Thea, I tried to send you an e-mail, but my computer is a bit wonky, so I’m posting, too … if you don’t get my message, please drop me a line.
I’m a licensed massage therapist, practicing in Encinitas, CA - if you get down my way at all, I’d be happy to trade massages with you. If there is anything in your demeanor that might put people off, you deserve to hear exactly what it is, because it will have a direct bearing on how well you can build a successful practice. If it’s just a bunch of idiots in your school, you should hear that, too, so you can put it behind you. I’ll give you the … um… straight dope.
If there are any questions at all that I can answer about what it’s like after you graduate, feel free to ask. If there aren’t any and I’m just butting in, you can ignore me if you like. Either way, no worries.
Well, ths is actually a college course, and a fairly well-rounded one at that. The instructor claims he has tried to be an advocate for me to the other students, but that he’s not going to force anyone to work with someone they don’t want to work with. Never mind the fact that this is interfering with my education.
Also, the course isn’t accredited, but anyone who has a certifictate saying they completed a massage course (500 hours in Nevada) can sit for the National Exam. Actually accreditation is meaningless anyway, because the main criteria for most of the accrediting organizations for massage schools is that a certain percentage of students have to pass the national exam.
There isn’t actually any voodoo being taught. Even the “energetic modalities” are actually physical techniques that are starting to get a toe in the water toward acceptance in the scientific/medical community. They just get lumped into the “energy work” category because they haven’t figured out why these techniques work.
If they’re discussing the healing powers of crystals and medical benefits of therapeutic touch (reiki is a form of therapeutic touch) then they most certainly are instructing you in “voodoo.” These things do not, and cannot, have healing powers. And if by “energetic modalities” you mean methods of manipulating a patient’s “energy field,” I’d really like to see something showing that these techniques are beginning to gain acceptance in the scientific medical community. I have serious doubts they’re being accepted as anything more than a placebo effect.
Or have I misunderstood you and they’re not teaching these techniques?
Then I stand by my opinion of your instructor as piss poor example of such. (S)He should in no way be permitting such stupid and unprofessional antics as you describe (the sexual commentary, the body insults, the massage oil incident . . .) to take place in the classroom.
Uncle Beer what is being taught in class are physical manipulations of the body that create a physical response. Some of the modalaties have both mechanical and energetic aspects, but the instructor is only teaching us the physical/mechanical techniques (which is probalby the part that makes the modality effective anyway). I’ve told her in no uncertain terms that I will not participate in any manipulation of energy fields. No reikei or crystals or any of that nonsense. Some of the students have learned the voodoo from other places, though.
I agree that the instrutor (he is actually the head of the program) is being unprofessional in not reigning in some of the behaviors. The body insults were actually relatively mild, but telling a guy who has more than the average amount of body hair to “take your sweater off” is still inappropriate and insulting.
BTW, it looks like the guy making the sexual comments and who did the tongue thing may be kicked out of class. He’s definitely been kicked out of clinic. He came into class Monday and told a rather graphic tale of a client who had lost bowel control on the table, and even told some of the students the client’s name. He also recommended in his SOAP notes that a particular classmate work on the guy next time he came in. Serious breach of client confidentiality, and it led to several students refusing to work on the client when he came for his next appointment. The instructor who was running clinic that day had to explain why he was not going to be worked, and the client denied it had happened. Add to this the fact the instructor in clinic the day it happened could not verify it, proper procedures for disposing of the now biohazardous sheets were not observed I would not want to be working for our linen service), and the incident was never documented…
There is actually some doubt that the incident even occurred. This particular student has been known to tell whoppers in the past… The sad part is the instructor in charge of clinic on the day of the alleged incident may lose her job over this. I don’t know the specifics, but I’m starting to get the impression that the reason she did not verify or document it was because the student did not tell her.
Which would make sense if he was making the story up.
Thea, all I have to say is that the way you’re being treated just outright sucks.
When I was learning massage therapy, I was lucky to be in with a group of fantastic, loving, wonderful people whose beliefs varied quite a bit. We had folks who were as limber as all get out to those who had quite a few physical problems… neck, back, etc.
We all loved working on each other and with each other.
I hope that things work out for you, honey. I truly do.
-DWD
who’s heading out the door to give a good friend a massage on my brand new table
Yesterday I went to Thea’s abode and we traded massages. While Thea can attest to the strength of my hands I’m no pro. Thea is a good person, very nice with absolutely no discernable negative things about her. She worked on me for 90 minutes and it was very relaxing. Despite her cat Conan being a furry little chicken shit, all went very smoothly. In conclusion, her classmates need to drink a nice tall glass of Grow the Fuck Up.
For the record, the molasses cookie she gave me was in no way an attempt at a bribe…nosirree, not at all
Any people in Vegas, like myself, would do well to set some time aside to let Thea work on you.
President George Bush has approved this ad.
Sanscour
Conan the Wonderkitty is not a furry little chickenshit. He’s just… cautious. I see you didn’t find Schrodinger the InvisiCat’s attention-whoring activities worthy of note.
FTR, Sanscour has naturally good hands, and I think he should go to massage school. Or just let me teach him some basic techniques so he can use massage as barter for various goods and services, you know, the kind of stuff that usually goes for a six-pack and a pizza.
Oh, and the molasses cookie was from Trader Joe’s.
Hi, Thea. Sorry to hear that things are still going crappy. I was thinking about this thread the other day, and I have another theory to add to the heap.
What with your back stretching, popping and what not, as well as the fact that your classmates look at you strangely when you do it, *and * the fact that this is a massage class, is there any chance that people would be afraid of harming you and being sued? I still chock it up to them being jackasses, but thought I would drop this possibility off for you to knock around.
Not likely. We’re well into the second semester, we’ve had courses on all the indications, contraindications, benefits and risks of massage. We have been taught how to handle a wide variety of conditions, injuries, etc.
Also, in clinic we work on the general public, with people we are not familiar with I’ve personally worked on two clients with herniated disks.
Everyone in this class has been taught how to avoid aggravating various conditions, and what to do to make them better.
