On Wednesday, October 26, 2011, my 8-year-old nephew, Jonathan Cimins who was diagnosed with Autism at 18-months old, started an alternative biomedical treatment called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The chamber is built for one Adult Male, 200 lbs. – Jonathan would not go in alone and with the drastic pressure changes during the atmospheric drop, your ears can be damaged. Jonathan has never been able to fully communicate and experienced many ear infections as a child. My father and brother were much too tall and or had too broad shoulders to fit in the machine and be able to help relieve Jonathan’s ear pressure with temple massage.
My brother, Paul Cimins (Co-Host of Hopes Saves for the Day for Autism) and Adrienne Cimins asked me to please help Jonathan get in and out of the chamber and remain calm and safe during the 80 minute treatment. I jumped at the opportunity, because I knew I could help keep Jonathan calm and if necessary, physically restrain him from slamming himself against the 3 inch thick glass.
The first ten minutes was very challenging for me, dealing with my own ear adaption and trying to gauge whether or not to pull the escape cord in fear of damaging Jonathan’s ears. He struggled with the pressure, because he couldn’t understand me fully from my verbal commands. He was laying on top of me, and with two inches of space above him, I couldn’t see his expression.
It was very frantic for those first ten minutes, because I just didn’t know what to expect. I kept talking to him, gentle massage of his head, telling him how much I loved him, telling him how this will help heal his brain, help him communicate, understand better and I even tried making him laugh to move his jaw to help relieve the pressure in his ears.
My grappling was a huge asset. A couple of times, he lunged head first into the wall, but it was just to get comfortable or I moved a way he didn’t like. The temperature was 103 degrees in the chamber, I remained as still as possible, holding him like a baby laying against my shoulder.
I thought my sweating head would bother him, but it bothered him more when I wiped it, because my positioning changed. He wanted no movement from me, unless to get out of his way, to rest on me, or amazingly enough to believe, he does a Reiki-like treatment on my head for at least 10 minutes, always during the decompression. It wasn’t just sensory based because of my shaved head, but it was the real deal – Jonathan Cimins is a natural healer, I felt it.
I’ve experienced several Reiki masters including Beth in Oakland, NJ (http://TheRainbowEssence.com) and it’s the only way I’m so confident with my analysis of the experience. During the treatment, without my knowledge of ability to hear, the Nurse was telling Jonathan’s father, Paul Cimins (my brother) about what Jonathan was doing to my head. She was telling him the same thing I personally felt. It was an amazing connection being locked in a time capsule-like chamber with no connection to the outside world.
I’m very lucky to have the experience with Jonathan, both for physical and emotional healing. Its the closest I’ve ever felt to him without ever truly verbally communicate. I’m praying every day that the Oxygen Treatment is helping heal certain parts of his brain which were damaged or lacking oxygen. It also might be one of the most amazing lessons in life, is how to be able to open your emotions and your heart more to someone to express your love to them.
In my life, one of my mentors was Michael Bayer, an active apparel tycoon in the 1980s and owner of CampuSac, licensee of Everlast Hats and Bags, he was my first real boss. He was a super suave salesmen and would have these funny little lines he would say to help close larger deals. One line stood out in particular, “Don’t tell me you love me, show me.”
I think this is Jonathan and my first true opportunity to show each other real family love. He’s given me an opportunity to get to know him, share this potentially scary experience with his uncle, and know that he’s safe with me. I’m lucky to have this chance to get to know him better, in the best way possible, just through energy transfer, full of love. Jonathan is a special boy and he will help change the world, just watch.
Brian Cimins 
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