By Lisa Lin, BA, RMT
Massage therapy has the potential for being a beautiful practice, integrating healing of the body, mind and spirit. On a basic level it utilizes the manipulation of soft tissues to produce a healing effect in the body. When applied by a skilled and empathic practitioner, massage transcends simply “working out the sore spots” and enters the realm of true healing. True healing comes from within. The massage therapist doesn’t “fix” anything really, but rather supports the client to heal his or her own ailments. The body, mind and heart are a holistic, dynamic mix of information and experiences stored at a cellular level. When they receive the support they need through various practitioners and self-care, true healing and transformation will occur. Therefore, the key to the beauty of massage therapy is in who you go to see.
I chose to add massage therapy to my repertoire of healing practices about 10 years ago. Previously my work relied on knowledge and training in recreation and fitness programming, reflexology, acupressure, NLP and reiki energy work. It grew to feel like something was missing in my work and I knew it was time to get trained in massage. Massage when applied with care and compassion supports the body through touch. It is a tangible practice whereby a client and practitioner can physically sense and palpate what is going on in the muscle tissues. We can feel muscle knots, gritty, jagged fascial adhesions, tension patterns, as well as relaxed happy muscles and that is only the surface of the dialogue between the body and the practitioner.
Massage Therapist Calgary
A good massage therapist follows all of the technical trainings from school – safety concerns, knowledge about conditions, injury, trauma, anatomy and physiology of the body, effects of stress on the immune system and tissue recovery. He or she pays attention to how much pressure to use with the massage techniques and educates clients on self-care.
What makes a TRULY GREAT MASSAGE THERAPIST is all those technical skills, paired with THE DESIRE TO BE A CARING, EMPATHIC AND COMPASSIONATE practitioner for each and every client. That is the clincher. I have had a number of massages done for myself over the years, some good, some not and a few that have been truly great. In the truly great ones I have found some key qualities that these terrific massage therapists emulated:
1. Listen and pay attention to what you and your body are saying.
2. Respect your need for silence and also for speaking your own mind.
3. Sincere kindness. You feel safe, respected and not judged.
This is what inspires me to strive to be great at what I do – it is why I am always studying and learning something new, why I take really good care of myself so I can be healthy, present and focused on my clients. This is the best gift I feel that I can give the clients who come to me for support with their healing. When looking for a massage therapist to address your healing, think ahead a little about what you believe makes a truly great massage therapist, and set your intentions to find someone who meets those needs. I wish you well on your journey of health and self-care!
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