QuestionWhat do you think the purpose of massage therapy is?
Where did you attend school? How long did you study massage therapy before getting your degree? What is your "title"?
AnswerGreetings Kylie, and what great questions. I think that the purpose of massage is to help people to a better understanding of their bodies, their health, and their lives. It may sound a bit grandiose, but I feel that the more in tune with our bodies, and the more responsibility we take for the health of that body, the happier nad healthier people will be. I am a firm believer in the ripple effect; you make one person feel wonderful in their bodies, and they go out in the world and spread that around. I see anger and hatred as a kind of virus, that wants to propagate itself, and massage is one of the tools that can act as an antidote or anitbody.
I also feel that there is a conection bewteen mind and body and spirit. When one is out of balance, the others exhibit that also. Massage is a good tool for bringing them all back in alignment, by addressing the body as meditation or prayer works on the spirit.
Massage also helps us learn what positive, safe, healthy touch is. We live in a society that is not very tactile; next time you are out, notice how often men touch each other. There are very few places on the male body that is okay to touch: often it is only the hands, back, and shoulders. now look at other cultures. The French kiss each other on the cheeks - both men and women - and many Middle Eastern cultures have no taboos about men hugging or holding hands. Massage helps show what is safe, that it is okay to touch nd be touched, all a result, I believe, of an increased comfort level with ourselves and our bodies.
I attended the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in Tucson, Arizona. I really don't have a degree, as this type os school is considered a trade school. My school was 1000 clock hours - time spent in class, hands on. It took a year to complete with me going to school 5, sometimes 6, days a week, from about noon to 7.
I am a licensed massage therapist. The title can vary from location to location based on the types of laws the area has. Many places do not, unfortunately, have any sort of regulation of the practice. Some have small licensing requirements, others huge, and in some places, like California, your title and scope of practice depend on the length of your training. I think a few places start you out as a bodywork pspecialist, with the fewest hours (200, something like that), then you can be a massage technician, to a full massage therapist. The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) provides MTs with a type of malpractice insurance, and works to increase the knowledge and validity of massage. They are working hard to get one set of laws to regulate massage therapy for the entire nation, like they have for MDs.
I hope this was of some help, Kylie, and please write back if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Christopher Hall
