New Study Shows Jin Shin Jyutsu Is Effective for Reducing Nurse Burnout

A new study shows that the ancient energy practice known as Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) can help nurses cope with stress and more effectively care for patients.

The American Nurses Association names workplace stress as the number-one health and safety risk for nurses. Twenty percent of nurses leave their positions within a year due to job stress and burnout, at an estimated cost of $250 to $300 billion per year. Stress management and self-care are widely recognized as critically important to help retain nurses and reduce the high costs of burnout and turnover.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a practice that applies gentle touch along one of 26 key locations along the body’s energy channels to promote the self-healing mechanism. It may be applied by oneself (JSJ Self-Help) or by a practitioner to balance energy flow in order to improve physical and emotional health and cultivate self-awareness. Research has shown that energy-balancing modalities such as JSJ are useful in reducing anxiety and promoting health and healing.

The new study, conducted by a research team at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, sought to explore the impact of JSJ Self-Help on the personal stress and caring efficacy of nurses. Forty-one nurses completed the randomized, controlled study. One group received three two-hour classes of JSJ Self-Help education and was asked to practice JSJ Self-Help 20 minutes each day; the control group received no education or assignments. Both groups completed a series of questionnaires that assessed several measures of stress and the nurses’ belief in their ability to develop a caring relationship with their clients, known as caring efficacy. The findings showed the JSJ education group had statistically significant reductions in emotional, organizational, and physical stress, with an increase in emotional vitality (emotional energy levels) and caring efficacy.

Twenty percent of nurses leave their positions within a year due to job stress and burnout.

The new study was consistent with the findings of a 2014 study of JSJ Self-Care training for nurses, which also showed statistically significant improvements in outlook, motivation, and caring efficacy and observed decreases in depression, stress, body aches, and sleeplessness.

JSJ aligns with the ideals of holistic nursing, whereby self-care cultivates the qualities of a caring consciousness: inner harmony, balance, and authentic presence. These qualities affect human-to-human relationships and create a healing culture for improved patient care.

While research indicates the practice of self-care techniques can help manage stress, nurses often struggle to find time in their busy schedules to adopt these routines. JSJ is a simple practice that can easily be done at work or home with no equipment.

Nursing school programs and nurse workplaces that incorporate self-care training as a part of the curriculum can improve retention, stress management, and quality of care. This study adds to a growing body of research that indicates a proactive JSJ Self-Help education can improve the future of the nursing profession.