Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/465652
F r e e m u s i c d o w n l o a d s f o r C e r t i f i e d m e m b e r s : w w w. a b m p . c o m / g o / c e r t i f i e d c e n t r a l 29 ask you to consider that these things create the conditions for your work to happen more easily and put less stress on you. Simply adding heat to your treatment will support your work, because when your clients have a warm place to lie down, their muscles begin to relax more quickly and more deeply than in a cold room. Consider a massage-table warmer, hot stones, or hot water bags and bottles to add heat to your client's muscles without you having to heat the whole building. Alternately, if you have a place to keep ice packs, using cold therapy during a treatment can also support the results your client receives without taxing your hands, arms, or shoulders. I've noticed most of my clients love receiving an ice pack on an inflamed joint or muscle, even if it's cold outside. Using oils and creams containing health-supporting herbs can help you help your client without additional physical effort on your part. The use of arnica, camphor, eucalyptus, marjoram, and other herbs in your massage oil can penetrate into your client's muscles and make your work feel more effective. You will need your client's permission, of course, as some people are sensitive to scents. Some of the tools a therapist can use to help support the massage or bodywork experience include bolsters, eye pillows, and music. All of these go into creating a setting that helps a client's body relax even before you touch her. What I want to remind you is that even during a treatment you do not have to do everything yourself. A smart evaluation of the setting in which you provide your work can be a way to take some of the pressure off your own body. This allows you to have a longer, healthier career, helping more people than you could otherwise. SUPPORT FOR THE LONG RUN In the field of social work, another profession where the therapist works closely with individuals to support them in a healing process, there is a strategy called supervision. This is a time when the therapist can When it comes to finding support, it is important to assemble an all- star team of people and tools to back you up. It starts with a healthy relationship with yourself. talk with a mentor about the work they are doing. During supervision, therapists process the challenges they face providing care for their patients and receive support and feedback from their mentors. For massage therapists and bodyworkers, having someone in your life who is specifically there to support you through the challenges of your work is vital to career health and longevity. Maybe you find this relationship in a mentor—a friend who is further along the path of this profession than you. Maybe you talk to your therapist or coach about it. Be aware that friends and loved ones are usually not so helpful with this kind of thing, as well meaning as they are. When it comes to finding support, it is important to assemble an all-star team of people and tools to back you up. It starts with a healthy relationship with yourself and the willingness to receive the gifts of time and care. Then you weave support into the work you do with clients by incorporating the tools that allow your work to shine. And finally, you find the people who can help you be your best. Remember, you're not alone in this profession, even if it seems that way sometimes. You've got lots of people who want you to succeed (especially here at ABMP), and the wisdom to create the perfect supportive structures for your life and practice. Jennie Hastings Stancu, LMT, is author of The Inspired Massage Therapist (Massage Blossom Books, 2012). She lives in Portland, Maine, and is the creator of Blossom for Women, where she specializes in helping healers and those living through heartbreaking loss. You can contact her at jennie@ massageblossom.com.