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Therapeutic Massage

 

Massage Therapy

Your Home page introduces your business and your Web site.

 

 

There are many aspects to running your own business.  It takes  more than just being a great body worker or massage therapist. I have seen many people underestimate the reality of being a therapist and quit because they can't start a thriving practice. Most people think that having a career in massage will be this wonderful thing because you get to help people.  There is much more to it than that. This is a summary of my experiences presented so that you can understand me a little bit better.

 

Becoming a massage practitioner has enriched my life greatly, but there have been some ups and downs along the way. Here are some of the lesser known facts and real life situations that you may find yourself in the middle of in your practice.  These are mostly examples of real life situations from my practice or close friends practices.

 

Some of the negative:  

  • Paying high social security taxes 
  • Paying high rent and having many expenses 
  • Doing all the marketing; sending brochures, special announcements, holiday specials 
  • Waiting for months to be paid for an insurance claim. 
  • Calling insurance companies to find out what is taking so long only to find out they "never received the bill" even though you may have sent it 3 times.
  •   Having clients call you Christmas eve at home because they are in pain and expect you to come in right away just for them 
  • Having clients ask you questions like  "Is that a muscle"? Is that a bone?
  •   Having clients call in desperation to get an appointment immediately because they haven't been able to turn their head for 6 months and now they want you to fix it right away and in one treatment. 
  • Having a man (or woman) become sexually stimulated and proposition you 
  • People saying "I don't know why I am in pain - I just ran a marathon this weekend" 
  • Last minute cancellations because important meetings come up for client or they just plain forgot 
  • Someone coming in who was given a gift certificate from their significant other and really hated  being touched.  I actually had one person bring a book in and ask if he could  read while getting massaged.  Another didn't want to fill out the intake form and threw it across the desk (but later said that getting the massage was the best thing that ever happened to him)

 

Some of the positive:  

  • Figuring out that the shoulder problem someone had for 2 years is really a neck problem and resolving it 
  • Assisting in the healing of a major problem that may have ended up in surgery (disc problem, carpal tunnel) 
  • Giving someone their first massage ever Having people say "WOW, what did you do to me?"  or  "I didn't know I could be pain free" 
  • Being a part of a athlete's training and having them stay injury free and achieving their best. 
  • Getting referrals because you are good at what you do not because you are just on some list of providers 
  • Educating client as to how their body works and what you have to do to take care of it 
  • Having someone report back that they grew an inch after that series of treatments 
  • Being a part of someone's quest for health and happiness

     



 

Many occupational hazards of adult life will be greatly alleviated by massage:

  • aching back and shoulder after a long office stint
  • exhaustion or overstrained muscles from physical labor or excessive exercise
  • circulatory problems from too little exercise by sedentary workers.
Massage can benefit you right down to the cellular level!

Therapy Results

After a session , you should experience:
  • improved circulation, 
  • more range of motion, 
  • less pain, 
  • decreased symptoms of tendonitis and CTS, 
  • increased expansion of the musculature, and 
  • increased energy flow throughout the body. 

Lets consider computer stress...

Massage specializes in treating computer stress. Neck and shoulder pain is commonly caused by forced bad posture while  sitting at a keyboard. This is just one example of how regular daily life  hundreds of people who use computers.

 

This stress can manifest in many parts of the body: 

  • head, 
  • neck, 
  • shoulders, 
  • back, 
  • between the scapula, 
  • arms, 
  • tendons, 
  • wrists, and 
  • hands. 
I blend techniques of trigger point therapy, acupressure, body mobilization techniques, Swedish, and deep tissue----to release stuck energy, and reduce scar tissue and tension.  I also work to lengthen chronically shortened muscles and tendons.

Massage as in any other profession is a contract between the practitioners and the public so that the public can get a reliable, trustworthy service we must consider ethics.  There are two possible relationships between the massage therapist and the
client:

  1. Where the therapist simply carries out the client's wishes, with no significant decisions, providing the treatment as requested.
  2. Where the client transfers all decisions to the therapist, so that the therapist determines and carries out the treatment in consultation with the
    client.

The primary responsibility of the therapist is ensuring the health and safety of the client. Work must be carried out with due care and diligence.

Ethics is defined by Webster as the study of standards of conduct and moral judgment; this system or code of morals of a particular person, religion, group, profession, etc. 

As a member of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, I have pledged to abide by the ABMP Code of Ethics as outlined below.

Client Relationships

  • I shall endeavor to serve the best interests of my clients at all times and to provide the highest quality service possible.
  • I shall maintain clear and honest communications with my clients and shall keep client communications confidential.
  • I shall acknowledge the limitations of my skills and, when necessary, refer clients to the appropriate qualified health care professional.
  • I shall in no way instigate or tolerate any kind of sexual advance while acting in the capacity of a massage, bodywork, somatic therapy or esthetic practitioner.

Professionalism

  • I shall maintain the highest standards of professional conduct, providing services in an ethical and professional manner in relation to my clientele, business associates, health care professionals, and the general public.
  • I shall respect the rights of all ethical practitioners and will cooperate with all health care professionals in a friendly and professional manner.
  • I shall refrain from the use of any mind-altering drugs, alcohol, or intoxicants prior to or during professional sessions.
  • I shall always dress in a professional manner, proper dress being defined as attire suitable and consistent with accepted business and professional practice.
  • I shall not be affiliated with or employed by any business that utilizes any form of sexual suggestiveness or explicit sexuality in its advertising or promotion of services, or in the actual practice of its services.

Scope of Practice / Appropriate Techniques

  • I shall provide services within the scope of the ABMP definition of massage, bodywork, somatic therapies and skin care, and the limits of my training. I will not employ those massage, bodywork or skin care techniques for which I have not had adequate training and shall represent my education, training, qualifications and abilities honestly.
  • I shall be conscious of the intent of the services that I am providing and shall be aware of and practice good judgment regarding the application of massage, bodywork or somatic techniques utilized.
  • I shall not perform manipulations or adjustments of the human skeletal structure, diagnose, prescribe or provide any other service, procedure or therapy which requires a license to practice chiropractic, osteopathy, physical therapy, podiatry, orthopedics, psychotherapy, acupuncture, dermatology, cosmetology, or any other profession or branch of medicine unless specifically licensed to do so.
  • I shall be thoroughly educated and understand the physiological effects of the specific massage, bodywork, somatic or skin care techniques utilized in order to determine whether such application is contraindicated and/or to determine the most beneficial techniques to apply to a given individual.
  • I shall not apply massage, bodywork, somatic or skin care techniques in those cases where they may be contraindicated without a written referral from the client's primary care provider.

Image / Advertising Claims

  • I shall strive to project a professional image for myself, my business or place of employment, and the profession in general.
  • I shall actively participate in educating the public regarding the actual benefits of massage, bodywork, somatic therapies and skin care.
  • I shall practice honesty in advertising, promote my services ethically and in good taste, and practice and/or advertise only those techniques for which I have received adequate training and/or certification.
  • I shall not make false claims regarding the potential benefits of the techniques rendered.

 

Is massage a sexual technique?

 

It can be, but it need not be. In a clinical or therapeutic setting any contact with sexual intent is unacceptable and counter productive!  Massage operates in a continuum between physical therapy or say Shiatsu, which is exclusively muscle focused and is highly non-erotic, to Swedish massage, which is muscle focused and includes affectionate but not erotic touch, to erotic massage which is a sexual technique.

 

Most people's response to a good (Swedish) massage is to fall asleep, not to get aroused. If a massage is focused on relaxing muscle groups, it will not be an erotic experience. The donor will get a major workout and the receiver will be very relaxed. If a massage is focused on touching skin it will be an affectionate experience and a highly intimate and emotional one -- but not an erotic one. If a body rub is primarily focused on touching skin, especially if that focus includes erogenous zones, it will be an erotic experience.

 

There are some very nice strokes which are used only in sexual contexts, they are quite distinct from the strokes used in other kinds of massage. Some of them are described in the archive.

 

One of the hallmarks of a dysfunctional family (one which perpetuates a culture of addiction and dependence) is a deep confusion between affectionate and erotic touch combined with a strong yearning for, yet fear of, emotional intimacy. People who have this confusion are likely to experience any kind of touch as erotic or to use affectionate touch as a surrogate for forbidden erotic touch. These same people are likely to view all nudity as sexual, or more properly, to consider touch, nudity and sex, as surrogates for the intimacy vacuum associated with the culture. This forms the subtext for some of the threads that appear periodically in the newsgroup. Because most massage, like most body therapies, is hindered by clothing, and involves touch, this newsgroup periodically attracts the attention of some of these unfortunates.

 

You will avoid unpleasant misunderstandings if you are clear in your own mind on what you want, and if you are able to clearly discern between a prospective masseur and a prospective sexual partner, or someone with a voyeuristic interest in the pseudo-intimacy of nudity.