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Massage, Ethics, and the Pain of Addiction

August 9, 2016 by Tania 5 Comments

[Written while listening to this because we’ve all been there. Comments are welcome below.]

When we become massage therapists, there is a set of moral guidelines we vow to adhere to. “This is okay to do but that is clearly not okay; this is permissible if you do x,y,z first but, under NO circumstances whatsoever is that allowed”. Our code of ethics is not to be violated at any cost. It isn’t always so black and white, but for the most part I’ve stuck to the code staunchly.

A few questions to ask after reading this (please feel free to reply in comment area):

  • What would you have done in this instance?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • Have you ever encountered a challenging circumstance you felt unprepared for and if so, how did you handle it?

The following is a true story. It brought up many emotions as I recounted it and for the first time, I felt compelled to put it out there. Though it creates some internal conflict, I would not have done anything differently. My problem is, if I did take the textbook “ethical” course of action I likely would not be able to live peacefully with myself:

Meet “Paul”

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This is about a particular client I had 10-ish years ago (a little over 1/2 way into my career). We will call him “Paul” (not his real name). Paul was referred to me by another trusted client I worked with for a couple of years, until he moved out of state. One day, my steady client called and said, “Hey, I have a really good friend staying in the city for a while and he needs some work done. I gave him your number because I think you’ll be able to help”. I said, “Sure!” and “Thanks!”, and assured him I would do my best. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A couple of days later, Paul called and we set up an appointment. General relaxation. Stress relief. Good phone vibe. “See you next week.” Business as usual.

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Paul was staying in a hotel in Soho in New York. One of the more “elite” (I hate that word in reference to anything but athletics) expensive hotels. He was staying there as if it were his apartment. Paul was clearly financially well off in life and the concierge knew exactly who I was going to see. It appeared he made a distinct impression on the hotel staff and I thought “Wow, he must be a really fun and nice guy!” Up I went.

I arrived at his room and he opened the door with a warm hello in a deep, mellow, radio DJ voice. He looked like he was in his early 60s  and in relatively decent shape. He was SUPER tan. You could tell he spent all of his free time bronzing on beaches. Clean haircut, fashionable jeans, pastel collared-button shirt. I don’t know why I remember the details of his outfit, but I do. He looked like the nicest uncle anyone could ever have and emanated the warmth of one, too… like the uncle who always gives the best advice in the fewest words, followed by a firm pat on the back with an unspoken you’re gonna be ok, kid. If I could pick one word upon first impression, it would be kind. This man was gentle and kind. We shook hands upon meeting and his handshake affirmed my first impression. He smiled like someone who would be proud and accepting no matter what you may or may not do in life. I moved in to set up my table.

The room definitely looked lived-in. There wasn’t much room for the table and the hotel furniture was immovable. So, I improvised a floor set-up and mildly chided him for not letting me know there wouldn’t be enough room for the table (it was a hot summer day and it is also a huge pain in the a** to transport a massage table through NYC). I was annoyed but got over it. He apologized then I felt bad for getting snappy. He hurriedly filled out the intake, we did the informed consent thing, and I went to wash up in the bathroom while he lay down on the floor “mat”.

Moment of truth

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Paul was in the prone position and I was about to begin the massage when I noticed the faint smell of alcohol. It was not coming from his breath, it was coming through his skin (kind of like how a heavy smoker wears the smell of smoke). I actually leaned over him a little to make sure alcohol was what I was smelling. It undeniably was. I was taken aback and wasn’t sure how to proceed because he did not appear drunk and I wondered if my brain was making it up. So, I began doing warm-up compressions on his back while trying to formulate how to handle the situation. Then I asked, rhetorically, “Is it me, or do you smell alcohol?”At that instance, his body tensed enough to answer my question. There was a long pause and he replied, “I had a drink earlier today but I’m not drunk”. It was around 3pm at the time of his appointment. I believed him, but the smell of alcohol rising from his skin told a different story. After another long pause he said, “My medication is on that table”, and pointed at a plastic orange pharmaceutical container that was next to some Motrin or Advil or something like that. I asked what the medication was for (it was not included on the intake form). He said it was for his addiction. Paul was a high-functioning clinical alcoholic.

For the first time in a very long time I was confused about what to do even though the words contraindication contraindication contraindication kept popping up in my mind. I took a deep breath and removed my hands from his body and admitted, “I’m not sure how to go about this, but I can’t work on anyone who’s been drinking because it’s a (yes, I said the word) CONTRAINDICATION”. That’s the best I could come up with.

Paul replied, “I totally understand”, and put cash for the session in my hand. Then he apologized. I noticed he apologized a lot. And without thinking about it, I blurted “I won’t be able to give you the bodywork you wanted (which would have been a Thai-style hybrid on the floor) but while I’m here I can do much gentler work that can calm your nervous system. But there will be little to no pressure”. He said “That’s fine”. I placed my hands on his back again with less pressure than I am using to type on this keyboard and invited him to take a deep breath. He did and the initial tension that sprung into his body began to dissipate.

Tough call

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Paul was not creepy at all. If I sensed an iota of shadiness, I would have copped a serious attitude, demanded payment like a mafia enforcer, and darted out the door (something I’ve had to do on more than one occasion in my earlier years, before I developed the massage-therapist’s-6th-sense-creeper-radar). Paul was, however, clearly in pain. I won’t get esoteric here, but ETHICALLY I did not feel I could abandon my work at that moment. Maybe it was counter-transference, but something was gnawing away at my gut and I made the call to alter the treatment plan and continue anyway. Contrary to all I’ve learned and even teach, being there felt like the right thing in this unprecedented circumstance. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t… who knew there could be irony in ethics?

I proceeded down his back with light and steady pressure and he continued to breathe deeply and rhythmically. Then I instructed him to turn face-up. I put both hands over his feet and noticed he was sniffling, which you know almost always happens when you flip someone over. But they were different kinds of sniffles and his body was tensing again. Paul was starting to cry. “Are you o.k.?”

He said yes. But I stopped anyway and got him a glass of water and suggested he sit up for a moment to drink some. He was looking down and said “I was just remembering something”. And there he sat and I just sat next to him on the floor, eventually placing my hand on his shoulder to let him know the time of the session was nearly over. “Would you like me to call someone for you?” He said he had a sponsor he could call and I suggested he do so ASAP.

I packed up and left, but Paul effected some part of me. I kept hoping he was o.k. A couple of hours later, I called and left him a voicemail saying, “just want to check in and make sure you are o.k.” and left it at that.

   A week or so went by and I got another call from Paul. He wanted to schedule again and said that the light pressure work would be fine. I agreed with the caveat that he must not drink beforehand. He agreed. Business as usual.

I showed up and set up on the floor (did not lug my table this time). His body still had the faint smell of alcohol. I asked him if he drank earlier. He said no. Jokingly/not-jokingly I asked him to pinky-swear. He did and I chose to believe him. He was very talkative during this session, where I learned he was a Vietnam veteran. I was working on a war hero and it allowed me to empathize with his addiction. I understood alcohol took the form of a pain medication (although a poor choice in one) and I knew I was no one to judge him. Nor would I deny him of a service he may benefit from on some level because my job is to provide comfort. He fought for my freedom and at that point I told myself I would not turn my back on this client. From what I gathered, many people already have. I knew it was not my business or my responsibility, but again it gnawed at my gut. I decided as long as his condition did not get worse I would continue to see him as a client and offer therapeutic touch. The session ended.

Curveball

I saw Paul a few more times before he left the city. He took to calling me “kiddo” a lot, even though I was in my 30s at the time. He told me many stories that contained the phrase I was so drunk I…, which isn’t exactly funny but he was able to laugh about it and in turn, so was I. Most of his stories were followed by pearls of wisdom he picked up as a result. He never spoke about Vietnam. I learned he had a daughter he was working on his relationship with. At one point he confessed he didn’t feel comfortable with many people but felt calm with me and like he could really relax. He once said he trusted me and that felt huge. I knew this had nothing to do with my technique or skill because what my hands were doing was minimal. I was merely being present with him. That may be all, but it required a lot of ego-checking-at-the-door from me before every visit. If he was able to feel some modicum of relief for 60 minutes at a time, it was likely because I never judged him. Transference, counter-transference, label it whatever you want; I genuinely cared for this client as a person, as a human, and yes, as a friend.

May I never see in the patient anything but a fellow creature in pain.” – The Oath of Maimonides

Paul set one last appointment before leaving NYC. I arrived as usual to check in with the concierge, but instead of pointing me to the elevators he directed me to the swanky restaurant on the lower level and said, “He’s in there”.

What? Ok.

I walked into the restaurant and looked around. Again, it was about 3pm so the restaurant was pretty empty except for a man sitting at the bar and the bartender who was still prepping for his shift. I walked up behind where the man was sitting. “Paul?” He turned around and said “Hey, kiddo. What are you drinkin’?” On the counter in front of him sat a scotch on the rocks, which was what I almost wanted to order.

I couldn’t believe it. I was so angry I think I clenched my hands. I was disappointed. Furious. I felt betrayed. I said nothing and just stood there for a moment sifting for the right response. I finally came up with, “What the hell are you doing? We have an appointment. Like, RIGHT NOW.”

He answered by pulling out a stool and gesturing for me to have a seat. I reluctantly obliged the war hero. He said, “I probably won’t be coming back to the city for a while and just wanted to say thank you”. And in what I am sure was a pissed-off tone, I said he could thank me by not drinking anymore. To which he kind of dropped his head a little and hopelessly chuckled. I will never forget it.

He motioned the bartender over, then looked at me and asked, “Pellegrino?”. I half-heartedly said “sure”. We chatted for a while. He said he was going boating somewhere in Central America (he loved it there). We finished our drinks and I stood up and gave him a big hug and he hugged back like family. He insisted I take the payment for the session, although I felt weird about doing so. I said “take good care of yourself”, “be good”, “be in touch”, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do haha“, and “see you when you get back”. I’ve never been one to hold a grudge.

It was the last time I ever saw Paul.

My only regret

Months went by and I was travelling through the south with some friends (we were in a band together and on a tour– I used to play a lot of gigs in a former life). My bandmates went in a store somewhere and I stayed outside enjoying the air. I went into the van for something and noticed there was a missed call on my cell phone.

I played the voicemail. It was from the client who introduced me to Paul. He called to tell me Paul had passed away. Organ failure. He also thanked me for helping his friend and added there was nothing more that could be done. “Paul was very fond of you. Thanks for being there for him.”

I collapsed into tears. I’ve lost clients due to illness and disease before, but this was different and I’m not sure how. It has stuck with me and I am still learning its lessons and attempting to articulate what it all meant. Looking back if I knew the moment at the hotel restaurant bar was to be the last time I ever saw Paul, there is only one thing I would have done differently: I would have ordered a scotch on the rocks, too. Then I would have raised a toast to him and clinked his glass. And I would have said thank you for your service, Sir, and thank you for trusting me.

Rest easy, “Paul”. Enjoy your peace.

This post is in honor and memory of him and a reminder that although nobody is perfect, everyone deserves a moment of respite.

The Separation of Church and State in Massage Therapy

May 23, 2016 by Tania 1 Comment

[Written while listening to the Amelie soundtrack and then The Cinematic Orchestra. Comments are welcome below.]

Tom Hanks said it best when he played astronaut Jim Lovell in the movie Apollo 13: “Houston, we have a problem.”

Massage therapy, we have a problem.

rocketship-303591_1280Whether you’d like to admit it or not, we are on a critical mission: we must land our dysfunctional profession back down on earth safely (this will sound like wacky-babble unless you’ve seen Apollo 13. If you haven’t, Netflix it then come back and continue reading). Oh, where do I begin… let’s start with the pluses.

Our profession has a rich global history and an overall delightful personality. As MTs, we are a quirky, colorful bunch of folks of the loveliest manner imaginable. It takes a certain kind of being with a unique blend of compassion, artfulness, and curiosity to be able to offer this service consistently well. This is the common ground we stand on as MTs. It is the fabric of who we are. Our work lifts burdens, even if only temporarily. These are qualities we can be proud of.

Becoming a professional MT involves a great deal of introspection. Due to our curious natures, we enjoy exploring different cultures, philosophies and methodologies (this is a beautiful thing). The common ground of naturally wanting to help others is always there, but things can quickly derail as we individually explore our work, ourselves, and the dynamic interplay between the two. It is in this interplay where some lose sight of the Prime Directive (Star Trek fans, you know what I’m talkin’bout!).

A big problem occurs when the paths of our work and the path of the work we like to do on ourselves cross in a healthcare setting. Most of these things do not belong in the world of MT because they are not doing our profession any favors whatsoever. These things are holding our profession back.

No more abracadabra.

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. Reiki and all of its similar energetic friends have gotta go from our general modalities list. It’s just not working out between us. Now, before you get your oil holster in a twist, take a breath and let me finish.

beautiful-69993_1280We signed up to be manual therapists and bodyworkers. This clearly entails working with our hands upon the physical bodies of others. The goal wasn’t/isn’t to use MT as a cover to work with our *not* hands upon non-physical bodies. When people make a massage appointment, it does not mean they want their aura’s fluffed- it simply means they want their physical needs attended to. *That* is what is expected. That is what we need to focus on delivering, first and foremost.

silhouette-1321398_1280I’ve heard too many complaints about too many therapists pushing their philosophies upon others. Reiki-like modalities are akin to faith-based religions because they are not supported by rigorous research (“well, it works for me” is not an acceptable scientific explanation). It is a form of prayer, which is wonderful for those who pray, but you cannot force others to want to pray in the exact same way as you (if at all), whether you are Christian, Muslim, Pagan, atheist, Buddhist, Jewish, or a Greek mythologist. Not everyone believes in the same thing, but everyone can stand firmly on the science backing touch therapy. That’s our common ground. Like in politics, religious beliefs are best kept out of the neutral, equal-opportunity, safe space of manual therapy.

In order for massage therapy to thrive as a respected healthcare profession, we’ve got to step up our game and stick to the facts without the foo-foo. We need separation of church and state, otherwise fuggedaboudit. We’ll remain in limbo with no uniform regulation or credibility; doctors will consider us nothing more than tie-die wearing crystal slingers, instead of professionals that can be of value to their patients. There is a lot of potential for us in healthcare, but this is not how we will realize it. So let’s cut it out with the unsolicited Reiki-isms. It freaks the general public out, as it should… who knows where that crystal’s been?!

I understand the allure.

No one is saying you must completely stop doing Reiki-like things. Just stop trying to cram it down the throat chakras of people who do not want or believe in Reiki, crystals, prana, chi, whatever-you-like-to-call-it. Especially when they are in your treatment room. It’s a borderline and, at times, egregious violation of ethics. Separation of church and state is essential for our modern professional community to thrive in the realm of healthcare.

Frolicking through the ethers is activity best done on personal time along with knitting, book-clubbing, and glass blowing. I know the feeling: when I first heard of chakras, the notion I was balanced by invisible-rainbow, glowing-orbs of energy had me thrilled to no end (I mean, how cool is that). However, I also realized a line must be drawn. This thinking was to remain in the land of unicorns and wizards no matter how much I liked to visualize it. We simply cannot ethically tell someone their headaches are caused by energetic blockages due to repressed past-life emotions, because:

A) it is in no way plausibly true
B) it is not within our scope of practice to say such things
C) it sounds mega cray-cray bonkers

Believe it or not, massage therapists spout things like this all the time to clients who do not care to hear it. There is a sacred line that shouldn’t be crossed.

Be you, just don’t force you on others.

wizard-waving-wearing-a-cape-and-holding-a-magic-wand-coloring-pageDon’t get me wrong. I like aligning my chakras as much as the next guy. I think it’s relaxing to meditate upon because I enjoy practicing visualization and it gives me a pleasant focal point with a priceless sense of well-being. But what I don’t do is tell others their chakras need alignment or anything of the sort. Because they don’t. They most likely don’t even have chakras. So let’s leave the energy orbs alone and do the work massage therapists are intended to do. I do not go to a dentist expecting to be healed from childhood trauma and that is not the general objective of a massage therapist either.

Now if someone comes to you and says “Hey, my aura has been really sore lately and I would like a past life regression. Can you help with that?”, and those are services you clearly offer, go for it! Otherwise, keep it in the personal sphere or we’ll never join the ranks of legitimate healthcare professionals. Knowhatimean?

Apollo 13

Happy ending spoiler alert: the spacecraft in the movie and in real life was safely returned to earth without any casualties. If we all get on the same page with our core identity as manual therapists, I have faith we can do the same and resume our intended mission. Over and out.

P.S. Please enjoy this episode of Holistic E.R. (it’s a funny 🙂 )

The Awkward Shift in Manual Therapy

April 24, 2016 by Tania 11 Comments

[Written while listening to this and then this. Comments are welcome below.]

This week I had the opportunity to take an awesome continuing education class (led by Rolfers® Rey Allen and Michael Polon). It is based on the groundbreaking work of Diane Jacobs, PT. It was one I’ve had my eye on for a couple of years, then the timing was finally PERFECT. A great CE class is food for the soul of a MT 🙂 And after 20+ years of doing this, I’ve become VERY picky.

In last week’s post, we “chatted” about one reason this site was born and this week we’ll piggy-back on that topic a little more. Let’s begin with the great divide that is happening in our profession and then *spoiler alert* we will close with the inevitable shift that is on the horizon. And by horizon, I mean it’s still 10-20 years away from being accepted as an undeniable truth, but we’ve gotta start somewhere.

Two words. Pain Science.

I won’t begin to open that can of dendritic worms here- at least not in ONE blog post, because it is a giant can with waaay too many worms. But Google has a lot to say about it, so you can start there and we’ll continue to whittle away at different angles of the topic for as long as this site is up and running. Which will be a long time.

As a teaser, let’s just say that discoveries in pain science over the last (I’ll generalize) 10-15 years are about to shake the foundation of everything we thought we knew about the body, particularly from a structural perspective. Massage therapists, I hope you’re all sitting down. Surgeons, chiropractors, orthopedists… I suggest ya’ll hold on to each other tightly and don’t let go. Let’s take each other by the hand because this may be uncomfortable until everyone gets used to it. The same denial and awkwardness awaits us as did when people began to realize the sun did not revolve around the earth. And that the earth was round and not flat. And that simple hand washing could save lives. Rest assured, things get REALLY exciting after the fledgling awkwardness. Just like your first 8th grade slow-dance.

The Great Divide

On one side we have science. And we all like to high-5 science when it goes along with exactly what we assume, think, or thought we thunk. On the other side we have what we were taught and/or what we believe is true. Remember: beliefs are not facts a.k.a. unicorns are not horses.

unicorn-Pinpoint BodyworkBut who doesn’t love unicorns?! Unicorns are awesome! Yes, they are but we all know they don’t exist. Put it this way: the unicorns of manual therapy are being outed. However, where the horses will lead us is in an even more magical and wondrous direction. You can believe that. (This effects other disciplines too, like surgery, orthopedics, etc., but we’re a MT site so that’s what we relate it to.)

So, guess what happened when science told stubborn-me so much of what I thought I knew for 15+ years had been proven wrong? That’s right, I threw an internal hissy fit.  It looked something like me scrambling online like a mad woman for nearly a year to try and reverse-prove the science wrong. (Yeah, that didn’t go so well.) The good news is the hissy fit subsided after I realized how cool the facts were because they solidify what we as MTs have known all along about the inseparable body-brain-mind connection. (Don’t worry, we’ll discuss this more in the future). It is almost EVERYTHING. Almost.

The great divide boils down to basic stubbornness and I’m admitting to have been very guilty of it. I mention this to let you know, in advance, I understand any initial backlash. Been there, done that. And so, I trust any hissy fits will subside as mine did.  We all now know and accept the earth revolves around the sun.

Where will you stand in the divide?

mountains-Pinpoint BodyworkEasy answer. One of three things will happen.

  1. Maybe it’s a little uncomfortable at first, but you accept the facts and refine your work to produce better results based upon the most current information we have available. You accept the earth is round and are not afraid to travel across the ocean to new and exiting places.
  2. You insist on holding on to past theories, even though they’ve been squashed. But as more and more people start to realize there is more (or less) to it, you slowly start to let out-dated thinking go and then gleefully join the gospel choir in singing “it is the earth that revolves around the sun, and not the other way around”.
  3. In spite of all the evidence and shifts in understanding, you outright refuse to let those beliefs be replaced by actual facts. The world will have to pry those beliefs out of your cold dead hands. You, like, seriously, really believe in unicorns. Hell, you’d saw 14 inches off the end of a broom and duct-tape it to a horse’s forehead to prove to everyone unicorns DO exist! Then you’ll point to a rhino and say “Oh yeah! Well, that has a horn so that’s a unicorn!”

Wherever you stand, it’s cool. I get it. Just don’t be the guy in #3 because that’s just mega-cray-cray bonkers. I’ll leave you with that. See you next week!

Hasta la pasta, rasta.

Introducing the 1st Blog Post!

April 19, 2016 by Tania Leave a Comment

[Written while listening to this. Comments are welcome below.]

Pinpoint Bodywork Facebook LaunchYessss! I’m very excited to present Pinpoint Bodywork’s very first blog post. It’s been a little under a week since soft-launching the site on Facebook on April 13, 2016. Since then I’ve been sifting through ideas of how to kick off this posting extravaganza. It finally dawned on me a good starting point would be to explore one very important reason why this site was born in the first place.

Here we go

I’ll spare you the nitty-gritty details of my background (if you want to know more, you can go here). Long story short: I’ve been an LMT since 1994. At that time, there was limited information about the actual effects of massage on the body (there were many fair guesses though) and there was ZERO information on what the real world would be like after I was done with school. I was basically thrust into the world clueless and hungry at a time when the internet was just becoming a thing no one ever dreamed you’d be able to watch TV shows on. So, I’ve really had to dig deep for much of what I’ve learned. And I’m still digging.

You’d think having access to lightning fast internet connections would make digging for information easier for everyone, but it doesn’t. It’s become more challenging and the proof of that is in the puddin’. In this case, the puddin’ is the true state of the profession of massage therapy (particularly in the United States). We have TOO MUCH information, and unfortunately much of it is bogus.

Where are we going?

We were doing well for a while with being considered sorta-kinda-maybe healthcare professionals, but then something slowly began changing. Credibility began slipping through the fingers of our progress (some may disagree with this statement, and that is o.k. but like it or not, there are plenty of sentiments to back it up). Up until the 90s, massage was widely covered by insurance companies and now the ability for MTs to earn a living by receiving reimbursement is dwindling and losing ground as we speak. Do you wonder why that is? No no no, big pharma is not to blame. We are the ones who have been holding ourselves back.

Photo credit: AMTA

Before moving on, it is important to know a brief history of modern massage therapy. It puts our place in the world into perspective and it will make you proud. You can read a fantastic summary of it here (article by Patricia J. Benjamin, Ph.D., L.M.T., and AMTA National Historian).

Now, I’m not sure what happened between the birth of modern massage and where we are today, but massage therapy has yet to realize its full capability. This may be a $12.1 billion industry, but we still have a very long way to go in walking side by side with other healthcare professionals. I won’t get into all of the reasons why right now, because this blog post would turn into a 1,000 page report and ain’t nobody got time for that. But for starters, the profession of massage therapy is stuck in the middle of a huge identity crisis. And it can only move forward if everyone does their part in helping to sort out its identity. The big kick in the pants is much of this sorting out process entails permanently discarding outdated beliefs and myths and stepping onto the concrete evidence available to us as of 2016. This is what I like to call “the separation of church and state” in massage therapy. However, accomplishing this has been a lot more challenging than one may imagine. You’ll see what I mean 😉

Where do YOU want US to go?

“Science is a method for deciding whether what we choose to believe has a basis in the laws of nature or not.” -Marcia McNutt, geophysicist

digging-PinpointBodyworkThere is a divide in the profession of those that want to move it forward (even if it means simplifying the definition of the service we provide, which is actually a good thing) and those who are settled in the ways of false claims. There are those who remain ever curious and those who never question what they’ve been told to believe. I used to be one to buy into anything that sounded cool, mystical, or mysterious. But as I began digging (initially looking for evidence to support the claims of the cool special things I thought I knew about), I began discovering there was a lot wrong with what I learned- or if not entirely wrong, what I learned was highly inaccurate. And to make matters worse, there was no evidence to support it, or if there was it had since been refuted. My world of knowledge collapsed and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to the way I approached my work as a MT. The truth will set you free, but may hurt just a little at first 😉

To be fair, some of the stuff I was taught was based on the best information available at the time. But today there is better data and new discoveries are being made as I write this. Now it is time for massage therapy to catch up with itself and realize its true purpose so more people may benefit from it, both within and outside of the profession.

I will end this post with a link to this article titled When Will Massage Therapy Believe In Itself? by Dr. Christopher Moyer.

Dr. Moyer is a behavioral scientist and massage researcher whose work has opened my eyes on many levels. He is also co-author of the textbook Massage Therapy: Integrating Research and Practice. His article sums up perfectly one of the most important reasons behind creating this site: separating the facts from the fluff. It also addresses a truth that is hard for some to swallow. We can believe whatever we like, but as healthcare professionals we cannot present personal beliefs as facts and make medical claims based upon them. Doing so is hurting the credibility of our profession.

Let’s get to work.

Leave a comment below or you are welcome to start a discussion in the Pinpoint Bodywork Facebook Forum!

Later alligators!

 

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