THIS IS MY BOX – REFLECTIONS ON WONDROUS CONTAINERS

Today is Christmas and millions of people will be opening boxes. And they will be looking inside these boxes with excitement. In a figurative sense I’ve begun to be as interested in “boxes” as in their contents. The box “contains” the present. It holds these treasures that we invest with feelings. They are, at their…

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THE MIRACLE OF YOUR SKIN

Dermoneuromodulation massage continuing education

DNM is a structured, interactive approach to manual therapy that considers the nervous system of the patient – from skin cell to sense of self. We keep learning more and more about the impact of touch. There are some new ways of understanding touch that are coming from something called “Dermoneuomodulating” – quite the tongue…

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THE POWER OF HEALTHY TOUCH

The more time you spend on the internet – with email, googling, facebook, snapchat – the more depressed you get. Many studies have shown that. So why are we still so “wired” in? The promise, the potential, of experiencing a sense of connection is often even more exciting and captivating than the actual connection! The…

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ODE TO THE CLIENT WITHIN

My client walks with a grace in her step. She seems like she’s walking on air. She laughs, she jokes, she doesn’t seem to care. She is a bit heavy and is working out to improve; at times it does dampen her mood. It’s hard not to hide beneath the shield of clothes. Her posture erect…

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Believing in Touch

I have never been a very conventional religious person. Maybe those of us who practice massage therapy are, however, in touch with something deeply spiritual underlying all beliefs. From an early age I did have a respect and attraction to the sacred, often through art and music, and also from a deep hope that humans…

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SELF-EVOLUTION AND MASSAGE THERAPY

Uniquely among animals, humans can consciously initiate enormous changes in our lives. Basically, we are the only species that can self-evolve, sometimes many times, within one lifetime. This incredible capacity is what our society should be organized around – each human’s ability to create a better life for her/himself and our community. We have the…

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VITAMIN T

Life cannot thrive without touch. This is so fundamental that too often it goes without being said or even recognized. The embrace of the baby in womb, the touch of the mother, father and other adults nurturing, feeding, welcoming the child, the later touch of peers, lovers, partners, the touch of our own children –…

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DON’T IGNORE THE INTERCOSTALS

Intercostal Muscles

by David Lauterstein “Anything with wings always comes down in the end”. ~ Simone Weil One of the most important groups of muscles often ignored by massage therapists is the intercostal muscles. These of course give rise to the deliciousness of “spare ribs”. But far more importantly they are core muscles involved more or less…

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THE NEED TO TOUCH

As therapists everyday we see our clients’ need for touch, and people’s in general. What we do not recognize nearly as often is “the need TO touch”. In Harry Harlow’s famous experiment with nursing primates, he found that they consistently choose a soft figure to touch over their food source. And, equally striking is he…

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SPACE IS THE PLACE

Suzuki Roshi: ‘Sometimes a flash will come through a dark sky…The sky is never surprised when all of a sudden a thunderbolt breaks through. And when lightning does flash, a wonderful sight may be seen. When we have emptiness, we are always prepared for watching the flashing.’” When I listen to my thoughts, in general…

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