My post a few weeks ago on the $100,000 massage business seemed to create quite a stir.  The idea that a massage therapist can make that much money seems too good to be true for most.  Many come to massage careers saying it isn’t about the money or that they just want to help.   Underneath the idea of wanting to help is usually another side of our profession that is not really talked about. The deeper reasons underneath wanting to help (which is also usually sacrificing our needs to make money) are usually what lead to giving too much and eventually burn out.   Since massage therapy is considered to be one of the many helping professions we have a lot to learn about our needs to help others.

I was first exposed to this idea early in massage school in 1987 when reading a book called “How Can I Help” by Ram Dass.  I actually didn’t think much of it at the time and didn’t think that it really applied to me at the time.  In the book he says:

The more you see yourself as a “helper”, the more need for people to play the passive “helped”.  You’re buying into, even juicing up, precisely what people who are suffering from want to be rid of: limitation, dependency, helplessness, separateness.  And that is happening largely as a result of self-image.

Often what is happening when we feel a compulsive need to help is that we have to get rid of someone else’s pain because it is hurting us too much. Out of helping usually comes feelings of power, respect and a certain knowing that we did all that we could for someone to try to take away their pain.

While helping can truly come from compassion, it is often confusing.  When we help it makes us feel like we are important and are appreciated.   Being able to tell the difference will mean the difference between your success or having to change careers because of being burned out.

Fast forward 15 year of working as a massage therapist and feeling burned out myself,  I read this series of articles by Jack Blackburn called “Caretaking vs Caregiving” and it all came together:

” When we caretake, we assume responsibility for our clients’ healing.

When we caregive, we support clients in assuming responsibility for their own healing.”

Caretaking comes in many shapes and forms.  It can be seen when you charge less than you need to make or don’t have any cancellation policies (or enforce them).   It can be seen when you give advice instead of just listening.   Caretaking has it’s roots in early childhood and usually in the way you learned how to attach (or not attach) to your caregivers.  When your early needs for attention, appreciation and love are not met, many people give up their needs in order to get that attention.  It continues on into adulthood and shows up in relationship, money and career issues and somehow seems to really show up in helping professions.   Setting your needs aside for others benefits while it may seem viruous and noble, usually is not really helping anyone.

I actually used to be one of those people who didn’t want much and didn’t charge much for my services.  I didn’t want to do any marketing or sales because I was shy and hated promoting myself.  I lived a simple life (and still do) but making money became as important as helping since I couldn’t help people when I was feeling burned out or didn’t have enough to take care of my needs. The more I learned about caretaking and ‘noble poverty’ ( the idea that having money is somehow wrong), the more I could see how I created my underearning to support my lack of self confidence.  The thing with underearning, noble poverty and caretaking is that they are really unconscious patterns and you don’t really see them until you are forced into looking at them.  Some people may never get to looking at them and that is OK too.

My basic message today is that caretaking is a big part of our profession.  As you become more aware of how caretaking influences your clients lives and your life, you can begin to make different choices that support caregiving (healing).   You can live simply but you don’t have to live in poverty and wonder if you are going to get by.  You don’t have to make $100,000 a year but you can make what you need to make to pay the bills, live debt free, take nice vacations each year and save for retirement.   The process of unraveling caretaking from caregiving will be a contining challenge.   It shows up in how you care for yourself financially – Do you raise your rates each year?  Do you have a cancellation policy and enforce it?  Do you give away your time to clients by doing longer sessions or excessive volunteering?  (What other profession gives away their time for free?)    It shows up when you are challenged by becoming friends with clients, by undercharging, by not doing the things you need to do to promote your business.  It shows up when you take low paying jobs thinking that is all that there is.

This is really a very short post about a very broad and intensive topic.   I would recommend that you begin reading about this in some of my favorite books and free online articles I have posted on my website.

Recommended Reading List

The Code of the Caretaker

Noble Poverty - Mikelann Valterra’s Website

Jack Blackburn’s articles “Caretaking vs Caregiving”

In the Service of Life – Rachel Remen.  This is one of my favorite articles that also started my interest in this topic.

The thing is that once you get started in exploring these issues with either a regular therapist or in the process of supervision you will most likely see your massage business grow.  The steps in building a business gets easier as you clear up some of the unconscious programming and beliefs about money and success.  So you can make $100,000 or more even if you want.  Making that much money isn’t a crime.  The more you make, the more you can actually help by doing things like setting up non-profit groups that offer free and low cost massage.

Aaron?s Active Isolated Stretching will address neck, shoulder, and extremity pain & Erik?s Myoskeletal Alignment will teach SI joint, scoliosis and low back corrections.

Geo writes: ?I can?t wait to work with you and Mattes in Costa Rica this May?what is the focus of the work you guys will be presenting??

Geo, I can only tell you that the workshop description posted on my website says that Aaron will be focusing on neck, shoulder and extremity problems and I?ll be covering low back, scoliosis and sacroiliac pain. However, when we get together it?s impossible to predict what?s going to happen or where we?ll end up. Most people who?ve studied with Aaron are familiar with his contagious energy, passion and boundless knowledge, but few realize what a prankster he is.

Aaron and his wife Judy have been close friends with Teri (my wife) and I for many years. At one point, I worked in Aaron?s original clinic in Sarasota. I?ll never forget that experience. I was really into tennis and he was working on all the stars of the time including Sampras, Agassi and my personal favorite Monica Seles. Monica was just rehabbing from the knife wound to her right ribcage at T4-5 sustained after a match with Steffi Graff. Aaron, knowing I had ?star-fever? for her, secretly arranged for me to work on her two days after I arrived.

The paranoia in her training camp from the stabbing created quite an odd therapeutic situation. It was really tense (and quiet) during the sessions with her Dad watching every move. Additionally, I felt uneasy and nervous performing Aaron?s Assisted Stretching routines on such a high profile person?especially one he?d worked on for years. Nevertheless, against my will, he insisted I take her through two-hours of stretching each day. He was really getting a ?kick? outta? watching me sweat while he glared over with a big grin plastered on his face. He further humiliated me one day when I returned from lunch 10 minutes late. In a loud voice (in front of ten other therapists working in the room) he proclaimed that ?those Okies just run off a different clock than the rest of us?. I wouldn?t have minded if I were getting paid but this was pure harassment.

Because my anxiety was so obvious, I finally admitted to Monica that I?d only been practicing Aaron?s stretching for a few months and that my background was Rolfing, osteopathy and a new method I?d just developed called the ?Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques?. Once I came clean about my insecurity and past training, she completely relaxed, opened up, and began telling me about her experiences with some Rolfer from Germany and how much he?d helped her back problem. Anyway, Aaron gave me a lot of grief those weeks at his clinic and I absolutely plan to get back at him when we get on my Costa Rica turf.

Geo, didn?t you attend the 2007 Costa Rica Retreat with Mr. Anatomy Trains?Tom Myers? Great guy huh? What I like about co-teaching in Costa Rica with prestigious educators such as James Waslaski, David Kent and Tom is that all the teachers and teaching assistants come together in the same room at the same time to help assist the primary presenter. Of course, this opens up a great arena for communal dialog which greatly enhances the learning experience. Personally, I always take home a tremendous amount of information from assisting these renowned instructors. I think the 2008 Retreat will be ?jam-packed? with the same energy and excitement and I?m proud to be hosting this event with the legendary Aaron Mattes?.ERIK

My infatuation with form began when I was a child and still is a constant wonder and focus in my work as a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner.

My parents owned a small Chinese antique store in Washington, D.C. A tiny repair room crammed full of damaged objects was in the back of the store. Stuff was everywhere: broken statuary made of porcelain, wood or bronze; stained or ripped paintings; tattered silk robes; fragments of jade; pieces of carved ivory, and dented cloisonné vessels. The floor was taken up with pieces of teak furniture and two huge ceramic foo-dogs so large they loomed over me.

I spent hours with these things. Their shape, color, and texture carried me into a realm of wondering. When I held the woman carved of ivory, I wondered about her, not in a specific way like who carved her or what happened to her. I wasn’t trying to create anything, I’d just wonder and wait… accepting anything that arose in my mind’s eye.

Before I knew it her missing hand would spring forth with its delicately pointing finger, or her smooth face would glisten suddenly, as if illuminated by the moon, pastel colors of pale green and poppy yellow emerging upon her gown. I’d pay close attention and hear stories murmered by water flowing over creek stones. At times her voice whispered sounds that I didn’t understand, yet somehow I felt better, as though wrapped in a warm blanket.

Eventually I became an artist making imagined things into objects drawn and sculpted. Yet something was lacking. I didn?t understand what it was until I began to learn and use CranioSacral Therapy. Then I realized what was missing, it was life?s motion.

Movement characterizes life. While practicing CranioSacral Therapy I am awe struck when feeling the life force within each cell which can be expressed as blood coursing within our vessels, oxygen filling our lungs, nerves conveying information, or particles entering and leaving our cells. This majestic motion is the way form makes itself known to me.

So when I work with clients, a state of wonder permeates each second of time. I feel the human being is majestic and our life force unfathomable, yet somehow palpable. I marvel at the depth of motion within each cell and I wonder and wait. As I wait images arise of cells moving freely, fluids energizing and vibrant. Other images may emerge of brain parts twisted, membrane coiled or stuck, nerves stressed, or vessels congested. I may see the entire body crumpled by a snagged string of fascia. A large part of my work is to gently support shapes as they shift and untangle.

I am constantly amazed how form is a gateway into the ordinary, the extraordinary, the glorious and the therapeutic.

This weekend while I was teaching ethics to a class of 23 people, I asked how many present have read the Practice Act. As usual, the answer was TWO. I wonder how people think they can comply with the law if they don’t know what it is. I wonder if they know they can have input whenever the act is opened, as it occasionally is. I wonder if they know they can attend massage board meetings; that holds true everywhere, not just in my state; a public board is obligated to have open meetings and to offer a time period for public comment. If they don’t know, it isn’t because I haven’t attempted to personally spread the word–I do it all the time.

There is a lot going on in our profession right now. This week, the AMTA is holding their annual convention. I’ll be heading to Orlando tomorrow to participate. Since representatives from the National Certification Board, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, the Massage Therapy Research Foundation, and many others will be on hand, it’s an opportunity to meet those people in person and give them a little feedback.

Last week of the first draft of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge project was released, along with the solicitation for comments. We’ve also heard the recent announcement about the formation of the Alliance for Massage Therapy, the new organization led by Rick Rosen; the hiring of Angela Palmier and Christopher Alvarado as new Industry Relations Specialists for the NCB; the NCB’s announcement of morphing into a membership/insurance organization, and their recent announcement about a general advanced certification, which based on the comments on this blog, not too many people seem excited about. Those comments have been forwarded to the leadership of the NCB. We’ve got the MBLEx gaining ground and more states joining the Federation. We’ve got more states forming boards and enacting legislation than ever before. We’ve got more regulation of massage therapy than any other time before.

There are so many current issues that affect our profession. And as a massage therapist, that means they directly affect you. Have you voiced your opinion? Contacted the NCB? Attended a meeting or written a letter to your state board? Been in touch with your legislators? Written a letter to the editor of your trade publications? Weighed in on this or the thousands of other blogs and discussion groups that exist on the Internet? Do you belong to a professional association, and do you let them know what you think, or do you just automatically pay your dues and maintain the status quo?

I am not going to sit on my hands while things go on that have the potential to affect me and my colleagues. I’ve used this blog plenty of times to complain about something, and to give the occasional pat on the back, but that’s not the only action I take. When legislation comes up that affects the practice of massage in my state, I contact my legislators, and I send out announcements to every therapist on my email list. As a current member of the board in my state, I am obligated to be at meetings, but the fact is I attended quite a few before I was appointed, and plan to continue that when my term is over, so I can voice my opinion. I have written the leadership of AMTA on numerous occasions. I haven’t single-handedly managed to change anything, but I always get a response, and it’s good to know they’re listening. I haven’t just written about the NCB; I’ve also written directly to them.

Maybe people just don’t realize that they have the right to speak up. If that’s the case, I’m telling you now, you have the right. If something that affects us and our profession is on the horizon, why don’t you take a few minutes to voice your opinion? Write a letter. Make a phone call. Send a fax or an email. Post an answer to this blog or someone else’s, or write one of your own. Get involved. Don’t sit on your hands.

When I worked in a spa setting, the offering of aromatherapy – with a $10 price tag – was little more than an application of some highly diluted vague smelling oil with a name like Tranquility. Is this what aromatherapy really is?

When you look at the historic roots of aromatherapy it is the use of pure, undiluted, unaltered, essential oils for healing the body, mind, and spirit. After all, the father of modern day aromatherapy, Rene Gattefosse, put his hand in a vat of undiluted lavender oil and his severe burns were healed.  

So how did this wonderful modality that can do everything from heal burns, repair tissues, and clean out receptor sites turn into such a watered down offering? Let’s take a look at how aromatherapy is taught, presented, and represented.

We are taught you must dilute 95% with carrier oils so the oils will do no harm (and this is because….?), you can’t use wintergreen (because synthetic methyl salicylate will kill you), and many other precautions. I agree that precautions are necessary, but it is as if we progressed to a place where before you can go out of the house you have to dilute the air by putting a bubble around you because you might catch a cold, or you might get sunburn, or it might smell bad.

So what would it be like to never feel the sun on your skin – and the vitamin D it delivers – to never smell the pure ocean air –  and the healing negative ions you would breathe in – to never experience the healing benefits of air because you are so afraid of perceived negative side effects of breathing pure air?

Aromatherapy is an ancient healing art that was used by the Egyptians thousands of years ago, by the Biblical peoples, and even further back in Ayurvedic practice in India. Today, undiluted use of pure therapeutic-grade essential oils (see my last post) is being practiced around the world with wonderful results.

OH the world of business marketing, where to begin on such an endless task? If you are like me and are starting a business you probably do not have alot of money. If you are like me in two ways you might even have to keep a full time job until your marketing skills start working!  I do want to remind you that you now have a valuable skill, and to some people that can be worth money.  When I first started my business I traded massages to my webmaster, the person who designed my logo and business cards.  With a site, and business cards, you are off to a great start and have spent hardly any money. I am trying to do all the advertising I can for free. My advice however is to watch where you advertise. Make sure the websites you are looking at, or the places where your flyers are hung are going to attract the  clients you want. The best advertising for a massage therapist is recomendations from others, so go out there and talk, talk, talk, give your business card to everybody  you talk to. Sometimes you will find a place you really want your add in, so if money is an issue choose those places wisley, and do not be affraid to ask your clients where they got your information from so you know whats working and what is not. Marketing is something every business needs, and if you are doing it on your own try to think of fun,  creative ways to market your business to the clients you wish to attract with the resources you have! Thanks for reading, Bee Well….

The other day I was talking with a friend about certain back issues he was having. When I suggested  to him he get a massage he told me ” I can’t  get a massage, they are for rich house wives.” My  heart stopped and my jaw must have hit the ground because he had to ask me if I was ok. Of course I was, just in a little shock and very confused.  How many other people thought this about massage therapy? A massage does not have to be this long, dramatic day to the spa with your friends.  Massage is about healing and body working, which of course can be done in many different ways so find the one that works for you. Of course all massages should be relaxing but it should also be effective. If you want a spa treatment go to a spa, if you don’t, don’t go to a spa! There are plenty of other options out there for you so find the one you want.  Please please please do not get caught up in the idea that massages are only for the wealthy. We are all human, we all get stressed out, work hard, face challenges and get aches and pains. We are all deserving of massage.

Bee Healthy. Bee Happy. Bee Well…

Now is an excellent time to look ahead for marketing and networking opportunities related to National Stress Awareness Month.  The Health Resource Network recently disseminated this press release:

For the 17th consecutive year, April 2009 has been designated “Stress Awareness Month.” During this thirty day period, health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country will join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

Sponsored by The Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization, Stress Awareness Month is a national, cooperative effort to inform people about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society.

“Even though we’ve learned a lot about stress in the past twenty years,”says Dr. Morton C. Orman, M.D., Founder and Director of HRN, “we’ve got a long way to go. New information is now available that could help millions of Americans eliminate their suffering.”

Dr. Orman has invited leading health care organizations across the country to develop and disseminate helpful educational materials and other information about stress during the month of April. He is also promoting public forums, discussion groups,and other informative community events.

The Health Resource Network is a non-profit health education organization established in 1982. It consists of health professionals, health promotion experts, and educators committed to developing more effective programs for improving health and preventing disease. In addition to sponsoring Stress Awareness Month, the organization also sponsors National Stress Awareness Day, held every April 16–or the day after income taxes are due!

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www.stresscure.com/hrn

Now that you know, what will you do to promote your massage practice as an antidote to stress?  I look forward to your creative ideas.

Some new developments concerning structural differences may also add fuel to the gender phenomena fire. Several biomedical journals have published articles implicating inherited anatomical factors. Studies indicate that, as a group, women have forty percent less neck musculature than men, yet the female head still represents approximately eight percent of a woman?s total body weight which is the same percentage as in males. These conclusions could help explain why many more women, on average, suffer from migraines, osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease, and forward head postures than men. 

Manual therapists are keenly aware that pain does not afflict the two genders equally. Most medical literature points to consistent findings that women report more musculoskeletal pain than men, and additionally?the females? experience seems to differ significantly from that of their male counterpart. Some researchers believe this discrepancy is due to biological issues since female activities are typically comprised of a different set of risk factors for injury and pain. Others blame genetics such as inherited limbic system (emotional) overactivity and physical structural differences. My wife says I don’t listen to her…your thoughts?

 

According to a Robert Sandos? article in the European Journal of Pain, ?While education and unemployment seemed to be primarily associated with pain among men, economic worries, half-time work, and being married were the most commonly reported pain-generators among women?.

As the costs of health insurance continue to spiral upward, more and more consumers are enrolling in high-deductible insurance plans attached to health savings accounts, or flexible health spending plans through their employers (sometimes called cafeteria plans). These plans allow consumers to spend pre-tax dollars on covered healthcare. In many cases, massage therapy is an allowable expense if recommended or prescribed by a doctor. Most clients are unaware of this benefit and will appreciate it when you discuss it with them. Individual plans may vary, so clients need to check with their plan administrator for details.