A native of Boliva, James Encinas twice crossed the United States—Los Angeles to New Jersey—on a bicycle. The first trip, during his mid-twenties, was done in hurt and fueled by anger. The second, at age 55, was done in the pursuit of healing himself and others. Having experienced domestic abuse, bullying and discrimination as a child, memories of trauma limited Encinas’s freedom in significant ways. When he learned how Adverse Childhood Experiences (www.acestudy.org) impact adult health, his path towards healing began, and it widens daily. During the second cross country bike ride, Encinas collected stories of other experiencers of trauma and healing, dispensed information about human resilience and shared his deep belief in the power all people have to engage with and be enlightened by the process of healing.

          The book Wheeling to Healing…Broken Heart on a Bicycle: Understanding and Healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences takes readers to places where hurt originates and then into landscapes that offer larger views and inspire movement toward relief from trauma at a deep level. It educates people about the science of trauma, and encourages them to use a wide variety of methods that can open an individual and unique process of healing.

          James Encinas uses his life and experiences to care, inspire and promote relief from the effects of traumatic memories. When healing is embraced, life becomes more joyful.