Synergy: Integrating Touch & Talk

Foundations of the Rubenfeld Synergy Method®

People Say I'm a Healer

Click here to see People Say I’m a Healer

(Ilana Rubenfeld, 1996)

An Invitation

You are invited to join a small cohort of practitioners – already walking paths of healing – to experience and carry forward the Synergy of touch and talk.

Place & Time

Tuesday September 8th, 2026 (6pm to 9pm) through to Saturday September 12th, 2026 (12pm)

Boughton Place, 150 Kisor Road, Highland, New York

Nestled in the beauty of the Hudson Valley

What You Will Experience

This is a paradigm of care in which:

  • touch is for listening, is ethical and intentional.

  • the body is central, not an adjunct.

  • sensation & cognition resonate and integrate.

  • healing unfolds through relationship, attunement and presence.

In our fierce and tender world, this work asks: Can we remember how to listen with our whole being?

You will learn about Synergy, by feeling it, practicing it and embodying it.

We will explore:

  • the ethics of touch, boundaries and consent in a trauma-informed frame.

  • your own somatic and emotional awareness as the foundation of your work.

  • dual awareness: holding your client with compassion and empathy while staying rooted in your own center.

  • the art of Listening Touch - distinct, respectful and deeply attuned.

  • the power of observation, curiosity and talk that, together, evoke somatic awareness.

  • the unifying, resonant effect when somatic experience and verbal language are aligned.

  • how metaphors arise from the body’s wisdom.

For Whom is this Designed?

This offering is for experienced practitioners – therapists, bodyworkers and healers – who are curious about the synergy of concurrent touch and talk. Because of the intimate nature of this work, participation is by application. We are curating a group that values presence, curiosity, humility and depth.

You will be led by a seasoned faculty of Certified Rubenfeld Synergists:

  • Jayne Gumpel, Certified Rubenfeld Synergist (CRS), LCSW - “I am a Rubenfeld Synergy Method® Master Trainer.  I trust the body as a storyteller, holding memory, wisdom, and the longing to be known.” Listening Hands™ poem

  • Bonnie Muller, CRS, LCSW - President, The Ilana Rubenfeld Foundation. “Being led by a client to their way of knowing is a privilege.  Leading Synergists is an honor. Sharing Rubenfeld Synergy with allied professionals is an honor and a privilege.” https://www.rubenfeldfoundation.org

  • Theresa Pettersen-Chu, CRS – Founder of The Embodied Path is a teacher, intuitive guide and gardener of the soul. “I guide both students and clients to access the wisdom of the body and listen to the whispers of the soul to heal trauma, navigate life transitions and align with the soul's calling. TheEmbodiedPathWithTPC.com

  • Judy Swallow, CRS, MA, ICA, TEP - “I use my years as a Master Synergist, psychodrama teacher and trainer and playback theatre facilitator to inform my work with clients and groups. Being welcomed into a healing relationship allows for creative exploration of the fullness of life.” hvpi.net

Each faculty member brings decades of clinical experience and a shared devotion to this work.

The Path Forward

This introductory program offers:

  • Certificate of Completion (Basic)

  • Certificate of Completion (Advanced) - optional 5-day module with additional assignments, and the option of participatory membership in the International Association of Rubenfeld Synergists.

  • potential credit toward the 3-year certification as a Rubenfeld Synergist

Investment

Training: $1200.00 (includes breakfast) - Some scholarships are available.

For those new to Rubenfeld Synergy, one individual session is required onsite: $175–$100 (self-determined sliding scale). Additional sessions may be available.

Accessibility matters deeply to us.

Limited on-site accommodations available ($50–$80), shared and private options, booked directly with Boughton Place.

Local motel accommodations nearby.

For More Information and to Apply

Visit Ilana’s legacy videos at: rubenfeldfoundation.org

(We encourage you to watch Ilana’s teaching—her hand raised, listening through touch—a simple gesture that changed a field.)

To apply contact: Bonnie Muller at intouch@rubenfeldfoundation.org or call 203-676-8470, or

‍ ‍Deb Merkle at rsmportland@comcast.net.‍ ‍

‍ ‍You can also click HERE to apply online.

For a .pdf download of this event, please click:

A Final Word

This work is seriously playful

relevant

powerful.

It asks something of you:

your presence, your openness, your responsiveness.

In return, it offers a way of being with others

that can be refreshingly human, connected, whole.

Click for a very short video
HERE