touch-factor-massage

The Power of Togetherness

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:40:17 GMT

The Importance of Community in the Massage Industry

The massage industry is not just a randomly dispersed collection of skilled individuals; it is a vibrant community of professionals bound by a shared passion for healing and well-being. In this post, I want to explore the significance of community in the massage industry and how this sense of togetherness fosters growth, support, and excellence within the profession.

Knowledge Sharing and Professional Development

At the heart of any thriving massage community lies the spirit of knowledge sharing. Within these collectives, massage therapists exchange ideas, techniques, and experiences, enabling each other to continuously grow and improve their practice. Workshops, seminars, and informal gatherings provide opportunities for anyone in our industry to impart their wisdom and insights to the next 9and even previous) generation of massage therapists. Through such interactions, the community collectively elevates the standards of massage therapy, ensuring that the most effective and innovative practices are adopted and refined.

Emotional Support and Camaraderie

Working as a massage therapist can sometimes be physically and emotionally demanding. It can also be very isolating. The presence of a supportive community can be a lifeline during challenging times. Within this network, therapists find understanding and empathy from peers who share similar experiences. Whether it's discussing the ups and downs of running a practice or seeking advice on self-care, having a community to turn to can help alleviate stress and prevent burnout. The sense of camaraderie nurtured in such an environment fosters a positive and nurturing atmosphere, benefiting both therapists and their clients.

Advocacy and Professional Recognition

A strong community of massage therapists can unite to advocate for the profession's recognition and value. Together, they can work towards establishing professional standards, licensure regulations, and promoting the benefits of massage therapy to the public and healthcare institutions. By standing united, massage therapists can elevate the industry's status, leading to increased opportunities, improved remuneration, and better working conditions. This does not have to be a large group or an official association. Many of the most significant changes in our industry started with a small group who decided that they wanted to advocate for a specific change.

Referrals and Collaborations

Within a close-knit community, therapists can refer clients to each other based on their individual strengths and specialties. This referral network not only benefits the practitioners themselves by expanding their client base but also ensures that clients receive the most suitable and personalized care. Additionally, community collaboration can lead to integrated treatment approaches where massage therapy complements other healthcare services, providing clients with comprehensive and holistic care. It begins with trust and knowledge that can only be developed in community.

Continuing Education and Professional Growth

A vibrant massage community often hosts continuing education events, workshops, and informal gatherings, providing massage therapists with opportunities to learn new modalities, deepen their knowledge, and earn relevant certifications. These educational opportunities are essential for maintaining professional competence and keeping up with the latest developments in the field. The community's support in facilitating access to continuous learning ensures that massage therapists stay at the forefront of their profession, delivering high-quality care to their clients.

In Our Community

In my small massage community, I teach continuing education on a sliding scale, host private and public gatherings for massage therapists (like our Massage Parties and Massage Jams ), mentor as many therapists as possible without charge, and constantly seek out opportunities to learn and be mentored. So this is not an abstract idea for me, it requires a fair amount of time and resources, but the rewards are plentiful. I have developed a small community of therapists who support each other, challenge each other to learn, and also challenge me to continue to learn and grow. I have taken some of the members of this community all around the world to teach, compete with and share their incredible knowledge and skills.

Conclusion

The significance of community in the massage industry cannot be overstated. Beyond the individual practitioners, the collective strength of a united community brings numerous advantages to the profession as a whole. From knowledge sharing and emotional support to professional recognition and career growth, the power of togetherness in the massage industry shapes a dynamic and thriving field of healing and well-being. As massage therapists continue to come together, support one another, and advocate for their profession, they not only enrich their own lives but also contribute to the betterment of the entire massage community and the well-being of countless clients they serve.

Challenge

I like to end these posts with a challenge when appropriate. If you are not part of a small massage community, seek one out or start one. I will add a post on how to do that soon. If you have the knowledge and calling to teach, start teaching, it does not have to be a nationally approved NCBTMB course. You can hold an in-service where you work or teach a class out of your living room. I taught out of mine for years. Just do something to move towards joining or developing an intentional community for massage therapists.

Unbecoming: A Recent Client Experience/Connection

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:58:48 GMT

I absolutely love it when a bodywork session transforms into something unexpected and wonderful. These are some highlights of correspondence between me and a recent client of mine after our first session. Everything is shared with permission and you can see more of T anith 's paintings here.

Client: Wow. It’s hard to explain how beautiful and unexpected our session was for me. You have a gift, and thank you so much for making time for me today with not much notice. I was very nervous, though excited, as I didn’t know what to expect.

Your skill is truly astounding and masterful. I’m in awe of how you allowed me to let go and guide me into some really fantastic places with no judgement and freedom to express myself. I never felt so free to be my imperfect self, and to trust someone so quickly and naturally.

You gave me a gift. I want to thank you for that. I felt my heart open for me and for you - as the one to allow me to receive and release these emotions.

I’m curious, as someone who this is your profession, what did you make of my session? I was pleasantly surprised that it was so emotional, though it makes sense for me as I tend to hold a lot of emotions inside. But I’m curious if you happen to have any insights?

Me: I thought your session was wonderful, especially for your first time with me. I definitely sensed a point where you (your nervous system) really let go. I felt like you went from trying to interpret the work cognitively, your body wanting to control its responses, needing to understand before giving in to the work we were doing...to a much freer place where you "decided" to flow with the work and allow yourself to experience what was happening on a deeper, less process oriented level. I do not usually "fly" clients in their first session but I was so happy that you agreed to let me be more creative and take you a little more into the unknown and unexpected. I felt a sense of joy and youthful abandon from you while you were up in the air as well as trust.

As for the emotions, I hear what you are saying there. I hope that you know that you can freely and fully express any emotions that come up for you on my table. However, I am not in the best position to give you insights or advice on where they are coming from. I tend to just embrace them and trust that you will be open to exploring where they are coming from or what they are telling you. However, I am always open to listening to you and helping you process things that come up.

I tend to process through writing and I wrote this to process my part of our experience together. I do not know if it will be fully relevant to you because I wrote it to process my thoughts, but I think you might find something useful for yourself in here....

Maybe it isn’t

about

fixing you

(as if I could)

or healing you

(as if you are broken)

or helping you become something

(as if what you are now is not worth celebrating)

Maybe it is

about

letting you

“unbecome”

maybe it's about

letting you

fall apart

and not

trying to

(needing to)

put you

back together

Maybe it isn’t about

anything at all

so that it can be

everything

that you need it

to be

Client: I’ve been thinking about the “Unbecoming” words you shared with me. They are so powerful and healing. As an artist, I express myself through art, and your words had such a profound effect on me that I had to use them in some way.

I hope you do not mind that I have borrowed your words. They mean so much to me. I make oil paintings inspired by Iceland, since Iceland was such a healing place for me that it made sense to combine your beautiful words within that landscape. What I love about these paintings are that the words are legible but not easily so and it takes effort to read them ... you have to get up close.

These paintings are special to me, and I wanted to share them with you. Thank you so much for everything.

Posture Correction Shoulder Harnesses and Tape

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:58:47 GMT

I used to recommend some fairly intricate kinesio taping to help with posture modification for my clients but I have found that a simple posture correcting harness/brace does a fantastic job and are much easier to use. You do not need too heavy duty of a harness unless you have extra thick shoulder musculature, are looking for a more aggressive correction or are very active throughout the day. The nice thing is that you can try as many different posture correctors from Amazon as you want until you get the right fit and just return the ones that do not work for you.

I do not use the harness for “mechanical” support or cinch it up tight. I put it on a little loose so that when I start to lose my posture I feel it pull on my shoulders which provides a nervous system stimulus and then I correct my posture in response. This trains my nervous system to create a self-correction loop that I hope will become automatic over time.

I have even put little thumbtacks in the front of the harness so when I start to slump forward I get a little more nuanced nervous system nudge to find a better posture. You can do a similar thing with K-Tape by making sure the vertical tape is as tight as possible and goes as high up on your neck as is workable for you.

The Gulf Journal by Joe Lavin

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:58:46 GMT

I had an experience with a client shortly after a contentious moment in my country's political discourse (how is that for PC?) where I was actually compelled to end a session because I was not able to care for my client deeply enough to work out a better solution. So I wrote my client a letter which he has graciously allowed me to share here.

Two important things I want to say about this at the outset:

1) There is no good guy or bad guy in this story, just two people trying to figure out who they are in the midst of all the chaos going on around us.

2) I know that there will be mixed reactions to this, especially from massage therapists. However, this is about my experience and the level of care and connection that I want to provide and have with my clients as well as to the standards that I want to hold myself to.

I’m not sure you understand how much goes into our touch relationship. I happily give you almost everything I have and I usually do not ask for much in return. I try to have enormously high hopes in terms of touch and outcomes but very little expectations. This has gone well for us and the quality and level of my touch, our touch relationship, has been increasing with every visit. However, we definitely took a step backwards today, many steps backwards, many large steps backwards…

I’m not sure if it has always been there, but I feel it now. This gulf between us. This enormously deep abyss that threatens to completely disconnect me from you. I am really good at what I do and I have navigated some seemingly unnavigable situations. More than that I deeply love what I do and believe in it’s higher purpose. My touch heals, it connects. My touch allows people to completely transform themselves at least while they are on my table. Is not a technique, not something I had to learn somewhere. It is just an expression of my deepest self that I had to be brave enough to explore and to share with others.

Right now I wish it was a technique or there was some formulaic way to get my touch back on track with you, but for now it is broken. We are broken. Maybe I have been broken by months and months of almost continuous disharmony, often escalating to fits of extreme hatred and violence that has been surrounding all of us. Maybe you have been broken by that as well…and I am leaning heavily on the last thought as I try to find my passion for touching you...for touching anyone.

But then you talk again and as much as I am truly bewildered that you could believe what you are saying, it is the tone of your voice, the contempt and the utter disregard for their humanity, for my humanity (and therefore for your own humanity) that feels so oppressive to me. It is not your position; red, blue2 or black, it is the self righteousness of your position and the lack of respect or at least compassion for anyone that does not share your position. For me. For my children…

I want to rise above my biased thoughts and the negative emotions that they are causing to well up within me. I want to provide a safe, judgment free and compassion filled space for you. But you keep on talking, even after I tell you that I do not like to talk about politics or other things that are deeply divisive in my sessions. Even after I tell you that I feel like your words are sinking into your own body because it is becoming more and more tense as the session goes on. Even as I tell you that my body is getting tenser.

So I did something that I have never done before. I ended a session, your session, solely because of our different beliefs. Because this divide between us had become so wide and so deep that I did not believe we could cross it. I did not even believe that we could meet in the middle of it, because whatever kind of framework we could build to meet there, would surely collapse under the weight of our discord. I gave up on you, myself and so much more but I did not realize that in the moment. I acted in haste. Sought my better good than yours or even ours. The damage is done, the gulf is wider; and now you see it as well.

I know that some would support my decision and even cheer it on. I could look for comfort and solace there. At least for a little while. Until the hypocrisy of my actions grow so large that I can taste the bile from it trying to escape my throat (obviously I have a flair for the melodramatic). Not just a hypocrisy of words, the things that I say and teach. But a hypocrisy of my being of how I understand myself and the care that I want to provide. How I want others, you, to understand myself.

I want to apologize to you for all of that. I need to apologize to you, but I also need you to understand me at the same time. How I am deeply affected by the things that people say, by the compassion or the lack of compassion they express, by the amount of love or hate that I feel from them. I can absorb an enormous amount of sadness and even anger but I am too vulnerable to absorb hate, ridicule and contempt. Not because I feel I am too pure or virtuous, rather because when it mixes with my hate, ridicule and contempt it makes me a very ugly person and I can no longer distinguish myself from my so called “them” ( which probably begs a deeper problem).

So please accept this catharsis as an attempt at an apology and let me know if you want to come in again and see if there isn’t space for both of us somewhere in the vast expanse of both of our gulfs.

The best part about this is that we have managed to rebuild our therapist/client relationship and are both better human beings because we did not just walk away from eachother with contempt.

Some Questions Lead to Beautiful Answers...

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:58:45 GMT

My client asked me how I would describe our Primal Unwinding session and I replied, "Like a celestial dance." Later, I unpacked that a bit more....

I would describe

our unwinding

as a celestial dance.

Where I

orbited

you

coming in

closer

for

deeper work

connection

Then

I would

move away

creating space

As if you were

a fixed object

the constant

and I was

an orbiting star

destined to follow

my preordained

gravitational orbit

around your

body

somehow knowing

understanding

how the

forces of

inertia and gravity

have to be

perfectly balanced

for an orbit to happen

a continuous

tug-of-war

between

two objects

two beings

one needing to

move away

so the other one

can move closer

and in between

a breath

then the roles

changing

in order

to maintain

the balance

the tension

But now I am

unsettled

with my

poetic analogy

not because

it is incorrect

or inappropriate

instead

because I realize

that the moments

I crave the most

are the brief seconds

in between

when we are

changing roles

when we are

most connected

most equal

our energies

joining and relaxing

becoming as one

Just before

we are propelled

once again

into our

separate orbits

To continue

the dance

we started…

For those that are interested or concerned, most of my Prinal Unwinding sessions are not part of my licensed massage practice so I am not limited to the same therapeutic relationship guidelines as well as the professional, emotional and social boundaries that I am in my massage practice. Although I understand their purpose and may choose to use them with some clients. There are other boundaries that apply to both my bodywork and massage that are important power differential, transference

*Picture from the book cover of Dance of the Ancient One

The Massage Therapist and the Cheetah

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:58:44 GMT

I took my daughter to the zoo the other day. We waited with the other people to see the cheetah walk out and stood in amazement as the cheetah did, well, nothing really. She just walked around, looked at us and then laid down. I imagined the cheetah wondering why there were people here to see her again, She didn’t feel that special. She had no idea what she was really made for, how fast she could run, what it felt like to be free, what a fierce predator she could be. She just had some sense that this crowd of spectators was interested in her so she should show up again, like she does every other day.

Then there was us, this small group of onlookers trying to get an idea of what this amazing animal might be like in the wild. We could not really tell, of course, because all we were seeing - all we have ever seen - was this shell of an animal living in a couple thousand square feet of climate-controlled misery. However, we were satisfied with the illusion and oblivious to the utter sadness of the situation.

Then I thought about myself, a massage therapist. I know I have value because people keep coming back, so I keep doing the same simple and safe things that I have always done. Though, every now and then, I wonder what it would be like to really touch and connect with my client. There is no worry about that because like the cheetah, I also perform behind a thick glass to make sure you never get too close to me and heaven forbid that I would ever get too close to you.

And my clients, they are satisfied, right? I mean they keep coming back so they must find value in my sanitized touch. Or are they like my little crowd of onlookers at the zoo? Satisfied with my domesticated and relatively uninspired touch because they have never experienced the true power of healing touch. I was made by an infinitely creative designer that obviously values human connection because I have so much capacity for, and need of, that connection. I have millions of touch receptors in my body and an almost scary level of intuition. Imagine what I could offer if I was brave enough to explore all of my capabilities and sensibilities and then share them freely with my clients. Would they ever be satisfied with the massage therapist in a cage again? Could I ever go back into the cage?

The answer is obviously and thankfully a resounding no!

Joe Lavin

I was going to start with a different writing but someone made it clear that I need to read the book, Untamed by Glennon Doyle . Yes, it is memoir written by a woman ostensibly for women, but I am just a couple of chapters in and I have been completely broken several times already. I was planning on starting this little journey of self-revelation but again find myself being drawn into more self discovery.

She tells a very similar Cheetah story in the forward of the book. It immediately made me feel this connection and assumption that she "gets me" but I quickly realized that I need to "get her" and probably many of the other women in and around my life...

*Picture from AnimalArk.org

I Did Not Come To be Danced

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:58:47 GMT

I want to share something I wrote trying to say thank you to a group of people that were a major part of my becoming a better bodyworker, toucher, connector and human being. It was in a five month training program with the Institute for Phenomenal Touch. It absolutely changed my life!

I think Tony says, something like "I am not your guru." In much the same way, I am not my clients healer. I have not evolved to some sacred level and I definitely do not have all the answers. I am, in fact, on much the same journey of healing, discovery and understanding as many of my clients. I have also been and still am being healed and discovering more about myself through massage, bodywork and meaningful physical connections. In case it needs to be said, these meaningful physical connections are intentionally non-sexual.

I think it is because of all of the discoveries, revelations, wonders and even shortcomings of my own personal journey that I can be of some help to others who are brave and vulnerable enough to explore how bodywork might help them along their way.

So here it is...

I was reading the poem by Jewel Mathieson that Mary so profoundly and dramatically shared with us on the first day of my Phenomenal Touch experience and it occurred to me that I did not come here to be danced, at least I did not think that was why I came...

I did not come to be danced!

But I was danced by some wondrous and amazing dancers.

It wasn’t a pretty dance, by any means, but it was a beautiful dance

It was a shake the dust off your life dance

A dance even if it does not make sense to your husband or your wife dance

A don't worry if you can’t stand up, we will get down on our knees and dance with you dance

A don't worry if you can't breathe, we will breathe for you dance

A don't worry if you don't believe in us, we believe in you dance

So yes, I was most definitely danced!

I did not come to be touched!

No, I came to touch, to get better at what I was already good at. To wrap my deepest needs in more layers of being able to meet other people’s needs. My seductively subtle form of self-medication.

But, instead I was deeply touched by so many truly Phenomenal Touchers, I was touched on the table and off the table. I was hugged, held, embraced, cradled, caressed, wrestled with and I even got some fantastic massage. World-class, life-changing, career altering massage.

So yes, I was touched, profoundly touched!

I did not come to cry!

But man did I ever. And you all just sat there and let me cry, you did not try to make things better, change the subject, or let me hide. No, you methodically and systematically broke me down by crying with me, caring for me, by acknowledging every ounce of my pain as you looked directly into my eyes and told me that I wasn’t broken, and I was beautiful. And I might not have believed you but for moments when you bravely wiped the tears off my face with his bare hands or when you actually kissed my tears with such tenderness that there was nowhere left to run to and no one left to hide from...

So yes, I cried!

I did not come to love or to be loved , and I don’t want to diminish this with any attempt at flowery prose, I just want you all to know that I feel so wonderfully loved and I love each one of you so deeply that it surprises me and quite honestly scares me just a little bit.

Lastly, it occurred to me that I did not come to walk the gauntlet or get inducted into the polish mafia. But all of you, and especially you my dearest Gosia, touched both extremes of me so thoroughly, you loved, accepted and embraced my seemingly polar opposites, you actually celebrated and reveled in both of them...and you started this idea in me that maybe I just am both of these things, all of these things, that even though they seem to be so diametrically opposed to each other, maybe they are just different expressions of my truest self.

Maybe l am not broken, maybe I am alright, and maybe it just doesn't matter, because at this point, because of all of you Phenomenal Touchers and especially because of you, you beautiful Angel of polish divineness, I feel really beautiful!

Body Rolling

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:58:46 GMT

Picture from Kalijo Pilates

I love body rolling and think it is far superior to the many popular “foam rolling” strategies that I see a lot of people utilizing. My basic premise is that using different sized balls with different densities to strategically roll on, under and around your unique, 3-dimensional body will allow you to apply just the right amount of pressure in the specific places that you need it as well as helping you do some amazing stretches. Plus you can take your body rolling equipment with you wherever you go. If you are a proverbial road warrior, just deflate to miniature soccer balls, pack a small air pump and throw them in your carry on!

Here is one super quick solution and two more involved but very credible Body Rolling systems/strategies:

Super Quick Solution: Get a Size 3 Ball and this very cute Size 1 Ball or this Mini Ball (should be about a size 1). Inflate them to about 80% for starting, drop them on the floor and start rolling your body all over them!

The Roll Model: Jill Miller has an extremely comprehensive book on body rolling, The Roll Model. You can learn more about it on her website , buy it on Amazon or check it out from the Seattle Public Library or your local library. You do not need to buy specialized, patented balls for this. Just start paying attention and you will see prospective body rolling balls everywhere

Yamuna Body Rolling: Yamuna, has turned body rolling into a functional and intentional practice. You can learn more about their philosophy and the balls they use on their website . In addition, here is an article written in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science: The Theory and Technique of Yamuna Body Rolling. It is a little bit technical, but thorough. They are very proud of their practice and do all that they can to keep it proprietary and accordingly, somewhat expensive. So if you are on a budget, just be creative.

My Improvised Travel Kit: If you travel a lot, this is a great way to take something very small with you and get some big self care results. A small manual pump and a one or two high quality inflatable balls like this inexpensive one for firm to very hard rolling or something like these pilates balls in several sizes for mobility rolling.

If all of that is just too much information, find some medium density balls of different sizes and start rolling your body over them in your really tight spots. Make sure that you start with light pressure and you never need to apply so much pressure that you have to wince or feel any sharp pain at all. Then let me know how that works for you....

Happy new year!

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 18:58:39 GMT

It is 2021 and it is time for me to start sharing more of my thoughts about massage, bodywork and life with anyone who is interested. I do a lot of writing to process my thoughts about touch as well as my massage and bodywork experiences. Most of the time these writings end up living only in my journal or on my computer and I would like to give them a little more life, see how they blossom...or wither.

I have been thinking about this for a while but have been especially motivated recently by some very special responses and encouragements from some of clients that I have shared a writing with, from my mother who, at 76, has recently poured herself into her artistic expression in the painting and a short response to a post of mine by a good friend that I have not seen in ages but still knows me well. Thank you all.

My friend Suzanne said this to me, "It isn’t that YOU need to find your people, but your people need you to find THEM"

...and this blog is my immediate response to that encouragement. I will reflect on the specifics of that statement later, but for now, if your looking, here I am.

Some thoughts, disclaimers and clarifications on my writings.

Massage and/or Bodywork Writings

All of my writings about any type of bodywork session are about my bodywork and not about my licensed therapeutic massage practice unless otherwise specifically stated.

Paradoxes and Incomplete Thoughts

To enjoy or understand my writings you need to understand that I embrace the paradoxes of life and often play with several positions that might seem contradictory at the same time. This is part of my process. Also, I am not completely focused on resolving things or even understanding them completely (as if I could :-) through my writings. So most of the time you will have to do your own processing if you want to really get into anything here.

https://society6.com/

I try my best to keep that popular quote in mind whenever I am thinking or writing. So often when it seems like I am making a statement I might just be asking a question.

Obfuscation

All of my writings about people or situations are changed enough to protect anyone's identity that might be in them unless someone is actually named. All of my writings include at least one thing that is not true, exaggerated or otherwise can not be relied upon to create a factual statement of any action or event. All of my writings about anyone specific are shared only with their specific consent. If you ever read something that you feel is about you and I have not talked to you about sharing it - it is most likely not specifically about you - but please contact me so that I can clarify anything that needs to be clarified.