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 77 All of our experts agree that we have come a long way from the infancy of massage and that most of the changes could be considered an extremely beneficial evolution. However, few things in life are free, and along with all the progress, many of the changes have come at a cost, both to consumers and therapists. Probably the biggest change in massage is the respect bodywork now has as an extremely worthwhile part of a healthy life for our clients, and as a full-fledged profession rather than a fun hobby. When Myers changed his career path to massage, his family was disappointed and bemoaned "all that education wasted." He feels the general perception was that massage was something old ladies did, or was for entertainment, titillation, or an expression of the alternative scene. With my own background in graduate study in both literature and exercise physiology, my abrupt march to the beat of a different drummer in my career path caused similar well-meaning concern for my well-being, if not my sanity, and reactions in the form of what Walton describes as raised eyebrows. Like Myers, however, when friends and family saw the happiness and fulfillment—as well as the financial rewards—I got from my work, and the benefits to my clients, they quickly changed their views. Thirty-five years ago, not only was the public unaware of the therapeutic and medicinal benefits of massage (partly because of the misperceptions that Myers mentions), but bodywork also faced downright hostility from ill-informed local governments and other therapeutic modalities who either feared competition or possibly felt it their duty to protect the public's health and morality. It was not easy to establish an above-board practice through official channels. Garbowski recounts that in Georgia the stiffest resistance came not from local officials or concern over sexual massage, but from physical therapist organizations. In formulating licensing requirements in California, the chiropractic lobby attempted to prohibit massage therapists from ever moving limbs past the active range of motion—something that would have made it very difficult for me to work on a favorite paraplegic client. Early in her practice, Walton was called to testify in support of allowing massage therapists to practice without a physician's order— typical of the quagmire of local, state, and national licensing and regulation that is still not resolved today. Some therapists today are hesitant to provide massage to medically complex populations, such as people with cancer, without physician approval. Walton teaches MTs how to do the work safely and well, relying on their own reasoning rather than shifting responsibility to the client's physician. She devotes a whole chapter of her book to effective communication with physicians when their involvement becomes necessary. In spite of the obstacles, it is difficult to suppress a good thing for long, and public awareness moved massage to mainstream acceptance for both relaxation and therapeutic benefits. Now, of course, spas abound, massage is increasingly seen in hospital settings, and chiropractors regularly employ massage therapists in their offices. Even physical therapists are now having massage therapists perform manual therapy on their patients. Massage is now considered a legitimate career. Just look at Massage & Bodywork's publisher's name: "Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals." Interestingly, as bodywork becomes mainstream, Myers notices a difference in the nature of today's therapists. When he began, someone pursuing a career in massage had to be a bit of a rebel making an actual cultural choice. He feels most therapists had to be very strong in their commitment and willing to confront a somewhat condescending or adverse public opinion, but that many therapists today don't have the same "verve" and drive to excel. Looking at massage as more of a trade rather than a craft or art, some are content to work for the security of meager wages and poor working conditions that may cause injury and burnout. Rather than expressing their excellence, some therapists are hampered by assembly-line routines or rigid, unimaginative protocols of generic massage that shackle creativity and feelings of fulfillment. Many new therapists I speak with are unaware of their potential for financial and emotional fulfillment if they challenge themselves and learn more sophisticated techniques. Many new therapists I speak with are unaware of their potential for financial and emotional fulfillment if they challenge themselves and learn more sophisticated techniques.