Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/465652
36 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 1 5 signals you send clients during a session. A comment like "Well, here we go again working on this knot in your neck" might send the client the message you have grown tired of the work and are unhappy with progress. Instead, you want to send the message that you accept the client's progress and are willing to spend as long as necessary for the condition to resolve. People also project their moment-by-moment needs and feelings and thus decrease their level of self- awareness about their own bodies. One of the positive things that can come from regular massage is greater attention to how the body feels. When you are attentive to projection and can reflect a projection back to clients, you help them recognize their feelings and needs as welcome and acceptable. For example, clients might project their own foot pain onto you and say, "Standing on your feet all day must make your feet really tired." You reflect the possible projection by saying, "Are your feet really tired today? Do you want me to spend extra time working on your feet during the session?" Deflection The term deflection refers to ignoring or turning away from stimuli that trigger emotions in order to prevent recognition or full awareness of the material associated with the emotion. For example, clients might talk continually during a massage session to avoid paying too much attention to their feelings brought about by massage. The client may unconsciously distract you away from a body area that is emotionally charged by complaining of pain or tension in another area. If an emotionally charged area is massaged, the client might try to focus on other body areas and report the sensations felt in that area to you (e.g., "When you massage my feet, I feel a buzzing in my hands"). It is useful to gently ground the client in an awareness of the area where massage is occurring. You might say something as simple as, "The buzzing in your hands is interesting, but while I massage your feet, see if you can focus your awareness in this area and use your breath to release tension here." Resistance The term resistance was originally used by Sigmund Freud to refer to the blocking of memories from consciousness by patients, thereby slowing the therapeutic process. In massage, it more directly relates to the client's feeling that change, even change perceived as desirable, is threatening, resulting in an unconscious opposition to the therapeutic process. For example, Sue has been working with you to reduce tension in her shoulders and jaw. As the tension softens with progressive sessions, Sue has started to remember incidents from her childhood when she felt overwhelmed and controlled by her mother. With each session, Sue's overall discomfort and anxiety are increased, and now she has fears of what might surface next. While Sue verbally affirms that she is committed to weekly massage sessions, she misses one appointment, is late for the second, cancels a third, and fails to use the warm packs on her shoulder for self-care as she agreed. You may not even be aware that Sue is starting to recall repressed memories, and may think she is just irresponsible. Resistance might also surface as recurring tension. You might work with a client to free tension in a particular area, only to find the tension is back or even increased at the next session. The client may be unconsciously reinforcing the tension pattern as a way to keep repressed items from surfacing. Dealing with resistance is challenging. You must be careful not to step outside your scope of practice by confronting the client. Often, acknowledging and honoring the resistance can be helpful, and you can affirm for clients that, "Tension often has a positive purpose in helping people cope with stress