Hello! My name is Anastasia and I am a Massage Therapist in Las Vegas. I stand 5*9 and weigh around 150. I am a young 22 year old with warm hands and positive energy.
I go to school at night so I only do massages until 4pm mon-fri and all day on weekends. I do outcall and have my own car, table, sheets and equipment.
I am qualified to do sweedish massage, sports massage, cranial sacral therapy, aroma therapy and hydrotherapy. Please give me a call at 702 773-7691. I look forward to meeting you very soon!
Grow Your Massage Practice Through Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances
There are many ways to generate leads for your massage practice. One of the fastest, least expensive and most powerful ways to generate leads is through joint ventures.
Having a joint venture with another business means “joining forces” with another business or practitioner that has a similar target market. By joining forces you are able to benefit each other and each of your prospective clients.
Some examples of joint ventures may be an acupuncture practice and a yoga studio working together to help clients reduce stress. A massage therapist and a local health club or personal trainer referring clients to each other. A vitamin shop and a running store teaming together to promote techniques on optimizing performance to both of their clients.
Joint ventures work in a variety of ways. Businesses can advertise together, refer clients to each other, create packages together, and share client lists to name a few things. Truly, your imagination is all that stops you from coming up with other ideas.
Let’s take a detailed look at some common joint venture techniques massage therapists have successfully used in the past:
Joint marketing. Joining forces in marketing and advertising endeavors can both reduce advertising costs as well as improve the reach of an advertisement. Look outside the massage therapy arena as well as in. Stretch yourself to think outside the box. You can implement a formal referral program with specific businesses.
Creating “packages” with another business. Look for businesses that your existing client base has an interest in, and that complement your business and that are easy to integrate products and services with each other.
For example, a massage therapist that has a patient base consisting of many young mothers may partner with a local dance studio or mother of preschoolers group (mops) to give talks on health and safety.
Another idea is to partner with local sports teams. A massage therapist may be the “official sponsor” of the local recreation center as well as most of the sports teams (such as soccer, golf, lacrosse, etc). They often have staff at events and publish health articles in rec center publications as well as have handouts, etc at the front desk. In return, the rec center and sports teams offer more value to players and their families for no additional charge. The clinic also has information for their patients about what’s going on at the rec center. It’s a win/win for both.
Another example may be a massage therapist that partners with a local restaurant and health spa to create a “bridal party package”. Brides can purchase these packages as thank-you gifts for their bridesmaids or for a “pre-wedding party” for the bridal party itself. By working together these three businesses are able to help the bride with the problem of a meaningful thank-you gift for her bridesmaids and three businesses are able to attract new clients in a unique, easy and fun way.
Refer clients to another business exclusively. Referring clients to another business is an inexpensive and solid way to grow your business. Forming an exclusive relationship with another business creates a strong relationship and a solid referral network for all involved. You may find your clients are familiar with one business, let’s use the yoga studio example, and are likely to have a positive impression of them. If you are affiliated with the yoga studio, even recommended by them that immediately separates you in the clients eyes from most other options, simply because you are referred.
Sharing client lists. This is an easy and popular joint venture opportunity for businesses large and small. Think physical mailings, handouts, email and ezines. Joint venture opportunities can range from swapping ads and sponsorships to recommending each other as resources with discounts and coupons. Having links to each other’s websites is a common technique that is simple to do too.
Joining forces with other businesses allows you to serve many of your patients needs ? even ones that you don?t provide. And it allows you to connect with people that you otherwise may not have.
One of the best ways to find joint venture partners is to have a clear vision of your target market and a clear understanding of what niche is attracted to your practice. Our ?Practice Specialization Package? at A Marketing Connection may be just what you need to get your marketing out of stagnate mode and into profitability.
Kelly Robbins also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, ?5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits? at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.
I am a massage therapist/acupuncturist. I have a theory/speculation about how the binding down of the fascia interferes with the integrity of the energy meridians. Would you have any theories/insight, knowledge/research on this subject?
Dear Ramsay,
I believe that you are totally correct. Yes, Myofascial restrictions are capable of compressing the acupuncture meridians with up to approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. This crushing pressure can impede the flow of ?chi? (energy) through the acupuncture meridians.
I learned acupuncture a long time ago. I initially used neuroprobe (electronic acupuncture) and cold laser on the acupuncture points. I then went to Hong Kong to learn as much as I could. In Hong Kong I learned to use my hands to stimulate the ?chi? along the meridians. I then applied the Myofascial Release principles to the ?chi? meridian system, which produced even greater results.
I have a son with Down syndrome. Respiratory and sinus issues create a huge challenge in the day to day health of someone with DS. My pediatrician told me that because of his head shape, my son would have to live with the infections and the subsequent cracked and bleeding nose and lips. After my son suffered with constant infections for 4 years, I decided to start researching natural ways to support his health. I was on a mission to not only remove the symptoms but actually evoke a permanent healing. I took a class on the healing benefits of essential oils. I started applying oils directly to his sinus cavity, chest and feet. I diffused oils into the air with a cold air diffuser that allowed him to breath in the droplets while he was sleeping. He started getting better.
The first month I used tons of oils on him – going through 6-8 15ml bottles. The next month I used less and by the end of 3 months the infections were gone! For the next year at the start of each season he would begin to get some mucus but once again I applied essential oils to his sinus cavity, in his nose and on his feet. I also diffused them into the air. Within days the symptoms were gone and never got to the infection stage.
Now seven years later, he is rarely sick. Last year he got an award at school for not missing one day. Imagine a child who is supposed to have a genetically low immune system not missing one day of school! This year he would have gotten the same award but we took him out of school for a week to visit his grandparents in Europe.
Passionate about essential oils? You bet I am. Passionate about using oils with my massage clients? Absolutely. Essential oils deliver much more than relaxation. That is the ?aroma? part of essential oils. What can also be offered is the ?therapy? part?..this is where the grade of oil you use becomes more important than what you use it for.
Understanding Massage Therapy Through a Taoist Idea
In my new book due out October, 2009, Massage Therapy: What It Is and How It Works by Cengage Learning, one of the things I do is develop an idea called ?The Three Paradigms.? It was borne out of long, deep discussions in which I partook in 1990 as an original member of the Job Analysis Advisory Committee (JAAC), formed by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The JAAC ultimately led to the formation of the first National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and I served on that board as a founding member for almost five years. At that time, we presented the essential conclusions of our discussions in a brief article entitled, ?Three Paradigms, Five Approaches? in the Massage Therapy Journal, Summer 1991. It was co-authored by Carl Dubitsky, OBT, LMT, Patricia Benjamin, PhD, Raymond Castellino, DC, RPP, Jeffery Maitland, PhD and myself, Steven Schenkman.
Almost twenty years later, based on my own experience, observations, and thought and after years of further dialogue and discussion, I have greatly expanded on that initial idea in my book. I have always found ?The Three Paradigms? so central to understanding the scope of massage and yet no one ever took them and ran with them. That?s one of the things I try to do in my book. For years I?ve discussed them and often used them as the foundation of lectures and classes I taught.
For the purpose of this blog, I wanted to briefly touch upon an aspect of ?The Three Paradigms,? which opens up an important way to understand and view the entire field. When correctly understood, these three paradigms provide comprehension and insight into the full scope of massage therapy practice and its many positive, healthful benefits and outcomes. They are as classified as follows:1) Relaxation and Stress Reduction, 2) Remediation, Therapy and Pain Relief and 3) Holistic or Integrative. These Three Paradigms together form an overlapping continuum of potential practice and treatment beginning at the most basic levels of touch, leading to the most comprehensive and advanced levels of therapeutic treatment and holistic care practiced in bodywork today. The idea of different paradigms in massage therapy is one that is intimately bound to the length and depth of successful education and training, continuing education, professional development and the extent of a therapist?s practical experience.
In Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, there is a fundamental principle that reflects and gives explanation to the inner process of what takes place, either consciously or unconsciously, during the process of learning and becoming a massage therapist. It is the principle of ?Li (pronounced lee)? precedes Qi (pronounced chee).? It means that Li, the underlying notion or the idea of any ?thing? must first exist before it becomes manifest into material being through Qi, — the energy or vital force used to bring it into reality. In short, — idea precedes manifestation. For example, before a skyscraper can be built it first comes into existence as an idea in the mind of its architect who then puts all the detail down on paper to create blueprints of the building. The blueprints are then brought to life through the energy or Qi of the builders who turn it into a three dimensional physical reality. So in a sense the Li of anything is really like an invisible blueprint. This parallels very closely how in massage therapy the depth, quality and the extent of how ultimately what manifests through a massage therapist?s hands will be a reflection of how well they have developed the ?Li?s? of understanding their paradigm of practice and the particular bodywork or massage therapy modality used to facilitate that practice.
As massage therapy students evolve into professional practitioners, they absorb and then integrate their training and practical experiences into a kind of ?blueprint of understanding.? With the right attention and efforts, this understanding grows into a comprehensive framework or paradigm that equals the efforts practitioners have made to embrace their education and hone their technical skills. In the end it?s the clients and patients who become the fortunate (or unfortunate) recipients of the paradigm of practice that emanates as intention (or LI) through their massage therapist?s hands.
Discussion: I would love to hear more of people?s thoughts on this important idea of the direct connection between the depth and quality of practitioners? understanding of their work and how it impacts their level of competence, excellence, sensitivity and palpatory skills and the overall results of their treatments in whatever of the Three Paradigms they practice from.
In 2007, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) surprised many in the massage and bodywork community with this announcement: Videos of any type could no longer be included in home-study and online courses unless NCBTMB-approved instructors offer one-day workshops to monitor and test home-study participants on the techniques presented in the videos. Furthermore, home-study reading material was restricted from displaying photos or diagrams of hands-on techniques without a one-day testing seminar. Bottom line: Continuing education credits could only be granted upon successful completion of the home-study program in addition to the one-day supervised workshop if any hands-on techniques were displayed in the material.
Denticulate Ligaments (DLs) are strands of connective tissue that suspend the spinal cord within its membrane sac, which is called the dual tube.
The dural tube is comprised of three layers of membrane surrounding the spinal cord. The membrane layer attached to the surface of the spinal cord is called the pia mater. The layer surrounding the pia mater is called the arachnoid membrane, and the layer surrounding the arachnoid membrane is called the dura mater.
DLs extend from the inner surface of the pia mater, travel through the pia mater, through the arachnoid membrane and then attach to the inner surface of the dura mater.
There are 21 pairs of DLs on the lateral aspects of the spinal cord. The first is attached to the foramen magnum. The last is attached to the conus medullaris, which is the end of the spinal cord at L1, and a small portion of the Filum Terminale (FT) beginning at the conus medullaris. The FT is a band of tissue extending from the conus medullaris to the coccyx that is made of spinal cord glial cells surrounded by pia mater.
DLs and FT shortening, twisting, bending or immobility can place adverse stress upon the spinal cord leading to neurological strain and dysfunction. Conversely, balancing the DLs and FT can decrease spinal cord stress which in turn can enhance neurological function.
DLs are fascinating components of the dural tube that seem, to me, to create a ligamentous suspension system cradling the spinal cord. Very little DL research is available.
These questions arise when I ponder and work the DLs and FT:
1) Since the spinal cord needs to move in its bony container more than the brain tissue does in its container, do the DLs provide protection and flexibility while allowing motion?
2) The dura mater of the dural tube is only one layer thick rather than the two layers within the cranium, so do the DLs create additional tube strength without compromising movement?
3) As the spinal cord moves within the spinal canal do the DLs, like thousands of tiny interlinked bungee cords, help dissipate stress and allow the spinal cord to find its most favorable position?
4) Structures that can affect the spinal cord, such as the occiput, spinal column, sacrum and coccyx, dural tube, adipose tissue within the spinal canal and nerve roots can each have restrictive patterns that in turn can distress the spinal cord. Do the DLs help to protect the spinal cord by balancing, dissipating and fine-tuning tension that is transmitted to the spinal cord?
5) Some theories suggest that there is a down and up flow of cerebrospinal fluid within the dural tube. Since the DLs separate the dural tube into anterior and posterior compartments, could that then organize the flow of cerebrospinal fluid?
I hope you?ll join me next month to explore this suspension system further. I’ll share some ideas on how to feel and work with DLs and the FT.
References:
Cramer, Gregory D., D.C., Ph.D., and Darby, Susan A., Ph.D., Basic and Clinical Anatomy of the Spine, Spinal Cord, and ANS, Second Edition, Elsevier Mosby, St. Louis, Missouri, 2005.
Tubbs, Shane R., M.S., PA-C; Salter, George, Ph.D.; Grabb, M.D.; and Oakes, Jerry W., M.D. ; ?The denticulate ligament: anatomy and functional significance?, J. Neurosurg: Spine / Volume 94 / April 2001.
I just read that AMTA Massage Industry Research Report says:
Nearly sixty percent (57.8 percent) of school administrators responded that the average age of students has declined at their school in the past five years, according to the 2008 AMTA Massage School Survey. School administrators estimate that the average student is 30 years old, with 36.6 percent being 25 years old or less.
The National Average for massage therapists was 45 and is now about 40 and is continuing to decline according to these facts. (that of course are not public information – another of my AMTA pet peeves!)
What does that mean for the massage profession?
I have been seeing a trend through my website www.massage-career-guides.com where I talk about what it takes to become a massage therapist that more people right out of high school are wanting to go to massage school. Their main question is ‘do I have to take math?’ If people are coming to a career in massage just to get out of taking math classes what will that do to the profession? Do they have the maturity to hold the therapeutic relationship?
Careers in massage are becoming more appealing to younger people but with only a 500 hour training program I for once don’t think it is enough. I come from the camp that less education is really better and that anyone can take a 100 hour massage school training and provide adequate relaxation massage and also bill insurance companies if they want to learn the ropes on how to do that as massage for stress is applicable to just about everything!
But thinking about high school kids wanting to become a massage therapist I usually tell them to go to college and get a degree in business and marketing and then decide later if you still want to go.
If people are coming to the massage profession just to get out of taking math or they are also drawn by the so called ‘ high wages’ that of course is not true – where has the passion and a calling to help people gone? For me being a massage therapist is a lifestyle and a way of life and a great road for personal and professional development.
I think it is about time we do start thinking about creating 4 year college programs like Japan or 3 year training programs like Canada for these younger people. My concern is that will massage just be massage – in the totally pure physical sense without the emotional, mental, and spiritual healing aspects?
Who is studying these trends and working on keeping up with them in our massage training programs?
I have used the Pressurestat Model as an explanation of the craniosacral rhythm (CSR) for most of my career as a CranioSacral Therapy practitioner. Recently in my work my view of this model has changed, and as a consequence newfound awareness has developed.
The Pressurestat Model, which was created by John Upledger, DO, OMM, proposes that: 1) normal drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) out of the craniosacral system is ongoing, and 2) areas in the brain producing CSF normally do so in an on-and-off sequence, called cycles. These cycles cause a rise and fall in the total amount of CSF and pressure within the craniosacral system, brain and spinal cord. In turn, these fluid pressure changes generate the CSR. (1)
It can be helpful to periodically contemplate the models we use in our practice. The process can add greater clarity and nuance to our work, whether our thinking and research changes or re-confirms our concepts, models, or techniques.
The following questions arose for me one day: If CSF change within the craniosacral system is the primary force producing the CSR, then how much fluid per cycle is actually moving the system? Does this amount of fluid seem to be enough to create the CSR? Can a small amount of fluid within a container, such as the craniosacral system (CSS), create a large response?
When I divide the average volume of CSF produced daily, which is 650 milliliters, by the model?s average daily cycles, which are 12,960 cycles per day, I get a change in volume of approximately .05 milliliter of new CSF created per cycle, which is about 1/10th teaspoon. (2)
Is this enough fluid to move the craniosacral system, cranial bones, face, spinal column, sacrum, brain, spinal cord, and generate enough on-and-off pressure upon the motor cortex to elicit full body response?
While standing in the kitchen I measure out 1/10th teaspoon of water, place it in my palm and rock it back and forth in my hand. I feel it move, its weight and pressure upon my skin. As I do this I imagine the entire craniosacral system, brain and spinal cord being moved by this amount of fluid. Is this enough to move the craniosacral system and related structures? If not, then what else helps create the CSR?
Perhaps CSF movement is only one oscillation in a combined wave pattern consisting of many oscillations, which is created by merging of the body?s anatomical and physiological oscillations. Then the rhythmic motion we feel as the CSR could be a blend of biological frequencies. Perchance the CSR is not a separate rhythm moving the body, but is part of the body?s collective vibrations. (3)
Try this: place your hands at the thoracic inlet. Identify some of the structures in the area, such as: clavicles, sternum, upper lungs, thymus, thoracic spine, muscles, Vagus nerve, sympathetic chain, brachiocephalic veins, carotid arteries, spinal cord, dural tube, and trachea. Each one of these structures and their processes individually produces its own specific oscillation. These frequencies also unite forming an overall harmonic rhythmic pattern. What does the overall pattern feel like? What do the individual anatomical and physiological patterns feel like?
Now feel these structures and processes moving in response to another motion, the CSR. First identify the CSR, and then feel the structures moving in synchrony with the CSR. Are you feeling structure and function move in relationship to another rhythm, one that is moving them?
Is the CSR providing a fundamental pattern that is a primary organizing frequency within an individual? Is this rhythm shaping one’s existence from the micro level of particles to entire body? William Sutherland, DO, the creator of Cranial Osteopathy, proposed an elegant relationship between cerebrospinal fluid and vital forces generating life, motion and stillness within the body, which he called ?The Breath of Life?. (4)
So, I began with wondering what creates the CSR and have come full circle to still not knowing. Yet, pondering the CSR has led me to feel, perceive, and use the body?s remarkable harmonic and disharmonic frequencies in new and exciting ways. Also, I have a clearer intuitive sense of what fits within my view of nature, the human body, and what I sense while working with clients.
In your opinion, what is creating the CSR? What model do you use to explain the CSR? Does your work change if your model of the CSR changes? How do you explain the CSR to your clients?
Reference List:
1. Upledger, John E., D.O., O.M.M., and Vredevoogd, Jon D., M.F.A., 1983, Craniosacral Therapy. Eastland Press, Seattle, Washington.
2. Agamanolis, Dimitri, P., M.D., et al., Neuropathology, An Illustrated Interactive Course For Medical Students and Residents. Chapter Fourteen, Cerebrospinal Fluid. Northeastern Ohio Universities College Of Medicine, http://www.neuropathologyweb.org/chapter14/chapter14CSF.html.
3. Chaitow, Leon, ND, D.O., 1999, Cranial Manipulation Theory and Practice. Churchill Livingston, London, England.
4. Sutherland, William, G., D.O., Teachings In The Science Of Osteopathy. 1990, Rudra Press.
Illustration by Tad Wanveer,LMBT, CST-D, Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved.
Most state massage boards are now requiring criminal record checks and fingerprints from their applicants; some have been doing it for years, so it’s not exactly news. Some therapists are resentful of this, mainly due to the extra expense, and some view it as unfair, especially if there are other licensed occupations in their states that are not subject to the same rule.
There are a couple of bigger issues here: most of those boards don’t have a procedure in place that would allow a potential massage student to submit their criminal record to the board for a review before they spend the time and money to attend school.
Even worse, schools frequently make light of the criminal record of an applicant; they’re looking at the bottom line and nothing else. As a member of our state board, I hear that all the time when someone comes to appeal the decision not to give them a license: “But my school director said that wasn’t going to be a problem!” In the case of our community colleges, they’re not allowed to turn someone down because of a criminal record.
I don’t mean to imply that every school owner is money-hungry enough that they take just anyone, in spite of their record. Maybe a school owner who wouldn’t allow a rapist into their program thinks it’s not a problem to let someone in who has been convicted of theft, public drunkenness, a drug charge, trespassing, or resisting arrest…perhaps they look and think, “oh, that’s not too serious; they’ll be able to get licensed.” The problem is, they don’t have any way of knowing that.
Our board has turned down applicants who had criminal records that were 8 or 9 pages long; even if it was all petty crimes, it was obvious that the person was just a career criminal. When we are assessing whether or not to license someone, we use the following criteria:
What was the crime(s)?
How old was the applicant when it was committed?
How long ago did it occur?
Was it violent or sexual in nature?
Was the crime an isolated incident or a chronic pattern of behavior?
Does the person have an obvious problem with substance abuse that accompanies those crimes, or that they attribute the criminal acts to?
Has the applicant shown any proof of rehabilitation? For how long?
I like to think that I am fair and compassionate. I like to think that I possess enough of that compassion to give someone who has made a mistake in the past a second chance to make something better of themselves, especially if they can stand in front of me and give a convincing argument of why they deserve a second chance. In fact, having had personal family experiences with substance abusers who had a criminal past and who turned their lives around, I’m probably inclined to be more sympathetic than many other people.
The problem is, a sociopath is a natural con artist who can smile at you while plotting the next criminal act he or she is going to commit, whether that’s a sexual assault or stealing your wallet. They can be terribly convincing. There are people who have infiltrated our profession because they thought this would be a good place to meet a fresh crop of victims, and they’re right.
It’s not always a black and white call of whether or not someone has shown sufficient proof of rehabilitation. What’s the proof? We get letters from family members and employers. We have ministers show up at the hearings, proclaiming that the person is now on the straight and narrow, never mind that they’ve only been that way for a month or two. We have the applicants themselves begging and crying big tears in front of a room full of people, blaming it all on their bad childhood and how they got under the influence of the wrong people.
Regulatory boards are charged with protecting the public. That’s why they exist. And believe me, the board members are not bad guys who just want to turn down every person who has made some foolish decisions. I often come home from a meeting wondering if I made the right decision, regardless of which way I voted.
If you’re still a massage student, and you have a criminal record, be very aware that you are spending your time and your money going to school at your own risk. Regardless of what your program director tells you, it isn’t up to them. You may not get a license. If you’re one of those program directors who tells students that “you’re not going to have a problem,” you’re doing them a big disservice, because again, it isn’t up to you. You should be ethical enough to give applicants a strong warning that if they have a record, they are going to be scrutinized by the massage board, and they may not get a license. Be absolutely certain that they understand that before they sign your school contract. It’s your duty, and it’s the only right thing to do.
I have treated dogs, cats, birds and race horses successfully using my Myofascial Release principles. Cathleen recently asked the following question on my latest blog:
?Good evening Mr. Barnes,
I?m interested in taking Mark Barnes Equine 1 with Tamara Rapier. What results have you seen with the horses? Do the principles and teaching of Mark Barnes? course mirror your own? Do you recommend the course and Miss Rapier as a teacher and practitioner?
Your insight and direction are sincerely appreciated.
Best,
Cathleen?
Animals respond even faster than humans to Myofascial Release techniques. Their life is motion. They become an active participant in their treatment.
For more information on equine Myofascial Release, call Tamara Rapier (573-694-0350 or inquiry@myofascialrelease.com ) or Cathy Covell (260-829-6363 or http://www.motionforlife.net/ ). Both are incredible therapists that teach the Myofascial Release principles that mirror mine and I highly recommend their equine Myofascial Release seminars.
