Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1208028
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 25 TABLE LESSONS best practices Elegy Refl ections on a Quiet But Meaningful Relationship By Douglas Nelson "Would anyone else like to say something?" asked my client's daughter as she looked over the gathering. I felt my wife's right elbow nudging my side gently, but with fi rm conviction. Looking into my wife's eyes, she glanced in the direction of the dais. I knew I should rise to speak, but I couldn't quite make my legs initiate the action. Luckily, someone else rose from their seat to make their way to the podium, as I was completely lost in thought. I have been to quite a few visitations and memorial services for clients where I have heard statements like, "Oh yes, you are the therapist Dad saw for many years. He talked about how much he enjoyed his appointments with you. Thank you for coming." In these instances, I have been struck by the depth of the connection I had with the person at the center of the memorial service. Now, looking around the room, I could not help but wonder if anyone knew, even his children, about all the very personal feelings this client had shared with me over the years. In the sacred space of the treatment room, created by the power of touch and complete acceptance, deep emotions are communicated. I wondered if the stories of his traumatic experiences in war were ever fully shared with his children. Given the depth of that trauma and the years it took for him to reveal it to me, I somehow doubt he had. Like any family, he and his children had a sometimes- diffi cult relationship. Despite that, did they really know how proud he was of them and how deeply he loved them? Did they know all the ways this person had served his community and befriended countless individuals who