jacqui thompson
Share a little about yourself..
I live in the sleepy little bayside town of Williamstown, in Melbourne Australia, with my partner John and our Greyhound Maggie. We’ve always been Melbourne dwellers but I have big dreams for us to move to the Dandenong Ranges some day soon.. maybe Kallista or Upwey? My life is a big mix of both yin and yang. I work part-time in a corporate role within the emergency services sector, and am also the Founder of Subtle Self – an offering at the intersection of holistic counselling (talk based therapy) and energetic medicine. I’m 31 years of age, a Taurus through and through and Tara Brach’s biggest fan.
Could you share a little background around your journey in creating Subtle Self?
It's been a windy road. There've been a lot of different interests, distractions and learnings along the way but it all started with a desire for supporting women. Finding out how I would do that, become the journey.
About 4 years ago, I was working in the corporate sector and felt completely dejected. When I decided I wanted to change something I pretty immediately dove straight into a Bachelor of Nursing with the ultimate goal of becoming a Midwife (I was watching a lot of ‘Call the Midwife’ at the time…. inspired was an understatement). During my studies I found Reiki and I started to take my mediation practice more seriously – as a coping mechanism more than anything. About 18 months into my degree, I came to realize the hospital system didn’t necessarily align with the direction I wanted to move in. I grappled a lot with the thought of leaving. Finally, with a lot of support with my family, I let go. Since then I’ve given myself freedom and permission to explore what care for women looks like to me. As a result, things have changed a lot but where I am now is a space of blending talk therapy, energetic medicine and meditation – and subtle self healing practices.
Things are evolving for me in this space constantly, only just a few weeks ago I felt a strong pull towards Herbal Medicine, and so now I am exploring that realm.
The constant for me, the whole way, has always been the energy. Holding space for women to shift things, and teaching women how they can self heal using energy medicine is at the heart of it all.
Could you tell us a little about the courses you run- 'Subtle Body Wisdom and Healing Arts' and Reiki training?
The Subtle Body Wisdom & Natural Healing Arts course is a four-week immersive experience which marries three things; women coming together as a collective with the intention of healing, theoretical knowledge and practical self-led healing practices.
In this course I guide four modules (one per week, face to face online via zoom). The modules are titled; Menstrual Body Wisdom, Pelvic Consciousness, Trauma Informed Rituals and Eastern Body-Based Healing techniques. The intention is that we spend the first two weeks exploring theoretical knowledge and the second two weeks learning practical techniques that one can implement into their own life to help support their own self healing.
The Reiki Training (degrees 1 & 2) I offer are an initiation into working within the Energetic Arts.
Level One is all about your own healing experience as an individual. It’s a course that involves a lot of self learning and as well as a practice in sensing your energetic constitution and the concept of caring for yourself tenderly.
Level Two is about stepping to the realm of holding space for others. It’s a teaching that is designed to give you the skills to offer Reiki professionally and also to advance your own self practice.
What’s common amongst all of these offerings is that they are offered with a trauma-informed and mental health aware lens, where safety and options are a constant.
You have combined a number of modalities in your 1:1 sessions - could you share the kinds of sessions one can book in for?
For me, it's important to address a person's whole experience in a session – so I have trained in a number of modalities that I hope will be supportive for women.
Over time I’ve witnessed some recurring themes in one-on-one sessions, so I’ve gathered these on my website and loosely arrange them with certain healing modalities.
Some examples are:
Pelvic Healing sessions, which might draw on; talk therapy, energy healing, acupressure, traditional Chinese medicine, medicinal plants etc. A Pelvic Healing session might be appropriate for you if; you’re experiencing an irregular cycle, pelvic pain or numbness, low libido, fertility challenges etc.
Energetic Healing sessions. In these sessions we might rely solely on Reiki. Things we might address in these sessions are; the energetic release of held trauma, stored beliefs, accessing intuition, clearing energetic blockages, energetic cord cutting, accessing inner guidance, relationship disconnection, energy retrieval, grounding, manifesting, aura cleansing etc.
Nervous System Regulation + Mental Health Session. These sessions are designed to support you in addressing increased levels of anxiousness, general feelings overwhelmed or alternatively flatness. We’ll use a number of modalities depending on what is coming up for you.
Do you have any favourite practices or rituals that aid you?
Wow. So many. But in terms of winding down, feeling rested and grounded – yoga nidra is one of my greatest loves at the moment. This practice has been so profound for me, particularly in relation to the practice of receiving.
Reiki – energy healing is of course my go to. Everyday.
Yoni Steaming is a practice I particularly enjoy during winter. (Yoni Steaming for anybody who doesn’t know is: an ancient, 100% natural, medicinal plant based practice that has been used for centuries to support pelvic and womb health. The practice itself involves the use of steam + organic herbs which reaches the vulva, vaginal canal, uterus, perineum and anus. Yoni Steaming has been shown to be a wonderful overall cleansing practice as well as a means of decreasing menstrual pain, cycle time irregularities, fertility issues, cysts, dryness, low libido and aids postpartum recovery.) It’s a very grounding experience and always leaves me feeling warm, soothed and cosy.
Could you share a little of your journey into Womanhood with us?
Well… I say this with love, but it certainly wasn’t one that involved any education or guidance on what womanhood is.
I didn’t get the chance to get to know, or learn from the women on my father’s side.
The women on my mother’s side raised me. My nana, my mother and my older sister.
The information passed down generationally, (inadvertently) was that some of the most sacred parts of womanhood are nothing to be celebrated, are somewhat inconvenient and maybe even – a sign of weakness.
I come from a long line of powerhouses. Push-er-on-ers. They’ve overcome a lot and haven’t always necessarily found the space to connect, introspectively, within.
I see my place in our lineage as a privilege.
So, to answer your question, my journey into womanhood has been one of exploration.
I’ve been pretty experimental in my approach and I’ve made some mistakes.
I’m still exploring, but I feel like I’m now at a place of tender celebration.
If you had a message for your younger self, what would it be?
Stop worrying.
To connect with Jacqui and her practice follow her over at;
Photography by Cara Mand
