Why Training and Trading Are So Powerful
When I went to school in 2000-2001, the training was excellent, but there was a lot that I missed and didn’t understand until much later.
When you're in school you have to soak up so much information at once and becoming a truly great therapist takes time, dedication and PRACTICE! None of which you really have enough time for when you’re in school.
So, what helped me become an exceptional therapist? I worked with other therapists…A LOT!
I had an instructor who taught Trigger Point Therapy to my class. I remember how she would describe the trigger points and at the time I simply could not feel under the skin what she was talking about…it was a struggle. Until I began to get trigger point therapy massage from her myself. As she worked on me and described what she was doing, I began to feel the changes in the tissue in my own body, which then gave me the clues to feel the differences in the bodies I worked on. (And yes, this was an investment on my part…she did not work on me for free!)
I also learned from the other instructors at the school where I taught. I remember one instructor who showed this body glide that I had never really thought of before, and after I began using it, I refined the technique and made it my own. This one technique really set my massages apart.
Another friend who was an MT with many years more experience than I, would trade with me. He had some ways of working I didn’t really like, but also had great techniques that felt incredible. When I was receiving from him, I would ask him, “What are you doing? That feels amazing.” Then he would show me or help me do it on him later. This way I learned what worked, what felt good (and didn’t!), and over time this dedication helped me win Best Massage Therapist in Wilmington in 2011. (I think that was the year, I can't remember exactly.)
So, for you bodyworkers out there who don’t take time to get massage for yourself, please, for yourself and your craft, do it! You deserve to be the best MT you can be.
To learn the challenging work, oftentimes CEs are the better options. In my classes, not only will you learn new skills, you will learn how to integrate them into your massage so you go home feeling much more confident than when you arrived.
