October 23rd, 2007 Julie Onofrio
The words masseuse and masseur were once valid terms for describing a person who does massage on people for a profession. More recently the words are more associated with people doing massage out of a massage parlor which also was once a valid term for a place of massage.
These words are now more associated with people who are engaging in prostitution or other illegal acts.
Massage Therapist more accurately describes a professional massage therapist who does massage for relaxation along with doing massage for injuries, athletes and others. Massage Therapists are usually trained in the art and science of massage.
The word Bodywork or bodyworker is also used to describe massage or some say that massage is a type of bodywork. Bodywork can also be used to describe more intense or scientific massage (for lack of a better clarification) - massage that works to bring about change in the body.
Part of the problem in defining these terms is that there has been no professional support for defining the terms and clarifying what is considered to be massage or bodywork?
Posted in Massage Schools/Students | 3 Comments »
October 22nd, 2007 Julie Onofrio
What would you be doing right now if you were told you had pancreatic cancer or some other type of cancer and only had a few months to live?
The question seems to be coming up a lot in the past few days. I started thinking about it last week with “Gray’s Anatomy” show in which they told the wrong patient that she had terminal cancer and didn’t have long to live. What did she do? Quit her job, broke up with her boyfriend, gave up her apartment (with parking which in Seattle is unheard of!) and was off for the adventure of her life until they told her they made a mistake.
Then today on Oprah, she had Dr. Oz talking about death and featured this guy Randy Pausch
who was told just over a year ago that he had pancreatic cancer and now supposedly only has a few months to live. I was actually confused after seeing him on Oprah. He didn’t say much about trying any alternative treatments and if he really had any hope. The show made him seem like he was so calm and peaceful and it was just as usual except he was going to die in a few months. He did achieve alot of the things he dreamed about throughout his life. He is a college professor and he gave his “last class speech” which you can see in full on Google Videos.
Dr. Oz also mentioned something about healing and that it doesn’t necessarily mean that healing will allow him to live. Where do we get things like that? I sometimes think we are just trying to come up with something that sounds good so that we can go on - so that we can make meaning about life and a situation like this.
But what the question is really is ‘what would you do if you had only a few months to live?
How can we live every day with that feeling so we don’t miss anything and can live as fully as we can? Or are we supposed to really live like that?
Posted in Massage Schools/Students, Starting Your Practice | No Comments »
October 20th, 2007 Julie Onofrio
My concept of the $100,000 massage practice and the ‘wealthy massage therapist’ continues to bring mixed reactions. A few have emailed me privately saying I am full of crap but they don’t bother to say why or what their feelings are on the topic.
I have learned that when you are reacting to something so strongly and especially being moved to downright rude comments that it seems to have triggered something deeply with in you and it is not usually directly related to the current situation but something from deep in your past.
Projections are basically unowned parts of ourselves that show up in our live in all relationships and aspects of our lives. They are such an important part of our work and the therapeutic relationship which is the basis of building a massage practice and being successful as a massage therapist. Projection in the massage therapy profession is called transference and counter-transference. It is important to learn to start understanding projections where ever they may occur in your life if you are serious about building a massage practice. Projections are a really deep and intense part of our consciousness and it requires a real intention to help discover and work through projections. Projections are unconscious which make them so difficult to see and understand.
Elliot Greene in his book “The Psychology of the Body” defines projection as:
an attribute, impulse, feeling or perception that actually belongs to an individual’s personality, but is not experiences as such by the individual. Instead, it is attributed to objects or persons in the environment, that is, not oneself, and is then experienced as directed toward the individual by those objects or persons.”
Huh?
A.H. Alaamas, in his book “Diamond Heart: Book One. The Elements of the Real in Mans says this about projection:
Projection is one of the main defenses we use to avoid seeing the truth that lies inside us…. It is one of the first defensive mechanisms developed in infantile life…. When you are projecting you are actually acting at the pre-verbal, pre-conscious level.
Defenses are what are needed when you don’t have boundaries. Boundaries are anything that helps to differentiate you from someone else. They tell you where you begin and end. When you start to get mad at or blame others or react rather than respond somewhere your sense of self has been challenged. Your reactions are usually coming from that false self that was created in early childhood to protect yourself. The process of differentiation- of learning to be your true self - is achieved when you can learn to process these feelings from what you think and learning to hold on to those feelings and not react.
While I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, when you can say hmm… that sounds interesting but I think she is wrong and this is why and not get angry - you are feeling informed about something and not reacting - it usually isn’t a projection. If you are reacting and reacting intensely it is most likely a projection - meaning it is really a reaction about something else. This is especially the case when you feel like retreating and not even talking about it but when you prefer to just ‘leave’ or write rude comments or emails.
Being able to understand projections and hold conversations about topics with your professional peers such as this and others like ‘The $100,000 massage practice” can help you in your practice which will be full of projections between you and your client.
Posted in Ethics, Massage Schools/Students, Peer Supervision, Recommended Reading, The Code of the Caretaker, The Wealthy Massage Therapist | 1 Comment »
October 1st, 2007 Julie Onofrio
What is the average salary for a massage therapist? How much can a massage therapist make?
I have been doing some research on these questions for my ebook that I am writing called “The truth about becoming a massage therapist” and it has also got me thinking…
ABMP reports the following about salaries for massage therapists:
Average massage-related income for massage therapists in 2005 was $18,950, with a median income of $14,500 (2005 ABMP Member Survey).
First-year practice average income was $9,589, reflecting the challenges of establishing a professional-service practice (2005 ABMP Member Survey).
The median price for a one-hour massage is $60 (ABMP 2005 Member Survey, correlated by the same finding in the Harstad Strategic Research 2007 Consumer Survey
AMTA reports slightly higher numbers based on the Bureau of Labor statistics which ABMP claims are inaccurate.
Either way, massage therapists are not making much and are not anywhere close to a $100,000 a year practice. I picked that number because it is usually not associated with a massage therapist and most would say that it isn’t about the money.
After reading Harv Eker’s book ‘The Secret of the Millionaire Mind‘ where he says:
“Let me put it bluntly: anyone who says money isn’t important doesn’t have any! “
We use the excuse that it isn’t about the money to keep ourselves in the low paying professions.
But why is a $100,000 a year salary or income from business sound so unrealistic? The last time I mentioned the idea of “The Wealthy Massage Therapist” I got a few emails saying that they didn’t want to be wealthy. Wealth seems to bring up many things for people. It really shows you your beliefs about money. What do you think of someone who makes that kind of money? That they must be doing something illegal? That making that kind of money is not respectable? That helping people is more important than making money?
To make $100,000 a year a massage therapist would have to do about 21 massages a week and charge $100 a session and work 49 weeks a year. (that’s roughly). But what massage therapist charges $100 for a one hour massage?
I had this sudden realization that the massage profession itself is creating this problem.
Massage schools only talk of how difficult it is to start and build a practice and often tell students not to quit their day job and plan on taking a few years to build a practice. If our thoughts create our reality - what is this doing to the massage profession????
I know you will want to explain the lower than $100 an hour fees with thing like - it is way above the market rate and there are many who can’t afford it and you just want to help everyone and that includes the people who can’t afford massage. It doesn’t have anything to do with being able to afford massage. It is really more about valuing massage. I have had many less fortunate clients who I do know were struggling- single moms, people who could work as much due to their injuries etc. If people were serious enough about getting a massage - they would find a way to save to get one. Then there are those who have all the money in the world and complain when you raise your rates-they too are just not valuing massage.
If what we have inside of us is reflected in what goes on outside of us - what does this say about how we value our own profession and ourselves?
What exactly is a massage worth? What is it that massage actually does for a person? It is like comparing teachers salaries with that of professional athletes? What we have in this country is an mis-representation of our values. What about comparing massage therapist salaries with professional athletes? What price can you put on something like massage?
What if all massage therapists everywhere in the country charged $100 an hour? How does the idea of getting that much make you feel? What would you do differently in a session if anything? What fears come up for you in asking for what you need?
Posted in Massage Schools/Students, Recommended Reading, The Code of the Caretaker, The Wealthy Massage Therapist | 5 Comments »
September 12th, 2007 Julie Onofrio
From NCBTMB
Posted in Massage, NCBTMB by Massage Nerd on the August 16th, 2007
Dear Colleagues, Do You Recognize this Document? Can this document be improved? In an effort to improve the NCBTMB Candidate Handbook and application process, we are asking for feedback from school personnel who are familiar with this document. To participate, download Version 7.1 of this handbook which is located on the NCBTMB website (www.ncbtmb.com). Once you have located the areas in the Candidate Handbook that you wish to comment on, click on the link below. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1UIaFf1QuP3Od7MmDmiwUg_3d_3d This link will take you to the “Call for Comments Survey” where you can navigate the handbook page by page inputting comments as you go. You may also leave and return to the survey as needed. When you are finished, the survey results will be automatically sent back to us. Your comments will help us to revise the handbook and facilitate the application process. Your students will appreciate the changes you help us make. Thank you in advance for your participation. If you have any questions, please contact Elaine Calenda, School Outreach Advisory Panel chair at ecalenda@bcmt.org or call: 800-442-5131. Thanks! School Outreach National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork 1901 S. Meyers Road, Suite 240 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181-5243 Email: schooloutreach@ncbtmb.com
Posted in Massage Schools/Students, News | No Comments »
