As the rain beats down it is time for some reflection on the past 13 weeks. Work ceased on March 20th and now we are approaching the solstice marking three months away from work. The initial lockdown blessed us with hot weather and the opportunity for a novel break and if you had a comfortable place to be, which I do, this was a welcome break from what is usually a very busy but rich job. I have had time to reflect on what being a massage therapist mean to me. I am still yet to understand what it brings to my clients because from what I know my clients come to me for different reasons. I hope to collect some stories of how this time has impacted my clients.
I understand massage to be a medicine forming a pillar of health that underpins the complex and intricate functioning of our bodies and minds. It is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that our mind and our body are one and neither can be treated successfully without integration of both parts. Prolonged stress in the mind directly impacts our central nervous systems and weakens the immune system. A part of my work and interest in what I do leads me to read great books on this subject and the three most astonishing reads of this year so far are; The Brain’s Way of Healing by Martin Doige, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Von Kolk and The Remarkable Life of the Skin by Monty Lyman. They all echo one another while I read the experiences of doctors of psychologists the same message is that each of us are unique and remarkable and our health is determined by our lifestyles, our environment and our biology. Seventieth century scientists believed that were machines made of parts. We are still shaking these ideas off four centuries later. We are one whole fascinating organism and we have phenomenal intelligence and my intelligence is in my touch as is the story for my fellow professionals.
Touch is a profound and unique sense and I have realised in my time away from work how I yearn for the information that my hands feed to me while I work. Sometimes I find it hard to explain what I do and I find it hard to impress on people how bodywork impacts both the receiver and me. Receiving a massage is more profound than simple a luxury indulgence. I find myself grappling for ‘evidence’ for science for some gospel truths, why is massage so important, why is it not a treat for rich people in spas? How can I prove this without massaging everyone for free who has never had a massage? What COVID-19 has shown everyone is that physical distancing has a negative impact on mental health. Who is not fed up of zoom? How many people want to sit across from their family, friends or co-workers rather than meet online? This is because there is a whole network of intelligence between our physical bodies when we are together person to person. Cells in our body exist to receive information about body language, smell, movement, temperature and we are unconsciously processing this information around us in our daily lives and making decisions from it on a conscious level. Our bodies receive none of this through the computer screen and many people can’t explain why but they know it just, ‘isn’t the same’.
In my work there is no formula as client will respond to each treatment in their own way. How will I feel some people ask? I cannot answer that honestly, I can suggest outcomes such as sleepy, refreshed, supported, vulnerable to name a few. I can say that I can confidently hold a space and work with what I feel and assure that you are safe and that I can feel the movement of heat through your body and I will be responsible and kind with you. As a receiver I have walked out of treatments floating, feeling full of energy, totally refreshed. In Thailand I have tolerated what feels like a punishment only to find an hour later that I have never felt so light and well! Other massages, which have been near the same, the same therapist, the same space, the same style, I have left feeling vulnerable, tried and read to be private and quiet. My job as a therapist is to ensure that you leave feeling grounded because we can disturb a lot of feeling and the last outcome that I want for my clients or myself when I receive is to feel headachy and exposed. With this in mind when you return to your therapies it is worth being mindful that it may have been a long time since you have been touched either in a therapeutic capacity or at all. I can only recommend that to get the most from your treatments that you attend on a semi-regular basis: 4 to 8 week regularity really allows the magic of bodywork to have a sustainable impact. Massage is for me part of a healthy lifestyle and is like I have mentioned already one of the pillars that underpins good health. Support your body with balanced nutrition, dental health and exercise and bodywork and your will find yourself able to function more efficiently with the demands of life. Making time for ourselves is often a challenge as there is a spell of productivity upon us in the modern world. Making the decision to take care of yourself to allow yourself time to go for a treatment, cook a delicious meal or attend an exercise class will elevate your self worth and your capacity to be healthy, balanced human being which all of us deserve to be. It is a bold statement to make but I know this to be true. You don’t have to be a super-hero a martyr or lost soul or constantly ill.
Each of us have our own lived experienced on this earth and a part of my job is to be empathetic and understanding of that and this is your job too. We all have good and bad days. We can feel a whole range of emotions and so you could be the ‘luckiest’ person on the planet – rich in material wealth or love and you are still allowed to have bad days and feel unhappy. As we muddle our way out of lockdown I want to send out all the compassion and kindness and I look forward to soon welcoming you back to the clinic ready to receive you as you are on that day in that moment.