Massage takes place at the hands.
It sounds obvious, right? Maybe. Maybe not.
I've taught massage therapy for almost five years now, I've educated clients for almost 11 years, and before that I taught martial arts. I've observed how people learn and practice their skills for quite a while. In my experience teaching, I've noticed that there is a spectrum that all students fall upon...
Intuition (Client) <---------------> Intelligence (Therapist)
...where the intuition refers to your feelings and sense of the way things should be and the intelligence refers to your knowledge and thoughts. That naturally begs the questions where are you and where do you want to be?
Intuition
I always ask my students when I first meet them about what drew them to massage. A common theme in their responses is often a story about how they have always done massage in some form. People tell them they have a good touch. They have a talent for finding the knots and even though they don't know what they're doing or how to describe it, they are able to melt the knots away.
I place these students high on the intuitive side of this equation. They are sensitive to other people. They are able to work from information that they gather through their hands from the other person's body. They are responsive to the changes they sense in the other's body and adapt to it. When they do massage, they are performing "inside" the other person's body - on the client side.
Intelligence
People high on the intelligence side of the spectrum operate from the confines of their own head. They intellectualize things, do very well with tests and theory and assessments, and are good at putting the pieces of the puzzle together. They can also see how different techniques and styles can be used effectively on various conditions. They perform massage mostly in their head, thinking through the process - they have a plan. They are performing massage "at" the body, almost as an academic exercise.
Intuition vs. Intelligence
As a teacher, I have observed many students who tend to struggle on one side of the spectrum or the other. First, the problems...
Intuition Problems (or the too-touchy-feely sydrome)
When it comes to the intuitive students, they often have issues with timing, assessment, and figuring out the puzzle. Their sessions can become muddled because having a plan comes from within the therapist. The client's body can lead them in different directions or because every area is crying for help they can get caught up in one spot and neglect the other problems. They can also sometimes have difficulty reconciling the difference between what the client's mouth says and what their body asks for. These students also can have problems in finding where the problems really are when the issues require critical thinking to pin down. They can also overlook some problems because others are "talking louder" and drawing their attention.
On the other hand, these students can seem naturally gifted because their bodywork addresses the clients' needs. They often seem to take a new technique and while they might not always do it right, they take it to a point where it feels good to the client quickly. Because that's where their focus is. One thing to watch out for is the potential discouragement these students can experience when they used to get praise for the quality of touch they had when they didn't know what they were doing and then in school they fumble around with some techniques that engage the intelligence side of the spectrum.
Intelligence Problems (or the you're-thinking-too-much sydrome)
Students who are too far over on the intelligence side of the equation over-think most of what they do in class. They're always worried that they are doing it right. They seem to be able to nail the theorey quickly, but then can struggle with the application. Placement of hands, body mechanics, or doing techniques in a way that are both effective and feel good to the client can be challenges. By the self-focus (hence the therapist-oriented approach), they can sometimes neglect the clients' needs, forget simple things like noticing that the client is cold, or miss some observable information from their client because they are focus inwards. Sometimes these students can get discouraged because they don't seem to get the high praises that the intuitive students get for their work. That just fuels the insecurity that it isn't right and spurs more furious thinking.
These are great people to talk to if you need to get your mind around a problem or you need to piece together pieces of information. They can often, even as a student, piece together some great assessments and make connections between disparate symptoms. They can figure out what is going on with the client and are usually quite good at formulating a plan to do it. They can prioritize the problems and design a session for the best results in the time they have.
The best bodyworkers strike a balance between Intuition & Intelligence
So now we get back to it. Massage takes place at the hands. That means that your massage must be a marriage of the knowledge in your head and the wisdom in their body. Your head will come up with brilliant ideas about what is going on and where to look and their body will tell you "over here!". It's all about the balance. Massage doesn't take place "inside" their body or in your head - it takes place where you and your client connect - at your hands. Where the rubber hits the road, so to speak.
If you perform your massage too far onto the intuitive side, it may feel good, but often the client leaves feeling like you didn't get to everything, that you spent too much time on their (insert body part), or that the results were short-lived.
If you perform your massage too far onto the intelligence side, your client may feel disconnected or that you're very smart, but it dodn't feel good, or again that their needs are ignored. Or perhaps that the massage addressed everything but left them feeling like something was missing.
If you are intuitive, take steps to think things through and plan your strategy. If you're intelligent, work on setting yourself free from the shckles of your thoughts and feel what the client's body tells you - put yourself in their skin.
The hands inform the head.
The head guides the hands.
The union of your intuition and intelligence is wisdom
And that's the Happy Medium.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment