Jennifer Aniston’s love for her new hypnotherapist boyfriend couldn’t be clearer – with the former Friends star describing him as “cherished” in a gushing Instagram post.
And yet behind the couple’s joyous romantic union, Jim Curtis has endured a secret agony he once described as “debilitating”.
The self-described “transformational coach and hypnotherapist” has been regularly spotted on date nights in NYC with Jen, and on some occasions, he uses a cane for support.
While it’s unclear why Jim, 50, has been using it recently, he has previously spoken candidly about his life-changing experience with a spinal injury.
It all started in 1995, when – the summer after his freshman year at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) – Jim woke up feeling numbness in his left foot. When he got in the shower, he discovered he couldn’t feel how hot the water was.
At first, he brushed it off, as he’d fallen off his bicycle the night before and attributed the weird sensation to a trapped nerve.
But a month later, the numbness had reached his thigh, and he’d begun to experience migraines.
His mum – an emergency room nurse – arranged an MRI scan, which revealed lesions on his spinal cord.
“That was the point at which my story changed from frat guy-athlete to something else,” Jim previously told UNH Today.
While undergoing treatment, Jim would later lean on what he’d learned from a communications professor called Larry Rosenfield – a man with whom he’d shared details of his health issues.
“Before I left, he told me everything was going to work out okay, and he said it in a way that had a profound impact on me,” Jim told UNH Today.
“He taught me to meditate and introduced me to the idea of mindfulness: focusing on just being present.”
Jim would come to refer to the professor as his “Stimulati” – a “thought igniter” who helped him find a new mindset that made his life more fulfilling.
“For much of my life, I let my stories, specifically the ones around my illness and my sense of self, create my reality,” Jim told UNH Today. “When I finally got clear after practicing the lessons of the Stimulati, I could see what I was creating and chose to create a new story.”
One of the things Rosenfield taught Jim was a meditation exercise in which two people pair up, stare into each other’s eyes, and scream as loud as they can.
It’s a session Jim himself recreated at his university when he revisited after Rosenfield’s death.
“It was awesomely awkward,” Jim told UNH Today. “But I overheard one girl say, ‘This is just what I needed today’. And that makes it all worthwhile.”
And it seems Jim’s approach to life is proving a hit with Hollywood star Jennifer, too, with sources saying the 56-year-old is “very happy and in a great place” with Jim.
“She’s been glowing. Everything in her life has come together, and she’s excited about it. Jim’s the best,” an insider told People.
“Her friends love him. He’s calm, very warm, and incredibly supportive. He’s brought a really steady and positive energy into her life.”
The mole went on to say Jim was “fascinated” by Jen’s career as an actress and businesswoman and loves being there to support her.
“He fits right in with her friends. He’s social, easygoing, and everyone loves having him around,” the source added.
“It all feels light, natural, and really good. It’s exactly where [Jen] wants to be right now.”
