Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/557366
F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 79 his techniques so that I could give informed consent concerning which areas of my body I did or didn't want touched; giving me no choice in the level of disrobing; his overconfidence in knowing what I needed rather than communicating with me about the treatment; and engaging in undue physical and verbal intimacy at the end of the session. At the time, I had no understanding of professional boundaries, and even though I felt that something was off on a gut level, I accepted his unusual remarks and conduct as evidence that he and his work were special—and that I was special, too. I trusted him, and I could not have known that his abuse of power began in that very first session and would escalate in the sessions to come. Over the next few weeks, I had three more appointments with Mr. D. I was starting to feel a strange shift, like something spiritual was happening, something indefinable; and I attributed it to his work. My feelings were validated by other clients' testimonials on his website. And Mr. D. himself reinforced this feeling in me by writing to me in an email that my "mind and spirit have been waiting a long time for this." Yet, certain things also left me feeling uneasy. In one session, I opened my eyes slightly while on my back; his face was only about 2 inches from mine, and he was breathing over my mouth. Though startled, I thought, so this is energy work. In another session, he laid on top of me as I was lying face down on the table. Again, energy work, I figured. After that session, though, I felt strangely disconnected from everything around me, as if in a dream, while feeling increasingly drawn to him. He then started checking in on me via emails, wanting to know how I was feeling after the treatments. I thought the attention was a bit unusual but, again, I ignored my discomfort and told myself that he was only being a caring, attentive therapist. I was depressed at the time and very unhappy in my marriage, so the attention felt comforting. I wanted to trust him; I felt I needed to trust him, in the way a child trusts his or her caretaker. I submitted a glowing testimonial to his website, as did my friend "Charlene," whom I had referred to him. She, too, felt similarly drawn to him and believed he was a "holy man." And she, too, was unhappy in her marriage and in her life in general. In my fourth session with Mr. D., he lowered the draping sheet to completely expose my bottom while massaging my back. He then slowly slid his hands down my torso and cupped around my pelvic bones. I F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 79 I was depressed at the time and very unhappy in my marriage, so the attention felt comforting. I wanted to trust him; I felt I needed to trust him, in the way a child trusts his or her caretaker.