Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/640605
a certain religion. 2 What this means for your business is that regardless of your beliefs, your clients most likely have faith in a greater presence. Moreover, most believers say this presence influences their lives. As an example, data from two surveys revealed that 82 percent of Americans, from all education and income levels, depend on God for help and guidance, and 71 percent assert that the good and bad events in their lives have included divine intervention. 3 It seems that 25 percent of Americans even insist that God helps determine which team wins at sports events. 4 So, even if your client isn't comfortable broadcasting what they want a godly presence to do for them, they might be thinking about it while they're on your massage table. Another mainstream class of spiritual guidance is angels. Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe in angels—divine messengers who provide insight, assistance, and even healing. Those who queue up for the angelic most frequently are Christians, with almost 100 percent of all evangelical Christians looking to the winged for help. However, four out of 10 who consider themselves nonchurchgoers also believe in angels. 5 In my own practice, clients continually ask about, or call on, their angels. Also related to this category are beings often called devas, faeries, masters, power animals, saints, spiritual guides, and more. A good number of Americans also believe they receive assistance from deceased loved ones or ghosts—the latter defined as beings who were once alive but now occupy the "other side." This latter group can include people, but also animals. Almost half of all Americans believe in ghosts or visitations by the spirits of the dead. 6 Many health-care officials acknowledge that the dying often experience visitations from the other side, usually by mothers or other unseen loving presences, before death. 7 As well, certain ethnic groups embrace unseen visitors. For instance, health-care providers are frequently trained how to interact differently with populations such as Native Americans. Most of the 500 nations of Native Americans who follow their traditional practices believe their ancestors continue to guide them, frequently through ritual or dreams. 8 My own training as a healer took me around the world, deep into indigenous communities in the deserts, jungles, mountains, and seasides. Nearly everyone I met in these cultures believed in a god or gods, divine guidance, and a compendium of spirits who dwell in the sky, land, afterlife, and other places. PROCEED WITH CAUTION By and large, most licensed professionals are wary of asking their clients to call on the unseen for assistance. First off, we're working with people to provide a service, and that service seldom explicitly involves providing or eliciting spiritual insights. And, if your business does include these matters, as mine does, it's still important to proceed cautiously. Ultimately, a standard of care must start and finish with boundaries and respect. We have the right to our own spiritual beliefs, as do our clients. But it's "No one walks alone, and none of us can think that he is alone." Pope Francis