First blog post

Hello and welcome!

I have started this blog to share the joys and benefits of massage therapy; to attempt to take some of the question out of massage therapy, and I would like to reveal some of the mystery in the application of massage therapy.

As someone who started massage therapy school as a means to heal my low back pain I was looking for my questions to be answered.

Questions like:

I have fears revealing my body to a stranger, so how am I going to go get a massage?

How much is this going to cost me?

Is it going to be worth the investment?

What type of massage is best for my situation?

What will I have to do while on the table?

What do I do after my massage?

How often do I get a massage?

Those are the questions that  I will try to address, so that my readers will allow me the opportunity to reveal the mystery of massage therapy during our time together in either a 30, 60, 90 or 120 minute massage therapy session.

The healing that occurs in a massage is quite powerful, yet subtle. The healing provided is so quiet and ambiguous that while a client is on my table they do not realize the depths of healing that I am reaching.

However, I can and will, on occasion, get very scientific. For example: Our bodies are set up to keep the neck straight, by any means necessary. Keeping the neck straight allows humans to see dangers that could potentially hurt or kill us. So keeping the neck straight  is a means of evolving the human species. Anytime there is an injury that has not healed properly or cannot heal properly due to over use and strain then the body will compensate to keep the neck straight. The slightest unattended to injury in your ankle will cause misalignment all the way up your body and reveal itself as TMJ. Wild, huh?

How is that? Well, muscles attach to bone which will result in misalignment when one muscle is tight and another muscle is overstretched. Since, the job of the body is to keep the neck straight in order to support our livelihood then the body will self adjust as necessary. If one leg is longer than the other due to a tight psoas muscle in the abdomen then the neck will not be straight, and therefore the body will adjust every other muscle in needs in order to create a balanced neck.

At the end of the day the human body can suffer from a childhood injury like a sprained ankle, and by the time the body reaches 40 years old with additional years of  wear and tear from daily and extra activities then this could possibly leave the body with low back pain, scoliosis and TMJ.

Who knew?  How many of us can say well I know the reason my back is hurting is because my pectoral muscles are tight and medially rotated, so my rhomboids are now overstretched, and because overstretched muscles are where we feel our pain then that’s exactly why my back is hurting.

It is a small percentage of our population that can explain why they hurt. In fairness, no one goes out of their way to teach us this information, either. It is all a big mystery. That is why I am here. I am here to reveal the mystery, to elaborate and expound on the mystery, to let the mystery of healing in massage therapy reveal itself in our 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes of time together.

So, let your body reflect your spirit with a massage at Touch of Honey Therapeutics.

Call 502. 387. 9303

Online booking will be available soon!

Body Image and Massage Therapy

 

Body image risk and reward in massage

Body image. We can be so self-destructive. We all have something about our body that we don’t admire. We can actually cause ourselves more harm with our thoughts than some physical injury’s could create.  For a few people it’s a minor issue, no big deal; however, some people have a major issue with their body image. It affects how they live and their happiness.

When I tell people that I’m a massage therapist it can cause a strong reaction. They tell me, whether verbally or through their reaction and body language, that massage is not for them. Their body image is such an issue that they don’t think anybody else can accept them.
The paradox here is that massage can really help with body image issues. In massage school we were all nervous about taking off our clothes and letting somebody else touch us. It didn’t take long for us to discover that bodies are just bodies and become much more comfortable with our own. We also experienced how good receiving a massage made us feel. Something unexpected happened – when our bodies felt better we felt better about our bodies.

I think there are three options to consider. Let’s look at the risk versus reward for them.

1. Don’t get a massage.

This is the easiest because it involves doing nothing. The risk is low since you are not letting another person see or touch you at all.

The reward is zero. You didn’t get a massage so your body doesn’t feel any better, and you still have the stress you had before. This is not self care. The path to self love begins with self care.

2. You get a massage, but the massage therapist either makes note of how you look, as if it matters.

If this has happened to you, I’m deeply apologetic for that behavior. You got a crappy massage therapist. That’s a bummer, and I’m really sorry. You took a risk, and even if the rest of the massage was decent, got very little reward.
This is not going to happen if you come to me. Never. No way. I can’t say this strongly enough. It goes against the very nature of who I am, how I treat people, and what I believe.

3. You get a massage. A great massage. And the therapist does nothing to make you feel uncomfortable about your body. In fact, you feel pretty good about your body after the massage.

In this option your risk is low. I don’t care how your body looks. That’s none of my business. I just want to help it feel better. Your reward is high. Again, your body will feel better from the massage and you can start feeling better about your body.

I’ve worked on hundreds – maybe thousands – of people. Each body is interesting and I’ve yet to come across one that I could not help. More importantly, it is the differences in our body that reveal the path of healing that needs to be taken.

If you have been avoiding massage because you feel uncomfortable about your body, let’s find an option that works for you. You don’t have to explain anything to me. Stay sitting up or face down or lying on your side or however you want. It’s up to you.
It’s my job to help you feel better. That’s it. Together let’s find a way to help you relieve your pain and stress. So, let’s move forward together in this journey of compassion, healing and self care.

Let your body reflect your spirit with a massage at Touch of Honey Therapeutics.

Call 502. 387. 9303

Online booking will be available soon!