The massage therapist / client relationship is a unique
blend of trust and communication. Once
the therapist has determined the needs and goals for the session through a
pre-massage consultation, the stage is set for what I like to call an energetic
pas de deux. As instruments of
exploration, my hands become my eyes. Through
pressure and subtle manipulation of tissue, I am able to sense specific areas
of tension within the client’s body.
Depending on how those areas are manipulated and how well the client is
able to use a combination of breathing and relaxation to release the specific
tension determines the effectiveness of the massage. The ancient art of massage is a potent
therapy when applied with knowledge and focused intention. The giver and receiver must be willing to
trust one another in an act of mutual surrender; one to the heart that honors
the spirit of life, the other to the hand that irons the wrinkles from the
fabric of humanity.
A teacher of mine once used the analogy that the body is
like a tent. The tent poles being our
bones, the outer fabric of the tent equates to our skin, and the muscles,
tendons and ligaments are like the “guy lines” anchoring the tent to the
ground. Each of these in turn give us
our shape, or more specifically; our posture.
Posture is our dynamic presentation to the universe. It begins at birth and it adapts to every
task or event that we perform throughout our lives. Sports you have played, injuries you have
sustained, emotional stresses you have endured; all dictate how each body
adapts and compensates over time to physical demands or challenges. Imagine for a moment what happens when one of
those “guy lines” is put under excessive tension; the shape of the tent
changes. So too, when one of our muscles
is under excessive tension, our posture changes in order to keep us standing
upright and our eyes level with the horizon.
Many times these changes create postural imbalances, which over time
begin to exhibit symptoms of discomfort and pain. My goal as a therapist then is to assist the
body in releasing these structural imbalances so that normal pain free
functionality is restored and overall posture is improved.
In my work, I visualize the 600 some odd bags of tissue we
call muscles, as a magnificent tapestry of overlapping fabric methodically laid
out on a framework of pulleys and levers.
The exponential possibilities of movement offered by this structure can
very often overload individual muscles or groups of muscles when the balance
between strength and flexibility is exceeded.
The result then is strain or injury exhibited by pain. Intrinsically though, there is often a deeper
root cause to muscle imbalances. The
external forces attacking the body combined with the internal resiliency to
those forces plays an ongoing tug of war between strength and flexibility. Repetitive motion, non-repetitive motion and
emotional factors also play a dominant role in our resiliency to external
stresses. As a therapist then, it
becomes very important to be able to assess all the possible root causes for
specific tensions in a client’s body.
This is why spending extra time with a client before the massage is so
crucial to providing the most effective manual therapy during the massage. The more I know about someone’s past, the
better able I am to understand the nature of that person and ultimately, the
better able I will be to help them unlock the physical restrictions they are
encountering as a result of a stressful environment.
There is an honesty inherent in this work that I
perform. The forces of nature are
present each time I lay my hands on someone.
Part knowledge, part intuition, and part understanding, massage therapy
is a gift that has been shared between human beings for thousands of years and
I am honored to uphold the integrity of my position as a massage therapist in
every time my hands make contact with another human being.
Matthew Corrigan,
CMT, RYT
Prana Healthworks
2011
4 comments:
Matthew, you have a servant's heart! Your focus is on manifesting your gift in the muscles, framework, and even the underlying emotional issues of your clients. What a blessing it must be to experience that! (Truthfully, I've never had a massage!) It was refreshing to read about your respect and wonder for physiology and the role you play in restoring it's balance.
Thank you for a very thorough and informative post, Matthew. I hold stress in my neck and shoulders and reading this post reminded me of the importance of attending to the root cause of the tension in my body. Massage is an important mind body tool, yet we so often dismiss it as a luxury.
Oooooo... Matthew, how is it possible to read this article and not yearn for a session with you!! haha! Your depth of perception, care, presence, and wisdom is so greatly needed!! If people only understand the profundity of their sacred bodies. I imagine that much is imparted through this work with you and many are awakened to new levels. My most favored experience has been with Joseph Heller and Hellerworks. That work changed me for life. Yes, I need tune ups and regular massage is so health inducing... yet his work cleared out the old of my traumatic childhood still living in my sinew.
I often think about how we cannot give ourselves a massage. Evolution knew we needed to engage with each other in this profound act/art.
Would LOVE to come for a session!!
I agree with Kathleen and Kimby... your approach to massage and your deep understanding of our structural underpinnings makes me yearn for a session; if not with you, than with SOMEONE =)
The honor of your participation in this "delicate pas de deux" comes across in your words. I am sure your clients feel privileged to share their embodied aches and pains with you so you can gently scrub them away and leave them clean, strong, and ready to face the horizon straight on.
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