Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/867515
A B M P m e m b e r s e a r n F R E E C E a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e b y r e a d i n g M a s s a g e & B o d y w o r k m a g a z i n e 69 Social Readjustment Rating Scale Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale displays the relative amount of stress caused by the following events (scale is from 0–100). 100 Death of spouse 73 Divorce 65 Marital separation 63 Jail term 63 Death of close family member 53 Personal injur y or illness 47 Fired at work 45 Retirement 38 Change in financial state 29 Children leaving home on the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system. We need to develop a renewed appreciation of massage therapy's potential role in shifting the body from the fight-or-flight response to a relaxed, restorative state. In my experience, the most basic, simple, and uncomplicated aspects of massage therapy seem to be the elements that are most helpful in a grief massage setting. The Future of Grief Massage The Respite closed in 2015, but the pioneering vision for providing grief massage in Charlotte, North Carolina, and beyond is alive and well. Participating in the MTF-funded grief massage programs at The Respite was a deeply impactful experience that many of the massage therapists who participated have carried forward in their own unique ways. Federal says that more than four years after her initial participation in the grief massage program at The Respite, her experience has deepened her approach in a variety of massage settings—even when a client has not specifically requested grief massage. "Having been trained in grief massage, I find myself calling on that information often. Sometimes it's simply to remind myself about the soothing properties of intentional touch; other times, I use the information in a more specific manner," she says. "Understanding some of the typical challenges people undergo during the grief process allows me to get right to work in easing some of those difficulties." The work can be applicable to other modalities as well. Thompson says her experiences working in the grief massage program at The Respite have empowered her work. "Becoming a certified grief massage therapist helped me become a better overall therapist. I am more open to the emotional states of my clients and am able to incorporate aspects of grief massage into my massage practice," she says. I, too, continue to work toward spreading awareness of the benefits of massage for grieving clients, because I can imagine a future where grief-sensitive massage therapy is a standard early intervention for the bereaved. I imagine grief massage centers set up in major hospitals, offering care to the family members of patients who are dying or who have died. I want to see nonprofit grief massage centers created in every city across the globe, potentially offering free massage therapy sessions to all community members who are experiencing the pain of loss. I envision a network of private massage practices either solely dedicated to grief massage or providing grief massage among a variety of offerings. I want grief massage to be readily available, through independent massage therapists as well as larger organizations, whenever a grieving person is in need of physical relaxation and support. From my perspective, all these options are entirely possible. We simply need to raise awareness of the role massage therapy can play in early bereavement. We need more research. We will need more funding from organizations like the Massage Therapy Foundation. And, since we will need more compassionate massage therapists who are willing to do