Now booking Ortho-Bionomy sessions in Wānaka and Ettrick.
Bruce C. Stark
Registered Advanced Ortho-Bionomy®
Instructor & Practitioner
with SOBI, OBA, and OBNZ
Ortho-Bionomy® is a highly effective system of therapeutic bodywork that uses movements and positioning of the body to gently release pain and neuromuscular tension patterns. Developed by an osteopath, Dr Arthur Lincoln Pauls, this holistic system promotes self-healing of the body.
For more information listen to Exploring your intelligent body podcast by Rob Rich, an interview with
Bruce C. Stark.
You're warmly invited to register for any of the events listed below using the Google Form.
Fundamentals - Ph 4
Creating Balance and Ease
In this weekend we will delve into the basics of Ortho-Bionomy, a highly effective system of therapeutic bodywork that uses movements and positioning of the body to gently release pain and neuromuscular tension patterns. Developed by an osteopath, Dr Arthur Lincoln Pauls, this holistic system promotes self-healing of the body by:
Relieving pain gently without causing pain
Releasing sensitive (trigger) points with little or no effort
Supporting the body's self-healing capacity
Utilising the nervous system of the body to affect change
Ortho-Bionomy techniques are effective in working with clients whilst reducing the stress placed on the practitioner's body. Participants will learn how to facilitate change on a deep level with long-lasting results without causing pain or discomfort to their clients.
In this class we will focus on specific positional release techniques for addressing tension and pain in the entire body. At the end of the course participants will be able to work with every joint in the body to facilitate relief from pain, to increase joint range of movement, and to integrate structural changes.
Prerequisites: NONE
Ready to join us?
Enrol via WISE (@bruces18), select NZD, and include your name and chosen course in the payment reference.
Session with Bruce
Please register using Google form below
Trauma Resolution
Accessing Mind–Body Resources for Integration and Healing
Trauma is not only held in memory or emotion — it can become deeply embedded within the body’s tissues, nervous system, movement patterns, physiology, and sense of self. When unresolved trauma remains stored within the mind–body system, the body may lose access to its natural capacity for regulation, ease, and restoration. Clients may experience persistent states of tension, overwhelm, shutdown, hypervigilance, emotional distress, or a feeling that their system cannot fully settle or recover.
This course explores how trauma affects the integrated relationship between body, nervous system, emotions, perception, and consciousness, and how therapeutic presence and relational attunement can support healing and reintegration. Rather than attempting to force change, we learn to listen deeply to the language of the nervous system and support the body’s inherent intelligence toward self-correction and resolution.
In the Trauma Resolution course, we examine how impaired self-regulation manifests within the body–mind continuum and explore gentle, relational approaches for restoring safety, responsiveness, and integration. Through tracking the nervous system and working with the different Phases of Ortho-Bionomy techniques, we learn to recognise the subtle expressions of regulation, dysregulation, and emerging self-corrective responses.
Using sensing, contact, interaction, and therapeutic presence, participants will develop skills to support clients in reconnecting with their internal resources and resolving held traumatic patterns in a safe, embodied, and integrated way.
Drawing from biological, somatic, and polyvagal-informed trauma models, we will:
Identify physiological, emotional, and relational signs of unresolved trauma
Explore mind–body techniques for restoring self-regulation and resilience
Facilitate functional and integrated nervous system responses
Develop greater sensory awareness, therapeutic presence, and nervous system tracking skills
Understand how relational safety supports trauma resolution and embodiment
Support the reintegration of fragmented or protective patterns held within the system
By working through a relational and embodied framework, this course supports practitioners in facilitating deeper nervous system integration, emotional resilience, and a more connected experience of wholeness and well-being for their clients.
Prerequisites: Fundamentals - Ph4
Ready to join us?
Enrol via WISE (@bruces18), select NZD, and include your name and chosen course in the payment reference.
Session with Bruce
Please register using Google form below