Hello all,

It’s been a while since my last post and it’s good to return.  I just returned from a beautiful and tranformative two weeks in Peru.  The focus of the journey was a combination of exploring some indigenous cultures and spiritual awakening.  Of course, you can’t go to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu and our group spent two days there. But one of the most powerful parts of the journey came near the end when I traveled to a small island in Lake Titicaca called Amantani.  Our boat was greeted by a group of the most heart-centered people I have ever met– men, women and children alike– and I lived among them long enough to get a sense of life there.  Their lives are based on the value of community and living in right relationship with both self and community.  Joy seemed to radiate from the eyes of these sweet people and I was so  moved by their generosity and their strong connection to nature.

I’m always curious about how different cultures care for their elders.  It was immediately clear that old age does not equal debilitation on Amantani.  Several older adults helped to carry our gear from the boat to the house by tying a large cloth around the gear and hauling it on their backs up a path.  I DO mean up, too, as the terrain is really hilly and the elevation is somewhere around 13,000 feet!   I saw old women herding sheep.  People walk everywhere– there are no cars.  Food is fresh and prepared simply.  At the end of my stay I asked our guide about the elders.  Elders who have needs are cared for by families as I assumed was the case.  But the thing I made note of is that she said they just don’t have many debilitating diseases such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.  She said people there don’t expect to get sick in old age.

I’ve thought about this a lot since my return and have formulated a question about it and would love to get your feedback on it.  I wonder how much of our decline in old age stems from the “learned expectation” in our culture that as we age it is a given that our health will deteriorate. 

I understand that the answer is complex, but an idea worth pondering I think…

To a healthy and well old age,
Ann

Starting a business is really challenging for many reasons,. Somethings can be avoidedn but one thing you will always need for any business is customers. Not just any customers, you want to attract the right customers. Some people might confuse massage therapist for (lack of a better word) “prostitutes”". Please keep in mind that you are educated, you spent your hard earned money to get that education, along with your time to become a proffesional, don’t let anyone insult you and your proffesion. One thing that is really important to me in my practice is proper draping. I tell all potential clients that I use proper draping, and some people become clients and others don’t. If they decide not to get a massage from me because I drape, I don’t take it personally, its their loss, and I don’t want them as clinets anyways. For those people that do become clients, I find that they really appreciate the draping. It makes them feel safe that they are in the hands of a proffesional.

Bee Healthy. Bee Happy. Bee Well…

I came across an interesting thread on the indeed.com job forums (very enlightening reading!) asking what to do about being bored when doing massage.  I have to say that I was quite shocked to think that people are bored doing massage.  I have been doing it for 20 years and I have to say I have been a lot of things – burned out, frustrated, sad, excited, sick, tired but never bored.  There is too much going on to be bored.

In The Heart of The Soul, Gary Zukav says,

?Boredom is a flight from what is important. Like workaholism and perfectionism, it is a way of distracting yourself from inner experiences. It occurs when you look outward and do not find anything to engage your attention. Instead of feeling your emotions – becoming aware of the functioning of your energy system – you become bored. Boredom ? is a flight from your higher potential. It is fear of the transformation that wants to occur, and will occur in you, when you explore your emotions. It is your resistance to spiritual growth.?

When I posted that on the forum I got people telling me that boredom is genetic and all sorts of things. Then one person said she has gotten massage from someone who she knows is bored and she couldn’t tell the difference.

I for one would not want to be going to a bored massage therapist.  I can tell when people are working on me what their focus is for the most part.

It is hard for me to understand why people remain in a profession if they are bored.  Time is too short to waste.

If you are bored and are looking for some answers the quote above seems like a good place to start.  I guess I am never bored because every person seems like a new situation to me even though I do have weekly and even clients who come 2x a week.  I focus on what I am feeling in my hands, the clients body and my body and time flies.   I work with people to engage them in the process of massage often asking them to compare sides after working one arm or asking them how things feel when I feel tightness.  Letting them give words to what they are feeling helps people focus inside.

Yes and staying present is the goal and challenge at all times.  Sometimes it is easier than others.  Presence is what creates the therapeutic relationship which is really the basis for healing.  Having presence requires that you are able to look at your own feelings and have them without acting on them.  Clients will be able to heal better and faster when in the presence of someone with presence.  It will enhance your ability to use your intuition in massage sessions.  It is also the key to preventing burnout which is so common in the massage profession.  Working with presence can leave you feeling refreshed after a day of doing massage.  Creating presence allows you to go beyond your techniques and connect with people on a very deep level.  It is also the key to overcoming boredom while doing massage.

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana talks about it on her blog here at Massage Magazine and  her website  www.healingfromthecore.com which has a few really great articles on creating presence.

Just wondering if there are others out there are bored and why or what are you doing about it or are you just fine being bored doing massage?

There is nothing like learning something new to stimulate our mind/body with fresh impressions from which to grow, and to shock it out of old patterns of thinking, learning, feeling and doing. This is essential for massage therapy professionals since the quality of what we do not only impacts the effectiveness of the treatments we give our clients and patients, but also directly influences the living we make in doing it. Most of us are familiar with the expression, ?if you don?t use it, you lose it,? and that certainly holds some validity. However, I think that massage therapy practitioners are less inclined to accept another similar truth, which is, if you do not seek to grow, even that which you know and do well will over time deteriorate and weaken — become stale. It?s not very different from body-builders who stop working out, soon after all their muscles begin turning to fat.

Becoming a health care practitioner, such as a massage therapist, is a commitment to life long learning and professional development. It is a responsibility that comes with being called a professional which is defined as ?possessing great skill or experience in a field or activity.? Although we know that children are naturally curious, as adults we can become complacent about learning new things, and it doesn?t usually get easier as we age. It should be no surprise that habits and patterns become more fixed as we become older and more settled and ?uncomfortably comfortable in our ways.? Every massage therapist forms habits and patterns of treating after doing what they have been doing for years. Therapists can easily become fixed and reach a point of stagnation. This doesn?t mean that practitioners are not doing a good job at what they do. Many have reached a high level of skill and get wonderful results. However, if nothing is done to continue to cultivate that, then it will eventually begin to wilt. What is worse, is that you may not even realize it until you notice your practice dwindling.

Brushing up on old knowledge and techniques after years of experience will often lead to greater and deeper insight into what you already know and do which will immediately reflect positively in your treatments. Expanding your knowledge and technical base with training in new specialty areas is another powerful way to enhance your level of skill and breathe new life into your practice. The trends in our field are changing rapidly. Getting stuck in old patterns and habits of doing massage therapy, thinking that you know enough or that you are good enough can quietly leave you years behind relative to the speed and direction in which the Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Profession is moving. It won?t be long before clients are asking you questions about techniques and forms of treatment you haven?t heard of yourself. You really must keep up!

We owe it to ourselves as professionals to continue learning and training in our chosen profession. It is vital that all massage therapists hold a view that it is their personal and professional responsibility to seek continuing education. Most of all, we owe it to our clients and patients who depend on us for the best and most effective treatments possible. Make it your personal commitment to seek self-improvement and continue to serve your clients with safety and competency. Give your self the gift of Continuing Education this year. The massage therapist in you will deeply appreciate it, and so will all your clients.

Discussion: At one time or another every massage therapist experiences periods in which his or her practice becomes stale. Boredom sets in, and treating becomes mechanical and rote. I’d love to hear different experiences related to this and what action, if any, was taken to combat your “massage fatigue” and to renew and reenrgize your love for Massage Therapy and Bodywork. Did you find that taking new or refresher CE courses in your modality helped? Did attending a regional or national professional association conference or convention where you could be around many of your peers rejuvenate your passion for the field? Let’s hear!!

If the topic of health food is about getting healthy through nutrition while health care is about managing sickness, doesn?t it make sense to spend more money on quality nutrition than on medical insurance? Some health conscious people do spend more on quality health food in a month than they do on insurance. These are usually the healthiest individuals who need insurance coverage the least.

Others, who base their food choices on cost while ignoring nutritional value, are often those who consume the least quality nutrition. When a double cheeseburger costs less than $2, a family of 5 can eat for $10. Unfortunately, unhealthy food like that has been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Of course, food is a necessity while health food and health insurance are more like luxuries these days. No one wants to be without coverage if medical treatment becomes necessary, but everyone wants to avoid ever using it. Food, on the other hand is something that people use every day.  If everyone consumes quality health food, that could be a deciding factor in the level of health for Americans.

The problem is that if we all get healthy, then how will insurance and drug companies make money? What if we need fewer medical treatments and drugs? Would insurance companies focus on paying more for preventative care such as health food, rather than medical tests and procedures? Would pharmaceutical manufacturers focus on creating health food instead of medicine? The only way to know for sure is to either get sick and use the insurance coverage, or buy the best health food and see how life develops.

Good day!   I like to ask my students “What moves you to work with those in eldercare or hospice?”  Over the years, some themes have emerged from the responses I’ve heard.  I’d like to share them with you here because I assume if you are reading this you have some degree of interest in working with elders or others with life-limiting illness. So, here’s what folks have told me.

“I’ve had a personal experience that led me to want to serve.”  These experiences range from having a grandmother in a nursing home to a close family member receiving hospice care to having grown up around older adults.  Those who identify with this report having both a comfort level and a desire to ‘give back’.

“I’ve been a massage therapist for a number of years and it’s taken a toll on my body.  I want to prolong my career and perhaps working with this population would be a good option.”  These therapists have a number of years in the profession and desire to find work that isn’t as physically taxing, thereby extending the longevity of their career.

“I don’t know exactly, but  I want to do this work– I just feel called in my heart to do it!”  This is the most common reason I hear.  The circumstances leading to the desire to work with this population can’t be pin-pointed, however there is a strong pull toward this form of service. 

Is one reason better than another? Of course not.  I think the most important thing is for each of us to ask the question and come up with our own answer. So, I ask you, “What moves YOU to want to work with this special population?”  I’d love to hear!
Take good care and enjoy the summer,
Ann

Since this post is not intended as an attack on the National Certification Board, I decided it would be okay to post it.  The readership needs to weigh in on this, as they are about to undertake an important project:

The NCBTMB announced today in a press release that the organization is getting on with the task of offering an advanced certification examination, with a target date for the exam to start beta testing in April 2010.

While I applaud any effort from them towards that at all, the issue here is that I think they’re a little off target, before they get started. I have heard input from hundreds of therapists who would be interested in gaining an advanced certification in their area of expertise, such as Medical Massage, Oncology Massage, Maternity Massage, and so forth. I haven’t heard anyone say they would line up to take a general type of exam. Furthermore, since the day the MBLEx was introduced, the NCB has propagated their existing exams as the hallmark of advanced knowledge, even though in reality it is an entrance-level exam, so they’ve kind of lost ground by way of their own press.

I think it is of the utmost importance for the massage community to weigh in on this before this Job Task Analysis gets off to a big start. The NCB has reportedly assembled a team of 20 experts in the field to lead this effort that is to take place in November.

I will forward all answers to this on to the powers that be at the NCB. PLEASE weigh in: Would you be interested in taking a modality-specific exam, and if so, in what area of expertise would you seek that advanced certification?

OR would you be interested in taking a general advanced certification exam that just designates you as an advanced professional?

Does either of these work for you? Come on, people, we need for our voices to be heard on this one.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Social Networking is the latest craze as many of you are well aware of.  Figuring out what is the best use of your time is important when considering participating in these networks.  How will you find the best opportunities to get new and repeat clients?

Twitter is one of the easiest to use and get results with.   If you don’t know what twitter is yet, it is an online network that you sign up with for free.  Create a twitter account to just be used with your business.  Twitter is unique in that it only allows you a few sentences of space to use to communicate with people.   But who are you communicating with?   People can sign up to ‘follow’ your postings.  But where do you get people?   The best place is to put a twitter feed on your website.  You can get the code to put a twitter badge on your website by going to the Settings page.  In about the middle of that section there is a place for you to put your website address but right under that is a link that says:

(You can also add Twitter to your site here)

Click on that and click on the other tab (or one of the others if you are using one of those systems for your website.)  Click to create a badge.  You can add what you want it to say on the top or whether or not you want to create a flash badge or a html badge.  The flash badge will be interactive and show people’s reply ( I think!) So just copy and paste the code into your webpage where you want it.  I have mine on my homepage above the fold (near the top) where it is the highest profile and also on my services pages.  I also just created a twitter page that people can go to directly.  You can see how I am using it at www.massageseattle.net  I actually just started using it last week and have already gotten 3 new clients.  I also have quite a few visitors to my website and it already gets me a lot of calls but I think it will help even more by making this info of my schedule availability more public.  I am also sending a series of posts based using “you know you need a massage when you ….” and then will do a top ten reasons for getting a massage or something like that and see how that goes.

Facebook – Facebook is fairly time consuming.  It is really important to set up a business only listing.  What facebook is better for is finding your old high school buddies and long lost loves.  You are supposedly not allowed to set up more than one facebook profile.  They do have a way to make a business page and have it connected to your personal page but to me it is not private enough.  I personally don’t mix clients and friends.  You can use facebook to create more messages and even use it like a mini website if you don’t already have your own.  You can search facebook members to find businesses and doctors or other people who you want in your referral network and ask them to be your friend.  You can write a small newsletter like posts.  People can post on your wall or you can opt to not allow people to do that.  The thing I don’t like about Facebook is that people who become your friends will also have access to see each others profiles which may not be a good thing for your clients who want their privacy.  I did find a facebook group for my office building when they were having an open house that I could become a fan of and post my message about being the massage therapist in the building.

Linkedin in works sort of the same way as facebook but it doesn’t connect you with all of your old friends.  Linkedin is more of a professional networking site.  They also have a section where people ask questions like yahooanswers but it is much more professional than answers is.  You may possibly find someone looking for a massage but it is more like looking for a needle in the haystack.

I am not a big fan of social networking because of the time it takes to put into it all.  I would rather be writing a new article for my website to educate people who are already interested in getting a massage.  My website is found for the keywords that I have chosen – downtown seattle massage and it comes up first on Google and most of the other major search engines so writing there is more targeted advertising.  Also writing more content and educating people about massage and muscles and how the body and massage work together is a way of building trust with people.  When they read a website full of information and research they will get the feeling that you know what you are doing and trust you enough to make the call.

So if you are using one of these or other social networking sites successfully I would love to know what you are doing!

Steven Schenkman is an established leader in the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He served as President of The New York College for Wholistic Health, Education, and Research (now known as the NY College of Health Professions) from 1989 through 2001. The college offers associates and bachelor?s degree programs in massage and bodywork therapy, master?s degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, certificate programs in holistic nursing and physical arts. Under his leadership the Institution evolved into a premiere college for holistic education and developed the first Associate?s Degree program in massage therapy in the country in 1992. Steven has also demonstrated leadership and commitment to the profession of Massage Therapy as a founding member of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) whose examination is now used in 35 states for licensing in massage therapy. He spent five years on that board. Steven also served as Chairman of the New York State Massage Therapy Board for six years and was a member for 10 years. He was also a founding member and served as President of the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA) for five years.Since 2001 Steven has been a consultant and curriculum specialist to career colleges, allied health and business schools and schools of massage therapy. Presently he is working as an independent consultant and subject matter expert with various institutions including Cortiva Institute. During his consulting career Steven has developed and written certificate, diploma and degree curricula and programs in massage therapy and western health careers. As a consultant Steven specializes in assistance with accreditation and administration, licensing, internal consulting, reorganization, curriculum and new program development, new business development, marketing & advertising and strategic planning. Steven is also a member of the Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson Delmar Leaning) Massage Advisory Board and has been contracted by Thomson to write a book on the subject of Massage Therapy entitled: Massage Therapy: What It Is and How It Works scheduled for publication in 2008.

Steven has been licensed in massage therapy in New York since 1984. He has studied and practiced Advanced Amma Therapeutic Massage and was a certified biofeedback specialist and stress management consultant. In addition, Steven was trained in acupuncture using the apprenticeship model and is a master tai chi practitioner and instructor. Steven can be reached by email at Schenkmans@aol.com and his website is www.schenkmanconsulting.com.

 I have been in the massage business for about eight years. Within these  eight years, I have practiced massage on my own, but not as a business owner and I have worked for other people in spa’s and clinics. I have noticed now that I am a business owner I seem to get less tips. When I worked in the spa’s and clinics I did get tips, but the owners would not, which I thought was fair because I am giving them half of cost of the massage. What if you are a business owner, but you are the only employee. You do all the marketing, scheduling, and practicing. Is that work worth a tip or because I am the owner is that not necessary? Any thoughts? Bee Healhy. Bee Happy. Bee Well…..