Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68005
reader forum WHAT YOU ARE SAYING Postgraduate Training november/december 2008 Clients Going SPORTS MASSAGE Keep Active IS IT TIME FOR A MASTER'S IN SOMATICS? Integrating Intake Procedures MASSAGE MUSIC: CHOOSING WISELY Bonnie Brown's Million-Dollar Giigle I fi nd the notion of creating a graduate degree in somatics to be very exciting ["Foundations of Somatic Practice, Part 2," November/December 2008, page 78, by Thomas Myers]. Not only do we accumulate more effective approaches as we continue our practice, but we also accumulate more questions. Ideas for areas of research come to us every day as a result of our immersion in the practice of bodywork. Academia would lend itself to the support of this kind of research. As a student of John Barnes' Verbal Bouquet Just letting you know what a huge impact your magazine and Web offerings have made in the practitioner community here in Kern County. This magazine has become a mainstay and required support resource. We see nothing but the latest and greatest information cross section affecting the full spectrum of the wellness industries. DAVID DOWDY BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA Thank you for your excellent magazine. While some bodyworkers/alternative healers explain what they are doing very clearly, others leave clients totally mystifi ed. Your magazine, with its fi ne articles and ongoing discussions, helps clients know what to expect from practitioners and also helps clients know what practitioners expect. As a client myself, I appreciate this, and am more willing to investigate unfamiliar therapies and/or talk about them with others after reading Massage & Bodywork. Yours is a magazine with defi nite healing powers. KC O'MALLEY MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA technique of myofascial release, I am quite familiar with the adage "pain is our teacher." As healthy living practices are increasing our life span, we are faced with the realization that there's more to quality of life than longevity. Who wants to tack on an extra 20 years to a body that is experiencing joint pain and immobility, poor digestion, deteriorating vision, and hearing and stress? I would think that a great deal of support could be generated for this kind of education and research at this time when all the baby boomers are reaching their senior years. In the current economic climate, we are going to want more education and awareness for how to keep your instrument tuned up—an updated owner's manual for the human body. My own search led me from the practice of speech pathology to bodywork, to myofascial release, and then to body mechanics. I was lucky enough to stumble into the studio of Katy Santiago, innovator of Restorative Exercise Institute in Ventura, California. Her practical approach to corrective exercises through body "Not only do we accumulate more effective approaches as we continue our practice, but also more questions." Ronelle Wood mechanics helped me recover from a rotator cuff tear that I thought would end my career. I discovered that patients were coming there after exhausting all their insurance coverage through physical therapy, doctor's visits, and prescriptions, but were still experiencing pain and limited mobility. I just completed her six-month training program and am thrilled to have the tools of instruction for my clients who are looking for more than just a temporary solution to their body pain. A program like this would be a great addition to the graduate curriculum described in the article. RONELLE WOOD OJAI, CALIFORNIA 14 massage & bodywork january/february 2009