Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1481961
• "What's your favorite part of the massage? Let's do a lot of that today." • (After working with one limb or side of the body and stepping back for a moment) "How does that side feel, compared with the other?" • "Besides getting a massage, what are you doing for fun today?" What other verbal prompts can you think of to emphasize that our bodies can be a gift? INVEST IN EXCELLENT SELF-CARE When a massage therapist is left feeling physically and emotionally spent at the end of a session with a client who has fibro, that's a ref lection of problematic boundary-keeping. It's more important than ever for massage therapists to not become personally invested in the outcomes of their work with people who have fibro. If we make ourselves responsible for someone else's pain or pain relief, we can become frustrated and tired. We can feel like our work is wasted. We can lose our sense of perspective about what massage can and can't do. And we can come to resent the clients who stir up these feelings. Massage therapists are engaged in work that can be physically and emotionally exhausting. If we don't take good care of ourselves, our careers will be short and frustrating. But if we do invest in good self-care, if we're conscientious about our physical and mental health, then we can be better equipped to deal with clients who are challenging. That good self-care looks different for each person, but I encourage all massage therapists to treat themselves with the same level of compassion and attention they bestow on their clients. That's not to say that we shouldn't ever "fire" our clients who have fibro. After carefully tending our boundaries and trying all our options to shift our attitudes about a client who pushes our buttons, if we still feel we can't bring our best to this person, it is 100 percent ethically valid to refer them to another practitioner who might be better able to help them. One of the contributors to this article talked about creating a network of trusted massage practitioners in her area so they can all refer the clients with whom they don't connect well to someone who might be a better fit. FIXING FIBRO? Massage therapy probably won't "fix" fibro. What our work can do is to help our clients experience their bodies in a safe, comforting, positive way. We can maybe help make the chronic pain of fibro or other pain-related conditions less important, less overwhelming. And this can make room in a person's life for other points of focus: loved ones, fun, creativity, and so much more. "Every single person who comes in to see me is looking for a safe place to just feel better for a little while. They're not looking for me to fix them." —GR So rather than seeing our clients who have fibro as a chore to get through, I hope we can come to see them as great opportunities for us to rise to our best. In the words of Sheree Bliss Tilsley in "A Medicine Woman's Prayer": I will not rescue you. For you are not powerless. I will not fix you, For you are not broken. I will not heal you, For I see you, in your wholeness. I will walk with you through the darkness, As you remember your light. (www.falconspiritmedicine.com) Contributors, recognized with my thanks: Stephanie Mead, New Brunswick Paul Ingraham, science writer and publisher of PainScience.com, British Columbia Bronnie Lennox Thompson, OT, PhD, academic director of post graduate programs in pain and pain management at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Mike MacAleese, LMT, owner and director of School of Holistic Massage and Reflexology, Illinois Jason Nadeau, LMT, New Hampshire Keri Lemmons, LMT, Missouri Gina Rogers, LMT, Michigan Bobbi Calvert, LMT, Pennsylvania Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist, a writer, and an NCBTMB- approved continuing education provider. She wrote A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology (available at booksofdiscovery. com), now in its seventh edition, which is used in massage schools worldwide. She is available at ruthwerner.com. L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 47 The moral of the story? No two people with fibro can be treated the same way, but they all want to feel safe, reduce their stress, and be respected. And that's all within our scope of practice. VIDEO: "FIBROMYALGIA: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ITS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY?" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch!