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Dr. Phil Selinsky, N.D. After almost 20 years in mechanical engineering designing automated machines and tools, Phil decided to apply his engineering skills to more complex machines (human bodies). He graduated from the Los Angeles College of Massage and Physical Therapy's Instructor Training in 1976. With the very creative help of then Karen Michelson, eventually Karen Selinsky, now Karen Halcyon, he founded the INSTITUTE FOR HOLISTIC STUDIES in Santa Barbara, California in 1976. He created: He graduated from the Anglo-American Institute for Naturopathic Studies in 1980 and has maintained a private Naturopathic practice in Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, Ojai, and Glendora in addition to his teaching commitments over the past 20 years. He is presently teaching a 528 hour NATURAL HEALTH AND MASSAGE THERAPY class at The Body Therapy Institute in Santa Barbara and at Citrus College in Glendora. He is the author of the soon to be published book, "THE HUMAN
MACHINE…A Trouble-Shooter's Manual". Web site www.thehumanmachine.com I am frequently asked, "Who are you? What do you call what you do?" After almost 25 years I still don't have a satisfactory answer. I do a lot of things. But who am I? What am I? Many people like to hang letters behind their name to help them know who they are. I guess I could say since the word "doctor" means teacher, that I am a Doctor of Naturopathy ("N.D."). But then that boxes me in to a specific definition. True, I have the education, training, certification, and experience to claim that status, but I do more. Anytime you define something, you confine that something. I like to think of myself as an educator and a translator. I like to translate hidden or "occult" information into an easily understood language that the average individual "on the street" can understand. Over the years I have tried to show the continuity of life as it expresses itself on the planet. The training from my mechanical engineering years has taught me to recognize patterns and structure. I have learned that structure governs function. The shape and substance of something governs how it is going to used. This principle holds true for the metal and plastic machines as well as molecules of amino acids and magnetic fields. After founding the INSTITUTE FOR HOLISTIC STUDIES in 1976 (with the very capable help of then Karen Michelson, later Karen Selinsky, now Karen Halcyon), I designed and implemented the first semesterized massage program in the state of California. Up until that time massage was taught on an individual basis with no recognizable format. I also designed and obtained California Office of Private Post Secondary Education approval for the first 1000 hour HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER program in the state of California. Within 6 months 3 schools copied our format and curriculum. We were the first school to be approved to teach hypnosis. I conceived, designed and choreographed the first chair massage routine in the state of California. The first chair massage manual was written be me in 1978 and copyrighted in 1980. I designed, choreographed, and implemented the first massage instruction video program. (I still use the same program today.) In 1989 I turned the school over to Karen Halcyon and moved to
Los Angeles to complete my training in osteopathic medicine. Karen
has since focused her excellent teaching skills toward Swedish massage
and Ortho-Bionomy. I still maintain a private practice in Santa
Barbara and Thousand Oaks on weekends, and Glendora during the week.
I teach workshops from time to time for Katie Mickey at the BODY
AWARENESS INSTITUTE in Santa Barbara. Also, there are workshops
being offered When people come to me, they come with questions. Why do I hurt/why
doesn't my body do what I want it to do? I point out the body is
always "talking to us, and it always tells the truth. I draw
from my training and experience to help translate the language of
the body into English so that we can determine what the best course
of action might be. The body knows what it wants and needs. We must
learn to listen very carefully.
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