Massage & Bodywork

MAY | JUNE 2020

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THE REBEL MT technique 78 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 2 0 How the body heals has not changed, but the techniques, research, and science behind what we do has exploded since I graduated from massage school. The numbers and effectiveness of newer modalities are blooming to awesome levels, and one technique that exemplifies this trend most exquisitely is the active engagement technique (AET). If you haven't heard of AET, it may be because there are a lot of techniques out there with aliases, depending on when and where you were educated. There is also a good chance you are already using this technique in your practice and didn't even know it. Yes, you are that smart. Bodywork, massage therapy, healing touch—these have been around for thousands of years. The intuitiveness of what we do is what sets us apart from mainstream medicine. My guess is that there are infinitely more techniques than what has been documented and trademarked. In a typical session, perhaps you work through a dysfunction, ease tension, calm anxiety, or simply activate the parasympathetic nervous system. The placement of your hands; the rate of your strokes; and the pressure, depth, and broadness or sharpness of your contact are all enormously differentiating. All these layers of approach vary so much from therapist to therapist that it creates an opportunity for diversity in any one technique or, more expansively, the blending of multiple techniques. AET ENGAGES YOUR CLIENT The technique at hand, though, AET, is one that doesn't solely encapsulate the variants previously mentioned. It also engages the activity of your client. And I love this. All too often, in my years as a newbie therapist, I found myself feeling zapped at the end of a long day—and sometimes even at the end of a short day. I was working Healing is Teamwork Engage Your Clients with AET By Allison Denney

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