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April 8, 2006

Don't Become A Whine Expert

Our job as massage therapists, in many ways, resembles a bar tender. We administer doses of relaxation (albeit, a healthier alternative to alcohol) and occasionally act as a sounding board for the stresses that impact people's lives. As practitioners it is our responsibility, if these conversations are distracting to our work, to shift the focus of the session back to the bodywork at hand.

It is also important, no matter what service industry we are in, that the focus of our work remains on our client and not on ourselves. I catch myself sharing aspects of my own life with clients, many of whom feel like friends. Thankfully, one client commented this week that they appreciated that with all the talking we engaged in, I managed to stay focused on the massage. Often, I will interject asides about the therapeutic process happening on the table, or bring the client's focus to the area I'm workingby commenting, "this is the area you told me was sore . . . this area feels tight to me," or "if you would take a deep breath while I work this part, that'd be great."

Sometimes our conversation continues and sometimes all conversation ceases while we both focus our intention. I usually leave this decision up to the client and follow their lead.

Posted by linda at April 8, 2006 8:20 AM