The Pacific Institute of Reflexology - How it evolved…
In 1980 Christopher Shirley encountered the medical professions resistance to the practice of reflexology and its position that reflexology was “quackery”. After realising that his anger was not a healthy motivator, he focused on expanding public awareness and appreciation of the benefits of reflexology. It became Chris's mission to have the practice of reflexology accepted and embraced by mainstream society and modern medicine.
In May 1982 Chris established the Reflexology Centre of Vancouver on West Broadway in Vancouver, B. C. to demonstrate to intimidated fellow reflexologists that it was safe and legal to professionally practice, and teach reflexology - one of the first reflexology establishments in Canada.
From 1985 – 1987 Chris served as President of the Reflexology Association of British Columbia (RABC) and, despite the medical professions objections, facilitated the listing of Reflexology under its own heading in the Yellow Pages across North America.
In 1989 he was certified to teach the Reflexology Association of Canada's courses which he taught until 1994.
In 1991 he was actively involved in the enactment of a by-law for the City of Vancouver, in which reflexology along with other body work therapies was recognized for health enhancement.
In January 1996 Chris changed the name to the Pacific Institute of Reflexology to reflect the development of the Centre into a broader-reaching institution. Over the years, he published foot, hand , and ear reflexology charts to make available a professional, authentic set of reflexology charts. The foot reflexology instructional DVD was created to make the practice of reflexology easily available to everyone.
Chris finds for his own learning that knowing the essence of a subject is crucial. Consequently, he keeps what he teaches simple and to the point. This makes it possible to cover a greater amount of information efficiently. It is also not overwhelming, and it is easier to absorb. In his design of the Basic Courses the instruction is paced to facilitate all participants learning as they repeatedly practice the techniques. In the Advanced Courses, extensive knowledge is presented coloured with his personal experience and humour. In all courses, students receive comprehensive course notes that detail every aspect of what is taught. This alleviates any fear of “missing” something and allows the learning experience to be more relaxed and enjoyable.
The two advanced courses in the Pacific Institute's curriculum focus on developing the professional aspects of reflexology practice. These courses round out a training program for persons who are looking to practice reflexology in a professional and clinical capacity. In addition, Chris created a Teacher Training Program to facilitate new reflexology teachers - with the intention to make his reflexology courses more readily available to more people in more areas across Canada.
Over the years Chris attended training with many leaders in the field including Dr. Harvey Lampell, Bill Flocco, Hanne Marquardt, Lynne Booth, Tom Woloshyn, Sharon Stathis, Anthony Porter, Martine Faure-Alderson, Hagar Basis, Dwight Byers, Dr. Jesus Manzanares, Carol Samuels, Peter Lund Frandsen and Dorthe Krogsgaard. Many of these people he sponsored to come to Canada to teach their specialty.
Most recently, Chris created www.reflexologyresources.com the Reflexology Resources Website. It presents in one place a well organised accumulation of extensive information about the practice of reflexology from all over the world. Chris, still motivated by his mission, built it to support teachers, practitioners, students and interested others in their learning about reflexology.
In his down time, Chris enjoys watching TV - especially sports, reads, works out with weights and swims regularly, fixes things around his new home, goes for walks around his neighbourhood, and enjoys his family life.
Acknowledging that communication and teamwork are powerful, Chris is an honorary member of the Reflexology Association of British Columbia (RABC), a member of the Reflexology Association of Canada (RAC), the Association of Reflexologists (AoR), U.K. and, is an inaugural member of the International Council of Reflexology (ICR).