Psychology 101 for Massage Therapists
While practicing psychology is out of the
scope of practice for massage therapists, it is essential for therapists to be
aware of themselves so that you can have an understanding of what happens when
you work with clients. Touch also
has a way of bringing up emotional issues and we need to know how to handle
situations. Learning about ourselves and the relationships we have with
clients and other professionals is essential in building a successful practice.
A successful practice by my definition is one that is financially, emotionally
and spiritually rewarding.
Basic
Psychology Concepts
Transference/Counter-transference
Projection
The Therapeutic Relationship
Listening
The Drama Triangle
Feelings- Needs at the heart of
feelings,
Burnout
- The rate of burnout in the massage profession has yet to be studied, but
my guess would be that it is very high. Learning to recognize the signs of
burnout will help you to avoid this syndrome. It is really a message to
look at yourself and your needs.
The
Need To Fix : Caretaking vs Caregiving: Fixing vs Being of
Service: Helping vs Being of Service
The Need
to be Right- is related to the need to fix. When we need to be right
all of the time, we are driven by our ego's early unmet needs.
Learning
to Feel is the basis for learning to be more present in our
bodies. It is important that we are aware of our feelings as we work with
people to guide them on their way to learning how to feel. Our
feelings are indicators of what we need.
The
Quest for Knowledge - How do we know that what we learn is the truth?
Developing a Spiritual Practice- A Spiritual
practice does not have anything to do with religion. A spiritual practice
involves getting in touch with your true self, your higher power or whatever
term you call it. It means learning to be present with your own feeling so
that you can be present for another to witness healing.
Massage
as a Spiritual Practice
Intention - How do your intentions influence your life? How do you
know what your intentions are? How can your create conscious intentions to
help you build your practice?
The Code of the Caretaker
Psychology
Recommended Reading List
Highly
Recommended Reading List
Emotional Freedom
Technique - Tapping on acupuncture points with a script that helps release
fears of any kind - from fears of going to the dentist to fear of success.
