I attended a great massage school in the state of Arizona. I say it like that because I now live in Costa Rica with my own massage school. I say it was a great school because I thought I had the greatest teachers and the managers, who were a husband and wife team, took a personal interest in our lives. My fellow students, David and Terri were great people and we shared our lives together for those eight short months, although those months seemed like an eternity mid-way through the program. David and Terri gave some great massages. Other students came and went. Each one touched my life in some way.
I guess I'm writing this article to keep those memories alive.
There was intimacy. After all you are baring your naked body to another person whom you don't know. There is also the intimacy that develops because of the bonding that develops between each other. You learn trust. You learn boundaries. You learn to respect that other person's feelings and lifestyle. Most of all, you learn about yourself. You learn about your strengths as well as your weaknesses. In spite of all this, if your intentions are good you evolve into a professional who strictly adheres to a code of ethics that demonstrates honor and respect for another human being.
Those eight months were not easy. I went to class after working all day at my job selling stamps and delivering packages. The last thing I wanted to do was to spend four hours attending classes after work. I was in my 40's at the time. All I wanted to do was go home but I wanted to do something more with my life. I wanted to touch people's lives in a positive way and I wanted to feel like I was appreciated.
Selling stamps and delivering packages is a great service. But I never felt appreciated for it. I was like a cipher in the snow, a face with no name.
Those months spent in student clinics were some of the best moments in my training. I worked on a client who was prone to seizures, one who brought in her own oil, a few who had shoulder issues, an athlete who was looking for recovery, construction workers whose muscles screamed for relief, and the elderly who just wanted a gentle and kind touch; the kind of touch that lets them know that someone else cares. There were many others too numerous to mention and each one was so thankful for my touch.
I have been a therapist for some years now and developed into a good one at that. I have appreciated the many compliments and the satisfaction I get from making a difference in my clients' health.
Great things happened to the three of us.
David went on to college to major in psychology. Terri quit her full-time job and started a private practice. And I started a massage school. That must say something about the quality of training that we received.
It seems everywhere I go I meet other massage therapists who love their careers. I have met therapists who lived in Jamaica, Costa Rica and Hawaii. Massage therapists who work in resorts, private practices and spas. They talk about their experiences and share one thing in common - their love of massage.
You see, massage is as therapeutic for the giver as it is for the receiver. Studies are being conducted on the benefits of giving massage. Some of those studies have shown some healthy changes physiologically. Some massage therapists have reported meditative qualities like a moving meditation. It is no wonder that quite a number of massage therapists are also doing other bodywork practices i.e. yoga, tai chi, chi gung and meditation.
My life has been different because of massage school. It was, has been, and continues to be in all sense of the word -therapeutic.
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