Photo taken at Esalen Institute, Big Sur,
California, August, 2007

Jim Dreaver, a native of New Zealand, served as a young officer with artillery forces in Vietnam. In 1973 he came to the U.S. to attend Palmer College of Chiropractic. After graduation, he spent 25 years in private practice in northern California, including 10 years teaching Somatic Technique to other DC's.

He is the author of a text book about this work, Somatic Technique, featured on this site. Between 1991 and 2001, he was a Postgraduate Faculty member of Palmer College of Chiropractic West, and taught over 100 professional seminars in Somatic Technique to chiropractors, physical therapists, bodyworkers, and massage practitioners throughout the western United States.

Since before graduating from chiropractic college, Jim was on an intensive, personal spiritual quest. In 1984 he met European Advaita master Jean Klein, and studied with him till 1995, when he finally realized the inner freedom that is his true nature. In 1995 he published his first transformational book, The Ultimate Cure: The Healing Energy Within You (Llewellyn), which was translated into 4 languages, after which he wrote The Way of Harmony (Avon), a guide to dealing with relationships, work, and daily life in a conscious way. Both books are now out of print, but are available used from http://www.amazon.com/. He has taught the art of awakening to the love and freedom that are our true nature at numerous venues, including Esalen Institute (http://www.esalen.org/), where he will be teaching again Sep 7 - 12, 2008. 

He lives in Sebastopol, California. His website is www.jimdreaver.com, He retired from chiropractic in 2003 because of a life-threatening illness, which he has since recovered from. He tells the story of his awakening and the illness in his new eBook End Your Story, Begin Your Life (available for $10.95 at www.endyourstory.com). As he writes in the book, “this is the story of how I came to the understanding that I am not my story, and thus realized the inner freedom which is my true nature.” This book also reveals Jim’s simple three-step practice for discovering the freedom and love within

What Others Say About Jim’s Awakening to Freedom Work…

“Three years ago, I asked Jim to be my teacher. Now, I am awake and free. I cannot say enough about Jim’s mastery at facilitating the experience of awakening in others.” 

Juliana Dahl, Ph.D., Boulder, CO

“To us Jim’s teaching is most similar to Eckhart Tolle, but unlike Tolle, who had an unexpected spontaneous awakening, Jim’s awakening came after years of spiritual seeking. His book, End Your Story, Begin Your Life, makes his teaching easy to relate to and his guidance down-to-earth and helpful.”

Lyra Mayfield & Charlie Stein, Boulder, CO

“Jim, I can never thank you enough. You shifted the energy of the whole house. We live in deep harmony now.”

Jan B. Hamilton, Ph.D., Aspen, CO

“My experience Jim was remarkable in that it allowed me to see the story that I had concocted about life, myself and others that created, maintained, and perpetuated my own disturbance.  He said, "When you feel upset, look for the story you are telling yourself and notice that you are not the story or the person in the story but the consciousness that is looking.” Every time I felt conflicted I did as he suggested, and felt a sense of freedom from the story and from the emotional upset. It was a profound experience.”

Truth Paradise, Aspen, CO

“Before I just couldn't understand your message about letting go of my "identity". All I could do was say, yeah, but how do I let go… and if I'm not my "identity", who am I?  But now, as a result of working with you, I could literally feel things shift in every fiber as I saw that "I" was not real. I am simply awareness itself, before any concept of “I,” “me,” and “mine". I’ve been seeking for seven years, and now, here it is. Awesome, huh?”

Ann Smith, Boise, ID

“Everything is falling into place… You told me to focus on the perceiving, rather than on what is perceived. Learn to be in awareness itself, you said, rather than getting enmeshed in the thoughts and things of which I am aware. Thank you for the clarity. It's so simple, yet I have missed it most of my life!”

Chris Rogers, Muncie, IL

“Since our work, the awareness of that timeless, joyful, sweet, illuminating essence has continued. It is so beautiful. It is different in some ways as I had conceived awakening would be. I used to think that once we awakened, a magic wand would descend from the heavens and make our lives perfect! Now I understand that awakening doesn't necessary automatically bring all knowledge, but it brings the recognition of That which is always here....and That which is always here is sublimely sweet.”

Rosemary Cochran, Pismo Beach, CA