Massage & Bodywork

MARCH | APRIL 2019

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Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 65 Inherent in the perspective granted by a particular vantage point is the absence of all other possible views. In other words, I see what I see based on where I'm standing and the lens I'm looking through. As we learn anything, we generally start with a simplified, two-dimensional lens. You probably initially learned that the solar system is a series of balls going around the sun. Simple. Then, as you went along in school, the theory evolved to include elliptical orbits, varying orbital speeds, the planets spinning as they orbit, moons spinning and orbiting, and all of it hurtling through space making interesting helical patterns as the sun orbits the galactic center. Or, consider the evolution of your understanding of an atom. It was probably a similar journey from a picture of solid, round particles in ordered patterns to mostly space and clouds of charged particles blinking in and out of existence—suddenly you discover nothing is actually as solid as it appears. It's the same with the evolution of our understanding of the body in massage education and practice. Not only do we get better at our techniques, adding more to our toolbox over time, we must also allow our way of seeing and understanding the body and our role to continually evolve. As massage therapists, we first learn simplified, two-dimensional models of the body and massage techniques. We learn the rules and routines. We learn posture according to a plumb-line analysis, and function according to uniplanar concentric contraction on a table. It's a fine place to start, but the body has undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary and complex designs—awe-inspiring even. The more we learn about it, the more we discover there is to learn. We are dynamic; in motion always. Even while reading this article, you've taken at least a few breaths, had a number of thoughts and opinions pop up, maybe wondered what you'll eat for your next meal, shifted your weight or position in your seat, perhaps scratched an itch or adjusted your glasses. It is a complete dynamic person (like yourself ) who is on your table—not a lump of flesh and tissue. And people don't typically need to be optimized for lying on a table. It would be more beneficial to optimize them for their full expression in the lives they are living. We therefore propose a natural evolution in how we as therapists perceive, and subsequently address, the body that is based on a more dynamic, integrative lens. We call it Integrative Anatomy—a view of the body that functionally incorporates not only multiple treatment approaches but also multiple understandings of the design and Seeing Clients Through an Evolving Lens By Lynn Teachworth and Ann Teachworth ▼ ▼ ▼ A FRESH APPROACH 2 of 4

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