Karen Kerns, RPP, RCST

Karen Kerns, RPP, RCST, is a Registered Polarity Practitioner,  Registered Craniosacral Therapist, massage therapist and dental hygienist.

Karen describes her discovery of Polarity Therapy:

“From 1982 to 1986 I was working as a dental hygienist and a massage therapist. One aspect of my massage training was the study of energy and energy techniques.

“I used the V-spread energy technique in my hygiene practice to stop gingival bleeding. I was intrigued by the result of rapid cessation of bleeding from this seemingly simple hold. I wanted to find out more about this ‘energy.’

“In 1986 I received a notice of a Polarity Therapy class being offered in Dearborn, Michigan by Mr. John Bodary. While attending this class I realized the possibility of achieving similar relaxation results from this new discipline as I witnessed in massage. Pain relief and muscle relaxation could be accomplished without always using an elbow or deep painful inhibition techniques.

“This form of therapy could be used on a fully clothed person and without oils or massage lotion. Today and hopefully for the rest of my practicing days, I will hold consciousness for the emerging spirit within.

“Polarity Therapy and Dr. Stone, its founder, has instilled in me a deep realization of the healing ability of the life force behind our very existence.

“The awareness of the body housing this powerful spirit is every bit a part of our spiritual paths; whatever that path. It has given me a passionate hopefulness of our evolution as conscious, healthy and above all, loving humans being.”

Karen became a certified massage instructor in 1997 and maintains a private practice in Ann Arbor. She co-teaches Levels I, II, III, IV, and continuing education classes.

She teaches introductions to Polarity Therapy at Irene’s Myomassology Institute in Southfield, Michigan.

Renee Rutz, RPP, RCST, NCTMB

Renee Rutz, RPP, RCST, NCTMB, is a Registered Polarity Practitioner, Certified Polarity Educator, and Approved Training Manager for the American Polarity Therapy Association.

In 1984, Renee completed her massage training and became a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and then later became nationally certified. As her experience with massage developed she began to notice sensations and phenomena in her massage sessions that were new and different from what she had learned in massage school.

In 1990 she began to take classes with John Bodary at the Polarity Center, which also lead her to meeting other people that broadened and expanded her work. At the Polarity Center she discovered that what she was feeling was energy moving in the body. In 1998, she received her Registered Polarity Practitioner status and integrated it into her massage skills.

Through Polarity Therapy, Renee met Franklyn Sills, author of the books, “Polarity Process and Craniosacral Biodynamics, Vol. 1 & 2.”  She studied biodynamic craniosacral therapy for three years as a student and then for three years as a teaching assistant.

In 1999 she received the Registered Craniosacral Therapist status. At a Polarity conference, Renee was introduced to Somatic Experiencing work, a body based approach to resolving trauma held in the body. She studied this work with Chandana Becker, Ph.D. for two years and was a teaching assistant for two years. Her work is an integration of all of these approaches.

Renee co-founded a multi-disciplinary holistic health clinic in Ann Arbor in 1990 that includes chiropractic physicians and a variety of bodywork modalities. She has been involved in teaching at the Polarity Center since 1998, co-teaches Level I, II,III, and IV, and developed the curriculum with Karen Kerns for Level IV.

Renee teaches introductions to Polarity Therapy as part of the core curriculum at The School of Orthopedic Massage and Bodywork in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Renee is on sabbatical during 2011.

Betty Teeg

Betty Teeg is the Polarity Center administrator. She is a graduate of all of the Polarity Center’s programs and is the coordinator for our volunteer project at Holy Rosary Church in Detroit.

She was a business owner and manager, Detroit Art Museum docent and volunteer coordinator, and is a tutor and mentor for families in transition in Detroit.