• Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program
• Amazing Alumni
• Core Massage Therapy Training Program
• NHI Believes

Content Summary

• A Journey of Alignment: Jackie Cruz, an NHI Emeryville graduate, shares a deeply reflective account of her journey through the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy (ANMT) program, describing it as the bridge where her intuition met clinical skill.
• The ANMT Edge: The story details how the ANMT program transformed Jackie’s practice—shifting from “general massage” to an assessment-driven approach that treats the nervous system as the “gatekeeper” of healing.
• From Massage to Chiropractic: Jackie highlights how her advanced training provided the biomechanical foundation and professional credibility necessary to step confidently into chiropractic school, proving that ANMT is a powerful catalyst for career expansion and personal transformation.

For many, massage school is about learning a trade; for Jackie Cruz, a graduate of NHI’s Emeryville campus, it was an invitation to align her clinical skill with her spiritual calling. As she prepares to transition from a successful neuromuscular practice into chiropractic school, Jackie reflects on how the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy (ANMT) Program didn’t just add tools to her belt—it gave her the language to understand the “quiet intelligence” of the human body.

A Foundation of Presence

What I want everyone to know is not just that I completed the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy program—but that it met me at a very particular moment in my life, when I was learning to live from alignment rather than survival, from presence rather than pressure.

These five modules didn’t just teach me techniques. They helped me come home to myself.

There were days when something in the material clicked so deeply that it felt like remembering rather than learning. Days when my hands understood before my mind did. Days when I realized that the way I listen—with my palms, with my intuition, with my whole presence—is not just a personal trait but a clinical strength.

This program gave me language for what I’ve always sensed.

It gave structure to my sensitivity.

It gave direction to my devotion.

I grew in skill, absolutely—but I also grew in trust. Trust in my hands. Trust in my perception. Trust in the quiet intelligence of the body. Trust in the practitioner I am becoming.

As I step into chiropractic school, I’m not leaving NHI behind. I’m carrying it with me—in the way I assess, the way I touch, the way I honor the person in front of me. The ANMT program didn’t just prepare me academically; it shaped the way I will practice for the rest of my life.

I am deeply grateful—not only for the curriculum, but for the way this training held space for my own transformation. It helped refine me, affirm me, and align me with the path I’m meant to walk.

Thank you for being part of my becoming.

Why I Chose National Holistic Institute

I chose NHI because I wasn’t looking for a school—I was looking for a place where my calling could take shape. I wanted a program that honored the body as more than anatomy, more than mechanics, more than a collection of systems to memorize. I needed a place that understood the body as a story, as memory, as intelligence, as something sacred.

• Alignment: Their approach matched the way I’m wired. I learn by listening and sensing; NHI honors both intuition and precision.
• The Clinical and the Human: I knew I would move into deeper medical training, but I didn’t want to lose the heart of the work. NHI held both.
• Being Seen: My sensitivity wasn’t a liability; it was a strength.
• Depth: The ANMT program offered the bridge I needed for chiropractic school, deepening the way I touch and assess.

NHI aligned with the practitioner I’m becoming. Someone who blends science and presence. Someone who listens with her hands. Someone who honors the whole person. Someone who treats the body as a vessel, not a machine.

Choosing NHI was choosing alignment — choosing a path that matched my values, my way of learning, and the kind of healer I’m called to be.

What I Love Most About My Career

I work as a massage therapist and neuromuscular practitioner, serving clients in a space where the body is honored, the nervous system is listened to, and healing is approached with both clinical precision and deep presence. My work lives at the intersection of anatomy, intuition, and spiritual alignment — a place where science and devotion meet.

Whether I’m in a treatment room, a wellness center, or a private practice setting, the environment I create is consistent: grounded, reverent, and intentionally crafted so the person in front of me feels safe, seen, and supported.

What I love most is witnessing transformation—not just in muscles, but in the whole person.

• The Way the Body Tells the Truth: How tissues reveal stories and how the nervous system softens when it feels held.
• The Moment Something Releases: Not just a trigger point, but a burden. A piece of someone’s history that finally loosens its grip.
• Science and Spirit: How anatomy becomes worship, how touch becomes prayer, how the table becomes an altar of restoration.

Your career isn’t just something you do — it’s something you offer. It’s the way your calling takes form in the world.

NHI helped me step into work that feels like home. It taught me to pair intuition with anatomy and to trust that my sensitivity was a clinical strength. It gave me the competence to step into the treatment room knowing I could truly help someone.

The ANMT program specifically taught me to assess before I intervene. Instead of chasing symptoms, I trace patterns. I learned that the nervous system is the true gatekeeper; I don’t force tissue anymore—I create safety.

Why I Pursued Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy

I chose the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program because I knew I needed more than a certification — I needed depth, clarity, and a level of understanding that matched the way I’m wired to work.

I didn’t choose ANMT to collect skills. I chose it because something in me knew I was meant to understand the body at a deeper, more integrated level.

• To understand what her hands were already sensing: ANMT gave her the anatomy and clinical framework to interpret her intuition.
• To serve with precision, not guesswork: She wanted to know why something hurt and how to address it with intention.
• To honor the body as a whole: The program matched her belief that the body is interconnected and intelligent.
• To prepare for the path ahead: Jackie knew chiropractic school was in her future, and she wanted a foundation that would set her apart.

The ANMT program didn’t just give me advanced skills — it gave me alignment. It helped me step into the work I’m meant to do with confidence, reverence, and a deeper sense of purpose.

Managing Client Issues with Clinical Clarity

The ANMT program helped me step into the work I’m meant to do with confidence, reverence, and a deeper sense of purpose.

• Assessment before intervention: “I can now trace pain back to its source and identify compensations. I’m no longer guessing—I’m discerning.”
• Clinical framework for intuition: She can now explain to clients the anatomy behind their pain, which builds immense professional trust.
• Working with the nervous system: Understanding how to create safety rather than forcing tissue. “I don’t push through resistance—I listen to it. I don’t overpower the body—I partner with it.”

The ANMT program helped me manage client issues not just by giving me more tools, but by transforming the way I understand the body, listen to it, and respond to it.

Expanding Career Options

The Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program didn’t just deepen my skill set — it widened the landscape of what’s possible for me professionally. It gave me a level of clinical understanding, confidence, and credibility that opened doors I couldn’t have stepped through before.

• Specialized Work: ANMT positioned her for higher-level work in medical massage, rehab clinics, and sports environments.
• Credibility: Because ANMT is respected for its rigor, she is taken seriously in interdisciplinary settings alongside doctors and physical therapists.
• Chiropractic Readiness: Entering chiropractic school, Jackie carries the foundation of biomechanics and kinesiology with her. “I’m not guessing who I am as a practitioner—I’m building on a foundation that already feels aligned.”

The ANMT program expanded my career options by giving me depth, credibility, and clarity — allowing me to step into roles that match the practitioner I’m becoming and the path I’m called to walk.

The Biggest Takeaway

The most important thing I learned wasn’t a single technique or protocol — it was a new way of seeing.

“I learned how to understand the body’s story with clarity, confidence, and compassion—and how to respond to it with precision instead of pressure.”

Advice for Future Massage Therapists

“Be ready to learn with your whole self—not just your mind. This work isn’t memorization; it’s embodiment,” Jackie advises. “Stay curious, because the body is always teaching. Choose a school that aligns with your values. Find a place that teaches technique, yes—but also presence, ethics, and the art of listening.”

Jackie’s story is a testament to the idea that a career isn’t just something you do—it’s the way your calling takes form in the world. As she moves into her next chapter, she leaves a reminder for all practitioners: “Your hands get to be instruments of blessing… vessels of peace, listening, and restoration.”

Connect with Jackie by visiting her website, soco-sobadora.com

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