Christina’s sensitivity, awareness, and presence. The session concludes with time for quiet integration and brief reflection. Many clients report feeling deeply relaxed, grounded, and internally settled, with a clearer sense of presence and awareness. This initial session establishes a baseline of safety, coherence, and energetic awareness, allowing future sessions to deepen and refine the work.
60 Minute Follow-up Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment®: $137
$116 Session + $21 Tip
Ongoing Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® sessions are designed to support continuity, integration, and the gradual restoration of energetic balance over time. Each session begins with a brief verbal check-in to understand your current physical, emotional, and nervous system state, as well as any changes in health, stress levels, or life circumstances since the previous visit. This ensures the work remains grounded in the reality of your lived experience and responsive to what is present in the moment. With familiarity and trust already established, ongoing sessions deepen the relational field — the attentive, listening environment that allows the nervous system to settle without effort. This continuity supports the body in recognizing safety more readily, making it easier to release patterns of chronic vigilance, tension, or energetic depletion. Christina continues to work from a place of sensitivity and awareness, allowing each session to unfold according to the needs of your system on that day. As in the initial session, the hands-on work is conducted with you on a massage table, undressed to your essential undergarments and fully draped, without oil or lotion. This allows for direct, precise contact with muscular tone, nervous system responsiveness, and energetic flow. Using slow, rhythmic, and intuitive touch — known as the Shen Touch — Christina supports ongoing unwinding of stress and tension, improved nervous system regulation, freer circulation of Vital Energy, as well as integration of emotional and somatic experience. Movements remain fluid, enveloping, and non-forceful, with attention given to areas of contraction, fatigue, or diminished tone. Some sessions may feel deeply restful, while others support subtle shifts in awareness, sensation, or emotional balance. Because Bioenergetic-Shen Treatment® is a responsive and non-prescriptive modality, no two sessions are the same. Over time, clients often report increased resilience to stress, improved ability to relax and self-regulate, greater clarity and presence, clearer boundaries and emotional steadiness, as well as renewed vitality and creativity. Sessions may be scheduled regularly for ongoing support or periodically during times of increased stress, transition, or fatigue, and Christina can help determine an appropriate rhythm based on individual needs.
Why Our Rates Include a 'Tip' Amount
We compensate all our practitioners at or above industry standards for their specialty, ensuring they receive a living wage. Since gratuity is a standard part of massage therapist pay—typically 40–50% of their take-home income—our massage and bodywork rates include an 18% tip built into therapist compensation.
This approach allows our practitioners to focus fully on your care, without depending on tips—and we believe that's better for everyone.
Because gratuity is already included, you're never expected or required to tip at checkout. However, if you'd like to leave an additional amount, it will be received as a sincere and appreciated “thank you” for the care you received.