Soma Massage Blog

Stress and Massage

You notice that your credit card bill is due and you won’t have enough money to cover it and your shoulders begin a slow ascension towards your ears.  A little later you see the check engine light is on for the third time in the last month and you start to feel a gnawing sensation in your abdomen, a bitter taste in the back of your throat.  You look at your work schedule for the week and realize there isn’t enough time to accomplish everything your boss wants you to do, and you begin to feel light-headed, and a throbbing begins inside your ears.

Does any of this sound familiar? 

The stress response is an ability our bodies adapted over time in order to keep us alive during dangerous circumstances.  Unfortunately the evolution of the world has outpaced the evolution of our bodies, and as a result we react to emotional problems as if they were physical problems.  We lift our shoulders in order to protect our necks, which is great if a bear is attacking you in the woods, but if it’s a bill collector our shoulders offer very little in the way of protection for our checkbook.  We divert blood flow from the mucus membranes of our digestive tract to our heart and muscles in order to either battle with danger or run away from it (fight or flight).  But if the danger is a leaky radiator, all we’re doing is giving ourselves acid reflux and ulcers.  And all that extra blood pumping furiously throughout your body is fantastic in a life-or-death situation.  But if it’s only the thought of extra work and not enough time, that constant accelerated heartbeat and quickened pulse could do something as grotesque as give you a heart attack or a stroke.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when talking about stress.

The question then becomes: What can we do about it?  If this physical response to emotional stress is hardwired into our bodies, is there anything we can do to control it?  Or are we just destined to suffer the consequences of the world’s terrible outside influences?

There are actually many solutions to this modern dilemma.  But since much of our stress doesn’t come from actual danger but from our own perception of danger, the answer is simple.  If it’s our internal perception affecting our external bodies, then why can’t the reverse be true?  Why can’t changing our external bodies alter our internal workings?

Let’s start with breathing.  The diaphragm, your primary muscle of inspiration, works a few different ways.  It’ll work on its own thanks to the efforts of your brainstem, but it’s also skeletal muscle, which means it can be voluntarily controlled.  In other words, if you’re breathing heavy and you feel a full-on panic about to set in, spend a few minutes focusing your breaths.  A popular method is the 4-7-8 technique.  Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and forcefully exhale for eight seconds through your mouth.  Your body sees that you’re breathing calmly and then shuts down other stress responses.

Smiling.  Did you know it if you force yourself to smile it will fool your brain into thinking you’re happy?  This doesn’t mean you have to walk around all day smiling like a crazy person.  However, if you take a few minutes and put a pencil between your teeth, it puts your face into a smile-like countenance, and your brain fools itself from there.  (Watch this TED Talk for more information on this topic.)

And of course there’s massage.  Get a massage.  Massage loosens up your musculature and improves circulation, but perhaps more importantly in these circumstances massage increases the release of the feel-good neurotransmitters in your brain and body.  Oxytocin, known as the “cuddle neurotransmitter,” is released whenever there is positive touch.  Most often associated with encouraging women to bond with their babies after birth, it is however present in the brains of both sexes, and is released whenever there is physical contact with another person in a positive way.  Serotonin is another one, and not only does it improve your mood when released but it also improves your digestion, as it is present in both the brain and the gut.  And the really great thing is, this works for both the massage client and the massage therapist.  As you give a massage you can actually feel your stress levels dropping as these same neurotransmitters are released in your brains.

So the next time the world seems to be a bit too much for you, just take a few deep breaths, smile, give or get a massage, and, to quote Carol King:

 

You've got to get up every morning

With a smile in your face

And show the world all the love in your heart

Then people gonna treat you better

You're gonna find, yes you will

That you're beautiful, as you feel

Clinical Massage Therapy: Massage with a Purpose

Massage means many different things to many different people.  When most people think of massage they think of a relaxing spa setting, with candles, oils and soft music playing.  Perhaps they’ve upgraded to hot stones, or maybe a little aroma therapy, and as you lay on the soft table all of your tensions simply melt away.

That’s not exactly what Clinical Massage Therapy is.

Maybe you’re an athlete, and when you think of massage you think of sports massage and deep stretches after a workout to help alleviate soreness in the following days.  Maybe you think of someone who helps relieve cramps after a grueling marathon, or someone who helps warm up your musculature before an event so you can be at peak performance.

That’s a little closer, but still does not fully define Clinical Massage Therapy.

Perhaps you’ve seen videos online of therapists walking barefoot on their client’s backs, or stretching them into pretzels, or finding pressure points in their feet or their hands, or pouring oil on their scalps and kneading their hair into a mushy pulp, or using their hands to shoot magical energy at their clients.

Clinical Massage Therapy is not that.

As a Clinical Massage Therapist people come to you with a specific problem, and, after testing and evaluation, you treat that specific problem. If massage can solve their issue you solve it, but being a Clinical Massage Therapist also means knowing when to tell your client massage can’t solve their problem, and sometimes massage might even do them further harm.

Clinical Massage Therapy means knowing that the symptoms of a problem aren’t always the problem itself.  Sometimes a muscle in the neck can cause pain in the hand, or a muscle in the hip can shoot pain all the way down to the foot.  A Clinical Massage Therapist knows how, based on the client’s symptoms, to get to the root of their problem in a quick, efficient and professional manner, and explain their treatment plan to the client so that they can together agree on the goals of the treatment.

Being a Clinical Massage Therapist means you know what techniques are called for in any given situation.  Maybe a client does just need a relaxation treatment.  Or maybe they need sports massage.  Maybe they need deep tissue work, trigger point work, or cross fiber friction.  Maybe they need some combination of multiple modalities.  A Clinical Massage Therapist can reach into their toolbox of techniques and create a treatment plan specific to a client’s needs.

Clinical Massage Therapy is massage distilled down to its essence in order to treat specific conditions.

Clinical Massage Therapy is healing somebody with the simple power of touch.

Clinical Massage Therapy is massaging with a purpose.

7 Self-Care Strategies for Massage Therapists

One for All and All for One

from the AMTA

Like other health care providers, massage therapists are often guilty of burning the candle at both ends. Between packed schedules, caring for clients and an overzealous desire to build a stronger career, sometimes even the smallest reprieve is mistaken as slacking off. In fact, Jim Binion, a massage therapist based in Winona, Minnesota, says it’s the opposite.

“Ignore any part of your self-care, and there’s a domino effect,” he explains. “Poor nutrition leads to stress, which leads to poor sleep, which leads to exhaustion and eventually career burnout.” Fortunately, Binion adds, the domino effect can work in reverse. “Our body is always regenerating cells. Take care of your mind and body today, and in seven years you might feel 10 years younger instead of seven years older.”

Registered nurse and Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based massage therapist Charlene Crumley agrees. “Self-care is cumulative; it’s a lifestyle that builds lifelong health.”

What also has cumulative powers? Stress! Massage therapists know how chronic stress affects health conditions and diseases. Now a recent study suggests a link between long-term stress and pessimism. Since this is the first study of its kind to link perceived stress and a gloomy outlook, further research is necessary. However, if the connection proves true, this could be a powerful career-buster. Imagine saying, “That kink in your back is a bummer, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Read more here.

And become a clinical massage therapist by clicking here.

Massage is an “invaluable resource” for hospitals

From Massage Magazine:

The general public understands that massage is good medicine, and this is reflected in the growing use of massage therapy and energy work in U.S. hospitals.

According to research conducted in January 2017, 82 percent of hospital patients claimed massage therapy was the most helpful form of hospital therapy. The patients in this survey were between the ages of 19-95 years old, according to the report.

Hospital massage includes any type of on- or off-the-body structured touch or energy work offered to any population in any facility owned by a hospital.

This means some hospital massage programs are on the hospital premises, while others are located in an outreach facility or clinic owned by a hospital.

“On a daily basis, the acute pain service sees firsthand the benefits that massage provides our patients, with improved mood, function and overall comfort,” said Lynn Anson, R.N., B.C., a pain management nurse at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri.

“When we ask them about their massage, they usually tell us the therapists are their favorite people to see–and their smiles tell all.”

Read the rest here, and find out more about attending massage school here.

GRADUATION 2017

We’ve seen many graduates walk across the stage in our nearly 20 years of teaching massage.  It never gets old.  Graduation day is always a day of celebration, of seeing all the student’s hard work finally come to fruition.  Many students struggled to make it there – many of them didn’t think they ever would.  But through hard work, sacrifice, and a determination to make the world a more bearable place through the power of touch, they did it, and we were overjoyed to recognize their achievements in front of their family and loved ones.

But you’re not done yet.

There’s a reason they call it a massage practice.  It’s because, as Hovi said, you should never be done learning.  You have a diploma now, and you should be very proud of that, but it does not stop there.  Please continue to learn and grow, and if you ever have any questions don’t hesitate to call.  And come back for your free massages!

We’re extremely proud of all our graduates, but a just a quick word to our current students, too: enjoy the process.  We know it’s difficult to find time to study when you have a full time job, kids and a life of obligations.  We know it’s difficult to show up to class twice a week with a positive attitude and that sometimes you’re tired, and sometimes you’re in a bad mood and sometimes there’s nothing anyone in the world can do about it.  But we’re sure the majority of our graduates would say that the program is over before you know it, and with it comes a bittersweet sense of accomplishment.  You will no longer be surrounded by a group of people sharing the same goals.  We’ll shove you out of the nest, absolutely positive you will fly, and you might not realize all that you’re leaving behind until you’re gone.  So just take a moment and enjoy the process.  The end will be here soon enough.

Once again, best of luck to all our graduates.  We truly couldn’t be prouder.

For more graduation pics, check out our Facebook page.