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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
A Tour Through the Body
I am continually amazed by the uniqueness of each body I'm gifted to touch! I love beginning my journey touching the body and touring the ridges, valleys, and peaks getting to know the roads of the beautiful beings on my table. As I continue the journey delving deeper into the hidden landscapes of past hurt and future hopes I'm reminded of the beings presence in this moment, the ultimate gift of the body is this moment right now! Our bodies tell us stories of what is happening, acclimation to touch, physical responses to words spoken, adjusting to the invisible unspoken. At a certain point along our journey the road narrows my fingers sink in and I merge into the kaleidoscope of another's physical expression, their body becomes my body, my body theirs and we ensue in a beautiful dance that unravels the mysteries within. It is in this indescribable space where true transformation takes place; judgement loses its grip, consciousness leaves, tissues relax and anything surfacing is the raw essence of divine intervention. In this moment the body begins to speak, so quiet and timid we barely hear, or rather have time to hear, the untold legend of the body. At this point of the tour I begin my dialogue with the body, why are you tense there? What is going on scapula? Trapezius, what are you trying to say? I become a patient person trusting in the slow unfolding wisdom of soma, my clients bodies and mine begin being showered with the healing rain of love. We heal together. By the end of the journey I feel invigorated, in tune, one with our creator and all of creation, I have received just as much blessing as my client for it was the collective effort of them and me that forged a new path, a new connection to divinity.
The mind takes us to a certain point then the heart continues the exploration and the body pushes past the point where neither can travel, puts us in this moment of truth, beauty, resolution, and naked humanity. The bodies soft words express itself in twitches, warm flashes, butterflies in the belly, tingling in the chest. It tells us don't go there, it urges us through intuition, it stores trauma until we are ready to mentally, spiritually, emotionally process. Often times we discredit the knowledge of the body or dismiss as just a fluke, but the body is more adjusted to the physical world we live in and more capable of telling us what we need to hear versus what we want. If we continue to disregard maladies and concerns our bodies observe it will begin to shout in the presence of chronic pain, infection and disease. Begin conversing with your body, when you feel nauseous, or feel a pain, or just feel "off" ask your body what it needs tell it "I'm listening, " take daily strides to affirm the wisdom within, translate this foreign language and one day speaking to it will be second nature, like speaking to your best friend. Your journey will become more whole having this wise leader walking your path with you.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Pushing the Boundaries
If this month were to have a theme it would be pushing the boundaries. Both personally and professionally I have noticed me being pushed to my limits and astonishingly going just a bit further. I love the accomplishment I feel when I have gone past what I identified as my own perimeter, it's as if each time I do so I am pioneering an entire new horizon for myself.
This theme has spilled into my massages as well. I understand the limitations and constraint we put upon ourselves when in pain and have fallen prey to lack of faith in what I am capable of achieving on many occasions. This month I have seen so many of my clients allow me to push them over their own boundary of what they think they are capable of. Each time with hesitation I dig a little deeper in their tissue worrying that they will hate me afterwards or that they will call me complaining a few days later. Ultimately I worry that they won't be ready for this journey I am pushing them into. Some of the poses and strokes are not the most relaxing restorative things to experience, but I've found that with people experiencing chronic tension and/or pain that sometimes you have to get through the uncomfortable massage to start enjoying it, and your body once again.
One of the quotes we heard early on in school was by Brian Tracy, "Move our of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." I think this speaks volumes when thinking of the difficult position you may find yourself in during a massage. It is never my intention to hurt a client or cause them distress, but I recognize the relationships between tissues, muscles and bones and know that sometimes to find relief you have to dig deep.
When I get a body on the table it's as though I've just been handed a bundle of tangled wires. Each one is important and goes to something, but little functions until you begin to unravel. I love making connections and one day would love to chart all the connections I've made, the way a pain in your head could stem from your shoulder, the way you walk signals what muscles in your legs are tense, the whole human body is by far the most incredible thing I have ever put my hands on! I love digging into a scapula and tracing every muscle connection, feeling every fiber slide beneath my hands, running across a trigger point as if I was a detective who just got another clue about how to solve the puzzle...gliding my hands along the tender points of the neck and feeling muscles loosen around delicate lymph nodes...finding a tight IT band and breaking up all the fascial connections...it all just is mesmerizing to me and my curiosity propels my desire to mend areas in distress.
Its that desire to "solve the puzzle" mixed with a trust in my ability to intuitively treat the body that directs how far I push someone. Sometimes that means holding a tender area and speaking to it (yes I am constantly speaking to your bodies), sometimes that means that it just needs to be dealt with like a band aid quick and not so painless just to get through it. What I do know is that I feel truly honored that I have clients so trusting in my application of modalities to allow me to work on the body and continuously push you.
It may be a secret, but each time I challenge a client, I challenge myself as well. I grow further and further away from my fear of working on the body and deeper into the role I see as my calling.
So thank you, for pushing the limits!
This theme has spilled into my massages as well. I understand the limitations and constraint we put upon ourselves when in pain and have fallen prey to lack of faith in what I am capable of achieving on many occasions. This month I have seen so many of my clients allow me to push them over their own boundary of what they think they are capable of. Each time with hesitation I dig a little deeper in their tissue worrying that they will hate me afterwards or that they will call me complaining a few days later. Ultimately I worry that they won't be ready for this journey I am pushing them into. Some of the poses and strokes are not the most relaxing restorative things to experience, but I've found that with people experiencing chronic tension and/or pain that sometimes you have to get through the uncomfortable massage to start enjoying it, and your body once again.
One of the quotes we heard early on in school was by Brian Tracy, "Move our of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." I think this speaks volumes when thinking of the difficult position you may find yourself in during a massage. It is never my intention to hurt a client or cause them distress, but I recognize the relationships between tissues, muscles and bones and know that sometimes to find relief you have to dig deep.
When I get a body on the table it's as though I've just been handed a bundle of tangled wires. Each one is important and goes to something, but little functions until you begin to unravel. I love making connections and one day would love to chart all the connections I've made, the way a pain in your head could stem from your shoulder, the way you walk signals what muscles in your legs are tense, the whole human body is by far the most incredible thing I have ever put my hands on! I love digging into a scapula and tracing every muscle connection, feeling every fiber slide beneath my hands, running across a trigger point as if I was a detective who just got another clue about how to solve the puzzle...gliding my hands along the tender points of the neck and feeling muscles loosen around delicate lymph nodes...finding a tight IT band and breaking up all the fascial connections...it all just is mesmerizing to me and my curiosity propels my desire to mend areas in distress.
Its that desire to "solve the puzzle" mixed with a trust in my ability to intuitively treat the body that directs how far I push someone. Sometimes that means holding a tender area and speaking to it (yes I am constantly speaking to your bodies), sometimes that means that it just needs to be dealt with like a band aid quick and not so painless just to get through it. What I do know is that I feel truly honored that I have clients so trusting in my application of modalities to allow me to work on the body and continuously push you.
It may be a secret, but each time I challenge a client, I challenge myself as well. I grow further and further away from my fear of working on the body and deeper into the role I see as my calling.
So thank you, for pushing the limits!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
My Thoughts on Chronic Pain
100 million Americans, that's how many citizens, according to the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, are living with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a reoccurring pain (either intermittent or continuous) that lasts longer than a few weeks. In many this pain last for months, in some this pain lasts for years. The most common chronic pain sufferers are those with chronic migraines, Fibromyalgia, back pain, head, neck and shoulder pain.
More and more these numbers of chronic pain sufferers grow and now the population has grown past those living with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. As time goes on and specialists deplete the bank account many chronic pain sufferers lose hope of finding a solution.
In my personal life I have had bouts with chronic pain characterized as persistent migraines. When I began going through puberty is when I had the onset of left side pain and migraines that lasted a few hours every couple of weeks. This grew into daily migraines with daily left side pain, I forgot what it was like to not have this agonizing pain. I had gone to numerous specialists at the beginning of my symptoms. I received nerve tests, MRI's, CAT scans, and began a series of prescriptions. As the years went on and more of my life became consumed by this pain I conceited to giving up. I had, had a reaction to one of my medications and caused temporary vision loss and had my fill of taking pharmaceuticals.
Seceding to defeat over this pain actually refreshed my outlook. I wasn't dependent on narcotics, I wasn't moping about the pain, I was acknowledging I had pain and ignoring it. Which isn't the best either (imagine someone just ignoring they have heart attacks), but it worked for my situation.
I lived probably for about one to two years without drug intervention and constant pain, I happened to run into a Massage Therapist working in a research for migraine sufferers with massage treatment. She offered to get me on her table and see what she could figure out.
The first couple sessions I was hesitant as this woman poked and prodded around my head neck and shoulders. She would find points that lit up my areas of pain and I started to draw the connections of the body. We met on a pretty regular basis and I was still a skeptic for many months until one day I left her office feeling different.
I thought "something is very wrong here, what is out of place?" And on the stroll to my car I realized I was completely pain free! I began crying and felt liberated for the first time since I was a child, my body was mine once again! I in turn have found that through massage therapy I am able to give that same gift that was given to me.
I find with my clients, myself, and other people I have talked to, your life really morphs around chronic pain diseases. Hobbies and things you enjoy become less and less interesting because of this nagging feeling in your body. Eventually the idea of even leaving your house causes fear and anxiety of whether or not you will be able to have fun or whether you will be "stuck" out in pain.
Mood changes are also greatly impacted by debilitating pain, the more pain I am in, the more I snap at people. The more my vision is impaired by my migraines the less I want to be outside. The less time I spend outside the more depressed I become, the less I get out of bed, the greater my joint pain....
Chronic pain quickly becomes a vicious cycle. The most beneficial things for you while suffering in chronic pain are things such as: dietary changes, exercise, body work, but when you are in pain it is hard to find motivation to exercise, to make a healthy meal (versus pick something up), or to leave your house and be touched by a stranger leading to more pain.
The pain often becomes so great that those inside of a pain ridden body feel completely out of control and alienated by their own body. When this happens I believe our chronic pain sufferer begins a detachment of feeling like their body is a part of them.I think, and would be interested in researching my theory, that people suffering chronic pain are more likely to injure themselves, self-medicate, have body dysmorphic disease, or develop a serious mental illness.
The reason I have this belief is because of the connection I recognize between the body and the mind. I think that if one is out of balance it will cause irregularities in the other. Just as some chronic pain stems from emotional trauma, it is my belief that some of the physical trauma caused my chronic pain spills into a mental condition.
Recently, I have been inspired by my own pain and the pain I have seen in my clients to work on assembling a Chronic Pain Workshop (to facilitate and aid healing) as well as take home materials to track the progression/regression of people's chronic pain.I believe so little is known about this type of dis-ease and have intrigued the detective within me to delve deeper into causes and influences. I feel as though my involvement is really limited to the space the client will go with me. Often times the therapeutic techniques that I believe to be most beneficial for pain relief are often times the most painful to experience. I find the people that are the most open to these painful techniques are those who have exhausted a number of facets to achieving pain relief, but I believe those who experience the quickest most beneficial result are those who have just begun experiencing this pain, which usually doesn't coincide with the latter.
Every time I help relieve someones chronic pain I go back to that place of what it felt like when I found relief for the first time in years. I may not be able to "cure" anyone or force them to commit to lifestyle changes, but I can be there to support them as they transition through the surprises and stages of chronic pain. It is my hope that I at least give some insight to those whose path I cross, into their mysterious pain.
More and more these numbers of chronic pain sufferers grow and now the population has grown past those living with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. As time goes on and specialists deplete the bank account many chronic pain sufferers lose hope of finding a solution.
In my personal life I have had bouts with chronic pain characterized as persistent migraines. When I began going through puberty is when I had the onset of left side pain and migraines that lasted a few hours every couple of weeks. This grew into daily migraines with daily left side pain, I forgot what it was like to not have this agonizing pain. I had gone to numerous specialists at the beginning of my symptoms. I received nerve tests, MRI's, CAT scans, and began a series of prescriptions. As the years went on and more of my life became consumed by this pain I conceited to giving up. I had, had a reaction to one of my medications and caused temporary vision loss and had my fill of taking pharmaceuticals.
Seceding to defeat over this pain actually refreshed my outlook. I wasn't dependent on narcotics, I wasn't moping about the pain, I was acknowledging I had pain and ignoring it. Which isn't the best either (imagine someone just ignoring they have heart attacks), but it worked for my situation.
I lived probably for about one to two years without drug intervention and constant pain, I happened to run into a Massage Therapist working in a research for migraine sufferers with massage treatment. She offered to get me on her table and see what she could figure out.
The first couple sessions I was hesitant as this woman poked and prodded around my head neck and shoulders. She would find points that lit up my areas of pain and I started to draw the connections of the body. We met on a pretty regular basis and I was still a skeptic for many months until one day I left her office feeling different.
I thought "something is very wrong here, what is out of place?" And on the stroll to my car I realized I was completely pain free! I began crying and felt liberated for the first time since I was a child, my body was mine once again! I in turn have found that through massage therapy I am able to give that same gift that was given to me.
I find with my clients, myself, and other people I have talked to, your life really morphs around chronic pain diseases. Hobbies and things you enjoy become less and less interesting because of this nagging feeling in your body. Eventually the idea of even leaving your house causes fear and anxiety of whether or not you will be able to have fun or whether you will be "stuck" out in pain.
Mood changes are also greatly impacted by debilitating pain, the more pain I am in, the more I snap at people. The more my vision is impaired by my migraines the less I want to be outside. The less time I spend outside the more depressed I become, the less I get out of bed, the greater my joint pain....
Chronic pain quickly becomes a vicious cycle. The most beneficial things for you while suffering in chronic pain are things such as: dietary changes, exercise, body work, but when you are in pain it is hard to find motivation to exercise, to make a healthy meal (versus pick something up), or to leave your house and be touched by a stranger leading to more pain.
The pain often becomes so great that those inside of a pain ridden body feel completely out of control and alienated by their own body. When this happens I believe our chronic pain sufferer begins a detachment of feeling like their body is a part of them.I think, and would be interested in researching my theory, that people suffering chronic pain are more likely to injure themselves, self-medicate, have body dysmorphic disease, or develop a serious mental illness.
The reason I have this belief is because of the connection I recognize between the body and the mind. I think that if one is out of balance it will cause irregularities in the other. Just as some chronic pain stems from emotional trauma, it is my belief that some of the physical trauma caused my chronic pain spills into a mental condition.
Recently, I have been inspired by my own pain and the pain I have seen in my clients to work on assembling a Chronic Pain Workshop (to facilitate and aid healing) as well as take home materials to track the progression/regression of people's chronic pain.I believe so little is known about this type of dis-ease and have intrigued the detective within me to delve deeper into causes and influences. I feel as though my involvement is really limited to the space the client will go with me. Often times the therapeutic techniques that I believe to be most beneficial for pain relief are often times the most painful to experience. I find the people that are the most open to these painful techniques are those who have exhausted a number of facets to achieving pain relief, but I believe those who experience the quickest most beneficial result are those who have just begun experiencing this pain, which usually doesn't coincide with the latter.
Every time I help relieve someones chronic pain I go back to that place of what it felt like when I found relief for the first time in years. I may not be able to "cure" anyone or force them to commit to lifestyle changes, but I can be there to support them as they transition through the surprises and stages of chronic pain. It is my hope that I at least give some insight to those whose path I cross, into their mysterious pain.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Road to Recovery
I had a perplexing thought today as I was listening to someone speak of their recovery. Often times we associate recovery with some sort of post rehabilitative state, either for addiction or injury, but it wasn't such with this person's circumstance. This excerpt doesn't need further explanation because it was simply their use of recovery that propelled my logic in this introspective direction.
It started first with me realizing I was actively in recovery. The single most traumatic event of my life happened a little over a month ago and spanned an anguishing nine days of my life. It was just prior to returning from a much needed sabbatical from the majority of my responsibilities and extended it further than what I had imagined.
It was with a stubborn heart I began a slow recovery to returning to my duties, every small accomplishment-taking out the trash, doing laundry, showing up for work or school, even something as minute as taking a shower was an obstacle of grand magnitude. With each minor success I rigidly and subconsciously welcomed a new step in recovering.
I withdrew from a class that while it had extensive requirements was the class I have been most eager to take since beginning school. It was with the acceptance and admittance to myself and others that I was incapable of providing care to another when I could barely pull myself together, that gifted me humility and grace in exchange for pieces of my pride. Another step in recovery.
Though I am currently on a path of recovery from this specific trauma I thought beyond today. Beyond tomorrow, beyond yesterday, beyond five weeks ago, this persons use of the word recovery made me realize that I have been in recovery since the moment I took my first breath. I realized we are all on the road to recovery. I've spent a lot of time running from things, fighting events, denying myself the ability to walk the path of healing. Through this denial and attempt to control every opportunity I have slowed my path of recovery and have created a barrier between me and my calling. I have wrapped up my power and my validation as a conscious being and have attributed every negative as "life" or "fate" and every positive as "luck" or a "blessing" leaving me out of my life.
From this little comment I realized that in the strong desire to control everything to have a desired outcome I have actually hindered and fought the process of my recovery- my own growth, not just with this instance, but with my life as a whole. The procrastination, the denial, the fear has guided much of my life.
I hope that I can begin now to submit myself to fully living, to fully healing, to fully loving. Or at the very least to always do my best to not reject these opportunities for growth.
Further, I hope that I am able to truly aid others in their road to recovery, recovering from birth.
It started first with me realizing I was actively in recovery. The single most traumatic event of my life happened a little over a month ago and spanned an anguishing nine days of my life. It was just prior to returning from a much needed sabbatical from the majority of my responsibilities and extended it further than what I had imagined.
It was with a stubborn heart I began a slow recovery to returning to my duties, every small accomplishment-taking out the trash, doing laundry, showing up for work or school, even something as minute as taking a shower was an obstacle of grand magnitude. With each minor success I rigidly and subconsciously welcomed a new step in recovering.
I withdrew from a class that while it had extensive requirements was the class I have been most eager to take since beginning school. It was with the acceptance and admittance to myself and others that I was incapable of providing care to another when I could barely pull myself together, that gifted me humility and grace in exchange for pieces of my pride. Another step in recovery.
Though I am currently on a path of recovery from this specific trauma I thought beyond today. Beyond tomorrow, beyond yesterday, beyond five weeks ago, this persons use of the word recovery made me realize that I have been in recovery since the moment I took my first breath. I realized we are all on the road to recovery. I've spent a lot of time running from things, fighting events, denying myself the ability to walk the path of healing. Through this denial and attempt to control every opportunity I have slowed my path of recovery and have created a barrier between me and my calling. I have wrapped up my power and my validation as a conscious being and have attributed every negative as "life" or "fate" and every positive as "luck" or a "blessing" leaving me out of my life.
From this little comment I realized that in the strong desire to control everything to have a desired outcome I have actually hindered and fought the process of my recovery- my own growth, not just with this instance, but with my life as a whole. The procrastination, the denial, the fear has guided much of my life.
I hope that I can begin now to submit myself to fully living, to fully healing, to fully loving. Or at the very least to always do my best to not reject these opportunities for growth.
Further, I hope that I am able to truly aid others in their road to recovery, recovering from birth.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Open for Business
With building anticipation I scheduled and awaited the arrival of the previous weekend to have my first authentic trial of how running a business out of my home would logistically work. I had held a few opportunities in the past for clients on rare occasions and have played with the constraints of space in my home and the boundaries of others I share the space with, but this would be the first full fledge weekend of healing in my home and not at The Colorado School of Healing Arts.
Friday evening came and similar to the excitement and nervousness a child gets before the first day of school I shimmied and sanitized my way around my home ensuring that all sheets were thoroughly cleaned, all floors vacuumed and shining, and all crevices well cleansed of negative energy.
Saturday morning arrived and my first of eight massages for the weekend as well. I believe that every opportunity is an opportunity for learning and just what did I learn from the weekend?
Friday evening came and similar to the excitement and nervousness a child gets before the first day of school I shimmied and sanitized my way around my home ensuring that all sheets were thoroughly cleaned, all floors vacuumed and shining, and all crevices well cleansed of negative energy.
Saturday morning arrived and my first of eight massages for the weekend as well. I believe that every opportunity is an opportunity for learning and just what did I learn from the weekend?
- How to just say no.
- I often fall into the sense of an obligation to another and tend to say yes too much. I know that I am certainly not alone and have many "yes people" in my life. A challenge of the past quarter has been to become a "no person" (or at least a balanced person), not out of spite or b/c you disliked someone, but b/c you can only do so much before you are doing too much and have burned yourself out. I knew going into the weekend there would be many time constraints as it is, but I still really had a desire to say yes to people. I did catch myself prior to letting those three little letters tumble out of my mouth pulling back and admitting to myself that I have to say no.
- Back to back massages just don't work for me.
- I have a new found respect for therapists in massage offices that do massages every hour! Generally what I have found is it takes (on average):
- 4 min.-Intake
- 2 min.-Undress and get under sheets
- 1 min- Entrain to the client (rocking and assessing the body)
- 15 min- clients parasympathetic nervous system to engage (state of relaxation)
- 5 min- Draping/repositioning/bolstering (10 if you are doing front, back, left & right)
- 5 min-reengaging the body (every time the body releases, the client relaxes or repositions, every time a muscle tenses up, there is a period of reconnecting to the stroke and the body- a point of reassessing what is happening under the skin)
- Following this model 32 minutes of the massage become the logistics and in an hour massage (which in massage world is 50 minutes) you are left with 28 minutes of the meat in the massage. This doesn't compensate for clients running late, unable to relax (tense bodies won't let you in to the tissues as easily and actually lock up if you try to force yourself in) or time in between for me to stuff my face real quick, wash my hands, and relax myself so the massage flows better.
- Self Care!
- I have always left a gap in between to eat which I neglected this weekend and by the time my 2nd massage was over, the earlier massages had burned through my breakfast (each hour= about 300 calories) and my stomach growled through the second two. I got smart on day two and hade sips of a protein shake in between, still second to a good meal in between!
- Both days I forgot to wear good gripping shoes and noticed times I'd slip on the carpet in the massage room. This obviously creates awkward positioning and poor posture.
- Stretching is so important! I normally try to maintain stretching in between massages and there simply was not enough time this weekend. After the massage I was so tight I was dreaming about a massage for me!
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Free Will
Perhaps one of the most perplexing and often times down right frustrating things about people is our innate sense of freedom. On the one hand it can be beautiful: different minds, attitudes, beliefs all co-creating the reality we live in. However, there is a good chance that somewhere inside you there is a sliver- no matter how teeny tiny, that would think that life would be better if everyone just believed the same thing. Our sense of urgency to control situations and others erupts and clashes with our sense of independence and free will.
Therapists undoubtedly have experienced this at some point in their practice. I often experience this urge to nag a client about how they didn't do the home work (stretches, nutrition diary, journaling) that I had given and "no wonder you're still in pain, you won't do this for you."
...Then I recall how many times I have done exactly this, how many times I had promised I would study for a test and instead wound up on FB for four hours one day and painting for two the next and completely forgetting the rest of the days in the week. Then the light bulb flickers on 15 minutes before the test, just enough time to let nerves set in and become completely nauseous over the test. Or how many times I was so exhausted after a day of giving massage that instead of doing some stretches and taking a bath I completely passed out- only to have the next morning be a painful reminder of my neglected duties.
More importantly I think, who am I? Who am I to judge? What authority have I been granted that lets me tell people that they are failing at ...being people? I have found that my massage table is often times like a Catholic confessional. You have someone standing over you, you're in a vulnerable position and you just feel obligated to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. "I have been doing bad with my diet," or "I haven't worked out since I last saw you," these little things about the body that creep up and feel the need to expel themselves. I always love hearing confessions that have nothing to do with the experience.
It's not that I don't care that my clients have their own struggles, but I am constantly reminded that I am just like them with my own personal struggles and where one client may be having a hard time sticking to their diet, I am struggling with my personal battles like my love hate relationship with Mountain Dew (love the taste, hate how I feel afterwards).
I think as therapists, as anyone really, we don't have the authority to judge. To place someone at a lower or higher standard or criticism than us, we are equal. We don't have the right to take away their freedom, but we can draw upon our own personal strength that has come with trials and tribulations and help them see in a different light.
Therapists undoubtedly have experienced this at some point in their practice. I often experience this urge to nag a client about how they didn't do the home work (stretches, nutrition diary, journaling) that I had given and "no wonder you're still in pain, you won't do this for you."
...Then I recall how many times I have done exactly this, how many times I had promised I would study for a test and instead wound up on FB for four hours one day and painting for two the next and completely forgetting the rest of the days in the week. Then the light bulb flickers on 15 minutes before the test, just enough time to let nerves set in and become completely nauseous over the test. Or how many times I was so exhausted after a day of giving massage that instead of doing some stretches and taking a bath I completely passed out- only to have the next morning be a painful reminder of my neglected duties.
More importantly I think, who am I? Who am I to judge? What authority have I been granted that lets me tell people that they are failing at ...being people? I have found that my massage table is often times like a Catholic confessional. You have someone standing over you, you're in a vulnerable position and you just feel obligated to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. "I have been doing bad with my diet," or "I haven't worked out since I last saw you," these little things about the body that creep up and feel the need to expel themselves. I always love hearing confessions that have nothing to do with the experience.
It's not that I don't care that my clients have their own struggles, but I am constantly reminded that I am just like them with my own personal struggles and where one client may be having a hard time sticking to their diet, I am struggling with my personal battles like my love hate relationship with Mountain Dew (love the taste, hate how I feel afterwards).
I think as therapists, as anyone really, we don't have the authority to judge. To place someone at a lower or higher standard or criticism than us, we are equal. We don't have the right to take away their freedom, but we can draw upon our own personal strength that has come with trials and tribulations and help them see in a different light.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
A Call to Healing
When we utter or hear the words heal, healer or healing we think of doctors, psychologists, chiropractors, and massage therapists even. Often times we neglect the value of the role we play in life because of the value we place on contributions we make to society in our work lives.
I have worn many hats in my life, some that felt pointless, some that were more worthwhile. It wasn't until I began the journey of massage therapy that I began to take on a healing mentality in everything I did. I began seeing previous work roles I had in life as more meaningful than what I had initially considered. Think of your job, are you a carpenter? Or a healer of furniture and creator of homes? Are you a plumber or a water system healer and crisis manager? Are you simply an administrative assistant or a healer to stressed minds? Are you a janitor or a healer of maintenance disasters?
Each of us have callings in life, our jobs created for a reason. we can allow our jobs as chefs, tech support, secretaries, teachers, be roles that cause us strife, or we can seek to be beacons of health and prosperity in the lives of those we interact with. Our roles as healers would help create and sustain a more harmonious world.
How? You may be asking, how can my job of solving someone's miscellaneous technology issue be a call to healing? The concept is so simple we often forget: healing occurs when the body is able to maintain homeostasis. When people are stressed because their hard drive containing important files crashes, stress sores and the body loses touch of its ability to heal. Their call to someone who can heal their computer in turn relieves their worries and calms their nerves allowing the body to return to a homeostatic balance, preventing or boosting ability to fight dis-ease.
So here it is ladies and gentlemen, your call to be a healer. Your call to answer the worldwide plea for help. Everyday you have the ability (in and out of work) to be a healer. The person you smile at on the street may be reminded that today they CAN have a good day, your boss who is always nagging you for a report may find comfort in you doing the best you can. And remember, as long as you do the best you can each day then you have answered this call.
With love and light,
Lizzie Johnson
I have worn many hats in my life, some that felt pointless, some that were more worthwhile. It wasn't until I began the journey of massage therapy that I began to take on a healing mentality in everything I did. I began seeing previous work roles I had in life as more meaningful than what I had initially considered. Think of your job, are you a carpenter? Or a healer of furniture and creator of homes? Are you a plumber or a water system healer and crisis manager? Are you simply an administrative assistant or a healer to stressed minds? Are you a janitor or a healer of maintenance disasters?
Each of us have callings in life, our jobs created for a reason. we can allow our jobs as chefs, tech support, secretaries, teachers, be roles that cause us strife, or we can seek to be beacons of health and prosperity in the lives of those we interact with. Our roles as healers would help create and sustain a more harmonious world.
How? You may be asking, how can my job of solving someone's miscellaneous technology issue be a call to healing? The concept is so simple we often forget: healing occurs when the body is able to maintain homeostasis. When people are stressed because their hard drive containing important files crashes, stress sores and the body loses touch of its ability to heal. Their call to someone who can heal their computer in turn relieves their worries and calms their nerves allowing the body to return to a homeostatic balance, preventing or boosting ability to fight dis-ease.
So here it is ladies and gentlemen, your call to be a healer. Your call to answer the worldwide plea for help. Everyday you have the ability (in and out of work) to be a healer. The person you smile at on the street may be reminded that today they CAN have a good day, your boss who is always nagging you for a report may find comfort in you doing the best you can. And remember, as long as you do the best you can each day then you have answered this call.
With love and light,
Lizzie Johnson
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