Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/621015
PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE PAST All massage and bodywork practitioners have been impacted by the events of former times in ways that might never occur to us. When someone enrolls in a massage therapy school or vocational program, he becomes a link in the chain of manual healers going back centuries. However, each comes into the field at a particular time and place, which colors their personal experience from the start. Each benefits from advancements made by the preceding generation of practitioners. A brief review of the recent past reveals many connections to the present. Massage therapists made unparalleled progress from 1980 to 2000, after a period of decline in the mid-20th century. There were improvements in education, development of valid credentials, an increase in massage research, and ever-expanding career opportunities. The spa boom was starting to take off, complementary and alternative medicine (CA M) was gaining ground, and the wellness movement revived interest in natural health and healing. During that time, massage therapy became a regulated health profession in most states, which both fostered and reflected growing public demand. All of that progress was made possible by massage therapists and bodyworkers who took necessary steps to advance the field. It was at times chaotic and contentious, but in the end, people working together created the favorable environment practitioners enjoy today. A more detailed study of that recent history can support the current generation in recognizing 86 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 both unfinished business and possible new opportunities for creating a better future. A short genealogical exercise will provide a better sense of your personal place in history. Think about where you received your initial massage education or, in rare cases these days, who you apprenticed with. Just as your parents and family influenced your personal values and beliefs, your first school and teachers affected your early views about the profession. Recount the history of your school. When was the school founded, and by whom? Who taught your teachers, and what particular ideas or hands-on skills were passed down through them to you? How far back can you trace those links? Was the curriculum treatment- oriented, or holistic, or a combination? Is there a historical angle to that? Consider regulation of massage therapy in your area. Were you required to get a state license to practice when you graduated? How long has your state had licensing? The earliest state to enact licensing was Ohio, in 1915, while most states became regulated in more recent times. Ponder other factors. What were the job opportunities when you started out, and have they expanded over time? Were you respected as a health professional, and has that shifted now? Can you identify ways your personal history has been impacted by external events, such as having access to a new advanced credential? Takeaway: Your personal experience as a massage therapist has been impacted by historical events related to the massage therapy profession overall; to better "know thyself," find your connections to the past. NATURE OF THE MASSAGE THERAPY PROFESSION "Who are we?" is a fundamental question for any profession. Massage therapists have had some lively discussions on social media lately revolving around themes such as: Is massage an art or a science? Is massage therapy a medical treatment or a personal service? Does energy work have a place in our scope? Is bodywork different from massage therapy? What should our relationship be with mainstream health care? 1800 1870s The Royal Central Gymnastic Institute is founded by Per Henrik Ling in Stockholm. Ling's system of "Medical Gymnastics" influenced later physical therapy systems. Dutch practitioner Johann Mezger brings medical massage to the scientific community. The terms effleurage, petrissage, and tapotement are born. A classic image for its era, which is the 1930–1950 heyday of the Swedish masseuse/masseur archetype. It comes from a catalog, circa 1939, of the iconic College of Swedish Massage in Chicago.