Therapeutic Touch

Yesterday I had a client pull me aside after her 50-minute massage and ask me, "Can you explain to me what it is that you are doing?"

She had come to see me 2 weeks prior, and had been very anxious going into the massage, because she had a spasm and didn't want it to be aggravated by the session.   I completely understand that, as this very thing has happened to me!  I understood that she was feeling guarded -- a bit nervous that she would get re-injured.

But I actually really love working with traumatized tissue, parts of the body that are upset, injured, angry, hurting.   There is a way that I believe the tissue wants to be acknowledged.  It wants to be seen and heard, just like the rest of us.  I guess you could say my work essentially affects the nervous system as well as the breath and the body mind.  But I do not do cranio-sacral, nor do I officially do Reiki, nor do I do trigger-point, nor do I do any particular tradition exclusively.  I do my own unique blend of these and many other types of work -- as do all of my colleagues in the biz!   It's a great line of work for creative folks, as there a gazillion different ways to approach working with the human body.

I actually call my work, "nurturing deep-tissue" (and by "deep" I don't necessarily mean working deeply into the body of the muscle.  In some situations very light touch can have a very deep impact!), and the session worked great for my client, as she came back two weeks later and pulled me aside to ask where my work is coming from.  She has received a lot of massages, and was just genuinely curious about my work. 

I work very, very slowly.  It is not for everyone.  The way I look at it, there is so much information in every little tiny "moment" in the body.  Every single part of us knows our story, knows our history, knows our fears, and knows our lessons.  The last joint on my right index finger is going to have a unique set of information as compared to - say -- my jaw or the top of the trapesius or my left ankle.  If I move too fast, I don't get to find out what that joint on the right index finger might have to say!  It can help me understand what's going on with the elbow, and with the shoulder -- with my client.

For me, therapeutic touch is a huge privilege.  My very first teacher, Johanna Putnoi, taught me to hold a space of unconditional regard for my clients.  Coming to the table for me is a humbling experience.   No matter what, living in a body is complicated!  We have sooooo many choices about how to hold ourselves, what to do with our heads, our hips, our feet.  We are constantly straining our bodies -- most of us -- all the time -- just walking around!  We have developed terrible habits based on many different factors cultural, familial, injury-related, etc.    Now add to that the normal stresses of life, job loss, birth, death, financial pressures, depression, disease.   Hopefully my clients come away feeling a little more ready to face it all..........

I'd be curious of my readers who receives regular bodywork and if you find it to be supportive of your healing process!  Comment below.