What does being a massage therapist mean? To me, it goes beyond giving someone a good "rub." Being a massage therapist is about education, professionalism, ethics, connection, and of course touch. Each one a small piece that make a massage therapist whole, and I take each of them seriously.
I spend a lot of time educating myself so that I can better help my clients. I'm an advocate of educating people, so that they can better care for themselves. It goes back to the whole fishing analogy: Catch a fish for a man and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. I don't know who originally said that, but they struck on a little bit of truth. Knowledge is like a trickling domino effect, it can be contagious and empowering. Part of what I love so much about being a massage therapist is all the knowledge. It is ever changing and ever evolving, and I am always chasing after it; sprinkling people with knowledge and universal love on my quest to help people on their path to wellness, in the small suburbs of Columbus, Ohio.
I have a mobile practice and travel to peoples' homes. Professionalism and ethics are not only important, but they keep me safe. They are the foundation and back bone of my business. They help shape and define massage therapy as a profession. Without them we risk stepping out of our boundaries, and into uncharted territories of pseudo massage (and by pseudo I mean that "other type of massage.") That type of massage has no business having interrelations with what we therapists are trying desperately to achieve. That of course, is a place in the medical community. Only to be accomplished with hard work, education, professionalism, and a code of ethics; spiced with a deep need, and desire to help other beings heal.
Touch and connection is the veil I view as weaving us all together. Sometimes they mend themselves beautifully, and other times it's like pushing the opposite ends of a magnet together. Quite a paradox. But what do I mean? Have you ever received a massage and thought, I just didn't like it? It wasn't the massage technique or the environment of the room necessarily, but something important was missing. Important enough that you noticed. Connection, maybe? Because touch is such a deep level of connection, and possibly even consciousness, it can affect both the therapist and client to their very cores. The point of a massage (at this level, and in my opinion, anyways) is for the person on my table to release the clutter in their minds and body so they step outside of their reality, and begin to relax and heal. Healing is a two way street. If someone is taking steps to reach that and has scheduled 60 whole minutes with me to achieve it, then I need to be present for my clients needs. I need to take measures to ensure I'm not clouded. I make a huge effort to make sure that whatever I'm going through in my personal life, isn't affecting my clients in non-verbal ways on the table. It requires me to drop my ego and be open to my clients energy and what it is their body is telling me. I want to deliver a good experience and results. Being naked (though draped) and touched on a table can feel vulnerable; a good connection can be the difference between a good experience with results and a bad one with an unsatisfied feeling.
I've been in this field for only a few years. Fascinated with touch and how it affects the body my whole life. While it is hard work both physically, and emotionally at times, I can't imagine massage not being a part of my life. Being a massage therapist means: I'm a student, a teacher, an entrepreneur, an advocate, a compassionate, and caring person; with the goal of helping people reconnect with themselves and live pain-free.
