I am moved and inspired by recent remembrances of Ted Kennedy?s life and accomplishments. Something in the stories of who he was and how he lived has stirred something deep within me.

He was clearly a man who believed in redemption. He lived a full life ? full-hearted, full of mistakes. Yet he was also full of integrity, and the belief that the world could be a better place if he worked to make it so.

He was brought to his knees many times throughout his career, physically, emotionally and politically. Yet each time, his capacity to recover and come back better enabled him to go on.

He had more loss and responsibility placed on his shoulders than most people experience in three lifetimes. What?s more impressive is what he did in response.

Yes, he grieved deeply. But each time he chose to pick up the torch and go on, strengthening his commitment to what he stood for ? a better world where the voiceless get heard, where the poor are remembered, and where healthcare is universal and not a just privilege for those who can afford it.

Senator Kennedy was clearly a lifelong learner not afraid to try new things. With each mistake he made and each loss he suffered, he didn?t just endure them. He did not become more callous.

He grew from each experience no matter how painful, and he grabbed life more fully in the aftermath. His legacy of five decades of vital legislation and lasting friendships on both sides of the aisle bear witness to that fact.

He had another valuable trait that we all need to remember, especially now. He knew how to reach out for the resources he needed every step of the way.

His wife Victoria is credited with being a powerful resource that saved his life. The staff he trusted implicitly was a resource that made his work possible. Spending time on the ocean was a resource that renewed and healed him. Over and over, he connected with healthy resources that allowed him to carry on.

Someone shared that his generous spirit called those around him to higher ground, and to release their pettiness when there were differences between them. In story after story, I heard how he showed up for his friends, colleagues and family members in their own times of need and loss. He literally showed up at the door, called repeatedly, or used his presence to get them the help they needed.

Ted Kennedy was a man of tremendous presence, born from a family imbued with an essence that mandated them to ?do good? and create a better world. He clearly contributed to that. But what?s impressed me most was his hard work and unflagging persistence in ?staying the course,? day in and day out, for more than five decades in the Senate.

He used his gifts and he persisted. And his presence grew from that.

When all is said and done, Ted Kennedy?s hard work and daily commitment to what he believed in left us with a legacy like none other.

As bodyworkers, we have a tremendous amount to give in the ?do good? department. Now I?m even more inspired to make a difference in all ways, large and small, in my own world given my gifts.

None of us is perfect or even close. Ted Kennedy is a testament to that, too. But what we do supports health. What we do helps people relax and relieve themselves of pressure. What we do reduces stress and helps people manage their lives better.

We help them feel more at home in the incredible navigational system of their bodies. And living from inside their bodies leads to wiser decisions, better self-esteem, more creativity and more joy. That?s a vital role we serve in healthcare, now and in the coming decades.

So your mandate, should you choose to accept it, is to stay your own course. Grab life with both hands and live it. Grow from the adversity life hands you and learn from it all.

Learn to take care of yourself. People are depending on you.

And persist. Keep sharing your gifts. When the time comes, your eulogy will be filled with what you want it to say ? all the ways in which you made a positive difference in your world.

In the meantime?enjoy!

As I settle back into life in Virginia I am struck by the gift of diversity that I have in my life. I could not Twitter easily at Esalen with no cell phone service there, so I begin this blog with all the journal entries I could not send from California, and finish up with my re-entry into Virginia last week:

7/9 – My trip began with a visit to New World Library in Novato, CA. We talked through their plans for the second edition of Full Body Presence due out in March of 2010.  I was really impressed  by the quality and thoughtfulness of their team. I felt like they really understood the message of the book. I left there feeling very hopeful and excited.

7/12 – Late afternoon – Coming through the front gate at Esalen Institute! What a joy to be back in this place that feels like my second home. I soak in the late afternoon sun on the ocean, taking a mineral bath  in one of the large stone tubs with my assistants as we catch up with each other before the course starts tonight.

7/13 – Early morning fog has rolled in from the horizon – I zip up my polartec jacket and breathe deeply. The air is exquisite – I can almost feel it feeding and rejuvenating my cells. I feel my heart open as I catch sight of the ocean on the turn in the path approaching the lodge.

7/14 – The smell of lavender and rosemary as I walk down the path to the lodge is so rich. The air is quite cool and crisp, yet it easily carries the scent of these healing plants to my waiting nostrils – ahhh…breathing is such a pleasure!

7/15 – The early morning bird sounds here are different than in Virginia – I am fascinated by the number of birds and their distinct calls.

7/15 – Late night singing in the moonlight sitting around the fire outside the lodge with Cole, J.J., and others. I love to sing almost anything!

7/16 – Soaking in a mineral-bath that I have filled at just the right temperature, looking out over the ocean…someone sights whales and we all turn our eyes to the horizon. Connecting with the whales and dolphins always brings me an expanded sense of who we are in the bigger of picture of all species on the planet. And that is done more easily here – with Daniel Bianchetta’s fabulous photography of whale and dolphin visitations he has made up and down the coast here, that is currently exhibited in the lodge where we eat all our meals.

7/17 – As Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries comes to a close, I am struck again by the diversity of the participants who have shown up and learned skills to take home – giving them more resilience, more grounding, and better capacity to connect in their worlds with healthy boundaries.

7/17 – Congratulations are in order on two fronts – Lori Chinitz has finished her apprenticeship and is now a full certified Instructor of Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries. Cheri Bailey is now a full certified Presenter. I am thrilled for both of them. Although I must say, I will miss having Lori team teaching with me!

7/18 – In the morning the garden here at Esalen is magnificent. The fragrance of the different flowers that bathe my senses as I walk through on my way to class lifts my spirits. Isaye Barnwell is here doing her magic – I am learning to write songs! Her gift for bringing us all into song are legendary.

7/18- In the afternoon, different flowers are sending out their scents to fill us all up as we wander through, humming our “would-be songs” under our breaths on our way to lunch. What a gift!

7/19 – I continue to be amazed at how the cool, ocean-charged air energizes me. I am already noticing that the hill walking is much easier, more effortless, even with my back pack on. My joints and legs are actually enjoying the climbing.

7/24 – The entire environment here is delicious. The food is delicious. AND someone else is cooking and cleaning up. The staff is friendly and helpful. The mineral baths are a gathering place for relaxed sharing. And, did I mention that the air is cool, clear and energizing?

7/31 – Being here with the relaxed schedule of “Esalen time”, allows me time to linger over my meals, talking to folks I might not have had time to share with elsewhere. For instance, I have loved getting to know John and Maggie Murphy and their family better this summer.

8/2 – John Murphy  just taught a workshop called “The Miracle of Water” with Peter Zimmerman and it was wonderful by all accounts. His workshop reminds me that all the forms of water on this property are truly miraculous. The fog, the springs, the streams, the ocean – wow!

8/3 – Healing the Pelvic Floor: Reclaiming Your Power, Sexuality and Pleasure Potential has begun and we are housed in the Big House this year. What a wonderful cozy environment this meeting space offers.

8/4 – Sharing is rich in this diverse circle of women, all here learning to heal the deepest parts of themselves.

8/4 – A magical moon fills the night sky as I walk back to my room – almost full, shining off the ocean. It feels like a movie set, it is so beautiful.

8/5 – 8-9 p.m.  Got to share about “Full Body Presence” with the entire community in a Wednesday night program that was very well attended and received. I love what I do!

8/6 – Under the full moon - our women’s nurturing evening at the baths was rich and easy this year.

8/7 – 1o:30 p.m. Singing in the lodge with J.J., Pearl and others – Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” seems to be a favorite this year. The harmonies are endless and we all end smiling.

8/7 -Late afternoon –  two of my favorite co-leaders have arrived: Rachel Abrams and Lisa Carlton. We begin our collaboration tonight with all the participants in Becoming a Vital Healthy Woman.

8/8 – I am amazed by how much information can be transmitted to a group of open, willing participants when Lisa Carlton and Rachel Abrams are on my team! We have had a great time and it seems as though it has gone to a new level of ease this year.

8/9 – My time at Esalen is coming to a close. I am almost running up and down the hills now. I know I keep talking about the air, but there is something very special and healing about the clear, ocean air here that seems to soak into my bones – energizing me in a way nothing else does. I get in one last soak at the baths – again, a unique form of nurturing that I only find here at Esalen.

8/10 – As  Jessica and I drive north on Highway One, I am awed by the coastline once again. The ocean’s light blue into dark blue color, the coves and beaches, the breathtaking views. I will miss you, Big Sur!

8/11 – As I emerge from Dulles Airport into the Virginia night, I am immediately struck by the rich velvet quality of the warm, moist air. It feels like it is hugging me, welcoming me back.

8/12 – I am walking again, around my home lake – Lake Audubon, and it occurs to me that the two environments are very complementary. The Esalen environment feels like to frees up something inside of me – creating a sense of spaciousness in my head. The Virginia environment hugs me close, letting me know that I am home.

8/13 – As I walk in the early morning here, I am struck by the orchestra of nature sounds. I don’t even need my iPod to have a rhythm for walking. The late summer insects are a veritable harmony unto themselves. Every time I think about putting on my iPod, I hear a new group join in as another one fades back. What a gift!

8/14 – Teaching my second Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries course in a month – this one in my home town of Reston, VA. Again,I am struck by the diversity of participants and the skills they are learning. I am in awe of the deep healing I see people doing in the class.

8/16 – As we complete the course, I realize how wide spread the applications are for all of us in today’s world. I look back over the last six weeks and see how my perception of Full Body Presence has expanded. I know this may sound strange, because I am the author, but I was shown this summer, how universal and valuable the book’s message is. More on that in my next blog – hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am enjoying mine!

I was driving the other day on a two-lane road that widened to include a passing lane for a brief period. I found myself automatically speeding up to pass the person in front of me.

They were not driving particularly slowly. I just unconsciously kicked into gear to pass them. As I did, it struck me that I have been doing that all my life. Raised with a brother only 15 months younger, and a sister several years behind him, I had spent my life pushing myself to stay at the head of the pack.

The rivalry between my brother and me was particularly fierce. When he died in 1996, I grieved deeply, and in that process, got to ask myself who would I have been without my brother? It was a mind-boggling concept to wrap around at the time. Now, 13 years later, I can answer it a little bit better.

So, this was not the first time I had realized that this default stance, or autopilot programming, was running behind the screen of my conscious awareness. Yet, I am still surprised each time I discover it (which I do periodically). Then I take the necessary steps to turn off the autopilot, once I realize it is “driving the bus” of my existence.

When I first discovered it years ago, I thought of it as a positive trait. I was somehow proud of it.

Then I came to realize how it kept me out in the future all the time. So I set out to let it go. That is easier said than done! But now, years later, I actually have skills that help me drop back and enjoy each moment more fully and easily.

In that moment, driving down the highway I just chuckled, “There I go again!” And then I slowed down and let my car drop back behind the other car. I took a few deep slow breaths and let myself relax. There truly was in no hurry. Just my autopilot gone temporarily amuck.

This experience reminded that I needed some attention spent in this area. Last fall, after spending over a year in high gear to get my book completed and published, this autopilot program was clearly running. I was stunned to realize that I was having a hard time slowing down. My family could have told you that easily, but I was oblivious. What was the next task? Put me on it, and watch me run!

So this year has been about reclaiming my ability to slow down and enjoy life. It has been extremely busy, but each time I catch myself speeding up unnecessarily, I laugh and let go.

How do I do this? First, I don’t judge myself. I take a deep breath… I take another deep breath. I feel my feet on the ground. I take an honest inventory of whether or not I really need to go faster. Then I act on that assessment.

I was rushing, packing it all in. However, since I recognized the autopilot pattern, I have been systematically letting it all go. I take a nap. I take a walk. (Note: not a run, a walk.) Maybe get a massage. Or a long catch up session with a friend on the phone. A long soak in a hot bath. Snuggle with my sweetie, my kids or my cats on the couch.

Life is too sweet to rush through. It took me a lot of years to realize this.

The issue of resilience is in the air since the publishing of Elizabeth Edward?s new book. It is a timely and valuable subject since so many people are facing such adversity in their lives right now ? emotional, financial, and health-related issues.

How we respond to stress and adversity defines the quality of our lives. Life?s stressors are not going away. The only thing we really have any control over at all is how we respond to what life presents to us. And, our ability to respond well ? defined as making choices that enhance our life experience ? is dependant in large part on our resilience.

In a recent interview about her new book, ?Resilience?, Elizabeth Edwards gives us her definition,

?I talk about my father’s dealing with his life after he had a stroke. I think that resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had, the reality that you liked before. That’s what my dad did. He still grabbed hold of what was left and lived it as fully as he could.? (italics mine)

My own father had a unique and wonderful way of demonstrating this for me when I was growing up. If a difficult situation came up, rather than reacting negatively, he would use it as an opportunity to ?put on his thinking cap? and rise to meet the challenge, especially if someone tried to tell him that the problem was unsolvable.  

My earliest memory of this talent was one Christmas vacation when I was about eight years old. We were driving to my grandparent?s cabin in Fort Valley, Virginia when it began to snow, hard. By the time we got to the final leg of our journey -  a long dirt road up a steep incline to their cabin – the snow was almost three feet deep and still coming down. There were two other cars stuck at the bottom of the hill with my uncles huddled around them looking worried and defeated. They were about to abandon their cars and carry all their stuff on foot up the long steep hill through the deep snow. We were tired and grumpy as kids usually are after such a long time in the car.

However, when my Dad looked over the whole situation and yelled to my uncles that he was ?going for it?, our tiredness turned to excitement. I remember him backing up the car, getting up speed and charging up the hill, slipping and sliding all the way.

Over and over, we watched as he got part of the way up and had to back down and start again. Each time he would get a little farther up the hill, until, finally we were all at the top ? all three cars ? and everyone was feeling exuberant rather than defeated.

Then, there was the time (obviously before the days of security checkpoints), when we arrived late for a flight. The ticket agent looked at us and said, ? You have exactly nine minutes to make it to your gate.? Dad looked at all of us with that gleam in his eye and said, ?You want to run for it?? Well, run we did, and we made the flight, seconds to spare, breathless and triumphant.

He emanated this wonderful sense of adventure and creativity in times of adversity.

The other day I was working with a young woman in her late twenties who had recently been home visiting her parents. She went to sit down in a chair and it collapsed. She found herself suddenly sitting on the floor, unharmed, but to her surprise, feeling anxious and frozen in place.

 As we explored it further, she told me that when she was younger, her Dad would beat her with a belt if anything ever went wrong. It didn?t matter whose fault it was, and it happened so frequently that it became an automatic response to freeze, waiting for the blows she knew were inevitable. 

So her recent response was understandable, but outdated and crippling to her as an adult woman – to be frozen with anxiety because of something that was an accident?

In her trauma response, in that moment, she had no resilience, no ability to see the situation as it currently stood, and thus no ability to respond in a creative, life-enhancing way. 

Slowly we worked together to release the old nervous system response and bring her body and its ability to be resilient, into the present moment where she is safe and capable of taking care of herself quite well. 

Memories of my Dad coached me all the way – if he had been there when the chair broke, he would have gotten that gleam in his eye and probably headed to the garage for the tools to fix it, all the while engaging her in how to creatively solve the problem of a faulty chair.

When the time was right, I shared the image of my father?s likely response, and she was astonished. Then she laughed and decided that his was the attitude she wanted to hold next time something went wrong. My story helped expand her view about how differently a parent could react in situations like that. 

By the time we finished, she no longer felt like a scared little girl. Her power had returned and she had practiced how she could respond in the future.

A colleague and friend, Kathy Burns, gave me another definition the other day as we were discussing this issue.

?Resilience is the ability to accept what is actually happening, with as little judgment as possible, so that you can take clear, wise action about it ? to make the best of it.?

Then she laughed and added,

?This acceptance issue is a huge step for most people, particularly when the situation isn?t what they bargained for, or even faintly wanted.?

Life can really throw some hard stuff at us these days. To be disappointed, angry, frustrated or depressed over a turn of events is normal and even appropriate at times. The problem is when you stay there, stuck in an emotional soup that keeps you paralyzed and unhappy.  

The skill of knowing how to expand your lens on what is happening is one worth cultivating, so that you can get the perspective to be able let go of whatever judgment is hounding you. With this acceptance comes an expanded capacity to creatively problem solve, in ways that are not available when you are locked up emotionally, or frozen with anxiety or worry. 

My father modeled resilience for me. It guides me all the time these days. And when I share his wisdom, it guides others as well. Although he is no longer walking on the planet with me, part of him lives on in me. I know that would please him to no end. Thanks Dad!

I am delighted to announce that Full Body Presence is stepping out into a wider audience ? New World Library (think Eckhart Tolle?s publisher of “The Power of Now”) has bought the rights to the second edition of “Full Body Presence”! Coming to a bookstore near you early next year. I am feeling deep gratitude to everyone who has helped me, my work and my first book arrive at this point.

The buzz about the book is growing steadily, and I am touched by how many people of all different ages, professions and walks of life are being positively impacted by what the book has taught them. I love hearing about it. It is encouraging and heartwarming for me. 

Have you read Full Body Presence yet? If so, please comment here on my blog or email me directly at healingfromthecore@comcast.net . Please, share any insights you may have gotten as you read it and listened to the audio. Tell me how this book has made a difference in your life. Please, also let me know if I can quote you on my website.

AND, the upcoming second edition means that the remaining books are now limited edition items. So, in celebration of the contract with New World Library Publishers, all books sold through our website in the next month will be personally signed by me. 

One of the other ways I am celebrating is with an Author?s Party, given for me by a local friend and colleague. If I am in your area in the next year, I would love to come and celebrate with you as well! Contact my office athealingfromthecore@comcast.net if you are interested. 

Coming next month.…the book will be on iTunes, and on our website totally in MP3 audio format – I’ll keep you posted when that is available for those of you who are audio book fans! 

And now you can also keep up to date with me and Healing From the Core with Twitter, Facebook  and LinkedIn. Stay in touch, and, enjoy!

?What if we think of gravity as a spiritual force of belonging? Gravity offers each of us a place called here, where we can let go of effort and rest in the ?lap of belonging? of the larger earth?s body. By turning our attention to an inner awareness of the attractive force of gravity, and to felt sensations of this ongoing connection to the earth, we can tap into an innate sense of belonging.?

Thus, Susan Harper began our time together this past weekend in the Meeting the World with Heart workshop. I was reminded over and over as the days progressed, of the enlivening effect of simply directing my attention to what is happening in each present moment in my body as it is an integral part of all of nature. It was wonderful, restful and rejuvenating.

Then we dived deeper into the consciousness of open inquiry ? exploring how our hearts have such a capacity for seeing the beauty in everything around us ? the beauty that is deep within, not the surface Hollywood definition of beauty. The inner intelligence of the heart is stimulated each time we perceive our world with fresh eyes ? not pre-judging something. We all played with turning off the auto-pilot and navigating with no set preconceptions. The weekend deepened and got richer with a wonderful balance of movement and stillness, reaching out and resting back to receive deeply.

I am reminded, yet again, of the importance of taking periods of time away from my normal life to deepen my own relationship with myself at a deep core level – my Spirit, my Soul ? this is the primary place of belonging for each of us. When it is not fed and valued all else starts to suffer. Often I feel as though I get off course (slightly or dramatically) when I forget to tune in regularly, drinking in what my inner wisdom is telling me in each moment.

What are you doing this Spring to start this new cycle of nature inspired and renewed? 

Something in this week?s news caught my attention ? it was in the story about the hostage situation with the Somalian pirates and the naval captain that has just been freed. As the news channels churned out all possible aspects of the story, an expert hostage negotiator was being interviewed.  What he said made my ears perk up. He was talking about the elements of what makes good negotiation in a situation like this. One of his key points struck home with me.

In essence, he said that a good negotiator must be a presence that calms the captors, saying the right words so that they don?t panic and kill the hostage. He went on to explain that this is a two-pronged effort. The first is knowing the right words that create clarity and calmness in the mind of a hostage taker. The second and equally if not more important is the presence to deliver those words in such a way that they come across with congruence. Meaning that the person hearing them feels calmer by their delivery. Right words and thoughts coupled with presence ? creates an optimal possibility for success.

I am reminded further of a story from Full Body Presence about one of my students whose home was broken into at night. She stayed calm, using her presence to calm the intruder and talking him down so that he did not harm her or her boyfriend (although he was armed and initially really agitated). Here also, knowing the words and having the presence to deliver them congruently was highly successful for her.

This has ramifications in our bodywork sessions every day. I see the ?right words? spoken about above, as knowing the proper techniques to address the issues of the person on your table. There are many available classes in all the specialty areas that can give us this information. Once we practice them enough, our ?right words? are at our fingertips (pun intended) when we need them.

The ?presence? spoken of above is the invisible substance that holds the session together and allows those techniques to be delivered seamlessly. This is the part that I find fascinating. I have mastered many techniques across the years and continue to add new ones to my storehouse of knowledge, but the presence to deliver them seamlessly, when they are needed most is what stimulates my creative juices.

The process of how to nurture this presence – how to stay inspired – how to take care of myself so that I have available all that I am capable of – this I see as my daily practice. 

One of my favorite mentors in this rejuvenation process will be here this weekend to help a group of us prime the pump of our creativity – come join me if you feel so  inclined  http://www.healingfromthecore.com/conmeetworld2009.shtml

How do you keep your presence strong ? how do you nurture yourself? Is it a priority for you? Are you on your own ?TO DO? list? 

As the days grow shorter and the holidays approach, I notice that everyone around me seems to be speeding up, to get it all done before they cross the finish line to the New Year.

In times like this, having the ability to slow down and drink in the joys of this season is a skill well worth the effort. As I go about my days, I am taking time to rest, to ground myself, to soak in a warm tub, to walk in the cold air wrapped in many layers. My favorite activity is making time to contact the people in my world that I am especially grateful for – the people who have made a difference in my life. It is so easy in today’s busy world to forget to give thanks – and yet, my heart opens and gets bigger every time I feel my gratitude in this way.

Life has been challenging this past year for all of us. There is a lot of stress and uncertainty in the world right now. And yet, there is also a remarkable sense that this time of change holds the possibility of deep healing and transformation for our nation and for the planet. So how can we open to this possibility? How can we feed the positive change and let go of the fear and distrust?

The Five Principles of Full Body Presence can be a guide here.
Trust that there is a nurturing source of life energy around you at all times. Gratitude for the blessings you already have in your life is an excellent way to bring this trust in at a deeper level right now.
Feel this life energy in your body – feel your feet connecting to the earth beneath you. Take a deep breath and let in rejuvenating energy wherever you are. Last weekend I was helping out in the concession stand at my son’s high school basketball game. It was extremely busy and chaotic, and yet, we were all enjoying ourselves as we sold hot dogs and sodas. A kind of rhythm was established in the midst of the chaos, and we worked as a team churning out food and drink for the crowds. It was exhilarating. So allow yourself to connect to whatever activity you are doing and feel the flow of life moving through you as you do it – whether it is cooking for your family and friends, shopping, or visiting an elderly relative. Each moment can be rich if we feel what is there that is energizing, that is life-giving.
Integrate this life energy throughout your entire system. To me, this means that I allow myself to feel as full as I can. This gives me the steadiness to meet old family patterns and my expectations in a new way. When I am grounded and full, my boundaries are better. I remember to take a walk rather than staying in an familiar, draining family situation. I go and take a nap if I need one. I put on the music that feeds me at this time of year. This keeps me more full and resilient. Having this cushion of energy is vital to my health and well-being. It also means I can be of more help to those around me.
Expanding my perceptual lens enables me to see the joy in my life, no matter what I am doing at that moment. As my lens expands, I can let go of expectations and let people be who they are, pure and simple. This makes my relatives and old friends so much more fun to be with!
When I remember to take care of myself as I move through the holidays – when I connect to healthy resources moment to moment – my tank stays full and I am a nicer person. This year I am putting up my Christmas decorations rather late. The rest of the neighborhood has been lit up for weeks. I needed to rest after a long trip and the decorations will be put up when the energy is there to do it. Treating it this way means I am a nicer, less stressed out person.
So may this holiday season bring you more trust in life, more sense of gratitude for what you have, more resilience and nourishment within, more capacity to share the love in your heart, and an unending connection to what feeds your soul.

Thank you for being in my life,

Full Body Presence and CranioSacral Therapy

In light of the current political and financial instability, it makes sense for all of us to walk through our worlds, grounded and present in our bones. Our bones are those deep recesses that hold wisdom and provide us with a sense of steadiness and clarity.

What follows is a classic example of how the current political and financial situation is affecting many people on a physical level, and how full body presence combined with CranioSacral therapy allowed me to support and facilitate my client in shifting into more trust and steadiness.

This week, a client, Vanessa, comes into my office, and as she lays down on my treatment table I am immediately drawn to her lower back and sacrum. She tells me they have been bothering her.

As I cradle them and she begins to talk, her back tightens up further. I ask her to bring her awareness to the area between my hands, and as she does this she pops out with, “I am enraged – at the financial markets, at my financial advisor not warning me and keeping me out of harm’s way…” Her voice trails off. Her back is not relaxing.

What can I do as a hands-on therapist in response to this appropriate outrage? The American public as a whole has a right to be outraged with the political process and greed that got us to where we are today. Her retirement is certainly at stake, and she is less than a decade away from wanting to live on it. It behooves us to know how to come back to our center in times of stress and crisis like this, in order to better meet the issues for healthy resolution.

As I listen, I realize that I need to gather my full body presence to be able to hold a neutral, therapeutic space for her healing process. Her low back and sacral area are in spasm and have been for almost a month, since the financial markets first began to take a downturn.

As I ground myself, and listen to the flow of energy through her system, I feel her outrage in her low back muscles and gut as excessive heat and extreme tightness. She acknowledges the continued tightness and tells me how powerless she feels to change it. I remind her that in times of stress, one of the most important things anyone can do is to “plug in,” call in their angels, say a prayer, ground themselves and fill up with nourishing sensation. In other words, reclaim their trust in life. She chuckles, “I am always calling in angels for everyone else – I forgot to do it for myself!”

As she does this, the room fills with a scintillating energy that we both can sense. This begins the softening process in her back. I can now feel a spreading sensation in my hands. Then we go through the process of contacting her inner wisdom, which leads her to the realization that her heart, the master conductor of her system, is feeling small and dark.

Next her inner wisdom guides her to take her awareness into her bones, deep into her bones. To help her with this, I invite her to notice how her spine feels resting in my hands. Quickly she begins to feel the warmth and aliveness in her lower spine, where I have been holding and mobilizing the system. Her cold, stiff upper back, which is the support for her heart, is now calling to both of us. What can be done here to help her heart?

I move my hands to her upper back to meet the tissue and mobilize this area, using more CranioSacral techniques. At the same time, I continue to invite her more into her own full body presence so she will be able to hold the treatment she is receiving.

As I make contact with her bones giving her spine more space, her upper back relaxes into my hands. I love combining CranioSacral Therapy, which so beautifully opens up the bones and membrane structures, with the Full Body Presence awareness work. They go hand in hand, supporting each other seamlessly.

So, as her spine opens and she can feel her chest filling – her heart plumping out and relaxing – I ask her how she feels throughout the rest of her body. Relaxing even more into her bones, Vanessa says, “I feel calm and steady. I can see the entire situation without my outrage rising up again. I feel like I can see more clearly. Whatever I need to say or do when I get into my financial advisor’s office next week, I know I can be clear and steady – no matter what he tells me. I’ll be able to strategize with him from a very different place than when I walked in here an hour ago.”

This is a wonderful example of how full body presence allows us to contact the wisdom that our bones impart to each of us, when we can be fully present there. Think about it. Our language – “bone deep” knowing, “I feel it in my bones,” and other such phrases highlight the recognition that our bones hold an essential knowing for each of us. So take a moment and feel your bones.

What does your backbone feel like against whatever you are leaning on right now?

What do your sitting bones feel like on your seat?

How do your feet feel resting on the floor?

Notice how taking your attention to these three places can subtly but powerfully change you sense of steadiness and clarity. Feel free to continue to play with this.

And, enjoy!

Full Body Presence is here – the books are in and ready to go! One reason I self-published is that I wanted to have this book and its wisdom in the hands of as many people as possible as we go into the last month of this election process. Please help me do this. It is more important than ever before in our lives that each one of us make an intelligent choice, informed by our full body wisdom in the next election. It is not only vital for us as individual citizens here in the United States, it has become clear that our choice will affect the rest of the world. If you are not registered to vote and you still can do so in your state ? do it now. We are long beyond the point of saying, ?My vote does not matter.? Everyone?s vote matters. (See chapter 10 of the book.)

In the growing turbulence and divisiveness in our country it is easy to sink into fear and hopelessness. When our leaders or leaders-to-be are caught in blame and personal attack rather than rising to finding the solutions we need to grow and return to prosperity, it can be disheartening. However, after an initial period of complete frustration with the deception I was seeing on the political scene, I have realized that those of us who have refined our capacity for clear discernment, who are not swayed by glib answers and personal attack ads, have a responsibility to step fully into our integrity, into our power, into our full body presence and be a source of clarity and strength for those around us.

The major issue when we hit those places of fear in ourselves is to remember to connect to our deepest wisdom, and ground ourselves. Use whatever spiritual practices you know to fill up with life-giving energy so that you can change the resonance of fear in your body, to a resonance of life-giving sensation – of fullness – which always helps you choose more wisely in any given crisis situation such as the time of unknown outcomes that we all face right now. When we are full, we can experience the present moment with clarity and determination.

This is vitally important. The outcome of this election will affect many generations to come ? our children and our children?s children?reflect on how your choice will affect everyone – from the economic situation to our moral authority in the world; from women?s freedom and equality, to better healthcare and every child?s right to a full education; all the way to honoring the heart of the Constitution ? look under the charisma and personalities of each candidate and see what each one stands for and whether their record reflects their current position. Does it spell integrity?

Listen and look at each of the candidates from your full body presence. Use your discernment. What does your heart tell you? Does your head agree with your heart? What does your gut tell you? When you walk in your world and watch how the candidates are conducting themselves, think of how you want your president and vice president to represent you in the world. That?s how you can expect to be treated by them. Notice, do they talk down to people? Do they try to sway you with fear tactics? Or do they speak to you and call for your intelligence and courage, to correct the inequities we are currently experiencing in our nation? Do they honor and support each person?s right to their own views and truths which is fundamental to our Constitutional rights as Americans? Do they make personal attacks on their opponents in order to derail the more important issues at hand? Or, do they address these issues cleanly and directly so we can make intelligent choices based on what we see/hear/feel/sense in their presence? We know that when someone hides behind personal attack what is left is the shell of a bully, not a clear message we can hear and make a decision from.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it is vital that you search out the truth as you read the paper, the internet, and watch the debates. As I look at this election, gathering data from all sides, I am struck by the twisting of the facts and mis-information being billed as the truth. Seek out multiple sources. Listen to the news stations on all sides of the issues, not just the ones on the far right or left. Those on both the far right and the far left throw out stuff that is pure hogwash at times.

In my opinion one of the best places to ferret out the real issues, and where the candidates stand on them, is the nationally televised debates. Make time to watch them. They are geared to be neutral ground for our citizens to be able to see and hear the truth from each candidate. And as you watch and listen, ground yourself and stay full energetically, so that your entire body?s navigational system for wisdom is operational.

And, vote. You can make a difference. If you need help getting the skills to be able to listen to your deepest wisdom in this way, Full Body Presence can help you gain these skills quickly and easily. I have worked tirelessly for the last year to have this book available at this time. Help me get it out there to those who need it. These are exciting times ? the ability to be fully in your body and able to clearly discern what is for the highest good is what makes these times exciting rather than scary. And, enjoy!

P.S. I have done a short video clip on how to drop quickly into your body for clear discernment of the candidates. It will be coming up in the next few blogs – watch for it!

The National Certification Board  hit a bump in the road this weekend when Whitney Lowe resigned from the Advanced Certification Task Force, citing differences of opinion over how the project should proceed.

In a letter to NCB staff and fellow Task Force members, Lowe acknowledged the effort that has been put forth during the process, and expressed his concern about the timeline of the process, which he feels is being rushed to the detriment of the project.

His resignation stated in part, “I have long felt our profession is in need of an advanced credential. I recognize it is not an easy task and there are a number of people who have put forth significant efforts on behalf of this process. It is a complex issue and requires a great deal of thought, input, and insight into what is best for the profession. I have been greatly dismayed by the process that has been used so far to create this credential. Crucial discussions have been brushed aside in a rush to meet an unrealistic timeline for deployment of this exam. Yesterday we were informed that the eligibility criteria had been established and a job task analysis would be begun in approximately two weeks.”

Lowe went on to say that he felt many concerns that he had brought up about possible flaws in the exam construction had been ignored or glossed over, and that he could no longer support the process being used to create the exam.

Just a few days ago, I wrote in this blog that there was something going on at the NCB–that they were actually listening to the stakeholders–a dramatic improvement from the past few years–but apparently, I may have spoken too soon, as Lowe feels as if they weren’t listening to him. Since Lowe is universally respected in our profession and is in fact a former chair of the NCBTMB, one can assume that he has valid concerns, and his abrupt resignation from the Task Force is not reassuring.

I contacted Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB, for a comment, after I received a copy of Lowe’s resignation. Speaking on behalf of the Advanced Certification steering committee, Lindamood’s comment was “We were very sorry to see Whitney drop out of the project. He is an acknowledged expert in his field, and we will miss his participation.  We want to thank him for his input and advice while he was part of the task force.”

Lindamood went on to share further details about the project:

The coordination of all major tasks required to develop a new credential follows an established timeline designed by experts in exam creation. Both the steering committee and the test vendor, Pearson VUE, have approved the timeline. Note that it is flexible and can be revised as needed.Tasks are assigned to different subgroups. The work of these subgroups may go on concurrently. The Exam Development timeline will be available for review on NCBTMB?s website next week at www.ncbtmb.org.

The Needs Assessment, a description of what an Advanced Credential should be, is based on input from people in the field. This information was obtained through a Needs Assessment survey, which was circulated nationally to all certificants directly, as well as practitioners through the assistance of ABMP and AMTA, among others. The responses, totaling nearly 7,000, serve as the body of information used by the task force to determine some very important things that form the basis of the test.

According to Lindamood, subgroups have made preliminary determinations and the task force members are commenting amongst themselves in two key areas:

(1) the definition of Advanced Certification as provided by the Needs Assessment, and

(2) the eligibility requirements to sit for the exam.

His statement said, “Overall, the progress of the group has been as planned. We are excited at the direction emerging from these very engaged and committed task force members. Bear in mind that this is a project that people feel very passionate about, and we expect there will be an occasional bump in the road. We know that close communication and tolerance will keep the team unified and the project moving forward.”

I don’t expect that Whitney Lowe’s departure is going to stop the NCBTMB from forging ahead with this project, and only time will tell whether or not Lowe’s obviously heartfelt concerns prove to be true.  It’s no little irony that the NCB criticized the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and accused them of rushing the MBLEx to the market. Now it appears they may be doing the same thing. A flawed exam will not stand up to scrutiny for long, and Pearson Vue, the test administrators, wouldn’t  risk their own reputation in the testing industry just to pacify the Federation or the NCB. Along with everyone else, I’ll be waiting to see what happens, and reporting on that here.

Lindamood stressed that the NCB would post continuous updates on the process on the website beginning next week.  He urges those who have any questions about the project  to email  advanced@ncbtmb.org.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

There is something big happening at the National Certification Board: THEY ARE LISTENING!

I caused a little uproar earlier this year when I scooped their announcement on this blog about the membership organization the NCB was planning to launch.  The response to that announcement wasn’t very cordial on any front; everyone from the certificants to the other professional associations spoke out about it, and I am glad to say that the plan is on hold, according to their press release of Oct. 20.  Ditching it before they spend a huge pile of money on it seems like the best course of action, in my opinion.

According to Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB, the decision was based on “input from the profession.” That is the second time in a week that phrase has been put forth by the NCB, the first being when the announcement was made that the unpopular decision to require proctors for home-study and distance education classes was being rescinded, at least temporarily, until the issue could be revisited.

I’ve been slamming the NCB pretty hard in the past couple of years, and one of my most vocal complaints has been that they don’t listen and they don’t respond.  If nothing else, these two announcements are evidence that they have come to the painful conclusion that they need to wake up and smell the coffee.  I made a personal promise to Mr. Lindamood that I would spread the good news when I thought there was something good to spread, and I’m as good as my word, so here it is.

I applaud every one who contacted the NCB to express an opinion, and I urge you to keep doing it.  I think they may have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it was the headlight of an oncoming train. It has seemed for quite some time that they were just going to crash and burn, which would be a sad end to what was formerly a pillar of the profession.

When the NCB screws up, I report that. I don’t get any kind of pleasure out of doing so; I just think the stakeholders have a right to know.  And when I see the evidence that they’re paying attention to us and trying to do better, I’m fair enough to report that, too. Let’s hope this is a good sign of better days to come.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Most state massage boards are now requiring criminal record checks and fingerprints from their applicants; some have been doing it for years, so it’s not exactly news. Some therapists are resentful of this, mainly due to the extra expense, and some view it as unfair, especially if there are other licensed occupations in their states that are not subject to the same rule.

There are a couple of bigger issues here: most of those boards don’t have a procedure in place that would allow a potential massage student to submit their criminal record to the board for a review before they spend the time and money to attend school.

Even worse, schools frequently make light of the criminal record of an applicant; they’re looking at the bottom line and nothing else.  As a member of our state board, I hear that all the time when someone comes to appeal the decision not to give them a license: “But my school director said that wasn’t going to be a problem!”  In the case of our community colleges, they’re not allowed to turn someone down because of a criminal record.

I don’t mean to imply that every school owner is money-hungry enough that they take just anyone, in spite of their record. Maybe a school owner who wouldn’t allow a rapist into their program thinks it’s not a problem to let someone in who has been convicted of theft, public drunkenness, a drug charge, trespassing, or resisting arrest…perhaps they look and think, “oh, that’s not too serious; they’ll be able to get licensed.”  The problem is, they don’t have any way of knowing that.

Our board has turned down applicants who had criminal records that were 8 or 9 pages long; even if it was all petty crimes, it was obvious that the person was just a career criminal. When we are assessing whether or not to license someone, we use the following criteria:

• What was the crime(s)?
• How old was the applicant when it was committed?
• How long ago did it occur?
• Was it violent or sexual in nature?
• Was the crime an isolated incident or a chronic pattern of behavior?
• Does the person have an obvious problem with substance abuse that accompanies those crimes, or that they attribute the criminal acts to?
• Has the applicant shown any proof of rehabilitation? For how long?

I like to think that I am fair and compassionate. I like to think that I possess enough of that compassion to give someone who has made a mistake in the past a second chance to make something better of themselves, especially if they can stand in front of me and give a convincing argument of why they deserve a second chance. In fact, having had personal family experiences with substance abusers who had a criminal past and who turned their lives around, I’m probably inclined to be more sympathetic than many other people.

The problem is, a sociopath is a natural con artist who can smile at you while plotting the next criminal act he or she is going to commit, whether that’s a sexual assault or stealing your wallet. They can be terribly convincing. There are people who have infiltrated our profession because they thought this would be a good place to meet a fresh crop of victims, and they’re right.

It’s not always a black and white call of whether or not someone has shown sufficient proof of rehabilitation. What’s the proof? We get letters from family members and employers. We have ministers show up at the hearings, proclaiming that the person is now on the straight and narrow, never mind that they’ve only been that way for a month or two. We have the applicants themselves begging and crying big tears in front of a room full of people, blaming it all on their bad childhood and how they got under the influence of the wrong people.

Regulatory boards are charged with protecting the public. That’s why they exist. And believe me, the board members are not bad guys who just want to turn down every person who has made some foolish decisions. I often come home from a meeting wondering if I made the right decision, regardless of which way I voted.

If you’re still a massage student, and you have a criminal record, be very aware that you are spending your time and your money going to school at your own risk. Regardless of what your program director tells you, it isn’t up to them. You may not get a license. If you’re one of those program directors who tells students that “you’re not going to have a problem,” you’re doing them a big disservice, because again, it isn’t up to you. You should be ethical enough to give applicants a strong warning that if they have a record, they are going to be scrutinized by the massage board, and they may not get a license. Be absolutely certain that they understand that before they sign your school contract. It’s your duty, and it’s the only right thing to do.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Greetings, colleagues! I’m excited today to announce that I have put “Massage Collage,” my old blog, to rest. From now on, I’ll be writing on this website as The Massage Pundit.

Several weeks ago, I put a request out to my mailing list asking for suggestions for a new name for the blog, one that would reflect the fact that this blog is about the politics of the massage and bodywork profession. The winning suggestion came from Erica Bliss Winston, a massage therapist from Cary, NC.

According to dictionary.com, a “pundit” is someone who offers to mass-media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis) on which they are knowledgeable. I received dozens of great suggestions, so thank you to my readers, but this was the one that jumped out at me.

In the 2 years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve written about a variety of subjects, but as time went on I started to realize I really just want to focus on the politics of massage. I received a negative comment on the old blog about writing about the NCBTMB, so let this serve as an announcement: I will be writing about the NCBTMB, AMTA, ABMP, FSMTB, AFMTE, state boards, and any government, professional association, or other body who stands to affect this profession on the whole in any way. This blog is directed at the massage therapists out there who want to be informed about the associations and the legislation that affects us.

I welcome all comments, and print them all whether they agree with me or not. I particularly welcome comments from representatives of any of the entities I write about, and any of the concerned individuals I mention by name. I’ll be glad to present your side of the story.

I also couldn’t do this without the help of my network of MTs across the country and around the world who help me stay informed.  If something important is happening in the profession in your neck of the woods that you’d like attention called to, feel free to let me know. Thank you all.

Peace & Prosperity

Laura Allen

I had a blast at the National Convention in Orlando last week. There was so much going on, both in the open and behind the scenes, it was a whirlwind just trying to take it all in. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort was a beautiful venue for our meeting. My only complaint was that the room was way too small for the opening ceremony; many people couldn’t get in or had to stand the whole time. Otherwise, the accommodations were superior, the food was good, and the staff was very personable and friendly.

I?m sure it will surprise my readers to know that one of the high points of my trip was the better part of an hour that I spent with Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB. I?ve written many things about the NCB in the past two years, the majority of it uncomplimentary, and have openly criticized Mr. Lindamood personally on several occasions, so it was quite shocking to some of the membership who chanced to walk by to see us sitting in an open area having a chat. Rick Rosen, newly installed at the helm of the recently formed Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, couldn?t resist taking a picture.

I have to give him credit; Lindamood listened to what I had to say about the NCB and the disappointment I and many others have felt about the direction the organization has taken in the past few years. Whether he acts on any of it is yet to be seen, but I did come away from our conversation feeling like he paid attention to my long litany of woes. He even made the comment that although a lot of my blog posts have been distressing to him, he admired me for speaking out about it. No, this does not mean I have had a sudden change of heart about the NCB…however, I have always said that I did not want this organization to go away; I want them to get back on task, so I’ll be watching them like a hawk and seeing what happens–and of course reporting on it.

Speaking of Rick Rosen, it appears he has manifested his appeal for a ?dignified sunset? of the Council of Schools. That in fact is happening; the Board of Directors voted to adopt bylaw changes that elminate the COS and all language relating them. The Alliance is the logical entity to replace that organization. At this stage, the startup of the Alliance is being guided by a six-member Leadership Team of veteran educators. They are in the process of incorporating the organization, creating an administrative headquarters, and planning for the first Annual Meeting in mid-2010.

I’m sure one of the highlights of Rick Rosen’s trip was watching with pride as his wife Carey Smith was given the Jerome Perlinski Teacher of the Year Award. Carey has been educating students as well as other educators for many years, and her award was well-deserved.

Another highlight of the trip for me was meeting so many Facebook friends. Most of you know I?m a huge proponent of Internet networking and I was just thrilled to death to meet so many in person that I?ve known through Facebook, Twitter, and the massageprofessionals.com website. A group of Facebook friends gathered on Wednesday evening, and I met others throughout the convention. Xerlan Geiser-Deery, who practices in Oklahoma and who just started a blog of her own, was one of my favorites, as was Allissa Haines from the MA chapter. Alissa appointed herself the Fashion Police during the convention, and I must say, her critiques were spot-on. Lounging by the pool is one thing, but is it really acceptable to attend a class or a business dinner with your belly-button hanging out? A number of people apparently think it is. Allissa was taking names.

I spent quite a bit of time at the booth of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. I?m North Carolina?s delegate this year and was pleased to see so many folks stopping by the booth to inquire about the MBLEx and the other benefits of Federation membership. I spent some quality time with Sally Hacking, who was given a very beautiful award from AMTA; also visited with Debra Persinger, Kevin Snedden, and Scott Miller, all of whom I’ll be seeing again in a couple of weeks at the Federation’s annual meeting.

I was also pleased to meet Glen Moyle, who will be our national president during 2011, and her husband Gordon. In fact, I spent quite a bit of time talking with Gordon, who is a fascinating person with a lot of interesting stories to tell. I sat with them during the Massage Therapy Research Foundation reception. I took a picture of Gordon with Ruth Werner?s husband Curt, who also sat with us. These two are the prime illustration of good men being behind great women.

Diana Thompson had great news to report about the donations the Foundation has received in the past year, and Ruth gave a short speech about her upcoming term as the new leader, just before her beautiful donated quilt was raffled off.

Thursday night I enjoyed the annual LWW author’s dinner. It’s fun meeting all the other Lippincott authors and hearing what everyone is up to. I gave Nina McIntosh, who is ill and couldn’t be with us this year, a quick call and we all yelled our greetings to her. She was with us in spirit.

Also seen and heard: I met Michael Reynolds, president of the Indiana chapter, who is also a FB friend and someone I have long admired from a distance. His company, Spinweb, makes fabulous websites, and Michael is very generous with the marketing advice he shares on FB. He is every bit as charming in person as he is on FB?..also pleased to finally meet Leslie Young Giase, editor of Massage & Bodywork Magazine; Sid Duncan, who does marketing for Massage Magazine, Kim Goral, whom Allissa predicted will one day be president of the Foundation; Cliff Korn, snappy-looking in a green blazer. I was also glad to see many AMTA friends from NC, SC, and GA.

I did hear the distressing news that Florida is considering the passage of HB139, which will exempt graduates from accredited schools from taking any kind of licensure exam. I strongly urge our neighbors to the south to nip this action in the bud. Sometimes schools are guilty of passing students who aren’t up to par just to get rid of them. I don’t think this is a good move, and I hope this bill is soundly defeated.

All in all, it was a great trip. If YOU have never attended a national convention, you are missing out on one heck of a good time. Even the ABMP folks were there; you don’t have to be a member to attend. There is something totally awesome about being among 1000 or so other massage therapists. It’s absolutely restorative! Next year’s convention will be held in Minneapolis, so make plans now to join us.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

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.

Since this post is not intended as an attack on the National Certification Board, I decided it would be okay to post it.  The readership needs to weigh in on this, as they are about to undertake an important project:

The NCBTMB announced today in a press release that the organization is getting on with the task of offering an advanced certification examination, with a target date for the exam to start beta testing in April 2010.

While I applaud any effort from them towards that at all, the issue here is that I think they’re a little off target, before they get started. I have heard input from hundreds of therapists who would be interested in gaining an advanced certification in their area of expertise, such as Medical Massage, Oncology Massage, Maternity Massage, and so forth. I haven’t heard anyone say they would line up to take a general type of exam. Furthermore, since the day the MBLEx was introduced, the NCB has propagated their existing exams as the hallmark of advanced knowledge, even though in reality it is an entrance-level exam, so they’ve kind of lost ground by way of their own press.

I think it is of the utmost importance for the massage community to weigh in on this before this Job Task Analysis gets off to a big start. The NCB has reportedly assembled a team of 20 experts in the field to lead this effort that is to take place in November.

I will forward all answers to this on to the powers that be at the NCB. PLEASE weigh in: Would you be interested in taking a modality-specific exam, and if so, in what area of expertise would you seek that advanced certification?

OR would you be interested in taking a general advanced certification exam that just designates you as an advanced professional?

Does either of these work for you? Come on, people, we need for our voices to be heard on this one.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

One week from today, I’ll be turning 50. To me it sounds much more impressive when I say “half a century,” instead of “hitting the big five-OH!.”

I think when most people hit one of those numbers with a zero on the end, they pause and reflect, and I’m no exception. In the previous decade, I married the love of my life, went back to college and attended massage school, and switched careers. In this one, I’ve opened a new business, expanded it twice, had three books published, and gained an entire new family when I met my birth father for the first time.  I’ve crossed a lot of stuff off my bucket list, too.

I counted it as a milestone in my career the first time I got an article published in this magazine, and another one when they asked me to contribute to this blog. In the beginning, I named this blog Massage Collage because I intended to write about anything and everything to do with massage. Over the course of time, as I became more and more interested in the politics of the massage profession, I began to focus on that.

There are plenty of folks writing about how to market massage, and even though I have authored a book on that subject, I have chosen not to write too much about that here because several others are doing it. And there seems to be plenty of advice coming from the bodywork standpoint from John Barnes, Erik Dalton, Ann Caitlin and all the other contributors I admire here, who have probably forgotten more about massage than I’ll ever know, due to their years of experience in this business.Some of these folks have a big head start on me.

In case you haven’t noticed, I have refrained from writing anything political, particularly about the National Certification Board,  for the past month or two. They are a substantial advertiser in Massage Magazine, and I imagine they aren’t too happy to see my criticism of them appearing on these pages.

I have therefore decided to take my political rants to another forum, where that won’t be an issue. www.massageprofessionals.com was started by ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals), but you don’t have to be a member of that association to join the network; everyone is welcome.

I belong to both ABMP and AMTA, and I sometimes write about them, as well. I enjoy keeping massage therapists informed about what is going on with legislation and with governance and representation from our professional organizations. And I don’t mind calling any of them on the carpet when I have a beef. As a member of those organizations, I believe that’s my right, and I think they’ll agree with me on that. Remember those “senior superlatives” back in high school: most likely to succeed, etc.? I was voted “the person most likely to tell it like it is.” I don’t think I’ve changed too much since then, in that particular area.

I’ll still be weighing in here with Massage Collage, as long as I’m welcome to stay. I’m grateful to Karen Menehan and the others at this magazine for giving me a start, and I do have something to say other than complaining about the NCB, so I’ll say that here.  In the meantime, if you miss my political diatribes, you’ll know where to find me.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

A colleague and I were discussing the importance of documenting massage sessions this morning, so I decided to throw the question out there: How important is documentation?

I can tell you that in my practice, it is extremely important; I have more than a dozen practitioners, and clients may be seen by more than one person. We also file insurance and get a lot of doctor and dentist referrals, and you simply cannot conduct that type of business unless you are willing to keep careful documentation.

On the other hand, I know a lot of lone practitioners who don’t think it’s a big deal at all. I think I’ve mentioned before that I was the administrator at a massage school when licensure came into our state, and there was a grandfather period for people who had documented at least 4 years of practice and 400 documented massages. I couldn’t believe the number of students who called the school to ask, “What do you mean, documented?” My reply was massage that SOAP notes and other pertinenet documents, such as doctor’s prescriptions or other medical information was in the client’s file. I was appalled at the number of people who said, “Oh, that’s all in my head.”

That is totally unprofessional, and in many places, illegal. Most states with a practice act require documentation of sessions, including a statement of informed consent, proof of a privacy notice having been provided, and SOAP notes.

An important thing to remember is that the client file, in many states, belongs to the client. They may walk in the door and request their file, and  you are obligated to give it to them. Wouldn’t you feel silly if a client came in, announced that they were moving away and would like to have their file to give to their new therapist, and you had to say you didn’t do any record-keeping? I believe you would.

Keeping good documentation is one of the hallmarks of a professional. What would you think of your physician if he didn’t keep any notes? If you want to be thought of as a health care professional,  you have to conduct your practice as one.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

First off, I would like to apologize to all the people who have made comments on my blog that are not posted. There has been an ongoing problem with this now for several months and for some reason, no comments are being posted. Management is aware of the problem and is working to fix it. It has apparently affected most of us, not just me. The comments are there in line, they’re just not making it into print, and I’m sorry. I don’t withhold any comments, including those from people who disagree with me, so hopefully this will be resolved sooner rather than later. I do appreciate everyone who has commented on my posts.

Now on to the real topic today, and that’s about attitude. My fellow blogger here, Julie Onofrio, directed me to a website the other day that was full of therapists who were all making extremely negative comments about our profession and how they aren’t making a living, whining about their lack of clients and the general decay of the massage profession. Not being one to mince words (and neither is Julie), I was appalled at what I read and think it’s a bunch of claptrap. I firmly believe that your business can be whatever you make it.

I want to state clearly that the county that I live in is the 2nd most economically depressed county in North Carolina, out of the 100 counties in our state. We have the second highest unemployment rate in NC, and of towns our size, the 13th highest unemployment rate in the nation. And in spite of that, my business is rocking to the point that just this week I took over another suite of adjoining offices, adding four more therapy rooms, and hired additional staff to handle the clients.

We aren’t cheap, but neither do we cater to the rich and famous. There aren’t any celebrities that I know of in Rutherfordton, NC. There are just honest working folks, or I should say, they would be working if they hadn’t been laid off when their plant closed down and moved out of the country. I think when people are stressed out, whether that’s over money or some other reason, they need a massage. Maybe the people who can’t afford to take a vacation this year are getting a massage instead. Whatever the reason, we’re booming, and I’m very thankful.

In reality, I attribute the success of my business to one thing, and that’s the positive attitude of my staff. People feel welcome when they come in the door. They receive the best service we know how to give, and they are made to feel appreciated for choosing to spend their money with us.

I just received my first massage this afternoon from a new therapist I hired a couple of days ago. I don’t believe in making therapists “audition” for a job at my place. I hire them based on attitude. I can teach a monkey how to give a good massage. I can’t teach anybody how to have a great attitude. I’m glad it was a great massage, but the bottom line is, it was her personality and great attitude that caused me to give her a job.

I’m a big believer in the law of attraction, that whatever you put out there is exactly what you’ll get back. So if you’re dragging to work every day with the thought that you aren’t going to make the money you need, the universe is going to see to it that you don’t. I choose to go to work every day trusting that my needs are going to be met, and they have been. If I go to work whining that I’m not going to have a good prosperous day, I am virtually assuring myself that I won’t have one.

You can’t sit around waiting for business to come in the door. You have to go out and get it. You have to make it a point to tell at least two new people a day about your business, and give away at least two of your business cards every day. You have to network with other small business owners and others at every opportunity. You have to be prepared to look at every new person you meet as a potential client. You have to see to it that the clients you do get are so thrilled with your services they go out and tell a dozen other people. You have to work at it! And you have to have an attitude of success, even when your success has not yet arrived.

If you set concrete goals, if you’re working toward them and doing the absolute best that you can, and you don’t give up, it will happen for you. On that note, I’ll sign off with a quote from Thomas Edison: Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close to success they were when they gave up.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I’ve found many workshop participants are uncomfortable performing hands-on abdominal work, i.e., pelvic and respiratory diaphragm releases and sometimes even superficial belly techniques. This seems particularly true when working with pregnant clients/patients.

Do you feel belly-work is under-emphasized in massage trainings? Does the area hold too much emotion or possibly too intimate for some? I’ve written a short e-newsletter & posted a video  showing some basic useful structural integration techniques @ http://erikdalton.com/NewslettersOnline/Sept_09_Newsletter.htm

Cerebral lateralization has been a hot topic in neuroscience for centuries. How does it apply to body patterns we see in clinic, i.e., does right motor dominance cause hypertonicity in highly innervated tissues such as iliopsoas, rotatores, multifidi, scalenes, suboccipitals? Recall that the 11th cranial nerve innervates the upper traps and SCM. Do you look for and/or expect to see certain repeated structural patterns possibly due to motor dominance?

Check out this intriguing article in the new Scientific American:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolutionary-origi…

In 2007, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) surprised many in the massage and bodywork community with this announcement: Videos of any type could no longer be included in home-study and online courses unless NCBTMB-approved instructors offer one-day workshops to monitor and test home-study participants on the techniques presented in the videos. Furthermore, home-study reading material was restricted from displaying photos or diagrams of hands-on techniques without a one-day testing seminar. Bottom line: Continuing education credits could only be granted upon successful completion of the home-study program in addition to the one-day supervised workshop if any hands-on techniques were displayed in the material.

Please read the full text including comments by Whitney Lowe  @ http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7523&catid=251&title=home-study-ce-conundrum and chime in on the debate. Art Riggs, Tom Myers and I have been discussing this ruling for some time and finally decided to open it up for discussion. Comments are appreciated…

An exceptionally significant postural issue begging for a logical explanation is the ?short right leg syndrome?. Although an inferred awareness of right-sided limb length shortness has existed for thousands of years with decades of published research available, no one has yet to produce a universally acceptable answer to these two basic questions:
1. Why the unusual frequency of short right legs seen in clinic?
2. How does this common limb length discrepancy relate to chronic pain and somatic dysfunction?

How do you measure leg length…supine or prone and what’s the difference?

While it could be assumed that people with back pain should not be exercising frequently, a new study by Robert Kell, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta found that working with weights four days a week provided a significant decrease in the amount of pain and improved quality of life.

In the study, groups of 60 men and women with chronic low back pain exercised with weights in two, three or four-day weekly programs, or not at all. Their progress was measured over 16 weeks. The level of pain decreased by 28 percent in the 4-day a week group, 18 percent in the 3-day group and 14 percent in those who exercised two days a week.  What do you recommend for your clients?

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?.

Last week my friends at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine threw a wonderful surprise party for my friend and mentor Phil Greenman in Tucson.

We must recognize these Giants “on whose shoulders we stand” for their great contributions to touch therapy. My advice is to seek out the old enlightened manual therapists and get some sessions.

Ask if they would be willing to share some of their techniques in a tutorial form.

You’ll be surprised at how many of them are eager to divulge their little therapeutic secrets but never get approached about it.

Have any of you had any experiences you’d like to share?

In touch…ERIK

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

When walking or running try activating the ipsilateral gluteus maximus muscle on heel strike. Squeeze it hard with each step!

This simple muscle activation tip will do wonders for restoring foot, lower limb and pelvic balance.

Try it first for a week (works best at first barefooted or with non-suported shoes). What do you feel happening in the rest of your body as a result of this simple muscle activation cue? What are your knees doing? Do you feel a change in positioning of your pelvis in the sagittal plane as you walk?  Erik

Welcome to my first Blog entry.

With the Holidays in full-swing, do you see an increase of stressed clients in pain? I seem to have more clients complaining of low back pain during the Holidays. Sacral torsions from prolonged standing with weight-bearing on one leg (Mall Back) is common. Do you think the sacroiliac ligaments are getting strained or possibly piriformis syndrome from increased walking, stooping and bending? Thoughts?

In my new book due out October, 2009, Massage Therapy: What It Is and How It Works by Cengage Learning, one of the things I do is develop an idea called ?The Three Paradigms.? It was borne out of long, deep discussions in which I partook in 1990 as an original member of the Job Analysis Advisory Committee (JAAC), formed by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The JAAC ultimately led to the formation of the first National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and I served on that board as a founding member for almost five years. At that time, we presented the essential conclusions of our discussions in a brief article entitled, ?Three Paradigms, Five Approaches? in the Massage Therapy Journal, Summer 1991. It was co-authored by Carl Dubitsky, OBT, LMT, Patricia Benjamin, PhD, Raymond Castellino, DC, RPP, Jeffery Maitland, PhD and myself, Steven Schenkman.

Almost twenty years later, based on my own experience, observations, and thought and after years of further dialogue and discussion, I have greatly expanded on that initial idea in my book. I have always found ?The Three Paradigms? so central to understanding the scope of massage and yet no one ever took them and ran with them. That?s one of the things I try to do in my book. For years I?ve discussed them and often used them as the foundation of lectures and classes I taught.

For the purpose of this blog, I wanted to briefly touch upon an aspect of ?The Three Paradigms,? which opens up an important way to understand and view the entire field. When correctly understood, these three paradigms provide comprehension and insight into the full scope of massage therapy practice and its many positive, healthful benefits and outcomes. They are as classified as follows:  1) Relaxation and Stress Reduction, 2) Remediation, Therapy and Pain Relief and 3) Holistic or Integrative. These Three Paradigms together form an overlapping continuum of potential practice and treatment beginning at the most basic levels of touch, leading to the most comprehensive and advanced levels of therapeutic treatment and holistic care practiced in bodywork today. The idea of different paradigms in massage therapy is one that is intimately bound to the length and depth of successful education and training, continuing education, professional development and the extent of a therapist?s practical experience.

In Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, there is a fundamental principle that reflects and gives explanation to the inner process of what takes place, either consciously or unconsciously, during the process of learning and becoming a massage therapist. It is the principle of ?Li (pronounced lee)? precedes Qi (pronounced chee).? It means that Li, the underlying notion or the idea of any ?thing? must first exist before it becomes manifest into material being through Qi, — the energy or vital force used to bring it into reality. In short, — idea precedes manifestation. For example, before a skyscraper can be built it first comes into existence as an idea in the mind of its architect who then puts all the detail down on paper to create blueprints of the building. The blueprints are then brought to life through the energy or Qi of the builders who turn it into a three dimensional physical reality. So in a sense the Li of anything is really like an invisible blueprint. This parallels very closely how in massage therapy the depth, quality and the extent of how ultimately what manifests through a massage therapist?s hands will be a reflection of how well they have developed the ?Li?s? of understanding their paradigm of practice and the particular bodywork or massage therapy modality used to facilitate that practice.

As massage therapy students evolve into professional practitioners, they absorb and then integrate their training and practical experiences into a kind of ?blueprint of understanding.? With the right attention and efforts, this understanding grows into a comprehensive framework or paradigm that equals the efforts practitioners have made to embrace their education and hone their technical skills. In the end it?s the clients and patients who become the fortunate (or unfortunate) recipients of the paradigm of practice that emanates as intention (or LI) through their massage therapist?s hands.

Discussion: I would love to hear more of people?s thoughts on this important idea of the direct connection between the depth and quality of practitioners? understanding of their work and how it impacts their level of competence, excellence, sensitivity and palpatory skills and the overall results of their treatments in whatever of the Three Paradigms they practice from.

               Academic institutions that are already running massage therapy programs should be thinking about new ways to grow and evolve them in order to create real quality programs, remain competitive and regain the edge in this rapidly evolving field. Based on my experience, there are many ways in which academic institutions can strengthen their massage therapy programs. I?m only discussing one of them in this blog but some of the others can be accessed in a recent article I wrote at my website: www.Schenkmanconsulting.com at the bottom of the home page. It’s entitled: Massage Therapy Training – The Next Step.  

               Implementing any one of them can make a big difference in the success of the program or school. Institution decision makers should take some time to consider which ways apply to their particular school. Since each institution is in a different place in the evolution of their massage programs, differences in overall mission, philosophy, curriculum, staff and faculty from one school to another will dictate which changes are more relevant to any individual school. However, whether or not any of them apply, it can be extremely beneficial to reflect on these ways and take an objective look at what, if anything, to do next!?

The ?Smorgasbord Syndrome?

                All too often institutions, particularly those with less hours to spare, stuff their programs with a multitude of short courses in different modalities of massage therapy and bodywork in the hopes and mistaken belief that this will somehow have a positive outcome for the graduate and for the school. I call this the ?smorgasbord syndrome.? Although it?s a marketing dream and it may look attractive, appetizing and exciting to an uneducated, prospective enrollee, (as in ?look at all I?m going to learn if I enroll in this program?), it unfortunately frequently produces a program that turns out graduates very weak in the fundamentals and ineffective in the basic foundations and technical competencies of treatment. As a result, it can backfire in a lower pass rate for the school on the licensing/certification exam which can ultimately have serious repercussions for accreditation, Title IV funding, etc….

               Employees who hire these graduates complain about lower competence levels and unprofessional demeanors and don?t keep them on staff. The inability for a school?s graduates to hold on to a job will seriously damage the Institution?s placement stats creating further accreditation and financial aid complications. And it?s not long after that when these graduates begin to wake up to the fact that the program they graduated from was, ?a mile wide and an inch deep.? That said longer programs, wisely developed, do have the room to offer and competently teach a broader array of forms of massage and bodywork which can be of great benefit to the graduate and to the clients they treat.

It is recommended that as a bottom line all basic, entry level professional programs should be at least 600 hours and should be focused on no more than two treatment modalities, i.e., Swedish massage and Shiatsu, or Swedish massage and Deep Tissue,?….. Given that all the other hours need to be spent on adequately teaching the biosciences including: A&P, muscle anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, clinic internship, professional development, ethics and business, etc.. spending precious hours on trying to teach four or five more modalities basically robs the student of a balanced education. Those hours have to come from somewhere!

               An additional modality can be introduced in a 600 hour program, but it should be made clear to students that it is only an introduction and that real competence will come after many more hours of continuing education classes and practice. Upgrading, revising and staying a cut above by offering a longer, more comprehensive program that is marketed properly can reinvigorate a massage therapy school or program and is something that should be carefully considered.  

Massage Therapy Institutions are frequently faced with the challenge of first finding and then often having to prepare new faculty to teach a variety of different course subjects, including specialty massage techniques and modalities. And that?s usually not too easy. Given the rapid rate of expansion of more than thirteen hundred schools and growing, finding qualified instructors to satisfy the needs of these specialty programs across the country is arguably one of the most important issues facing institutions running massage therapy programs, as well as the profession itself. Teachers that provide students with their entry level training shape this profession by the quality and outcome of the product they put out, their students.

Attracting and holding on to qualified faculty has become difficult for educational institutions especially because as we all know qualified practitioners can make a lot more in private professional practice than what they receive for instructing in massage therapy classes. Add in the required or necessary hours of preparation faculty must do for each course assigned (most school?s faculties are comprised primarily of part-timers who usually do not get paid for this) and it?s not difficult to see why massage therapy schools and programs are having a hard time building a qualified team of instructors.

As a result of this paucity of quality instructors and almost by default, many schools fill teaching positions with recent graduates who need and want work and want to maintain a good relationship with their Alma Mata. The problem is they usually are not qualified to teach. Sometimes schools may be truly lucky to find among their recent graduates the winning combination and when that?s the case it?s certainly worth the effort on the part of the administration to put in the time and money to cultivate and hold onto those individuals.

To make things even more complicated the growth in massage programs in career and community colleges have thrown a new difficulty into the mix. Faculty teaching in these programs must have an academic degree (not necessarily in massage therapy) and the requisite qualifications in massage. So then the search begins — finding massage therapists who are willing to and can teach and who also hold an academic degree to meet the requirements when teaching in a college degree program. Therefore a degree granting institution that actually does find a qualified instructor without the requisite traditional academic degree must pass.

Relying on academic degrees as a good indicator of teaching ability is about as equal to relying on a license in massage therapy as a good indicator of a massage practitioner?s ability to teach. So if academic degrees aren?t an indication of what qualifies someone to teach in a massage therapy program and being a licensed massage therapist isn?t either, then what is it that academic deans and directors who hire faculty should be looking for before they plop someone down in the front of a classroom?

In spite of the fact that there exists an enormous amount of literature and research on how to teach effectively, there is no complete list of “do’s and don’ts” that, if followed, result in quality teaching. Generally speaking effective teaching cannot be separated from the teacher him or herself. A faculty member?s personality, preferences, prejudices and overall self awareness will have an enormous influence on student success.

Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine is credited with saying ?The physician must be experienced in many things, but most assuredly in rubbing.? Well suffice it to say that an instructor of massage therapy most assuredly needs to be well versed in the knowledge, skills and abilities of rubbing ? or massage. But being an expert in the subject does not automatically make someone a good teacher.

Discussion: Let?s hear from you, from your experiences either as a faculty member/instructor in a massage therapy school or as a graduate or student who has had the experience of learning from many different types of instructors — both good and bad. Indicate, comment, complain but also try to provide some good examples of your favorite teachers ? (names not necessary) and what attributes they had that to this day make them stand out in your mind as high quality teachers.

Before writing this I spent a lot of time thinking about some of the issues that many people raise in the educational institutions that I consult for (www.schenkmanconsulting.com)  in their evaluations either as an employee, faculty member or a student. When it came down to it, it seemed like most of the problems stemmed from poor communication, on all levels. That is not surprising and of course the buck stops at management when looking at it from a consulting perspective. However, when I thought about it on a more fundamental level, and from my experience as a stress management consultant for many years, I knew it was mostly a ?human being? problem related to perception and stress. So I thought I would try to express some of my thinking and knowledge regarding the importance of communication in educational institutions (and of course in day-to-day life) and see what some of you have to say or add to this conversation.

Communication is so important and yet is so easily and so often taken for granted and in the process we miss a very important and subtle truth about ourselves. And that is if we look inside and examine how we experience the moment-to-moment events of our lives, it becomes clear that what we often label as stress (our jobs, problems with children, divorce, vacations, traffic, etc.) is not really stress. Rather, these are the catalysts which ignite the ?stress response.? What we experience as stress is a function of our learned perception of events, the way we see things, and not the events themselves. The stress or ?fight or flight? response is an instinctive and automatic self-protective response pattern in our bodies which precipitates more than 1300 known physiological changes as a way of protecting us from physical danger, much more useful in the days when humans had to hunt for their food! However today, our perceptions become the basis of how we see and interpret our moment-to-moment experiences resulting in the manner in which we respond to or interact and communicate with others.  

As these perceptions activate the physiological changes in our bodies, they can stimulate negative or positive emotional states depending upon what they are. It is the negative emotional states that we generally experience as stress and what we refer to when we use the term. I say generally because just as easily, the joy of getting married can as well be a stress catalyzing event depending on how it is being perceived and consequently, dealt with.  

After all it is the quality and depth of communication we experience in our day-to-day existence that will ultimately determine the quality of our lives. When we break down the content of most days, we see that it was filled with numerous interactions with others. And although we may not realize it, we often judge our day on the basis of the quality of those interactions. The remarks we make when we arrive home from work, the comments we may utter after a ?conversation? held with a fellow employee, student or client are generally very telling and are descriptions of the quality of our communications. If at the end of a workday you feel drained, more then likely it was due to difficulties in communications. Breakdown in communication (regardless of whether the breakdown is your fault, the fault of the individual(s) you may be communicating with or both parties involved) inevitably leads to unnecessary expenditure of our own emotional energies. And conversely, some of the most energizing and rewarding experiences we may ever have are those that result from true communication. 

I think we often forget that true communication is accomplished only when there is a real interchange of one?s thoughts, feelings, opinions or information. It is not simply a matter of just saying what you have to or getting what you need ?off your chest.? The key word here is interchange. A true interchange is only possible when what another is trying to communicate is seriously taken in and considered from a place within oneself that is virtually free of our own biases, judgments, views and opinions. In order to really ?hear? what another is saying and be able to appropriately respond, it is necessary that the listener make every effort to suspend their own personal agenda, while at the same time working to consider the position and perspective of the other. Only then can the listener?s response be related and connected to the issues trying to be communicated. Stop and think for a moment if all our communications were like this, how much better the quality of our lives would be!!! By the way, the results of real communication do not necessarily mean that we get our way. However, if real communication is had, you will truly be heard and often that is as important as getting what you may personally want from the interchange. Once people begin communicating on this level, change for the better is inevitable. 

It is very common for a listener to respond emotionally without thinking about what was said by another. It is also very common for people to just blurt out what was on his/her mind in order to ?get in? what they wanted to say ?in the name of communication.? As you can see when you think about this, such ?communication? can only lead to frustration and argument, and accomplishes very little towards the result that either party wants.

My original background and training in Massage and Bodywork was in Asian Bodywork Therapy, specifically Amma Therapy, a very complex and sophisticated form of ABT. I learned through the apprenticeship model, living and studying at the feet of the founder and master of the art in the early 70?s and throughout the 80?s and practiced in a very large holistic health center for almost 20 years. Without going into a lot of detail and story telling, I became involved in the late 80?s with other groups throughout the country practicing different forms of Asian bodywork including several different styles of Shiatsu, Tuina, Jin Shin Do®, etc? and eventually we formed the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia^TM (AOBTA^®) which continues to exist today. The AOBTA is a non-profit, professional membership organization representing instructors, practitioners, schools and programs, and students of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT). You can visit its website at www.AOBTA.org. I became its founding president and served as such for five years until 1995.

So what?s the point?? The organization has been in existence for almost 20 years and by now I would have thought that given the profundity and scope of what is possible to accomplish with clients/patients once expertise is gained in ABT that the various forms of ABT would have by now spread like wildfire and that there would be full scale (minimum at least 500 hour) programs running in schools all over the country. But that does not seem to have happened!? There are several really excellent programs out there but besides those mostly very short courses, tastes, or tracks of ABT forms are being offered as part of a full western based massage therapy program and/or in basic CE courses.  

Asian Bodywork is one of the main limbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and many of its forms are thousands of years old. It follows the same underlying principle of all the limbs, that the body is capable of healing itself once the proper conditions are provided. Whereas the acupuncturist assesses according to the principles of Chinese medicine and then inserts fine, sterilized needles into acupuncture points in order to achieve balanced energy and heal the system, and the Herbalist employs natural substances such as leaves, bark, roots and flowers to move the energy system towards the same goal, balance and healing, thereby producing an optimum state of health in the physical body, the Asian bodywork therapist assesses the patient and then applies the hands to treat the energy system using specific techniques and manipulations of the body to balance the energy and heal the system.  

In my view Asian Bodywork is an incredible opportunity for practitioners of massage therapy who wish to evolve their perspective, knowledge and skills beyond the limits of treating the physical body to include the energy body. While most all massage treatment focuses on the soft tissue, i.e., muscles, ligaments and fascia, Asian Bodywork modalities move things a step further by including (like acupuncture and herbalism) the study and manipulation of the energy system, considered to be the underlying and enlivening layer of the human being complex. A working knowledge of the energy system, its principles of assessment, and skillful manipulation of the channels and points greatly broadens the scope of the kinds of conditions that a massage therapist can learn to treat way beyond those of the neuro/musculoskeletal systems. Although most all massage and bodywork therapies when mastered can be used along with other adjunctive modalities including nutrition, vitamins and supplements and exercise to treat different conditions, training in one of the ABT modalities can, I believe, provide a path to a greater scope of practice. This is because of the expansion in scope of treatment when a comprehensive education of the energetic system is included as part of one?s training and overall perspective.

Discussion: I am not sure I understand why ABT isn?t being taught all over the country at a higher level then it presently is and why students or practitioners already in the field aren?t clamoring to learn it. I have some ideas of course, i.e., it boils down to business and the market and if the market isn?t asking for it, it will not be taught. Or its underlying perspective of energy or qi as the basis of everything is a little strange for people and requires a real mind/paradigm shift to study it and finally grasp it. But I’m looking for feedback and people?s experiences on why this is so. To me right now ABT seems to be the best kept secret in the world of massage therapy and bodywork! Let?s hear what you think and feel!

There is nothing like learning something new to stimulate our mind/body with fresh impressions from which to grow, and to shock it out of old patterns of thinking, learning, feeling and doing. This is essential for massage therapy professionals since the quality of what we do not only impacts the effectiveness of the treatments we give our clients and patients, but also directly influences the living we make in doing it. Most of us are familiar with the expression, ?if you don?t use it, you lose it,? and that certainly holds some validity. However, I think that massage therapy practitioners are less inclined to accept another similar truth, which is, if you do not seek to grow, even that which you know and do well will over time deteriorate and weaken — become stale. It?s not very different from body-builders who stop working out, soon after all their muscles begin turning to fat.

Becoming a health care practitioner, such as a massage therapist, is a commitment to life long learning and professional development. It is a responsibility that comes with being called a professional which is defined as ?possessing great skill or experience in a field or activity.? Although we know that children are naturally curious, as adults we can become complacent about learning new things, and it doesn?t usually get easier as we age. It should be no surprise that habits and patterns become more fixed as we become older and more settled and ?uncomfortably comfortable in our ways.? Every massage therapist forms habits and patterns of treating after doing what they have been doing for years. Therapists can easily become fixed and reach a point of stagnation. This doesn?t mean that practitioners are not doing a good job at what they do. Many have reached a high level of skill and get wonderful results. However, if nothing is done to continue to cultivate that, then it will eventually begin to wilt. What is worse, is that you may not even realize it until you notice your practice dwindling.

Brushing up on old knowledge and techniques after years of experience will often lead to greater and deeper insight into what you already know and do which will immediately reflect positively in your treatments. Expanding your knowledge and technical base with training in new specialty areas is another powerful way to enhance your level of skill and breathe new life into your practice. The trends in our field are changing rapidly. Getting stuck in old patterns and habits of doing massage therapy, thinking that you know enough or that you are good enough can quietly leave you years behind relative to the speed and direction in which the Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Profession is moving. It won?t be long before clients are asking you questions about techniques and forms of treatment you haven?t heard of yourself. You really must keep up!

We owe it to ourselves as professionals to continue learning and training in our chosen profession. It is vital that all massage therapists hold a view that it is their personal and professional responsibility to seek continuing education. Most of all, we owe it to our clients and patients who depend on us for the best and most effective treatments possible. Make it your personal commitment to seek self-improvement and continue to serve your clients with safety and competency. Give your self the gift of Continuing Education this year. The massage therapist in you will deeply appreciate it, and so will all your clients.

Discussion: At one time or another every massage therapist experiences periods in which his or her practice becomes stale. Boredom sets in, and treating becomes mechanical and rote. I’d love to hear different experiences related to this and what action, if any, was taken to combat your “massage fatigue” and to renew and reenrgize your love for Massage Therapy and Bodywork. Did you find that taking new or refresher CE courses in your modality helped? Did attending a regional or national professional association conference or convention where you could be around many of your peers rejuvenate your passion for the field? Let’s hear!!

Steven Schenkman is an established leader in the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He served as President of The New York College for Wholistic Health, Education, and Research (now known as the NY College of Health Professions) from 1989 through 2001. The college offers associates and bachelor?s degree programs in massage and bodywork therapy, master?s degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, certificate programs in holistic nursing and physical arts. Under his leadership the Institution evolved into a premiere college for holistic education and developed the first Associate?s Degree program in massage therapy in the country in 1992. Steven has also demonstrated leadership and commitment to the profession of Massage Therapy as a founding member of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) whose examination is now used in 35 states for licensing in massage therapy. He spent five years on that board. Steven also served as Chairman of the New York State Massage Therapy Board for six years and was a member for 10 years. He was also a founding member and served as President of the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA) for five years.Since 2001 Steven has been a consultant and curriculum specialist to career colleges, allied health and business schools and schools of massage therapy. Presently he is working as an independent consultant and subject matter expert with various institutions including Cortiva Institute. During his consulting career Steven has developed and written certificate, diploma and degree curricula and programs in massage therapy and western health careers. As a consultant Steven specializes in assistance with accreditation and administration, licensing, internal consulting, reorganization, curriculum and new program development, new business development, marketing & advertising and strategic planning. Steven is also a member of the Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson Delmar Leaning) Massage Advisory Board and has been contracted by Thomson to write a book on the subject of Massage Therapy entitled: Massage Therapy: What It Is and How It Works scheduled for publication in 2008.

Steven has been licensed in massage therapy in New York since 1984. He has studied and practiced Advanced Amma Therapeutic Massage and was a certified biofeedback specialist and stress management consultant. In addition, Steven was trained in acupuncture using the apprenticeship model and is a master tai chi practitioner and instructor. Steven can be reached by email at Schenkmans@aol.com and his website is www.schenkmanconsulting.com.

     Water is a vital part of living things, especially the human being. The following facts from my rebounding seminar may be of interest to you.             

             ?Over 70% of total body weight is water.  Most people know that blood, lymph, urine,  sweat, and tears are mostly water.  The lungs are 90% water, the brain is 76% water, and even the bones are 25% water.

             ?67% of the water in the body is inside the cell (i.e. the intracellular fluid).  The other 33% lies outside the cells in the extracellular fluid that flows through the fascia?s extracellular matrix.?

       Scientific research on the fascial system was done on cadavers. As we all know cadavers are brittle, so the only focus was on the three dimensional fibrous network and no attention was paid to the fluidity of the body. The fascial system is the container of the fluid and the transport medium of the fluid and all that lies within.

      I would like to quote from the 40 years of research done in Germany. ?The Extracellular Matrix and the Ground Regulation? by Alfred Pischinger is a fascinating book full of information about the importance and functions of the fascia?s extracellular matrix.  The following quotes are by Dr. James Oschman who wrote the foreword:

           ?The ground substance gel is composed of water, proteoglycans and related molecules with strong collagen fibers embedded within it.?

             ?Recent research also has demonstrated that the matrix components are actually semi- conducting liquid crystals, materials known to have a variety of remarkable properties for  transmissions, storage and processing of  information.?

              ?Simply stated, every function and every process of the human body involves the fascia?s matrix in one way or another. The reason for this is every cell in the body  is nourished by the fascia?s extracellular matrix and all waste products of the cellular metabolism likewise pass through the ground substance which is the actual milieu. The matrix is also the terrain in which all immune responses and tissue repair processes take place.?

    These 40 years of research have helped to explain why Myofascial Release is so extraordinarily effective.  This is an exciting time to be a Myofascial Release therapist.  Join us to be part of this important revolution in healthcare!

John

Owen Dodge // Aug 31st 2009 at 12:11 pm

Hi Owen,

        Myofascial Release can be very helpful for menopausal symptoms. 

     From the Myofascial perspective, “Menopause” is a label for unrecognized and improperly treated myofascial restrictions.  “Menopause” is an effect, a symptomatic complex created by fascial restrictions in the fascia’s extracellular matrix(ECM). 

     Recent research has shown that aberrations in the fascia’s extracellular matrix can change the shape of the cell, which can then alter the production and balance of the biochemical and hormonal aspect of a woman’s physiology. 

     For more in depth information, go to www.massagemag.com and scroll down to the technique box.  Then click on my Therapeutic Insight article titled, “Female Problems.”

     Thanks for your interest, Owen.

John

Ramsay recently asked the following question on the Structure vs. Function blog:

• Ramsay Z Falcoe // Aug 17th 2009 at 10:34 am

I am a massage therapist/acupuncturist. I have a theory/speculation about how the binding down of the fascia interferes with the integrity of the energy meridians. Would you have any theories/insight, knowledge/research on this subject?

Dear Ramsay,

      I believe that you are totally correct.  Yes, Myofascial restrictions are capable of compressing the acupuncture meridians with up to approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.  This crushing pressure can impede the flow of ?chi? (energy) through the acupuncture meridians.

       I learned acupuncture a long time ago.  I initially used neuroprobe (electronic acupuncture) and cold laser on the acupuncture points.  I then went to Hong Kong to learn as much as I could.  In Hong Kong I learned to use my hands to stimulate the ?chi? along the meridians.  I then applied the Myofascial Release principles to the ?chi? meridian system, which produced even greater results. 

       I have just finished an article titled, ?The Web of Life?, which has just been posted on my, ?Therapeutic Insight: the Myofascial Release Perspective?, on the Massage Magazine website (www.massagemag.com).  If you wish to read more about this article, you can click on the following link: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7768&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivethe-web-of-life .

    Feel free to write any comments or ask any questions at the end of the ?Web of Life? article. 

     The bottom line is that Myofascial Release enhances the effectiveness of acupuncture, bodywork, and energy techniques.

 Thanks for your interest.

 John

    Some scientists say structure determines function.  Others say function determines structure.  The debate rages on.  Is it possible that it is both?  Is the effect of structure and function interchangeable? 

     Recent research has shown that the ground substance of the fascial system is the immediate environment of every cell of our body.  It has also been shown that an increase in the viscosity of the ground substance can change the shape and mobility of the cell.  The change in the shape of the architecture of the cell alters its function and the important bio-chemical reactions required for health.  Bob Mollica, PT has provided an important link to and an article titled, “An architect walks into the lab.” (  http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0109/feature1_1.html )

     You may also want to read my new article on the Massage Magazine website titled, “Myofascial Release Perspective: Therapeutic Insight?Fascia, a Liquid-Crystalline Matrix.”  To access my latest article,  go to www.massagemag.com and scroll down on the left side of the page to the box titled “techniques” and click on that tab.  Then you can click on my latest “Therapeutic Insight” article or you can click on the following link for direct access: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7057 .

Thanks.

     John

             I have treated dogs, cats, birds and race horses successfully using my Myofascial Release principles. Cathleen recently asked the following question on my latest blog:

?Good evening Mr. Barnes,
I?m interested in taking Mark Barnes Equine 1 with Tamara Rapier. What results have you seen with the horses? Do the principles and teaching of Mark Barnes? course mirror your own? Do you recommend the course and Miss Rapier as a teacher and practitioner?
Your insight and direction are sincerely appreciated.
Best,
Cathleen?

• Cathleen M Peabody // Jul 10th 2009 at 6:57 pm

      Animals respond even faster than humans to Myofascial Release techniques.  Their life is motion.  They become an active participant in their treatment. 

      For more information on equine Myofascial Release, call Tamara Rapier (573-694-0350 or inquiry@myofascialrelease.com ) or Cathy Covell (260-829-6363 or http://www.motionforlife.net/ ).  Both are incredible therapists that teach the Myofascial Release principles that mirror mine and I highly recommend their equine Myofascial Release seminars.

Thanks for your interest.

John

Hi Susan,

You recently asked the following question regarding thwarted inflammatory processes.

?Hi John,
Just finished Myofascial Release Women?s Health (http://www.myofascialrelease.com/seminars/sem_women.asp), and STILL processing! All good! Could you further explain ?thwarted inflammatory response?? In the Kinestheology world the psoas muscle is most affected by lack of hydration.

Thanks! Blessings,
Susan Simmons RN, LMT?

            I am glad that you enjoyed my Myofascial Release Women’s Health Seminar.  As you know, inflammation is an important part of the healing process.  The inflammatory response can be stopped or thwarted by physical and/or emotional trauma or anti-inflammatory drugs (iatrogenic or physician induced). This can stop complete healing.  Myofascial Release stimulates the completion of the inflammatory stage and allows for complete healing. 

            I am sure that most therapists realize that the psoas complex is in a chronically contracted and dehydrated state in too many people.  From a Myofascial perspective, the fascia, our body?s only whole body system, can become fibrous and dehydrated anywhere it has been traumatized.  The routines or protocols that we were taught are too generalized (one size fits all) to be meaningful.  Myofascial Release therapy is individualized to each patient, thereby allowing one to find the exact areas that are restricted in that person for maximal effectiveness.   

            For more information on thwarted inflammatory responses, you can go to John?s new Therapeutic Insight article on the Massage Magazine website.  Just click on the following link:

http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7057&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivewhat-do-you-believe

In addition, if you have any questions, insights or comments, feel free to add them at the end of John?s ?Therapeutic Insight? column.  Just scroll down below the article and click on the ?post your comment? tab.  It is always interesting to hear others responses and experiences on this topic

Sincerely,

John F. Barnes, P.T., L.M.T., N.C.T.M.B.

Many struggle with losing weight or when they do lose weight, too many times it just comes back.  There may be some hidden factors to consider to help people to become more effective in being healthier.  Please refer back to my blogs on “Are you having difficulty losing weight”? and “Pouring Water on a stone”. 

The following is a response from Owen Dodge, who is an excellent Myofascial Therapist:

“My reflections on this thread steer away from the focus on emotional considerations with respect to compulsive behavior such as overeating, and focus more on John?s title relating to general difficulty losing weight.

I recently heard glowing feedback from a client I treated with Myofascial Release who had for years tried to lose weight with diet and exercise modifications. She?d lose weight to a certain level, but could never get to her modest target weight.

Adding this aside to her history of neck surgery earlier in life and whiplash from a car accident, I wondered if maybe her thyroid function could have been affected by these traumas and associated scarring.

Several weeks after our one MFR treatment focusing on cervical balance, this client called to tell me how delighted she was to have finally dropped more weight without any special effort than she ever did with diet and exercise regimens.

Of course, this outcome leads to more questions than answers. But, at least in the eyes of my client, it also adds another piece of anecdotal evidence to the growing mountain of favorable treatment outcomes seen worldwide from those who put John Barnes? ?unproven? but straight-foward theories to the test”.

Sincerely,

Owen Dodge

Dear Jasmine,

            Thank you for your response.  

?I found the words of Mr. Barnes were so very helpful! Thank you so much. I think we as therapist often get caught up in our own way of doing things we forget about the significance of MFR. I personally know it is ground moving?But you just get into a groove of treatment and the most obvious things seem to pass you by. THANK YOU so much John.? Jasmine Kinney // May 6th 2009 at 3:05 pm

            In my Myofascial Release seminars, one of my goals is to help therapists move beyond ?consensus consciousness?, our normal waking consciousness, or the linear, intellectual aspect. This level of consciousness is the equivalent of a ?trance state? where we tend to function on automatic reactions. 

            As the therapist and client move into the healing consciousness, amazing changes can occur.  In scientific terms, this level of consciousness is called the hypnagogic state. This is the state when you are just about to fall asleep or just awakening, when you are mentally clear, having a sense of flowing coupled with an ?open focus?.  This ?healing zone?, when utilizing the Myofascial Release approach, allows for deep, authentic healing and growth. 

            The Massage Magazine has kindly asked me to write monthly articles on the internet version of their magazine, where I will expand on these thoughts in more detail.  My articles will be called, ?Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Perspective? and the first one began running this month.  You can access my first ?Therapeutic Insight? article at the following link:

http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=6745&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspective

            Your questions and insights will be answered on my blog.  I look forward to interacting with you as we move into this exciting new world of healthcare. 

Sincerely,

            John

Dear Christina,

    Thank you for your response to my blog, ?Pouring water on a stone.?

?Thank you John for explaining this idea in such a clear way. In my practice many individuals are still somewhat dehydrated, but I also serve individuals who are properly hydrated, physically active, eating well and have no medical conditions that should be causing chronic pain. I have sometimes found it challenging to explain why they could be doing all of these things yet their bodies may still need another level of release. Thank you for giving the words to explain this dynamic.? Christina Gibbs // Apr 25th 2009 at 4:24 pm

    I thought I would expand my thoughts on water absorption and the importance of the proper viscosity of fascial system’s ground substance.  There are so many nutritional theories that are logical and well intended, but produce only limited or short term results.  I believe that this is because of the misunderstood view of the important role of the fascial system in cellular hydration, nutrition, and elimination of toxins! 

   We have over one trillion cells in our body that undergo approximately 100,000 interactions per second!  Recent research has demonstrated that the external and internal environment of every cell is the fascial systems fibrous network and ground substance which should be somewhere between a gelatinous to a fluid state. 

   Physical and/or emotional trauma, or thwarted inflammatory responses tend to dehydrate the fluidity of the fascia’s ground substance, turning it into the equivalent viscosity of glue or solid like a stone. As I said in my last blog, “Pouring water on a stone”, as the cellular environment, the fascial system, hardens it produces crushing pressure on the cells and blocks the flow of water, nutrition, oxygen, hormones, and/or medicine into the cell?s interior.  These fascial restrictions also block the excretion of toxins from the cell. 

   If  the fascial system is restricted, it doesn’t matter what you put in your mouth, it isn’t getting to the cellular level, where you need it the most!

    Our fascial system’s ground substance is the transport medium of our mind/body complex.  Myofascial Release helps us to re-hydrate that which has solidified to enhance physiological and cellular functioning and health.

Sincerely,

Recently Sheila Walker posted the following thread on hydration and posed this question to me:

“Dear John,
It seems we?ve become a society obsessed with the notion of hydration, as witnessed by the blooming bottled water industry. Seems as though, everywhere you go, you can see people with their water bottles in tow. Could you please share your thoughts on how relevant our fascial system correlates with cellular hydration and therefore how to improve the effectiveness of keeping ourselves truly hydrated?”

      As Sheila has observed, everyone is walking around with their cute little water bottles, guzzling copious amounts of water.  This is about as effective as pouring water over a stone.  The surface becomes wet, but the water never penetrates to the interior. 

     The “stones” I am referring to are the collagenous restrictions of the fascial system that do not show up in any of the standard testing now being done.  The “ground substance” of the fascial system, the environment of every cell of our body, should be a gelatinous to a fluid state.  When we undergo trauma or a “thwarted” inflammatory  process, the ground substance dehydrates.  As the cellular environment, the fascial system, hardens it produces crushing pressure on the cells and blocks the flow of water, nutrition, oxygen, hormones, and/or medicine into the cell’s interior.  These fascial restrictions also block the excretion of toxins from the cell. 

     So, unfortunately no matter how much water you take in, in the presence of fascial restrictions, it doesn’t get to where your body needs it the most.  This is why I say, without Myofascial Release, the intention of drinking plenty of water is good, but it is as effective as pouring water over a stone!  Myofascial Release enhances cellular function and the effectiveness of good massage, bodywork, and energy techniques.

John

I’m a good dance partner. I find myself entraining to the weight and rhythm inherent in a client’s body. I often take my cues from my client. I also tend to take my cues from other people around me; my spouse, children, friends and … my students.

At this time of the term, my students are flowing with enthusiasm, dread and intensity toward their final projects and exams and I’m … flowing with them. After 10 years of teaching, I still cycle with their cycles. This makes me an attentive instructor, but a little on the ragged side as the term wears on.

Somehow it all goes back to a time long ago.

When I was a child I would wake up at the family cottage in darkness that was impenetrable. There was NO light. I was small and I would reach out with a toe or a hand to find the edge of the bed and I couldn’t figure out how I was lying because I would encounter the edge of the bed at an odd angle. It would take some doing to figure out which way I was lying and then to align myself with the bed.

Then, my frustration would grow.

I usually had a sheet, and a flannel blanket and a bed cover on top of me to keep warm. The three layers would be all shifted up and down and sideways. To pull the sheet up to where it belonged, I would often be pulling the overlying flannel blanket too high, and the bed cover might be off to the right, for example. The frustration of not knowing where I lay on the bed and then not being able to find a comfortable way to sort out the layers of linen to keep myself warm comes back to me at this time of year.

My students are working their way toward and through their final exams. Many of them have other stresses from sick friends, work and financial stress, to family pressures, and tough decisions in their love life.

My natural response is to unconsciously pick up their jangled rhythms.

Over the ten years of teaching I have evolved in how I respond to this situation. I used to try to calm them down, or try to cheer lead them through the experience. Then I got really focussed on designing test situations that were clear and fair.

All the time however, I felt myself pulled along by the class’s experience. I was still focussing on them and what their needs were.  And I would find myself not sleeping at night. I would often self medicate with food and end up developing and end of term belly.

The last couple years I have been learning to concentrate on my needs and have found that I’ve got plenty of mental habits that stress me out without the help of an entire class (or several classes) of people to help out. I’ve gradually gotten to the point where I have a personal agenda that is at least as devoted to taking care of myself as the people around me.

Now I’m approaching the end of the term and I’ve got a few personal projects that are requiring my focus and I find that I can really empathize with my students’ tensions, but I’ve got some that are uniquely mine! And as I find my way with my own issues, I’m finding that I’m coming to trust and believe in my students’ abilities to sort out their own.

I believe that they are getting a better experience than when I tried to “fix” things for the class. It’s just a feeling, and sometimes I don’t really believe it. I still sometimes think I should be doing more for my students.

But then I see their work is more grounded and more sophisticated than any other graduating class. I find they are more able to find their own solutions to things and that their solutions are often brilliant and adjusted to the peculiarities of the clinical situation of that particular client.

I know I can’t take credit for all of this. Our students are throwing all of themselves into the process. And the program and teaching team are also evolving.

But, I can’t help but feel that my knowing where I end and the students begin is an important factor to them finding their unique way.

I don’t know exactly how I could have done things differently as a kid lying in the dark, not knowing where I was in the bed and how to sort out the sheets. But, I can go back through the lens of my psyche to that child and calm him, and reassure him that he is safe and just where he needs to be. And I can gently sort out the layers of bedding on top of him and tuck him in warm and cozy.

And it sure feels good to be nurturing my little boy with all those skills that I have developed from helping other people.

Wishing you peace and nurturing.

I am a self confessed science nerd who loves to think things through and then I am just as likely to go with my feelings as my mind. For the big decisions, it is my feeling. My journey has been one of exploring the body, body awareness and body knowledge and gradually making my way back to the science nerd in me and discovering the integrated thoughts and feelings of a 48 year old man. A graduate of the Biology program at Carleton University in Ottawa in 1982, I continued for a year in English and wrote myself into the Creative Writing Program at the Banff School of Fine Arts for the summer of 1983. During the summer I fell in love with a massage therapist, or maybe is was massage therapy or the lifestyle/world- and self-view of a massage therapist. In any case, it wasn?t reciprocated in a romantic way (an example of that massage therapist having competent boundaries!), but I did go on to Calgary to study where she had studied. The rest is history; or rather my story and I will be sharing more of it in this blog!

I can be reached through my website http://www.massagetherapypractice.com or directly by e-mail at alexander2000@sympatico.ca

Hello again,
I have great news to share!  The value of massage in hospice care has been endorsed  by the AMTA.  I offer my thanks to my collegue Lisa Parenteau and others who worked very hard to present a position statement to the 2009 House of Delegates at the 09 convention.  Read on…

AMTA House of Delegates approves two position statements (from www.amtamassage.org)
The AMTA House of Delegates debated proposals for association position statements that express the sense of the membership on matters pertaining to massage therapy. This year, the delegates approved two position statements, which are now official positions of the association.Details on the approved position statements will soon be available on the AMTA website and will become part of the association?s efforts to promote the value of massage therapy, supported by research.

The approved statements are:
- It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage can aid in pain relief.
- It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can improve the quality of life for those in hospice and palliative care.

This kind of endorsement will help to call attention to the role massage therapists play in end of life care.  Those of us who have been serving this special population surely know the value of our work– but the good news is that it’s not just us saying it now!

Grace and good fortune to you,
Ann

I may be showing my age, but I absolutely love listening to Prime Time Radio, a weekly radio program sponsored by AARP.  Last week they interviewed BillThomas, the founder of The Eden Alternative, an organization that is dedicated to transforming care environments in eldercare.  The program went from health care reform to the need for more geriatric specialists in the medical community.  He made one comment that really caught my attention. I’m wondering what  you all think about it.  He said, ” Aging is a women’s issue.”  He went on to explain that in the U.S. women are the ones who are dealing with many of the current cultural impacts of our aging population.  He noted the following points:

• Most of the “anti-aging” efforts are directed at women and that a woman is more inclined to fight the effects of her own aging.
• Women are the ones who handle most of the care of aging or ill relatives.
• Women are more apt to be the ones who take care of parenting issues related to grown kids (and their kids).

So, do you agree or disagree– is aging a women’s issue?
I’ll be really interested in your comments!
Ann

Good day!   I like to ask my students “What moves you to work with those in eldercare or hospice?”  Over the years, some themes have emerged from the responses I’ve heard.  I’d like to share them with you here because I assume if you are reading this you have some degree of interest in working with elders or others with life-limiting illness. So, here’s what folks have told me.

“I’ve had a personal experience that led me to want to serve.”  These experiences range from having a grandmother in a nursing home to a close family member receiving hospice care to having grown up around older adults.  Those who identify with this report having both a comfort level and a desire to ‘give back’.

“I’ve been a massage therapist for a number of years and it’s taken a toll on my body.  I want to prolong my career and perhaps working with this population would be a good option.”  These therapists have a number of years in the profession and desire to find work that isn’t as physically taxing, thereby extending the longevity of their career.

“I don’t know exactly, but  I want to do this work– I just feel called in my heart to do it!”  This is the most common reason I hear.  The circumstances leading to the desire to work with this population can’t be pin-pointed, however there is a strong pull toward this form of service. 

Is one reason better than another? Of course not.  I think the most important thing is for each of us to ask the question and come up with our own answer. So, I ask you, “What moves YOU to want to work with this special population?”  I’d love to hear!
Take good care and enjoy the summer,
Ann

Hi there,

If you are reading my blog you are probably an advocate for quality of life of those at the end of life.  The doors for massage therapy in hospice have been opening the past few years, but proposed Medicare funding cuts for hospice could close those doors once again.  I have recieved the following information today from a colleague at the Suncoast Institute in Florida and want to pass it along to you so you can evaluate the situation for yourself and act if you feel so moved.

Hospice Needs Your Help

Over the past few months Hospice advocates from around the country have written, faxed, called and visited members of Congress urging them to help stop the Hospice rate cuts scheduled for October. Our efforts have paid off so far, as over 200 Representatives and Senators have signed a letter requesting President Obama to prevent the cuts from occurring. We must keep up the pressure as the President has not yet acted.

As tough as these cuts will be, the stakes may have just been raised even higher. This past week a new report detailed across the board Medicare spending cuts being considered in health care reform legislation. We are ready to do our share, but the combination of the rate cuts already proposed and these new Medicare cuts will be devastating to all hospices nationwide: we estimate a 6.4% decline in revenues if these cuts are enacted. We must work hard to prevent this from occurring.

You can continue to make a big difference. On Wednesday, we will participate in a national ?Virtual Advocacy Day? to urge the President to preserve hospice care and prevent these cuts. Please stand by as more information on how you can help will be sent tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do today to fight these cuts:

• Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper )
• Send an email to the White House:
  http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
   
• Send a letter to the President urging him to stop the cuts:
  The White House
  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
  Washington, DC 20500
  (Please include your e-mail address)
   
• Call the White House Comment Line:
  202-456-1111

 Visit:  http://www.capwiz.com/nhpco/home/ and our advocacy website http://www.thehospice.org/help/voice/stop_cuts.aspx  for more information

Many massage therapists have worked long and hard to pioneer our valuable place in hospice care. I think we all would hate to see our steps forward pushed back.  We have so much to contribute to hospice and palliative care and I, for one, want to see that continue to grow!

With kind regards,

Ann

Hi all,

Reading Eileen’s blog entry inspired me to chime in.  Eileen talks about how important it is to consider where potenital clients receive their information.  What is THEIR prefered method– not YOURS.  I couldn’t agree more!  I had the privilege of contributing to Massage Magazine’s expert advise column in the June 09 issue where I provided guidance on the question of how to best connect with and market to elders.   I’ve worked with older adults for thirty years– the last ten years as a massage therapist.  In order to market our services effectly to older adults it’s important to understand that there is quite a difference between someone who is 65 years old and the 80 year old in terms of where they might learn about the value of massage therapy.  The 80 year old will most likely turn to print publications for information– newspapers; newsletters, etc.  However those 65 year old “boomers” might be relying on the web for information.  Here is a link to some interesting statistics about computor use by older adults. http://www.retirementhousingonline.com/UsageStats.aspx

I have a friend who develops senior housing complexes in Springfield, MO where I live.  She told me that she is now including internet access as an amenity in all her developments and that she expects to see long term care facilities offer computor access.  I’ve seen this in the retirement communities where I teach. Many have computor labs available for residents. I believe we will see even more emphasis on the use of the web to reach older adults now that the first wave of baby boomers have reached retirement age. 

How do you connect with older adults in your practice? 
Enjoy the beauty of summer!
Ann

Hello all,

I’m not one to pour my energy into politics but there are times when something catches my attention.  Here is one such thing that I think deserves passing along and following because it could positively affect funding for complementary therapies in hospice and palliative care.  The following information is from this web link http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=HealthCare

In June 2009, Senator Warner introduced the Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009, health reform legislation that will strengthen the quality and availability of counseling, support services, and care management for patients and families coping with life-limiting illnesses.  The legislation includes:

• Enhanced Medicare and Medicaid Coverage of Advanced Illness Care Management Services
• A Requirement for Physicians to Provide Certain Medicare Beneficiaries with Information on Advance Directives and other Planning Tools
• Incentives for Providers to Achieve Accreditation and Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care
• More Comprehensive Discharge Planning for Facilities
• Increased Public Awareness about the Importance of End-of-life Planning

Several prominent organization have endorsed the legislation, including the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. An important element of the legislation in my view is that it enhances much needed end-of-life education for physicians along with public education about advanced directive. 

I don’t bring this up to endorse a political stand but rather to shine a light on this important conversation taking place on a national stage about end of life care.  Take a look at the link– what do you think about its possible impact on funding for our services?

Until next time, enjoy the gifts of summer!
Many blessings,
Ann

Hello all,

It’s been a while since my last post and it’s good to return.  I just returned from a beautiful and tranformative two weeks in Peru.  The focus of the journey was a combination of exploring some indigenous cultures and spiritual awakening.  Of course, you can’t go to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu and our group spent two days there. But one of the most powerful parts of the journey came near the end when I traveled to a small island in Lake Titicaca called Amantani.  Our boat was greeted by a group of the most heart-centered people I have ever met– men, women and children alike– and I lived among them long enough to get a sense of life there.  Their lives are based on the value of community and living in right relationship with both self and community.  Joy seemed to radiate from the eyes of these sweet people and I was so  moved by their generosity and their strong connection to nature.

I’m always curious about how different cultures care for their elders.  It was immediately clear that old age does not equal debilitation on Amantani.  Several older adults helped to carry our gear from the boat to the house by tying a large cloth around the gear and hauling it on their backs up a path.  I DO mean up, too, as the terrain is really hilly and the elevation is somewhere around 13,000 feet!   I saw old women herding sheep.  People walk everywhere– there are no cars.  Food is fresh and prepared simply.  At the end of my stay I asked our guide about the elders.  Elders who have needs are cared for by families as I assumed was the case.  But the thing I made note of is that she said they just don’t have many debilitating diseases such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.  She said people there don’t expect to get sick in old age.

I’ve thought about this a lot since my return and have formulated a question about it and would love to get your feedback on it.  I wonder how much of our decline in old age stems from the “learned expectation” in our culture that as we age it is a given that our health will deteriorate. 

I understand that the answer is complex, but an idea worth pondering I think…

To a healthy and well old age,
Ann

Hello everyone,

It’s been a month since my last post. As you may or may not be aware I’ve been pretty consumed with plans for a symposium I’m organizing along with my colleague, Lisa (Hand in Hand 2009: A Symposium Celebrating Massage Therapy in Eldercare and Hospice).  The reason I bring this up here is to tell you a little story that I hope may serve as a hopeful example for you.  We’ve all been bombarded with messages about how to handle this “economic downturn”.  It seems everyone is writing about the current economic circumstances and ways to survive them.  I have no doubt that it is affecting each of us in some way or other. 

It was nearly two years ago that Lisa and I decided that, together, we would create and organize our symposium.  We have worked tirelessly–well, maybe not tirelessly– how about diligently – ever since we decided that it was the right thing to do. Of course two years ago we had no idea of the challenges that the economy would present us.  You see we’re not trained event planners; nor do we have an organization full of various committees to share the work load.  It has been the two of us along with the assistance of a meeting and event organizing company which we hired to help with a few things.  Having never created a large event before we just rolled up our sleeves and took what steps we knew to take and a few we hoped would be the right ones.  Now it is only a couple of days before our event and I look back over the last months and recognize something more at work than just the two of us.  For me it is trust that I have been standing in my purpose and witnessing what happens when I do.  Most certainly the symposium has taken some hits. Attendance is less than we had hoped and there have been times when I questioned the feasabiltiy of moving forward.  But I continued to trust and affirm my purpose of assisting others wishing to serve in eldercare and  hospice.  The universe has answered with many gifts! Wonderful presenters and instructors; a grand location; even a harp player has emerged just in the last few days! We have been supported every step of the way by what I refer to as 1000 unseen helping hands. 

So I invite you to trust in YOUR purpose too.  Get clear on what your purpose is and trust that you have 1000 unseen helping hands at work on your behalf.  Take a little step in the direction you want to go and you will be met with resources that just might surprise and delight you!  Even during “these times”. 

Thank you in advance for your positive thoughts for our symposium.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Blessings and all good things,
Ann

Hello all,

It seems the issue of providing massage for caregivers in hospice organizations is a bit of a sticking point for many organizations.  The points raised by Jennifer and Ann are well-taken and deserve some consideration.  I’m sure we can all agree that any caregiver in hospice or long term care give much of themselves physically, emotionally, and energetically.  Certainly massage would be an effective way to help them manage the stress and toll of taking care of others.  I’ve actually heard from several massage therapists about hospice organizations preventing them from working with staff because of organizational liability issues.  I’m prompted to explore this issue.  One thought comes to mind.  All long term care and hospice organization have a medical director.  I’m wondering if that might not be one solution to this issue.  I bring it up because one skilled nursing facilitly where I provide Compassionate Touch sessions had their medical director approve my services.  I understand that some organizations are more “guarded” than others.  But it might be worth exploring the idea of asking the hospice organization about having the medical director approve non-invasive, seated massage for stress management for staff. 

Have any of you tried this approach? I’d like to hear from you about this issue– what’s working, what’s not.  We have so much to offer those caregivers to help prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. 

Peace and blessings to you,

Ann

Hold still… do you feel it? There is a wave of change underfoot.  It seems like EVERYTHING is changing– have you noticed?  Most certainly theres a lot of change happening in our profession. I like to think of the changes as growing pains.  A big change that we all are aware of is the aging of our population, with the fastest growing segment being 85 yrs and over.  Lately I’ve been exploring this question: With so many elders emerging in the United States — are massage schools acknowledging this as an emerging market for our profession?  After a little investigating it seems that the answer is mixed.  The emphasis schools place on massage for those in later life stages ranges from simply showing a video (quite possibly outdated); to  a few hours and visiting a local nursing home; to none at all.  While I know there is value in giving massage students a taste of many different approaches I believe what is being overlooked is how important this special population is, and will be, to a successful career. 

I want all massage therapists to succeed and have the career dreamed of when they decided to pursue massage school.  I think it’s the responsibilty of schools to prepare students in skill sets that are in step with current societal trends and needs to give their graduates a fair shake at success.  If more emphasis was placed on the growing need of an aging population, I think more massage therapists might feel a little more confident in reaching out to those potential clients.  At the very least, students would understand that serving this special populationis a viable choice. 

I’d like ask a favor of you.  If any of what I’ve said resonates with you, join me in the conversation with our massage schools.  Let them know this is important!  If massage schools put just a little more emphasis on this special population we, as a profession, will be there to answer the needs of millions.

Best regards,
Ann

Denticulate Ligaments.

Denticulate Ligaments (DLs) are strands of connective tissue that suspend the spinal cord within its membrane sac, which is called the dual tube.

The dural tube is comprised of three layers of membrane surrounding the spinal cord. The membrane layer attached to the surface of the spinal cord is called the pia mater. The layer surrounding the pia mater is called the arachnoid membrane, and the layer surrounding the arachnoid membrane is called the dura mater.

DLs extend from the inner surface of the pia mater, travel through the pia mater, through the arachnoid membrane and then attach to the inner surface of the dura mater.

There are 21 pairs of DLs on the lateral aspects of the spinal cord. The first is attached to the foramen magnum. The last is attached to the conus medullaris, which is the end of the spinal cord at L1, and a small portion of the Filum Terminale (FT) beginning at the conus medullaris. The FT is a band of tissue extending from the conus medullaris to the coccyx that is made of spinal cord glial cells surrounded by pia mater.

DLs and FT shortening, twisting, bending or immobility can place adverse stress upon the spinal cord leading to neurological strain and dysfunction. Conversely, balancing the DLs and FT can decrease spinal cord stress which in turn can enhance neurological function.

DLs are fascinating components of the dural tube that seem, to me, to create a ligamentous suspension system cradling the spinal cord. Very little DL research is available.

These questions arise when I ponder and work the DLs and FT:

1) Since the spinal cord needs to move in its bony container more than the brain tissue does in its container, do the DLs provide protection and flexibility while allowing motion?

2) The dura mater of the dural tube is only one layer thick rather than the two layers within the cranium, so do the DLs create additional tube strength without compromising movement?

3) As the spinal cord moves within the spinal canal do the DLs, like thousands of tiny interlinked bungee cords, help dissipate stress and allow the spinal cord to find its most favorable position?

4) Structures that can affect the spinal cord, such as the occiput, spinal column, sacrum and coccyx, dural tube, adipose tissue within the spinal canal and nerve roots can each have restrictive patterns that in turn can distress the spinal cord. Do the DLs help to protect the spinal cord by balancing, dissipating and fine-tuning tension that is transmitted to the spinal cord?

5) Some theories suggest that there is a down and up flow of cerebrospinal fluid within the dural tube. Since the DLs separate the dural tube into anterior and posterior compartments, could that then organize the flow of cerebrospinal fluid?

I hope you?ll join me next month to explore this suspension system further. I’ll share some ideas on how to feel and work with DLs and the FT.

References:
Cramer, Gregory D., D.C., Ph.D., and Darby, Susan A., Ph.D., Basic and Clinical Anatomy of the Spine, Spinal Cord, and ANS, Second Edition, Elsevier Mosby, St. Louis, Missouri, 2005.

Sills, Franklyn, Craniosacral Biodynamics, Volume Two, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, 2004.

Tubbs, Shane R., M.S., PA-C; Salter, George, Ph.D.; Grabb, M.D.; and Oakes, Jerry W., M.D. ; ?The denticulate ligament: anatomy and functional significance?, J. Neurosurg: Spine / Volume 94 / April 2001.

The Hypoglossal Nerve (Cranial Nerve XII) is the primary motor nerve of the tongue. When the tongue does not work properly then difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or breathing can occur. One cause of tongue impairment is harmful strain upon the Hypoglossal Nerve as it travels from the brain to the tongue. The opening through which the Hypoglossal Nerve travels is called the Hypoglossal Canal.  It is an important area to assess and mobilize if your client has impaired tongue function or tongue atrophy.

There are two Hypoglossal Nerves, a left and a right. The Hypoglossal Nerves pass through the Hypoglossal Canals (HCs) on their way from the brain to the tongue. The left Hypoglossal Nerve passes through the left Hypoglossal Canal, and the right Hypoglossal Nerve passes through the right Hypoglossal Canal. Adverse strain of the occiput, occipital condyles, craniosacral system membrane layers, foramen magnum, structures of the upper cervical region, or fascia of the occipital cranial base can distort the shape of the HCs. This shape distortion can place harmful stress upon the Hypoglossal Nerves.

The following description is one way to assess and mobilize restrictions of the HCs. However since the occiput has not completed its ossification process until the age of eight, when working with children only use the assessment and mobilization steps #1 through #3, and use the utmost of delicate touch and soft intention.

Throughout this description the client is supine (on their back). The practitioner is seated at the client’s head.

Assess the area of the HCs:
Hand Positions:
Place hands under the occiput, finger tips at the occipito-atlantal junction (where the occiput articulates with C1).

1. Feel the shape of the occiput while using “0″ grams pressure upon the occiput.

Imagine a line drawn through the centerline of the client?s face and cranium from the center of their chin to the center of the top of their head.
Does the occiput feel symmetrical in relationship to this line? Does it feel tilted so that one side is more inferior (towards the feet) than the other side, or twisted so that one side is more anterior (towards the front) than the other side? Does one side or the entire occiput feel flat, or does one side or the entire occiput feel excessively bowed? These shapes indicate probable strain of the intracranial membrane system, occiput, foramen magnum, occipital condyles or the HCs.

2. Feel the occiput and HCs widen and narrow in synchrony with the craniosacral rhythm (CSR) while using “0″ grams pressure.

Is there an equal range of motion during the flexion and extension phases of the CSR? Does the quality of motion feel smooth, unencumbered and balanced; does it feel thick, rigid or lopsided? Imbalance or strain in synchrony with the CSR indicates probable strain of the intracranial membrane system, occiput, foramen magnum, occipital condyles or the HCs.

Mobilize the area of the HCs:

1. Mobilize restrictions of the thoracic inlet area.
Place hands on the upper thoracic area so that the posterior hand rests midline under the C7/T1 area and the anterior hand is upon the collarbones and upper thoracic area. Come to “0″ grams pressure with both hands, and then set the intent for the fascia and structures in this area to move into positions of release. Follow the tissue as is does so until a feeling of softening occurs.

2. Mobilize restrictions of the hyoid area.
Change hand positions so the fingers of one hand are under the posterior neck area. Place the thumb and second finger of the other hand upon the anterior, lateral aspects of the hyoid. Come to “0″ grams pressure with both hands while setting the intent for the fascia and structures in this area to move into positions of release. Follow the tissue as is does so until a feeling of softening occurs.

3. Mobilize restrictions of the tissue in the area of the occipito-atlantal junction and traction release the occiput in a superior direction.

While seated at client’s head, place both hands under the occiput with your fingertips at the occipito-atlantal junction. Soften the feeling in your hands while setting the intent for the client’s tissue to soften under your fingertips. Wait and follow the tissue until a feeling of softening occurs.

Then set the intention to traction the occiput in a superior (towards the top of the head) direction using ?0? grams pressure. Follow the tissue until a feeling of softening occurs in a superior direction.

4. Mobilize restrictions of the occiput.

Hands remain under the occiput at “0″ grams pressure. Set the intention for the fascia and structures of the occiput, both inside and outside of the occiput, to move into positions of release. Follow the tissue as it moves into positions of release until a feeling of softening occurs.

5. Mobilize restrictions of the HCs.

Hands remain under the occiput at “0″ grams pressure with a focus upon your fingertips. Imagine that your fingertips are delicately contacting the area of the HCs. Set the intent for the fascia and structures in the area of the HCs to move into positions of release. Follow the tissue with your fingertips as is it does until a feeling of softening occurs under your fingertips.

6. Mobilize restrictions of the Hypoglossal Nerves.

Hands remain under the occiput at “0″ grams pressure with a focus upon your fingertips. This time imagine that your fingertips are resting delicately upon the Hypoglossal Nerves as they pass through the HCs. Set the intent for the Hypoglossal Nerves to move into positions of release. Follow the nerves with your fingertips until a feeling of softening occurs.

7. Use the dynamic fluid motion of the craniosacral system to enhance and integrate correction.

Hands remain under the occiput at “0″ grams pressure. Follow the occiput as it widens and narrows in synchrony with the CSR at “0″ grams pressure. When the occiput arrives at end range of widening and end range of narrowing, apply the intent to encourage the occiput further into its end ranges. The intent to encourage lasts for about one second or less at each end range. Continue to encourage at end ranges until a feeling of softening occurs in both directions. In Upledger CranioSacral Therapy, this is referred to as “Cranial Pumping”.

8. Enhance correction by facilitating integration between the tongue muscles and the occiput.

While seated at the side of your client, slowly slide the palm of one hand under the occiput and gently place the fingers of your other hand at the area of the base of the tongue under the chin. While using ?0? grams pressure, set the intent for the tongue, occiput, foramen magnum, HCs, Hypoglossal Nerves, fascia, cervical area, craniosacral system membrane layers and brain tissue to integrate the corrections that have occurred. Wait to feel softening and a feeling of greater connection between your hands.

If you are working with clients who have difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or breathing; or babies having difficulty sucking or swallowing; then you may want to try the HC sequence during several sessions to see if it helps. Also, using this sequence periodically can enhance your client?s overall well-being, even if there is no tongue issue, since the occipito-atlantal junction is a common area of tissue restriction, fluid congestion and strain upon the central nervous system.

References:
Moeckel, Eva, D.O., M.R.O., M.S.C.C., and Mitha, Noori, D.O., M.R.O., Textbook Of Pediatric Osteopathy, Churchill Livingston Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA., 2008.

Magoun, Harold I., A.B., D.O., F.A.A.O., Osteopathy In The Cranial Field, Third Edition, The Journal Printing Company, Kirksville, MO., 1966. 1976.

Dr. Upedger and I paused before going into the treatment room. Sammy, who had the left side of his brain removed to stop his constant seizures, was waiting inside with his mom. “Let?s work with Sammy?s stem cells to help him rebuild his missing brain,? Dr. Upledger said without reservation or apprehension. “Since stem cells can create any type of cell in the body, why shouldn?t they make a new brain?? He paused to let this idea sink in. ?You know, bone marrow in flat bones is a main site for stem cells, so his head is a perfect place to start. I?ll begin at his head. Will you start with his ribcage?? I nodded, ?Yes, sure.?

When we entered the room Sammy was lying on his back upon the treatment table, awkwardly trying to roll from side to side while crying and screaming. His mother, Alicia, introduced herself to Dr. Upledger, her eyes darting to Sammy then to Dr. Upledger, back to Sammy and then to the CD player. ?We Can Work It Out? by the Beatles seemed way too loud. Alicia, sensing our concern about the music, said, ?Beatles? songs help Sammy calm down.? Raising his voice a little Dr. Upledger said, ?I?d like to work with Sammy?s stem cells to see if they?ll rebuild his brain, OK?? “Sure, I’m open to anything that?ll help Sammy,” Alicia replied, her eyes continuing to fleet between Sammy, me, the CD player, Dr. Upledger, the wall, and back to Sammy.

We drew our chairs alongside the treatment table quietly so that we wouldn?t startle Sammy. Alicia, now singing along with the music to help calm Sammy, sat down, put one hand on his leg and began patting his leg just out of rhythm with the music.

Placing our hands upon Sammy, Dr. Upledger and I focused on sensing Sammy?s brain, body and stem cells. After about five minutes Dr. Upledger began to speak softly as he held Sammy? head, “Sammy, I’m John and I’d like to help you. Is that OK?” Brief pause. “I’d like to ask stem cells in the bones of your head to go and make new brain parts. Is that OK?” Pause. “Great, thank you Sammy.” Then, ?Sammy, you already know Tad, is it OK if he helps stem cells go from your chest into your head?? Pause. ?Great, thank you Sammy.? Twenty minutes or more passed. I could see Dr. Upledger?s mouth moving as he talked to Sammy, but I couldn?t hear what he was saying. Sammy was screaming louder, Alicia was patting faster, and she kept turning the volume up on the Beatles who were now blasting out “She Loves You”.

All of a sudden Sammy?s bones and blood began to vibrate as if the New York Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir were playing and singing the same note. In that moment, like a switch turned, Sammy became still and quiet, his eyes softened and stopped moving all around; Alicia stopped singing and patting his leg, slowly stood, turned, and clicked off the music.

Then, after time passed in this quiet state, Sammy?s body signaled that he had finished his session?s work. Dr. Upledger said, ?Great job Sammy, we?ll see you tomorrow, OK? Thank you.? We slowly removed our hands and pushed our chairs slightly back from the table. Dr. Upledger asked Alicia if she had any questions. She was staring at Sammy as he lay quietly on the table and said, ?Well, yes, but right now I don?t know what to say, can we talk tomorrow?? Dr. Upledger smiled and nodded, ?Yes.?

After two weeks of daily treatment Sammy and Alicia returned home to Iowa. Sammy came back to the clinic with his mom two to three times a year for several years, and he improved with each visit until he could manage at home with local practitioners.

Dr. Upledger is constantly using his intelligence, clinical experience and research to create and perfect his ideas within a CranioSacral Therapy context. He has a remarkable ability to investigate current thinking and research, and then distill the information into practical CST technique.

Dr. Upledger has shown me that each one of us is uniquely creative, insightful and perceptive, and when we embrace these qualities in ourselves to help others then the possibilities for growth, both of our clients and ourselves, is immense.

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.

Abbreviations:
CoS = Confluence of Sinuses
CST = CranioSacral Therapy
DMM = Dura Mater Membrane
EOP = External Occipital Protuberance
VSS = Venous Sinus System

A toxic and harmful brain environment can develop when normal flow of blood and cerebrospinal fluid leaving the brain is reduced. This can cause a backup of the fluid that is trying to cleanse the brain. If the backup persists then waste and toxic elements can collect, congest, irritate and ensnarl delicate brain cells. Harmful pressure can also arise within the matrix of the brain. Furthermore, the flow of fresh arterial blood and cerebrospinal fluid carrying vital nutrients and oxygen to brain cells can be reduced.

In response brain tissue may undergo abnormal change leading to brain challenge or brain dysfunction. The spectrum of brain change can vary from mild to severe leading to a wide range of issues from occasionally having difficulty concentrating or sleeping, to Parkinson?s disease or Epilepsy.

The tubes through which venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid leave the brain are formed by one of the membrane sheets covering the brain and spinal cord, called the dura mater membrane (DMM). These tubes, referred to as the venous sinus system (VSS), are not veins but rather cavities formed within membrane. These cavities do not have muscular walls like veins, so their shape is dependant upon the form of the DMM.

The DMM is interconnected with the body?s fascial system, therefore fascial strain patterns anywhere in the body can alter VSS shape. Any change in form of the VSS, even very small, can reduce fluid outflow, like a crimp in a garden hose reduces the flow of water traveling through it.

Optimizing VSS structure can aid our clients’ specific issues and general well-being. Therefore it is a good idea to routinely focus directly upon improving VSS shape in order to enhance normal VSS fluid outflow. The following sequence of steps, or a comparable protocol, is designed to do just that.

Client position: supine.

I. Check to be sure there are no contraindications to CST, if so do not apply the following sequence.

II. The following four steps are intended to decrease fascial strain in preparation for VSS mobilization.
A. Mobilize and balance primary fascial strain in the body (VSS can be caused by fascial stress
anywhere in the body).

B. Mobilize and balance the thoracic inlet (This helps to open the channels through which fluid flows to the heart).

C. Mobilize and balance the hyoid (this reinforces steps A and B above).

D. Mobilize and balance the Occipital Cranial Base. This helps to decease strain in the area of the jugular foramina through which pass the internal jugular veins that carry blood and cerebrospinal fluid out of the brain. This can also decreae strain of the sigmoid sinus.

III. The following steps focus upon releasing restrictions of the VSS.

A. Locate your client?s external occipital protuberance (EOP), the small bony ?bump? on the back of their head. Some people do not have a prominent EPO, therefore imagine a horizontal line along the back of their head connecting the top of their ears. Then imagine a vertical line in the center back part of their head. Where the two lines intersect is the area of the EOP. This is an important landmark because on the inner surface of the EOP is the confluence of sinuses (CoS), a flowing together of three of sinuses: the superior sagittal sinus, the straight sinus, and the transverse sinuses.

B. Cradle the occiput in your hands so that your palm side knuckles are in line with the top of your client?s ears. This will place the EOP between your fifth knuckles.

1. Focus your intention and wait to feel softening midline from the CoS to the foramen magnum that addresses the occipital sinus.

2. Then focus your intention and wait to feel softening laterally/sideways at inferior/lower occiput to address the marginal sinuses.

C. Change your hand position so your hands cradle the skull with your fingers spanning the distance from occiput to sphenoid. Imagine a line drawn from the confluence of sinuses laterally/sideways and then anteriorly/front-wise to mid-orbit/middle eye area. This line will travel along the occiput, temporal bone and greater wing of sphenoid.

1. Focus your intention to feel softening of the occiput from the CoS laterally/sideways to address the transverse sinuses.

2. Focus your intention in a lateral/sideways and anterior/front-wise direction, along the temporal bones while projecting your intention inward along the petrous portion of the temporal bones. Wait to feel softening which address the superior and inferior petrosal sinuses.

3. Project your intention inward at the greater wings of the sphenoid and wait to feel softening which addresses the cavernous and circular sinuses.

D. Cradle the occiput midline in one hand with the EOP in your palm and your fingers pointing towards the client?s feet. The other hand contacts the parietal bones midline. Bring your parietal hand one-third the distance from the EOP to the bridge of the nose.

1. Focus the intention of your parietal hand towards the foramen magnum to engage the anterior/front part of the straight sinus. Your occipital hand engages the posterior/back part of the straight sinus, which is the CoS. Wait to perceive softening of the straight sinus.

E. Place finger tips along either side of the sagittal suture beginning at the CoS to address the superior and inferior sagittal sinuses. Wait to feel a response of softening under your finger tips then move your hands in an anterior/front-wise direction a little at a time, waiting for softening each time your move your hands, until reaching the bridge of the nose.

IV. End with CV-4 stillpoint induction to help the body integrate corrections that have occurred in response to treatment.

Helping the brain efficiently drain waste and toxic elements by directly working with our client?s VSS can optimize their brain?s performance and increase their overall vitality and health.

Do you notice a difference in your client?s response to CranioSacral Therapy sessions when you incorporate a regular VSS sequence into their sessions?

Normal tongue structure and function are crucial during fundamental activities such as chewing, sucking, swallowing, breathing and speaking. Dysfunction of these activities can occur when either the form or position of the tongue is disturbed, if structures attaching to the tongue are compromised, or when the tongue?s sensory or motor nerve pathways are stressed. CranioSacral Therapy can help the body form balanced free motion of the tongue by decreasing dysfunctional biomechanical or neurological strain upon it.

The tongue is suspended from the cranium, soft palate, mandible, and hyoid bone by way of the tongue?s extrinsic muscles. A constant give-and-take relationship exists between these structures such that the tongue affects them and, in turn, they affect the tongue. We can think of it as a kinetic chain of reciprocal influence.

Conditions can arise that challenge the smooth operation of one or more components within the tongue’s kinetic chain. This may lead to dysfunction involving activities in which the tongue is directly involved such as swallowing and speech, or activities that do not directly engage the tongue such as balance or rib-cage motion. Visceral function can even be altered.

When a person?s tongue is unable to function properly the consequences for the individual can be heart wrenchingly difficult. Working with the tongue, its associated structures and the body as a whole, may help alleviate dysfunctional biomechanical strain in such a way that the tongue can establish optimal position, movement and function.

Please look for Tad?s upcoming article on the tongue in the Massage Magazine?s online ?Techniques? section, <http://www.massagemag.com/Resources/massage-techniques/>

The myodural bridge (MDB) is a ligament connecting a pair of deep muscles at the base of the skull to membrane surrounding the spinal cord, called dura mater. (Fig. A/B, click on image to enlarge) Harmful stress can be placed upon the delicate tissue of the spinal cord and brain when abnormal MDB tension is transmitted to the dura mater. This stress can cause neurological strain leading to a multitude of dysfunction, such as:
neck pain,
headache,
dizziness and balance problems,
movement disorders,
difficulty controlling eye movement,
visceral dysfunction,
high blood pressure,
chronic fatigue, or
emotional stress.

CranioSacral Therapy can help normalize MDB tension, which can decrease nervous system abnormal strain thereby helping the body heal and gain optimal function.

The area of the MDB is one of complexity, subtlety and sensitivity.  Techniques such as the thoracic inlet release, hyoid release, occipital cranial base release, and dural tube mobilization can help normalize MDB shape and tautness. Using the least amount of pressure needed, while sensing and following the response within the tissue, is an effective way to help the body correct abnormal strain in the MDB, dura mater, craniosacral system, and other tissue or systems.

Please look for Tad?s upcoming article, The Myodural Bridge, Small Size?Large Influence, in the Massage Magazine?s online ?Techniques? section, <http://www.massagemag.com/Resources/massage-techniques/>

Mara cautiously walks huddled alongside her mom.  This closeness, and the doll she clutches to herself, gives her a feeling of steadiness. She has low muscle tone that has caused her difficulty speaking, balancing, walking, using her hands, and developing at a typical rate. During Mara?s first CranioSacral Therapy (CST) session a lack of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow seemed to have disrupted the normal availability of vitalizing elements, called neurotrophins, flowing from her spinal cord to the rest of her body.

It is thought that neurotrophins are produced inside nerve cell bodies of spinal cord nerves, and then the neurotrophins stream within peripheral nerves throughout the body.  Hindrance in the accessibility of these enlivening elements can cause cell exhaustion, which in turn could lead to Mara?s muscle weakness.

There was a palpable communication, both bio-chemically and energetically, between Mara?s CSF, neurotrophins, and tissue.  It felt as though CSF was guiding the direction, and determining the amount, of neurotrophins trickling to her muscles, organs, and glands.  Since her CSF flow was very congested, particularly where her peripheral nerves exit the spinal column, her neurotrophins had almost completely lost the support and guidance of CSF.  Because of this CSF compromise Mara?s muscles could not receive their essential amount of vital energy from the spinal cord.

Our session focused on opening the connective tissue pathways by which CSF flows out of the spine, increasing CSF motion, and encouraging her body to receive increased neurotrophin flow.  There were times when you could actually feel her muscles enliven, as though they were turning on for the first time.

The entire experience was surprising, enlightening and very exciting for me, even though I?ve never read anything about a relationship between CSF and neurotrophins to validate what I was feeling.  Yet, client response to CST is one way to judge how precise our perceptions have been.

Mara?s mom reported that after our session Mara?s strength and balance noticeably improved, and the improvement lasted four weeks before the effects of our session began to diminish, but not disappear.  This is an indication to me that Mara had a good response to CST, she could benefit from more CST, and there is a supportive relationship between CSF and neurotrophins in her body.

?Vibrations turn to atoms and atoms generate what we call life; thus it happens that their grouping, by the power of nature?s affinity, forms a living entity.?
Hazrat Inayat Khan

Recently during a session a rhythmic pattern arouse in my perception that felt to me like a slow, very long rumble within the client.  At the same time I felt like nerves from my hands were magically connected to my visual cortex.  I was feeling with my hands but concurrently seeing what my hands were feeling.  Images appeared as though I were watching a luminous slow-motion 3D film of someone tumbling in gelatinous crystal clear liquid.  I watched close-up scenes as the client?s body slowly floated in my vision, each pore, each cell, each miniscule part of her sinking and then rising again as if an invisible wave was moving the viscous fluid which in turn moved her.  What was this rhythmic wave?  Then I recalled coming across an interesting reference months earlier about sound and thought there may be a relationship to our session.

We live amidst a sound emerging from a group of galaxies 250 million light years from Earth called the Perseus Cluster.  ?The sound waves coming from it are in the form of a single note?? which is B-flat, and the frequency of these sound waves is 10 million years.

If I?m not mistaken this means that if we were to draw this B-flat frequency in time with its sound waves then the amount of time it would take to draw one sound wave going from the wave?s valley, to its peak, and then to the next valley, would be 10 million years!  By contrast if we were to draw a wave of the craniosacral rhythm, while staying in time with its rhythmic wave, it would take about 9 seconds.

We can sense and work with many biorhythms in CranioSacral Therapy. Some of these rhythms are generated through inner biological processes, such as cerebrospinal fluid seeping, blood oxygenating, lymph cleansing, even elements moving through a cell?s wall will create some form of frequency.

We can also feel and utilize rhythms that arise outside of ourselves since we exist in an environment awash with vibrations.  Some of these outer rhythms merge into our body to become an integral part of us.  For example, waves swooshing upon the shoreline, water trickling from icicles, rainwater flowing from roof to gutter to cistern, and fire crackling can all have an internal effect.

One of the astronomers who discovered the Perseus Cluster sound said it ??may be the key in figuring out how galaxy clusters, the largest structures in the Universe, grow.?  Well then, could this sound be affecting our clients, the world, us?  Is it in some way organizing or at least affecting our growth and can we use this rhythm to help our clients and ourselves?  I wonder.  So I?m inviting this sound wave from the stars to arise more fully in my awareness.  Intuitively it seems there is much to learn from Perseus?s drone as well as other cosmic rhythms from our Milky Way galaxy and parts of the universe.

If you have time perhaps sit for a moment to experience Perseus humming, its low drone singing, dancing and chanting to us from 250 million light years away.

References:
Jenner, Lynn, ?Interpreting the ?Song? Of a Distant Black Hole?, Goddard Space Flight
Center, http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/universe/black_hole_sound.html,
Page Last Updated: February 23, 2008.
Khan, Hazrat Inayat, The Mysticism Of Sound And Music, Shambala Publications, Inc.,
Boston, Ma., 1991.
Weider, June Leslie, Dr., Song Of The Spine, Sound Healing and Vibrational Therapy, Booksurge Publishing LLC, North Charleston, SC, 2004.

I have used the Pressurestat Model as an explanation of the craniosacral rhythm (CSR) for most of my career as a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner.  Recently in my work my view of this model has changed, and as a consequence newfound awareness has developed.

The Pressurestat Model, which was created by John Upledger, DO, OMM, proposes that: 1) normal drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) out of the craniosacral system is ongoing, and 2) areas in the brain producing CSF normally do so in an on-and-off sequence, called cycles. These cycles cause a rise and fall in the total amount of CSF and pressure within the craniosacral system, brain and spinal cord.  In turn, these fluid pressure changes generate the CSR.  (1)

It can be helpful to periodically contemplate the models we use in our practice. The process can add greater clarity and nuance to our work, whether our thinking and research changes or re-confirms our concepts, models, or techniques.

The following questions arose for me one day: If CSF change within the craniosacral system is the primary force producing the CSR, then how much fluid per cycle is actually moving the system?  Does this amount of fluid seem to be enough to create the CSR?   Can a small amount of fluid within a container, such as the craniosacral system (CSS), create a large response?

When I divide the average volume of CSF produced daily, which is 650 milliliters, by the model?s average daily cycles, which are 12,960 cycles per day, I get a change in volume of approximately .05 milliliter of new CSF created per cycle, which is about 1/10th teaspoon. (2)

Is this enough fluid to move the craniosacral system, cranial bones, face, spinal column, sacrum, brain, spinal cord, and generate enough on-and-off pressure upon the motor cortex to elicit full body response?

While standing in the kitchen I measure out 1/10th teaspoon of water, place it in my palm and rock it back and forth in my hand. I feel it move, its weight and pressure upon my skin.  As I do this I imagine the entire craniosacral system, brain and spinal cord being moved by this amount of fluid.  Is this enough to move the craniosacral system and related structures?  If not, then what else helps create the CSR?

Perhaps CSF movement is only one oscillation in a combined wave pattern consisting of many oscillations, which is created by merging of the body?s anatomical and physiological oscillations. Then the rhythmic motion we feel as the CSR could be a blend of biological frequencies. Perchance the CSR is not a separate rhythm moving the body, but is part of the body?s collective vibrations. (3)

Try this: place your hands at the thoracic inlet.  Identify some of the structures in the area, such as: clavicles, sternum, upper lungs, thymus, thoracic spine, muscles, Vagus nerve, sympathetic chain, brachiocephalic veins, carotid arteries, spinal cord, dural tube, and trachea.  Each one of these structures and their processes individually produces its own specific oscillation.  These frequencies also unite forming an overall harmonic rhythmic pattern.  What does the overall pattern feel like? What do the individual anatomical and physiological patterns feel like?

Now feel these structures and processes moving in response to another motion, the CSR.  First identify the CSR, and then feel the structures moving in synchrony with the CSR. Are you feeling structure and function move in relationship to another rhythm, one that is moving them?

Is the CSR providing a fundamental pattern that is a primary organizing frequency within an individual?  Is this rhythm shaping one’s existence from the micro level of particles to entire body?  William Sutherland, DO, the creator of Cranial Osteopathy, proposed an elegant relationship between cerebrospinal fluid and vital forces generating life, motion and stillness within the body, which he called ?The Breath of Life?. (4)

So, I began with wondering what creates the CSR and have come full circle to still not knowing.  Yet, pondering the CSR has led me to feel, perceive, and use the body?s remarkable harmonic and disharmonic frequencies in new and exciting ways.  Also, I have a clearer intuitive sense of what fits within my view of nature, the human body, and what I sense while working with clients.

In your opinion, what is creating the CSR?  What model do you use to explain the CSR? Does your work change if your model of the CSR changes?  How do you explain the CSR to your clients?

Reference List:
1.  Upledger, John E., D.O., O.M.M., and Vredevoogd, Jon D., M.F.A., 1983, Craniosacral Therapy. Eastland Press, Seattle, Washington.

2. Agamanolis, Dimitri, P., M.D., et al., Neuropathology, An Illustrated Interactive Course For Medical Students and Residents. Chapter Fourteen, Cerebrospinal Fluid. Northeastern Ohio Universities College Of Medicine, http://www.neuropathologyweb.org/chapter14/chapter14CSF.html.

3. Chaitow, Leon, ND, D.O., 1999, Cranial Manipulation Theory and Practice.  Churchill Livingston, London, England.

4.  Sutherland, William, G., D.O., Teachings In The Science Of Osteopathy.  1990, Rudra Press.

Illustration by Tad Wanveer,LMBT, CST-D, Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved.

A recent article in The New York Times highlighted how cinnamon oil can kill common & hospital acquired infections like streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.  MRSA has received a lot of press attention because it is resistant to known antibiotics as the bacteria is constantly changing and antibiotic research cannot keep up. Flu virus is also constantly changing - hence the need to create new vaccines every year that may or may not be the exact match to the virus that is circulating at the moment.

In nature nothing is stagnant – it is constantly evolving and perfecting itself. The constituents of the essential oil that give it the cherished antiseptic/antiviral propeties are also evolving making it easy to see how an essential oil would be able to kill these mutating bacteria & viruses. 

What wonderful tools we have in essential oils that through daily application and use we may be able to protect our health.  I personally use a blend called Thieves (also mentioned in the NYT article) that contains: Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Eucalyptus Radiata & Rosemary. This recipe (with lemon added) goes back to the Middle Ages where thieves would rob plauge riddled dead bodies and not get sick by protecting themselves with aromatics.   

So my choices are:  I can be injected with a  vaccine that has known side effects and unknown results;  hope I don’t get sick from those around me;  or use essential oils everyday which have the ability to protect my health naturally and safely.

My choice?  I guess you alreday know what it is.  What is your choice going to be?

Warmly,

Maria G. Turchi, NCTMB,
Certified Raindrop Practitioner
Certified CARE (Center For Aromatherapy & Reseach & Education) Instructor

Aromatherapy is an age old practice.  The research we see now coming out about aromatherapy is to verify what users of Aromatherapy already know – it works. 

We live in an age of Science as Religion. In the past the healer’s were the Shaman’s, Priests, and Elders.  These healer’s had a spiritual connection that enabled them to connect to the healing power of Source Energy, God, Omnipresent Power or whatever else you call the power behind your breath.

Now we get all excited when a study comes out that verifies lavender is relaxing.  OK – we already know this.  What has happened here?  The pharmaceutical companies have hijacked healing and today’s doctors have no sense of the spiritual root of illness.  Yes, some of the pharmaceutical products may be helpful but they are so harmful that studies need to be done to ascertain side effects – a funny term in my opinion because they are all DIRECT effects – so everyone feels safe about having their liver impacted to help alleviate their acne.

I refuse to buy into this mentality.  When people ask me how it works I ask them how does your skin heal when you have a cut?  Yes, there are the mechanics of the body we can see with the white blood cells but what is powering that process?

So what makes lavender relaxing, orange calming and helichrisum healing?  It is no different.  Do I need scientific studies to tell me so?  I’m sure you can guess the answer. 

Warmly,

Maria

What is it about aromatherapy that it evokes so much emotion?  I am not talking about when you use it – I am talking about when you don’t.  Aromatherapy is not only about smell.  Let’s say that again– AROMATHERAPY is NOT only about SMELL.  Let me tell you why…..

First off, what is about smell?  Our sense of smell is the only one of our senses that is not interpreted by local receptors for processing by the brain.  Smell goes directly into the limbic part of the brain where emotions are stored. 

Second, what about application on the body?  There are patches that people use for pain, contraception control and deep heat. How does application work and what is it’s role in aromaTHERAPY?

For a massage therapist your tools are your hands.  When you include aromatherapy your tools are the essential oils.  The term aromatherapy was created to encompass two aspects of essential oils – aroma – which is emotionally based and - therapy – which is body based.  Therefore, essential oils – the tools used in aromatherapy - work on the psychosomatic network; a network that encompasses emotional and physical.

I am a teacher for The Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education.  I teach from a French aromatherapy perspective and my students are always enpowerd by the knowledge that essential oils are tools used to facilitate healing as the client calls their healing to them.  Essential oils are tools – the therapist is the educator and facilitator.

The most important part of a tool is the tool itself.  Are the oils pure?  A way to check is that oils that should be ingestible, such as lavender, lemon and peppermint are ingestible on the label.  Second, know your supplier.  Email them, call them, ask them how are the oils made?  Are they distilled slowly with low pressure?  Are they grown with intention and purity; no pesticides, pure water, pure air?

Start out with yourself.  Try different blends – I use one called PanAway that is wonderful for any deep joint pain.  Try different combinations – I love using Lemongrass and Idaho Balsam Fir together for ligaments and sprains.  But please, try something.  You will open yourself up to a wonderful healing world that is so simple to do yet so rewarding.

Warmly,

Maria

Many therapists ask me about diffusing essential oils in their practice space.   The first thing you have to decide is what do you want to offer to your clients.  There are different grades of essential oils and which grade you use will determine the result you will get.

If I just diffuse an essential oil does it matter what grade I use?  The answer is yes, if you want to receive the benefit of the essential oil.  Can something that smells good but is not pure make you feel good?  Sure. Think of cookies baking. They smell mighty good and can induce an emotional response but don’t you want more for yourself and your clients than a temporary response?  

Most often, the essential oils found in spas and at essential oil retailers are Grade A (even if they say therapeutic grade on the bottle) which means they are manipulated to a standard. Any oil that is produced to smell the same from one bottle to the next is manipulated to meet the standard of smell.  Nature does not adhere to this standard.  A true therapeutic grade oil will have a different smell each time it is produced due to variations in soil conditions, weather, and other natural factors.  What will remain the same is the therapeutic indicators which must be tested to insure purity and quality.

By diffusing a true therapeutic grade oil you will bring the whole property of the oil in the olfactory (the seat of emotions), and into the lungs where they can circulate through the body and continue their work at a deeper cellular level. 

I began using essential oils by diffusing them at night for my son’s chronic sinus infections.  He would breathe in the oils for hours, and due to the anti-inflammatory action of the oils, his tissues began to heal.  I also diffused oils that were able to clean receptor sites, allowing cellular communication to become optimized. Through the process of diffusing the therapeutic grade oils as well as topical application, he was able to not only sleep through the night, but eventually be free of the infections. This is the power of choosing the right grade of oil to work with!

I just read an interesting post on MSN Health about smell and depression.  In particular, the article mentioned citrus scents as being uplifting but then went on to suggest you purchase Calvin Klein or Armani citrus colognes.

These types of articles really get to me because they are so off the mark.  Most cologne does not contain natural scents and are actually toxic pollutants.  If you look at the list of ingredients – such as Diethyl Phthalate, a solvent which is a carcinogen, mimics hormones thus blocking receptor sites from real hormone acceptance, and can cause disruptions to the Central Nervous System, how could you ever recommend someone use it for depression?  This is just one of the ingredients – imagine the synergistic soup when you combine all the other synthetic fragrances and solvents.

It’s great to get on the Aromatherapy bandwagon.  But first let’s get a grasp on what aromatherapy really is before we go endorsing products that supposedly are healing or helpful.  True Aromatherapy can only be achieved when the “therapy” outweighs the “aroma”.  What this means is that you have to start from the point of using pure, unadulterated, unaltered, unrefined, meticulously sourced, grown, and processed plant material.

It is true that citrus scents are wonderful for depression. But in fact citrus scents are not distilled like essential oils, but pressed from the rind.  What if you press a lemon that was grown with pesticides, near a highway with toxic emissions, or watered with fluoridated and other toxic water borne substances?  Is this therapeutic? 

So, if you buy your citrus scent from a vendor that cannot tell you how it was grown, picked, and processed would you still think it contains all of the therapeutics inherent in the nature giving plant?  You cannot assume this to be true.

To be educated on anything that you are going to use with an expected therapeutic intent is the best thing you can do for yourself, and if you use oils on others, for your clients.  Ask the questions of the suppliers.  Demand the highest quality and only purchase the highest quality.   Some oils are labeled therapeutic-grade but are in fact perfume grade.  There are no labeling laws in the US so suppliers can call their oil grade anything they want.

That $9.00 bottle of lavender is cheaper than a true therapeutic-grade lavender for a reason.  It’s time to find out why.

Love my oils,

Maria

Many times I am asked about using essential oils for autism.  There are various theories on how autism presents itself, Some of these are: mercury from vaccinations, allergic reactions to wheat, corn, soy, or high glycemic sugars, and other environmental factors.

The question is will using essential oils help someone with autism?

Essential oils contain powerful constituents that can clean out receptor sites that contain agents that block the body from performing natural hormonal functions. These constituents can help detox the body and regulate proper signals to and from the brain and various organs.

In addition, stimulation of the limbic brain through inhalation of essential oils may help to open up the emotional and hormonal centers in the brain, leading to clearer thinking and greater concentration.

In my practice I have found that using essential oils in combination with massage are very beneficial for autism as well as other neurological disabilities.  Essential oils induce emotional responses through their ability to directly access  the limbic brain, as well as their vibrational frequencies that work energetically on the whole being.  This is a potent combination that can sooth, relax, restore self love and self confidence.

People with autism can tend to be touch adverse, but when you present an oil for them to smell or hold this creates an atmosphere of trust and playfulness. From this base of trust you can then introduce touch, very gently by massaging the feet or hands.  I put the oil in the persons hand and then take their hand and have them rub it on their feet.  The feet carry the oil through the body providing a wonderful therapeutic effect. 

Emotional factors are very evident in people with autism and other disabilities. Working with essential oils that can deliver emotionally healing properties as a lead in to whatever other work you would like to do is not only rewarding for the practitioner, but can be life changing for the recipient as well.

The essential oils used must always be pure, unadulterated, unaltered, therapeutic-grade. Please see my past posts for more information.

Warmly,

Maria

Are you living and working green?

Green is not just about the car you drive, reusing your shopping bags or deciding whether or not to buy organic food.  Green is about the products you use, what goes into making them and the well being of those who produce what you use.

What is green when it comes to the products you use?

So, how green are the essential oils you use?  Are they free of chemical pollutants? Are they produced in such a way that the earth and environment are honored in the production process?  Are they direct from nature or manipulated to mimic nature? Does the company who grows, distills, bottles, and sells the oils give their employees, whether they are in the field or the corporate office, a working wage, decent working conditions, and respect?

Do not be afraid to ask these questions to any company whose products you use.  You have a right to know…and the company has an obligation to tell you.

I would appreciate your feedback on the answers you have received from the companies you use….I don’t want to hear from the company spokesperson….I would love to hear from some therapists and see the response you have received.

Here’s to living and working green. The essential oils I use pass the test. Do yours?

Maria

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.

The grade of essential oil that you use trumps your knowledge of how to use it. You can spend a lot of time and money learning about the different properties of essential oils, but if the oil you are using is perfume or food grade oil, the results you are looking for will either not be there, not be as optimal as they could be, or even be harmful.

The grade of the essential oil that you use is MORE important than which particular oil (lavender, basil, etc.)  you are choosing to use. The first question to ask when choosing an essential oil is: does the oil have the ability to deliver the full content of the plants underlying benefits?

Almost all essential oils say on the label 100% pure or 100 % (lavender) essential oil or therapeutic grade but is the description on the label really what is in the bottle? There are no labeling laws in the U.S. for essential oils so the supplier can label their oil anyway they want.

So, how do you determine if the oil you are using is therapeutic grade? Ask your supplier! You and your clients deserve the highest quality. Anything less will not have the ability to deliver the benefits promised and may actually be harmful.

Ask your supplier the following questions

I have a son with Down syndrome. Respiratory and sinus issues create a huge challenge in the day to day health of someone with DS. My pediatrician told me that because of his head shape, my son would have to live with the infections and the subsequent cracked and bleeding nose and lips. After my son suffered with constant infections for 4 years, I decided to start researching natural ways to support his health. I was on a mission to not only remove the symptoms but actually evoke a permanent healing. I took a class on the healing benefits of essential oils. I started applying oils directly to his sinus cavity, chest and feet. I diffused oils into the air with a cold air diffuser that allowed him to breath in the droplets while he was sleeping. He started getting better.

 The first month I used tons of oils on him – going through 6-8 15ml bottles. The next month I used less and by the end of 3 months the infections were gone! For the next year at the start of each season he would begin to get some mucus but once again I applied essential oils to his sinus cavity, in his nose and on his feet. I also diffused them into the air. Within days the symptoms were gone and never got to the infection stage.

Now seven years later, he is rarely sick. Last year he got an award at school for not missing one day. Imagine a child who is supposed to have a genetically low immune system not missing one day of school! This year he would have gotten the same award but we took him out of school for a week to visit his grandparents in Europe.

 Passionate about essential oils? You bet I am. Passionate about using oils with my massage clients? Absolutely. Essential oils deliver much more than relaxation. That is the ?aroma? part of essential oils. What can also be offered is the ?therapy? part?..this is where the grade of oil you use becomes more important than what you use it for.

More on that next time…..

Aromatically yours,

Maria

 ?Ms. N? received ?unsolicited mail? from my franchise company (to her it was JUNK MAIL) and wanted to know how we got her address.    I know this because she was kind enough to call me.

I LISTENED to Ms. N?.as a fellow massage therapist and gentle spirit I could tell she was passionate and I really appreciated her taking the time to talk to me.  I told her that our franchise sales department got the names but I was pretty sure it was from one of two national massage associations and that I would find out and get back to her. 

SHE SPOKE passionately ??.she could have easily just ?complained? to anyone that would listen and nothing would have been resolved.   What I liked about Ms. N is that although she was VERY PASSIONATE about not wanting unsolicited mail and upset about someone giving her name and address, she was professional, courteous and followed the Four Agreements (excellent read—if you don?t have it, I would highly recommend it)!    

THINKING and ACTING?. I am a consultant to the company that has franchised my business model and I own three franchises personally.  Ms. N.?s passion ignited something inside me??.so I started thinking, what can I do personally and in business to impact our environment?

Ms. N…….you REALLY made me think!  As a business consultant how can I impact our environment and how can the company franchising this business model also impact our environment. 

OUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT was already ahead of me?.they recently  signed a contract for our business cards and brochures which will all be printed on recycled paper. 

OUR MASSAGE STUDIOS are virtually paperless.  There is one intake form completed by clients that is then shredded and recycled. 

FILTERED WATER is provided for our employees (to decrease production of individual water bottles).   What I also realized after talking with Ms. N is that I too get JUNK MAIL?.often from the same companies over and over.  All I have done to this point is throw it away?..but now (thanks to Ms. N), I will call these companies and asked to removed from their mailing list.  

SO CHEERS TO AN EMPOWERED AMAZING WOMAN who will SPEAK HER TRUTH!!!

INTERNET VISIBILITY and MASSAGE

Welcome to my blog!  This is my first entry and my intention is to share my business and massage experience in a way that will be helpful to my fellow therapists! 

My background:   I have been practicing massage therapy since 2000.  I opened a retail massage studio in 2002 and another in 2005 (both in Colorado).  I currently employ over 30 massage therapists. In 2006 Fitness Together Franchise Corporation began franchising my business model.  We currently have 80 franchises sold in the United States, Costa Rica, Ireland and England.

My advice:  I have noticed over the past 8 years in business that customers don?t look at yellow pages that much anymore, they use the internet.  One way you can increase your business visibility on the internet is to put a free listing on ?google?.  To do this, go to www.google.com/local/add.   Sign up for a free ?google? account if you do not have one and then add your business listing, it is FREE!  Good Luck!

Are you thankful?

For most of us, it’s extremely gratifying when a client or colleague refers a friend, family member, or patient to our practice.  A personal recommendation carries much more weight with a potential client than any form of advertising or marketing.  Referred clients already expect to get results before they even pick up the phone to set an appointment.

I think it’s important to truly appreciate how much our “referrers” contribute to our success in building a practice.  When it comes to saying “thank you”, I’m old-fashioned.  I don’t make a “thank you” phone call, or send a “thank you” e-mail or text message.  I prefer to snail-mail a handwritten note expressing my appreciation. 

It’s easy to forget that we are really in the business of building relationships.  According to Florence Isaacs, author of the book, Business Notes, “…a personal note is a powerful tool.  People appreciate it and respond to it in a way they don’t to other means of communication.”  She goes on to quote a business executive she interviewed for her book.  “Building relationships with customers and being thoughtful about their needs is a major part of what business is all about…When you write ‘Thank you for your business,’ you let people know you care about them.  Then what do they do?  They talk about you.  If they see someone who needs your product or service, they say, ‘Go see this guy.’  We’re all very attracted to courtesy because we get so little of it today.”

I know many of you have ways of showing your appreciation to your “referrers”. I hope that a written thank-you is one of them.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Here’s a link to to the Amazon page for: Business Notes

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!

##

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.

January 11th marked the second annual “Human Trafficking Awareness Day”.  The scourge of human trafficking affects each and every one of us, whether we’re aware of it or not.  Worldwide, experts estimate that 27 million people, mostly women and children, are suffering some form of slavery, whether it be for the sex trade, domestic servitude, or forced labor in factories, mines, etc.

According to experts, trafficking of humans is the second largest criminal industry in the world (tied with the arms trade and second only to drug trafficking), and is the fastest growing.
Approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, not including the millions trafficked within their own countries.

In the US alone 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked each year. This figure includes domestic trafficking and the movement of victims across national borders.  80% of trafficked people are women and girls and 50% of trafficked people are under 18 years of age.

Why should we as massage therapists be concerned about this? Because many of the trafficked women end up in massage parlors in every city in the USA, and in brothels of every kind throughout the world.   Parlors use the cover of massage to conduct the very profitable business of prostitution.  They sully our profession and perpetuate the cycle of violence and degradation that keeps these unfortunate victims enslaved.

I urge you to become more educated about human trafficking in general, to start paying attention to what is happening in your own community, and to contribute your time, energy, and money to help end this slavery.

Here are some links for more information:

http://www.polarisproject.org

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.humantraffickingawareness.com/

Touching the World Foundation (TTWF) was created by Roger and Shannon Patrizio, owners of the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy in Colorado Springs, to raise awareness and money to help victims of human trafficking.

In an interview, Roger said “We believe our involvement with victims is unique to massage therapists because victims are often forced to use massage therapy as a cover for prostitution.  Removing victims from this situation is beneficial for both the survivor and the massage community.”  Please consider making a donation to further the work of TTWF:
http://www.ttwonline.org/

Another way to be involved with this issue is to help prevent boys and girls from being trafficked in the first place.  Many of the trafficked children come from and through the Golden Triangle area of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.   One of the at-risk groups are the Akha tribe, non-Thai residents who live in villages throughout the mountains of this region.  The Akha children who finish the fifth-grade in local schools can only go on to middle-school if they have the mandatory school uniforms.  Since the families generally do not have the funds to purchase the uniforms, the children, out of school and with nothing to do, are susceptible to being lured by traffickers with the promise of work in the ciy.

I’m the President of New Vue Productions, Inc., a 501-(c)(3) non-profit.  One of our projects is to raise the money to help buy school uniforms for the children graduating from 5th-grade in several of the Akha villages.  Last year, we raised enough to supply uniforms for the sixteen 5th-graders (all girls) who were ready to go on to middle-school.  If oyu would like to contribute to this fund for 2009, please visit our website and click on the “Donate” link.

http://www.newvue.org/

I look forward to reading your comments and suggestions.

In my last post, I commented that, for the most part,  retaining clients is easier and cheaper than obtaining new ones.  In the same vein, it may also be easier and more cost-effective to reactivate clients than to recruit new ones.

Clients stop coming for massage for a variety of reasons.  For some, it’s a financial decision, especially in economic times like these.   People move or change jobs and your location is less geographically desirable.  They take on new responsibilities, and massage appointments fall off their radar. Occasionally, they stop because they’re no longer satisfied with the results they’re getting from your sessions.  I think this last reason is fairly rare, but it does happen.

Practitioners use a variety of methods for converting inactive clients back to active status.  Quarterly newsletters, postcards, and  special discounts are a few of the ways that can have positive results.

Other more personal interactions are also effective.  Sometimes a simple phone call to remind a client they’re overdue is all it takes.  I’ve done this many times over the years and am usually pleasantly surprised when the client thanks me for the call, then goes on to apologize to me (!) for  not coming in, and sets an appointment or two, or three.

Another way to be in touch with inactive clients is by sending them information that may be of special interest to them, from a newspaper, a magazine, or a website.  People appreciate it when you know their interests and care enough to pass on information that’s relevant to them.  You don’t even need to ask for the massage appointment in this kind of a communication, simply attach a note  that let’s them know you’re thinking of them.

I know you have a plethora of ideas and methods  for reactivating clients.  Care to share?

Be well,

Bob

In challenging economic times, retaining current clients is easier, and probably more important, than recruiting new ones. It’s easy to become complacent and forget to treat our loyal clients with the same enthusiasm we might have for a new client.

There are many ways to express appreciation to current clients, including, but not limited to, greeting them with positive energy at each visit, remembering what happened in the previous session, keeping your work fresh by not falling into the “same old routine” at each appointment, saving or e-mailing newspaper or magazine articles of interest to them, and many more.

I recently celebrated my 20th year in practice in Colorado Springs (plus seven in CA prior to that), and several of my clients have been with me since I started here. Although I always go the “extra mile” for these select clients, I decided to show my thanks for their loyalty in a non-massage way. I have a friend and client who owns a popular restaurant here. He made me a deal on gift certificates, so I was able to gift each of these 20-year clients with a $50 G.C. They really appreciated the gesture and I thoroughly enjoyed making it.

What do you do to show clients how much you appreciate their continued business?

On June 2nd, the Governor of Colorado signed into law the legislation (SB08-219) that will register massage therapists at the state level, eliminating our current system that licenses city-by-city, if they license at all.

The law takes effect on July 1st and registration is expected to begin in April, 2009.

For several reasons, the bill was changed from “licensing” to “registration”, with almost all of the same provisions:
1. Definition of scope of practice.
2. Title protection.
3. Grandfathering for a period of one year (April 2009-March 2010).
4. A mechanism for consumer complaints

If you’d like to read the full text of the act, here’s a link to the Colorado General Assembly website page that lists all versions of the bill as it passed through the House and Senate. From this page, you can download a pdf file of the Final act.:
http://tinyurl.com/3nxknv

Although some massage practitioners feel there should be no regulation of our field, I personally think that, in the long run, it’s better for us to work collectively, as we did here in CO, to define and regulate ourselves proactively, than to have outside interests define our scope of practice and impose onerous regulation. After reading over several drafts of the bill, I think we got it right. We had the advantage of learning from the mistakes made in other states, we had excellent lobbyists/advisers, and we had coalition members with a wealth of experience to draw upon.

A special thank you to Jean Robinson, ABMP Government Relations and primary author of the bill; Kathryn Stewart, AMTA-Colorado Chapter Government Relations Chair, and Susan Grubb, AMTA-Colorado member, Coordinator of Massage Therapy Legislative Awareness Day, and Manager of the Legislative Alert Network. These three powerful women worked ceaselessly to shepherd us through this process.

Colorado has just passed a regulatory bill (SB-219) for massage therapists that is awaiting the Governor’s signature. Although it started out as a bill for state licensing, it ended up being state registration, with all of the components of licensing, just by a different name. Such is the nature of legislative compromise. Passage of the bill is the result of several years of work by a coalition of AMTA and ABMP. As always when state regulation is on the table, there is a wide variety of opinion about the need or desirability for regulation.

I personally believe that regulation will be good for Colorado. We have many resort towns that have had no regulation at all, and anyone could show up for the ski season and proclaim themselves a “massage therapist”, whether or not they had any training or experience. In my mind, this put vacationing skiers at more risk for receiving substandard, possibly injurious, massage.

I welcome your thoughts on Colorado regulation, or on how things work where you live.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Summer Olympics in Beijing. If you’ve been paying attention at all, you know there has been a lot of press, mostly negative, about China’s record on human rights, especially in connection with Darfur, and the annexation of Tibet.

Many groups are calling for a boycott of the Games this year. Some are suggesting that Heads of State decline to attend the Opening Ceremonies as a way to send a message to China.

I have the pleasure of working with a number of athletes who have been training for years for their shot at the Olympics and I believe we would do every Olympian a disservice if we boycott the Games. Ideally the Olympics is about sport and competition and fair-play and should be outside the realm of politics. In reality, politics has played a role in every Olympics. I think that all of the attention being focused on China will have a positive effect on the behavior of the Chinese government.

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.

With the untimely death of actor Heath Ledger, the issue of what to call ourselves in the massage profession comes up again. The news media continues to prefer the term masseuse, as evidenced by the many uses of the term in referring to the woman who discovered Mr. Ledger’s body. A few news reports did use the term massage therapist.

In my experience, many people still use the word masseuse, even when referring to a male massage therapist. Masseur and masseuse are French words, and French nouns are gender-specific. Here in the USA, we?ve gone more and more to gender-neutral terms, like massage therapist, wait-person, administrative assistant, etc.

Although most of us prefer the term massage therapist, not all in our profession like that title. What do you call yourself? Do you correct clients, or potential clients, when they use the ?wrong? title for you?

OK I am a bit of a geek which is unusual for a massage therapists.   I have a system that I use and recommend but it is fairly time intensive yet anyone can do it.  So the other day I started researching various website design systems for massage therapists and was wondering what people are using and what is effective.

An effective website to me is one that gets 3-5 clients a week AND also makes you an additional stream of income from promoting affiliate products. (Affiliate marketing is promoting things that are related to massage – like I promote a stretching program, Traumeel, Biofreeze and books on health that I have read)

The reason that I feel a website is so important is that it is more than just a calling card for your business.  It is also an opportunity to be more professional and educated doctors and the general public about what massage really can do and how it is used.   You know the drill – it’s good for stress, injuries, wellness but most people are clueless really about their bodies.

A website is one of the easiest ways to get clients I think because people are already looking for a massage therapist.  They aren’t looking for you when they start out – but they are just looking for someone to help them with whatever issue they are having – stress  or pain in some combination usually.   People want to know that you have experience working with the kinds of things that they are dealing with.  They want to make sure they are spending their time wisely.  What do they think when they find a site that doesn’t have any more info than just a few pages on how much the massage therapists charges?

One of the best exercises you can do is to go online and try to find a good massage therapist.  Go through all of the process of searching online.  Actually go and do it and follow through and go and get the massage.   See what you find out there!

The components of an effective website are many.  It has to do with keywords and a little simple search engine optimization and also just writing all of the things down that you really just talk to people about – how muscles work, how massage works, what happens with stress and injuries.  Writing this all down will also improve the way you communicate with clients in person.

While all of the technical details might seem too overwhelming they are worth learning about to create an effective website.  I have it all laid on on my website at www.thebodyworker.com

If you would like some help with your current website just leave the address and I will give you some pointers on how to get your site to the top of the first page of Google (which is really the goal of every website. )

Happy Halloween!

Julie

One of my concerns in the massage profession is the way massage therapists are treated by employers and also figuring out what is the appropriate status for a massage employee.  Most massage therapists work as independent or subcontractor status which is basically saying that you are self employed.   It is my personal belief from the research I have done through the years that most are being hired as subcontractors when they should really be full employees with full employee benefits.   I have yet to find a concrete legal reference and there is a lot of conflicting information.  After talking to and reading many questions from massage therapists there is not of course one clear answer.  Figuring it out is actually the responsibility of the employer because they are the ones who will be hit with back taxes and penalties.

There are many different criteria for figuring out your own status and I have a bunch more info on my regular blog citing articles online from many different sources -www.thebodyworker.com

There is the legal aspects of this that are important not only for who pays taxes but the legal aspects also fold into the ethical aspects – do you want to work for someone who may be taking advantage of you?   It will not only come out in how you are paid but also how much you are paid.  It will show up in how you get along with the person who hires you and the company itself.   Ethically speaking you want a nice place to work and one that also respects you and makes you a part of the team.

If anyone has any other legal references let me know and of course all stories you have would help others in trying to figure this all out!

So what do you think?  Is massage a profession or a hobby?

I have been doing it for 20 years so I think it is a profession.  The frustrated massage therapists at indeed.com think it is just a hobby and that they are not valued or respected for what they do.  Some came from high paying jobs with big degrees and feel that massage is just not respected.

Massage is still so commonly thought of as a massage parlor and those ‘other’ massage therapists.   Even here in Seattle where I have never really had a problem being respected every once in awhile I will hear that someone’s doctor said something like “Massage doesn’t work” but not very often.  What can we learn from the people here in the NW?  Or maybe it is just that people have migrated here who want more and are more open.

What is it exactly that makes for a profession?  The white paper from Rick Rosen “On Becoming a Profession” (pdf)a few year ago talked about some of the issues and we are working on them all.

If you think it is a profession will you be respected more or care less about what other think?   Is it a hobby just to be done part time and not make any money?  Is it just your perspective that makes it a profession?  If you don’t think it is a profession you then get everyone who thinks the same?  How does your perspective influence what others think as far as respecting the profession?  If you don’t think it is a profession why would anyone else?

Just some questions I have been wondering about?  What makes a profession?

Article marketing is one of the many online tools for promoting your website, your massage business, your massage school, your massage ce classes, your related massage products that is not very well known by massage therapists.

Article marketing is writing short, to the point articles and posting them on various free services such as ezinearticles.com or one of the many article marketing sites.

The main goal of article marketing really is to get the link to your site.  It doesn’t necessarily about getting people to click on the link but that can help too.  The search engines love to see that you have other sites out there that are linking to you.  They want to know that you are popular.  Most search engines rate and find your site based on the keywords you use in your site and pages and also how many backlinks (other sites linking to you) you have to your site.  They don’t really care if you create your own or not!

Writing in depth articles can also help you become recognized as an expert in your area, field or whatever it is that you are promoting.  Massage schools and massage ce teachers could benefit by writing articles about what their classes are and will do for people.  So many teachers miss the boat for promoting themselves.

Article marketing is fairly easy.   I also have set up a free article directory for massage therapists to add their articles too.  It is just a blog really that I have set up on my site www.thebodyworker.com The way it works is that you just create a free login.  You have to have a valid email address to get the login information.  After you get that you can login and post articles through the dashboard.   It works just like a word processor really.   Here are some ideas for articles that might help you get going:

For massage therapists promoting their business

• massage and fibromyalgia
• massage and cancer
• how muscles get tight
• the real benefits of massage
• describe your unique blend of techniques

For massage teachers/authors/massage schools:

• write articles on a topic that you talk about in your class or school or book and just write enough to want people to know more and then leave a link where they can find out more.
• Write why your class or school is different and what it will do for massage therapists – what will it do for their massage business or in getting a job?
• Write personal things about why you are doing this and what doing massage and doing the things you do mean to you.

In each article you can leave a link to your website.  To create a link just select the text you want to make into a link and click on the link symbol at the top and it will pop up a new box where you enter the exact address.  Select open in new window.   To get people interested in your link use it in an example or put something like :  For more information (on my very interesting class/school/topic) see my website

I started this awhile ago but only have a few articles written.  I don’t think people quite understand the reasons or methods of article marketing so let me know if you have questions.   I started doing an intensive article marketing campaign last month and my website traffic is increasing quickly which in the summer it is usually quite the opposite as far as traffic goes.

One of my most favorite quotes about massage therapists beliefs about money comes from one of my favorite books written by Steve Capellini called “Making the Switch to Being Rich”.   I don’t think that many have heard of or read this book but it is very interesting in many ways.  First it is a story of how Steve was a member of the “Moonies” in the early 70’s I think it was.  They were a cult basically.  Steve’s father had him taken away and deprogrammed by a specialist.   He equates the process of deprogramming of brainwashing from his experience with what massage therapists need to do to snap out of it – it being the moneyless bubble where massage therapists gather and live in.

In it he says this about massage therapists:

If there is an entire group of people who are almost all inside the moneyless bubble, it’s massage therapists.  We want to help people and heal them.  We want to ease their aching muscles and soothe their unquiet souls.  We want meaningful interactions with our clients.  We do not, for the most part want to focus on the monetary aspects of our jobs.

Why do massage therapists equate making money with doing something evil?  Why do massage therapists so easily give of their time and sacrifice making money in order to help people?  Why do they think that it is more “noble” to live in poverty or without and help others?  Why do they think that making money for doing something so loving and caring is not right?

Money is just money.  It really isn’t worth anything anymore.  There is no gold in the banks backing up the money.  Our money is just currency – something to trade for products and services.  How we get so many hangups about money comes from the beliefs we adopt at an early age without having the opportunity to question those beliefs.

Some common beliefs about money are:

• Money is the root of all evil
• People with money must have  sold their soul to get it
• People with money must be doing something illegal to get it
• I get enough in the form of being appreciated by clients
• Living simply is a better way of life because you don’t need much
• If you are rich you are focused on materialist things and not caring and helping people.
• You can’t care and make money too.
• You are not in this for the money
• You can’t make money doing something that you love

The thing is that most of these beliefs about money just are not true.  As Steve also says in his book people become massage therapists to further prove their beliefs about money.  It is sort of a self serving prophesy.

There are a few ways to start looking at what your beliefs about money are.  You can just start thinking about what you think or say when you see people with money or driving a fancy car.  Are you jealous?  Angry even?  ( I had a client who once owned a Bently and he sold it back to the dealer because so many people were keying it because they were one of those things – jealous and/or angry) .  What do you think about the idea of being able to charge $100 a session for a massage?  Do you think it is impossible?  That no one would pay it?  That it would be impossible to stay in business or even get clients at that rate?

Beliefs are just the perspective or filter that you see things through.  Everyone has them and lives their lives through them.  Some see the glass half empty and others the glass half full.  We think something is true because we think it is true.

Understanding and becoming aware of the belief systems that you have about money and success is a process that takes time and learning more about how beliefs are formed and how they impact your every decision.  It is a process of learning to take responsibility for the outcomes of your actions that are based on these old beliefs.  It isn’t about blaming yourself for where you are.  It is just being willing to accept what happens when you make decisions and then change that response to get a different outcome.

Once you are more aware of these unconscious beliefs that drive your actions you can then begin to change your actions to get better results.  Instead of blaming your lack of success in your business or in the massage job market  you can start seeing that it is a result of your actions or lack of actions.  There was a particular online forum recently just wanting to blame everything on the economy.  Is it the economy or lack of financial preparation and planning?  Lack of marketing or not figuring out the right marketing method that works?

The reason I keep writing about this is yes I was once in the moneyless bubble mindset.  Until I started my websites and started making money online, I always just made just enough to live on.  I didn’t care for the most part either.  Now I know better.  A career in massage is not a license to live in poverty or even simply.  You can have whatever you want if you are willing to start thinking and challenging your beliefs about money.   While Meagan Holub’s book the Magic Touch: How to make $100,000 as a massage therapist is being released – what is the next level even that this could go to? Could a massage therapist make $250,000 ??  $500,000?   or become multi-millionaires like Bonnie Brown former massage therapist at Google.

Social Networking is the latest craze as many of you are well aware of.  Figuring out what is the best use of your time is important when considering participating in these networks.  How will you find the best opportunities to get new and repeat clients?

Twitter is one of the easiest to use and get results with.   If you don’t know what twitter is yet, it is an online network that you sign up with for free.  Create a twitter account to just be used with your business.  Twitter is unique in that it only allows you a few sentences of space to use to communicate with people.   But who are you communicating with?   People can sign up to ‘follow’ your postings.  But where do you get people?   The best place is to put a twitter feed on your website.  You can get the code to put a twitter badge on your website by going to the Settings page.  In about the middle of that section there is a place for you to put your website address but right under that is a link that says:

(You can also add Twitter to your site here)

Click on that and click on the other tab (or one of the others if you are using one of those systems for your website.)  Click to create a badge.  You can add what you want it to say on the top or whether or not you want to create a flash badge or a html badge.  The flash badge will be interactive and show people’s reply ( I think!) So just copy and paste the code into your webpage where you want it.  I have mine on my homepage above the fold (near the top) where it is the highest profile and also on my services pages.  I also just created a twitter page that people can go to directly.  You can see how I am using it at www.massageseattle.net  I actually just started using it last week and have already gotten 3 new clients.  I also have quite a few visitors to my website and it already gets me a lot of calls but I think it will help even more by making this info of my schedule availability more public.  I am also sending a series of posts based using “you know you need a massage when you ….” and then will do a top ten reasons for getting a massage or something like that and see how that goes.

Facebook – Facebook is fairly time consuming.  It is really important to set up a business only listing.  What facebook is better for is finding your old high school buddies and long lost loves.  You are supposedly not allowed to set up more than one facebook profile.  They do have a way to make a business page and have it connected to your personal page but to me it is not private enough.  I personally don’t mix clients and friends.  You can use facebook to create more messages and even use it like a mini website if you don’t already have your own.  You can search facebook members to find businesses and doctors or other people who you want in your referral network and ask them to be your friend.  You can write a small newsletter like posts.  People can post on your wall or you can opt to not allow people to do that.  The thing I don’t like about Facebook is that people who become your friends will also have access to see each others profiles which may not be a good thing for your clients who want their privacy.  I did find a facebook group for my office building when they were having an open house that I could become a fan of and post my message about being the massage therapist in the building.

Linkedin in works sort of the same way as facebook but it doesn’t connect you with all of your old friends.  Linkedin is more of a professional networking site.  They also have a section where people ask questions like yahooanswers but it is much more professional than answers is.  You may possibly find someone looking for a massage but it is more like looking for a needle in the haystack.

I am not a big fan of social networking because of the time it takes to put into it all.  I would rather be writing a new article for my website to educate people who are already interested in getting a massage.  My website is found for the keywords that I have chosen – downtown seattle massage and it comes up first on Google and most of the other major search engines so writing there is more targeted advertising.  Also writing more content and educating people about massage and muscles and how the body and massage work together is a way of building trust with people.  When they read a website full of information and research they will get the feeling that you know what you are doing and trust you enough to make the call.

So if you are using one of these or other social networking sites successfully I would love to know what you are doing!

I just read that AMTA Massage Industry Research Report says:

Nearly sixty percent (57.8 percent) of school administrators responded that the average age of students has declined at their school in the past five years, according to the 2008 AMTA Massage School Survey. School administrators estimate that the average student is 30 years old, with 36.6 percent being 25 years old or less.

The National Average for massage therapists was 45 and is now about 40 and is continuing to decline according to these facts. (that of course are not public information – another of my AMTA pet peeves!)

What does that mean for the massage profession?

I have been seeing a trend through my website www.massage-career-guides.com where I talk about what it takes to become a massage therapist that more people right out of high school are wanting to go to massage school.  Their main question is ‘do I have to take math?’  If people are coming to a career in massage just to get out of taking math classes what will that do to the profession? Do they have the maturity to hold the therapeutic relationship?

Careers in massage are becoming more appealing to younger people but with only a 500 hour training program I for once don’t think it is enough.  I come from the camp that less education is really better and that anyone can take a 100 hour massage school training and provide adequate relaxation massage and also bill insurance companies if they want to learn the ropes on how to do that as massage for stress is applicable to just about everything!

But thinking about high school kids wanting to become a massage therapist I usually tell them to go to college and get a degree in business and marketing and then decide later if you still want to go.

If people are coming to the massage profession just to get out of taking math or they are also drawn by the so called ‘ high wages’ that of course is not true – where has the passion and a calling to help people gone?  For me being a massage therapist is a lifestyle and a way of life and a great road for personal and professional development.

I think it is about time we do start thinking about creating 4 year college programs like Japan or 3 year training programs like Canada for these younger people.  My concern is that will massage just be massage – in the totally pure physical sense without the emotional, mental, and spiritual healing aspects?

Who is studying these trends and working on keeping up with them in our massage training programs?

When I first started out 20 years ago, there was no such thing really as a job in massage.  People became massage therapists because it was more of a lifestyle choice.  People were looking for independence and the freedom to do as they pleased while making a good living.

Today while the statistics from ABMP and AMTA don’t quite reflect the increase in job opportunities websites like www.citytowninfo.com make it out to be.  Our professional associations still say that more massage therapists start their own business.  I am not sure if that is still true or not.  These type of career and salary sites show such a wide variety of salary ranges it is impossible to really know what is going on out there.

I do know that having more massage franchises has opened up more job opportunities but with the rate of pay so low is that really an advancement?

I get more emails from massage therapists asking me to hire them or tell them where the good jobs are which show me they are really lacking in job seeking skills to begin with.  But the trend from being self employed business owners to more employees seems troublesome to me.   People looking for jobs are seeking security in the form of a job and income.  While there is nothing wrong with that really, it is the rest of the things that go with it.  Massage used to be more of a calling and a way of life.  People came to the massage profession wanting to help others and learned to be of service to others.   Now people are just looking for a job to fill their time and get paid.

How will these recent job trends influence the massage profession?  We don’t even really know since we seem to get such conflicting statistics.

I was also wondering about the increase in the number of Massage Envy like places and was wondering if it would be possible to have franchises that charge more and pay the massage therapists more and also use tools like supervision (not in the usual sense but as in clinical supervision ) which would seem like more of an advancement to me.

I was also reading a really good book by Robert Kiyosaki called “The Cash Flow Quadrant” which describes the employee, self employed person and business person really nicely.  You can read more about it on my blog but it got me thinking that maybe more Franchises are needed that do provide better working conditions, better massages, and charge a reasonable fee (as compared to the cheap fees of some franchises.)

Since jobs seem to be on the rise we may as well figure out how to provide more and better paying jobs.

I came across an interesting thread on the indeed.com job forums (very enlightening reading!) asking what to do about being bored when doing massage.  I have to say that I was quite shocked to think that people are bored doing massage.  I have been doing it for 20 years and I have to say I have been a lot of things – burned out, frustrated, sad, excited, sick, tired but never bored.  There is too much going on to be bored.

In The Heart of The Soul, Gary Zukav says,

?Boredom is a flight from what is important. Like workaholism and perfectionism, it is a way of distracting yourself from inner experiences. It occurs when you look outward and do not find anything to engage your attention. Instead of feeling your emotions – becoming aware of the functioning of your energy system – you become bored. Boredom ? is a flight from your higher potential. It is fear of the transformation that wants to occur, and will occur in you, when you explore your emotions. It is your resistance to spiritual growth.?

When I posted that on the forum I got people telling me that boredom is genetic and all sorts of things. Then one person said she has gotten massage from someone who she knows is bored and she couldn’t tell the difference.

I for one would not want to be going to a bored massage therapist.  I can tell when people are working on me what their focus is for the most part.

It is hard for me to understand why people remain in a profession if they are bored.  Time is too short to waste.

If you are bored and are looking for some answers the quote above seems like a good place to start.  I guess I am never bored because every person seems like a new situation to me even though I do have weekly and even clients who come 2x a week.  I focus on what I am feeling in my hands, the clients body and my body and time flies.   I work with people to engage them in the process of massage often asking them to compare sides after working one arm or asking them how things feel when I feel tightness.  Letting them give words to what they are feeling helps people focus inside.

Yes and staying present is the goal and challenge at all times.  Sometimes it is easier than others.  Presence is what creates the therapeutic relationship which is really the basis for healing.  Having presence requires that you are able to look at your own feelings and have them without acting on them.  Clients will be able to heal better and faster when in the presence of someone with presence.  It will enhance your ability to use your intuition in massage sessions.  It is also the key to preventing burnout which is so common in the massage profession.  Working with presence can leave you feeling refreshed after a day of doing massage.  Creating presence allows you to go beyond your techniques and connect with people on a very deep level.  It is also the key to overcoming boredom while doing massage.

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana talks about it on her blog here at Massage Magazine and  her website  www.healingfromthecore.com which has a few really great articles on creating presence.

Just wondering if there are others out there are bored and why or what are you doing about it or are you just fine being bored doing massage?

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.

Most communities have a Chamber of Commerce and many massage therapists are members just because we thought we should be. We see other businesses in our community with the chamber stickers in the window and think we?re not valid until we have one. The fact is not all chambers are the same and not all are an effective way to grow a massage therapy business.

Chambers of commerce come in all different sizes and have different types of benefits available to their members. But as different as they are, they all have one thing in common ? their mission is to connect businesses with each other. Their main purpose in the community is to help your business grow.

Joining a chamber of commerce sounds great, doesn?t it? It sounds like an easy way to connect with other business owners and the community. If only making money and connections were as easy as joining?

First things first, you can?t become a member of the Chamber of Commerce and then not do anything. You are just throwing your money away. You have to commit to being involved and taking the time to manifest the benefits available to you.

Here are a few basic things to do to maximize any chamber of commerce membership:

?    Investigate all the benefits before joining. If you are already a member take the time now to review the member benefits ? what haven?t you taken advantage of? Take some time to uncover the different marketing options available to you as a member. Ask the person that signed you up what the best events are for you to attend. Is free advertising included in your local paper? Are ribbon-cuttings standard procedures for new members?

?    Attend networking events. This doesn?t mean that YOU specifically need to attend every event. You may have someone in your office attend more frequent events, and you attend ones with the ?high-rollers? in your community.

?    Include educational articles in publications. Does the chamber have a publication they send out to members? Don?t necessarily jump right to advertising in the publication if they have one. You want to ask if they accept educational articles that would benefit all of their members first. It?s usually free to include these and they are read more often (and are more believable) than ads.

?    Encourage strategic introductions from the staff. If there is a specific business you want to form a relationship with, ask your chamber representative if they can sit you with someone from there or introduce you. Be strategic and network. Don’t waste your time with the people that don’t do anything but attend events. Move forward and be purposeful in your connections.

?    Get involved in a worthwhile committee, but be particular about which one. Larger chambers will have different ?levels? of committees you can get on. Be picky. Ask who the other members of the committee are. Are they the movers and shakers in your community? Are they business leaders you want to forge relationships with?

Don?t just become a member of your Chamber of Commerce just to do it. Be strategic, ask smart questions, and be picky about who you spend your valuable time with.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both ChiroEco and MassageMagazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales

 You are creating packages and pricing for your massage therapy practice. You have services and products to sell in several prices ranges and you aren?t sure where to start.

Should you present the least expensive service first, the mid-priced product second ending with the most expensive? Or start with the mid-priced product? It seems like starting with the least expensive service first makes sense, because you don?t scare the prospect away with a high-ticket item.

But that?s NOT what you should do.

What you should do may go against what seems like common sense, but is proven to not only sell more products, but in the long-run results in clients spending more money overall.

The key to making more money overall and selling more massage therapy products and services is to sell the most expensive item first. Robert Cialdini gives an example in his book The Psychology of Persuasion of men?s clothing salesmen. If a man walks in and asks to look at suits, sweaters and other accessories you should always present him with the suit first. After deciding on a $500 suit, a $200 sweater or a $150 belt seems inexpensive and he is more likely to buy all of them.

And because he just decided on a nice suit he realizes he should have high quality accessories to go with it and is more likely to spend more.

Another example Cialdini gives is a strategy used by car salespeople. They first sell you on the price and style of the car. They make the car easy and affordable to buy. After you?ve agreed on the price and type of car, they then offer you smaller items to add on. Upgraded seats, a nice stereo system, etc. What?s a couple hundred more dollars to the $25,000 you are spending on your new car? All those accessories add to a nice chunk of profits in the end.

Offering the most expensive product first is called ?the contrast principle? and automatically triggers certain responses in humans. It?s psychology.

Failing to use the contrast principle and selling the inexpensive items first will not only make the more expensive items seem and feeeeeel more expensive, but it actually causes the contrast principle to work against you ? it causes the more expensive item to seem even more expensive that it actually is.

This principle works so effectively because of the mood or atmosphere created in the beginning. When used effectively the mood you create is leveraged on the secondary sales items.

Let?s take a closer look at why this principle really works so well. You can try this experiment yourself. Get three buckets and fill them with water. Fill one with hot water, one with very cold water and one with lukewarm water. Put your left hand in the hot water and your right in the cold water. After a minute or so take both hands out and place both hands in the lukewarm water at the same time.

When you feel is truly amazing! Logically you know the lukewarm water is one temperature, but both hands are experiencing something very different. The hand in the hot water feels like the water is very cold, while the other hand is feeling warmth.  Because of what they experienced before they were merged into the cold water.

What?s important to take away for your sales copy is to know what impression you want to make with your reader. Whether you want your product to seem expensive or inexpensive ? the perception is influenced by what you present first.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both ChiroEco and MassageMagazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales

As a massage therapist we are forced to make decisions every day. Really, as human beings we make decisions every day. Ranging from what to make for dinner, to who you should hire to fill a new position, the consequences of our decisions can be long lasting. Making decisions feels very permanent with far reaching effects which causes us to over-think, rather than make the right decision.

This is why many people hesitate and second guess themselves when the time comes to make a decision. When it comes to making the decision they start to think about how they will implement their decision and what could happen if they make a particular decision.

Before they decide, they run through their head how they will implement their decision, what it?s going to cost them, what will happen if they fail?.all the reasons they shouldn?t make a decision.

I would like to suggest a different process to use when making a decision. I was taught this technique from David Neagle and it works very well.  

First make the decision. Put the ?how am I going to make this happen? aside. Don?t think about what others are going to say or think ? put your energy into making the right decision for you. If you need $20,000 to invest in your business, but you have terrible credit and nothing in your accounts receivables, you may start thinking about why you can?t get $20,000.

What I am asking you to do, before you think about how or why, is to make the decision to move your business forward. Make the decision that you are going to manifest $20,000. Just make the decision you are going to do it and nothing else.

Once you?ve made the decision (whatever it is) write it down on a piece of paper. Draw a line down the center of the paper. On the left column write down these words ?Why I can?t?. On the right column write down ?How I can?. Cross off ?Why I can?t? with a big X. You are done with that column. Why I can?t is no longer an option for you. You?ve made the decision to manifest $20,000. The Universe will bring it to you once you make the decision.

Now write down every single thing you can think of for ?How I can?. EVERYTHING; even if it seems crazy and impossible. Once you?ve written everything down, methodically exhaust every item on the list. Somewhere on that list is the solution to making your decision a reality.

It may be that one of the items you wrote down leads you to something else, which makes your decision a reality. The answer is somewhere on that list.

The key is to make the decision without thinking about the how. The universe will make the how happen. Your job is to go through that list tirelessly until you find what you are looking for. In this case it?s raise $20,000.

Here?s an example:

Decision:    raise    $20,000  

      Why I can?t      How I can

                                    Loan from bank
                                    Money from mom
                                    Sell 30 ebooks
                                    Gain 25 new clients
                                    Ask friends
                                    Have a sale
                                    Partner with Marathon
                                    Etc.

Try it. See if it works for you.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both ChiroEco and MassageMagazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Do you know what you are doing wrong?

Today?s massage marketing environment is substantially different than it was even ten years ago. If you?ve been doing the same types of marketing for years and they were once successful but are not as effective now there is a good reason for that.

Pull vs Push your messages to others

Society has changed and the way people expect to hear from you has changed. Where marketing and communications used to be your practice sending information ?out? or pushing information to patients and prospects, it is now about you brining them in or ?pulling? them to you. Communicating in our society has changed and your marketing communications should reflect that change from a push to a pull strategy. Pushing your information out to anyone that would listen in order to initiate a conversation worked in the past, but no more. Now there is a need to pull prospects and clients into your sphere ? this is today?s communication. This is how to connect with people today.

How Obama changed the face of social media

A great example of this was Obama?s presidential campaign. I did a ton of research on this for the healthcare conference I did a workshop in January. Obama did an awesome job ?marketing? his campaign and run for presidency. His messaging played an important role (for change) as well as the WAYS he connected with people.

Obama was able to raise over 200 million dollars through a pull marketing strategy. He did this by pulling people in one small step at a time. He received absolutely none of that money from businesses. He built an email list of 3.5 million people in a very short time span. In a very easy and nonintrusive way he simply asked people to join his list to keep up to date on what was going on. He would then ask them to donate small amounts, $10, $15, $20 increments (this is just like asking people to take small steps to improve their health). He spoke to them through short text messages through twitter and YouTube. All with their permission. All through short, concise marketing communications.

How do we know this? Simply take a look at what?s going on with new communication trends. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all about sending short, concise messages to people that asked to or agreed to hear from you.

Why the change?

There is so much ?noise? going on around us and we are all so bombarded with advertisements that we simply can?t process it all.

So healthcare consumers are electing who and what they want to hear about, just like consumers in any other industry.

Bringing this back to you and your practice, look at what types of marketing you are doing. Are you sending things out, out, out and not asking for a commitment or an action from your community? Are you doing the same old post cards, the same old grocery cart brand awareness?

If you are not asking prospects to say ?yes? to hear from you they are probably not listening. You don?t have their buy-in. You are pushing.

What are some pull strategies that work well?

Anything where you are getting your client or prospect to say ?yes I want to hear from you?. An ezine or this blog is a perfect example. You agreed to receive it. You learned a little bit about it, obviously are interested in healthcare marketing, and gave us your name and email address to learn more.

Blogs, podcasts, newsletters and ezines where the reader has asked to receive the information (rather than just sending it to them), are just a few examples of ways to incorporate a pull strategy into your marketing rather than the current push strategy you may be using.

If you are seeing your marketing is not as effective as it once was understand there is a reason. Look at how you are connecting with both your clients and your prospects.

Contact us at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or call 303-460-0285 for more information.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.

Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

1. Life and success are all about how you are BEING, not what you are DOING

2. Know in the depth of your soul you are here to serve others

3. Selling is about something you do FOR someone, not TO someone

4. Quiet your mind enough to listen to your intuition

5. There is no competition. Your success or failure is all about you and only you

6. Always BE 100% your true self. Not how you think you should act or how you perceive everyone else to be

7. When you are serving others act as a channel for spirit. Forget about your needs for the moment and focus solely on theirs

8. Be vigilant in controlling your thoughts

9. Set your intention, then see and feeeel yourself achieving it

10. Look for opportunities in unexpected places. Always

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.

Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

 
If you?re anything like me, you?ve got a million goals, plans and ideas and not enough time in the day to put a dent in any of them. I may pick one or two of my ideas and go gang busters working to get it going, and then another fun thing comes along and I get excited and go gang busters getting that one up and running.

There are a few downsides to this. The biggest being I am in the middle of a bunch of really great projects that aren?t done! It?s easy to see how this can happen next year too with all of us excited about our New Year?s resolutions. What happens to a lot of us is either my scenario above or the opposite happens ? nothing because you don?t know where to start.

With that said, I have a recommendation on how to handle this strange phenomenon this year?.make very small commitments that you know you can fulfill. By keeping your commitments small and simple you will have more flexibility to change, and more freedom to try different ways to keep your commitments.

Here are a few examples of what I?m talking about?

You may commit to doing one additional marketing piece or trying one new marketing strategy a month. Something simple. By the end of the year that really means that you will be trying 12 different marketing methods.

Another idea is to commit a certain amount of time to a specific project. For example, if you have a goal to write a book this year or develop products to sell online, set aside one hour a week (or a day ? whatever you can commit too) that is devoted to meeting this one goal.

I am not going to say I am going to work out every day after I drop the kids off at school. Yes, while being healthy is important, making such a stringent commitment realistically won?t happen. A better commitment may be to promise myself that I will work out consistently this year. For me that could be two times a week as opposed to my sometimes every day and other times nothing for three months.

Other ideas of small goals that can make a big difference in your day are to:

– Only check emails at 8:00 and 6:00
– Have a cup of coffee once a week with a new friend or business acquaintance
– Take two hours off in the middle of the week that?s free time
– Do one self-improvement tool or book or something a month
– Post on other people?s blogs once a week

But the deal is whatever commitment you do make, you HAVE to stick to it. So keep your promises simple and realistic.

If you?ve taken the time to develop long term goals and strategies for your business (or your personal life) that is great. You?ve done more than most people I know. If you don?t want this years resolutions or commitments to fall by the wayside, break those long term goals into super short smaller commitments that you know you can keep.

In issue 50 of our ezine, The Healthcare Marketing Connection, I talked about discipline and keeping your word to yourself. Now is the time to be thinking about what commitments you do make and your ability (or inability) to keep them. For us entrepreneurs and small business owners, oftentimes ANY commitment we make is one we make to ourselves only. No one knows about them, and no on else will hold you accountable to keeping them. Plug your commitments into a calendar, schedule the time with yourself to get them done, and don?t make a commitment or resolution unless you know you will keep it.

No one else knows you are making it, and no one knows if you break it.

Except the all important you.

Contact us at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or call 303-460-0285 for more information.

About the author
Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.

Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Your marketing promotions need to reflect this

Everyone I know is feeling stressed lately. I hear stressful comments daily about job losses, the terrible state of the economy and worries about family. For many everyday Americans stress is the number one thing affecting their lives and their health.

As a healthcare marketer it’s your responsibility to look for ways you can help people live healthier lives. It’s your responsibility to find ways to connect with the people that need you.

Know that most people are aware of their high stress and many are looking for ways to lessen that stress. Ask yourself what you can do to help your community reduce or better manage their stress?

In a recent study by the American Psychological Association, in June of 2008 more people reported physical and emotional symptoms of stress than in 2007 and nearly half said their stress had increased over last year. People reported more fatigue, feelings of irritability or anger, lying awake at night as a result of stress in addition to lack of interest or motivation, fatigue, feeling depressed or sad, and headaches and muscular tension. You can read more here.

If you are looking for new ways to connect with patients I recommend you talk to them about managing their stress. You can do two things:

1. Listen to what patients are saying when they come in. Sometimes people are sharing important information with you and it appears to be idle chit chat unless you are paying attention. I am asking you to really listen. What is causing them stress and what symptoms are you seeing in your practice? An example may be losing sleep. Perhaps you’ve had several patients tell you they haven’t been sleeping well. (Hint: This may have absolutely nothing to do with why they came in to see you.)

Here is what a quick Google search turned up for me on stress and sleep disturbances:

“A new poll finds almost a third of all Americans are unable to get a good night sleep because they are worrying about their finances, the economy or their jobs.” According to a recent article in HealthDay, Dr. Bruce Nolan, medical director of the Sleep Center at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, says sleep is sensitive to things that go on during the day…”

You take this information and apply it to your practice. How can massage or meditation or acupuncture help reduce stress? How can it help your patients sleep better?

Educate and share this information with your patients AND use this information in your marketing efforts in your community.

2. Use the information your patients are giving you to create packages and marketing promotions. If you hear several patients tell you they can’t sleep or their stomach is upset all the time and you think it may be stress related use this information to help them and others in an easy and affordable way. Create “stress reduction packages” or “reduce your stress day”. Create awareness and offer options to help.

I did this recently with my “Practice Specialization Package”. I had several clients come to me that didn’t need ongoing marketing services, they simply needed help narrowing their focus so the marketing they were doing was more effective. They needed help clearly defining their target market or niche. How many times do I have to get hit over the head to realize if five or six people are asking for something there are probably a ton more that could use the same guidance? (The answer is too embarrassing to mention) I created an affordable, easy and doable package and sure enough, practitioners are finding it very helpful.

What information keeps smacking you in the face that you aren’t recognizing?

Let’s look at two more examples of how you can use the theme of stress to create packages for your practice.

“Touching helps couples reduce stress. New research in Psychosomatic Medicine shows that couples may be able to enhance one another’s health by being more physically affectionate with one another.” Our new massage training for couples to reduce stress workshop can help…

Here’s one more final example,

“According to a study in the journal of pediatrics, living in a stressful household can increase a child’s chances of becoming obese. That’s why the chiropractors at Stanley Shores Chiropractic created a stress reduction package for families. Combining stress reduction techniques with a proper alignment and nutrition counseling creates an overwhelming sense well being and benefits families all around.”

Take an honest look at what you can do to help. The health of your community depends on it!

Would you like help coming up with a promotional ideas for your practice? Or not sure which niche to target? We are happy to help! You can sign-up for the Practice Specialization Package by clicking here or by giving us a call at 303-460-0285.

To Your Success!

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.

Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, “5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits” atwww.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

There are many ways to generate leads for your massage practice. One of the fastest, least expensive and most powerful ways to generate leads is through joint ventures.

Having a joint venture with another business means “joining forces” with another business or practitioner that has a similar target market. By joining forces you are able to benefit each other and each of your prospective clients.

Some examples of joint ventures may be an acupuncture practice and a yoga studio working together to help clients reduce stress. A massage therapist and a local health club or personal trainer referring clients to each other. A vitamin shop and a running store teaming together to promote techniques on optimizing performance to both of their clients.

Joint ventures work in a variety of ways. Businesses can advertise together, refer clients to each other, create packages together, and share client lists to name a few things. Truly, your imagination is all that stops you from coming up with other ideas.

Let’s take a detailed look at some common joint venture techniques massage therapists have successfully used in the past:

• Joint marketing. Joining forces in marketing and advertising endeavors can both reduce advertising costs as well as improve the reach of an advertisement. Look outside the massage therapy arena as well as in. Stretch yourself to think outside the box. You can implement a formal referral program with specific businesses. 

• Creating “packages” with another business. Look for businesses that your existing client base has an interest in, and that complement your business and that are easy to integrate products and services with each other.

For example, a massage therapist that has a patient base consisting of many young mothers may partner with a local dance studio or mother of preschoolers group (mops) to give talks on health and safety.

Another idea is to partner with local sports teams. A massage therapist may be the “official sponsor” of the local recreation center as well as most of the sports teams (such as soccer, golf, lacrosse, etc). They often have staff at events and publish health articles in rec center publications as well as have handouts, etc at the front desk. In return, the rec center and sports teams offer more value to players and their families for no additional charge. The clinic also has information for their patients about what’s going on at the rec center. It’s a win/win for both.

Another example may be a massage therapist that partners with a local restaurant and health spa to create a “bridal party package”. Brides can purchase these packages as thank-you gifts for their bridesmaids or for a “pre-wedding party” for the bridal party itself. By working together these three businesses are able to help the bride with the problem of a meaningful thank-you gift for her bridesmaids and three businesses are able to attract new clients in a unique, easy and fun way.

• Refer clients to another business exclusively. Referring clients to another business is an inexpensive and solid way to grow your business. Forming an exclusive relationship with another business creates a strong relationship and a solid referral network for all involved. You may find your clients are familiar with one business, let’s use the yoga studio example, and are likely to have a positive impression of them. If you are affiliated with the yoga studio, even recommended by them that immediately separates you in the clients eyes from most other options, simply because you are referred.
   
• Sharing client lists. This is an easy and popular joint venture opportunity for businesses large and small. Think physical mailings, handouts, email and ezines. Joint venture opportunities can range from swapping ads and sponsorships to recommending each other as resources with discounts and coupons. Having links to each other’s websites is a common technique that is simple to do too.

Joining forces with other businesses allows you to serve many of your patients needs ? even ones that you don?t provide. And it allows you to connect with people that you otherwise may not have.

One of the best ways to find joint venture partners is to have a clear vision of your target market and a clear understanding of what niche is attracted to your practice. Our ?Practice Specialization Package? at A Marketing Connection may be just what you need to get your marketing out of stagnate mode and into profitability.

Contact us at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or call 303-460-0285 for more information.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit.

Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Some MT?s think if they invest thousands of marketing dollars into a high-quality brochure, patients will be attracted to it simply because it?s there and looks nice. The truth is that massage therapists should really use a brochure as an educational marketing tool that patients can use to answer questions on their own. They key to an effective massage therapy brochure is to provide patients with something new that makes them want to pick it up, read it, and keep it around long after they leave your office.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating a massage therapy brochure:

• Include helpful information that makes clients want to keep it, such as three tips to reduce neck pain, or five steps to stay relaxed after your massage.  

• Share benefits rather than updates on new features or equipment. For example, describing new technology or equipment available in your office doesn?t attract interest, but showing clients how and why the new equipment helps them through less pain, faster appointments, etc will make them want to learn more.  

• Provide a strong sales message on the front cover. For example, ?Your health is our priority?. This is your chance to grab the patient?s attention and make the brochure keepable.  

• Move the reader forward in the sales process. Accomplish an objective, such as answering common questions, and then ask the reader to call to make an appointment or visit your website for more detailed information.  

• Ensure your contact information is easy to find and up to date. Always include your phone number, web address, hours of operation, location and directions.

Don?t print expensive brochures simply because you should have them. Set objectives and make sure your brochure leads the reader to specific and helpful information about your practice.

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. Kelly is a blogger for both ChiroEco and MassageMagazine and is the author of Marketing 101: Why Successful Alternative Healthcare Practitioners Specialize as well as co-author of The Practice Evolution Success Kit. She also publishes