By: Grace Smith, Community Resources editor
Photos by: Riley Simianer
Ortho-Bionomy is a type of bodywork therapy that many people have never heard of before. It is holistic, non-invasive, and works with the body’s ability to self-correct to bring support and function to all systems within the body.
When Amanda Stevens found Ortho-Bionomy, she had exhausted countless types of therapy and had nothing to lose by giving it a try. She never imagined that this practice would finally be the thing to help her heal, and would also lead to a fulfilling career of helping others do the same.
Stevens was born in Grand Junction, Colorado where she continues to live today. She attended Fruita Monument High School and later Colorado Mesa University where she received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology. She had explored different career avenues before everything changed for her when she was led to Ortho-Bionomy.
In 2015 Stevens was working at Chow Down Pet Supplies when a car crashed into the storefront and left her with injuries that she had to figure out how to heal from. She had been in accidents before and in the previous year had Ortho-Bionomy recommended to her as a treatment, but had never tried it before.
After trying physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic treatment and other methods and did not get the results she was hoping for, she finally tried Ortho-Bionomy to help her after this accident. With roots in Osteopathy, Homeopathy, and Martial Arts, it focuses on connections in the body on both a physical and energetic level to help the body naturally self-correct by reflexively healing from within.
“It was like I was unraveling patterns and things from the car wreck, and healing my nervous system and finding ways to actually feel okay,” Stevens said, referring to the first session she had.
She was able to start healing through Ortho-Bionomy, but six months later she was still in the process. Since she was not able to return to work in the same capacity, she utilized vocational rehabilitation services to be able to receive training in a new field. Through that program, she was able to complete an Ortho-Bionomy practitioners program and begin helping people heal through Ortho-Bionomy just like she did herself.
“It was pretty much like a divine intervention,” Stevens said, “I never thought about things like that, so it was a very big awakening for me to be able to find a calling in a sense because it was absolutely my thing.”
Ortho-Bionomy is a type of body work like massage therapy that uses the body’s ability to self-correct to help heal. Amanda Stevens is an advanced practitioner who has been in the industry for many years (Riley Simianer, April 2020).
Stevens started the 10-week practitioner program at the Rocky Mountain Ortho-Bionomy Center in 2016. This program is the only one like it in the world, and upon completion, students become certified practitioners. Stevens graduated from the program in 2018 and then went on to become an advanced practitioner, which was something she achieved in 2021.
Stevens now has her own business as an Ortho-Bionomy practitioner called Wildflower Wellness, which is located in Grand Junction. She is also training with the Rocky Mountain Ortho-Bionomy Center and the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International to become an instructor. She is currently at the level of associate instructor, and once she reaches the basic instructor level, she can begin to teach the Phase 1 class.
Rocky Mountain Ortho-Bionomy offers courses in philosophy and practices of Ortho-Bionomy. It was built in 2011 (Riley Simianer, April 2020).
Stevens works with clients Tuesday through Friday and sees anywhere from four to five people a day.
“Basically you lay on a massage table and we work with the rhythms and patterns of your body, so it’s unique to what your current experience needs,” Steven said, “It’s like a deep conversation with your body.”
Through Ortho-Bionomy, Stevens assists the body in healing from within from trauma, surgery, chronic pain and other ailments.
“I love it,” Stevens said about having her own business as a practitioner, “I walk in and I enjoy every single person that walks in my door and I get to help them get to where they want to be in life.”
Stevens works with a client base she has built up over the years. Some people come to see her for a recommended number of sessions after sustaining an injury, while others come regularly just to keep things healthy or sporadically as needed. In addition to this, something special about Stevens’ practice is that she gets to help the people closest to her.
“I feel blessed that my daughter has found this healing modality that has helped so many friends and family, including me who has had two major joint replacements,” said Stevens’ mother, Karen Boita.
“She’s grown so much as a human being because of it, and now she gets to share it with everyone,” Boita said.
Stevens did not originally foresee Ortho-Bionomy becoming such a big part of her life, but she has gained so much because of it. Through practice and teaching, she will continue to work to help others gain from it as well.
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