David Lauterstein
Lose Frustration Now – Ask Me How!
or I’m Frustrated. You want to know why? Hell if I know! When it comes to emotions, we might say the only thing that’s frustrating is frustration! Therefore, when it comes to the emotional impact of massage, we might say our first concern is often the relief of frustration. Anger itself doesn’t feel bad at…
Read MoreGO WHERE THEY’RE NOT / GO WHERE THEY ARE
“Thought is the welling up of unknown life into consciousness.” D. H. Lawrence One of the first and most powerful ways we evoke the mind, is we touch the person and they then naturally bring their awareness to what and where we’re touching. Immediately they are : aware of HAVING a body aware what they feel…
Read MoreMINDWORK MORE THAN BODYWORK?
Much research is disproving or not yet supporting our assumptions about how we affect the body through massage. Circulation – we may not affect venous return much, even though it’s been a hallmark assumption of Swedish massage Fascia – it’s been shown that fascia doesn’t change nearly as much or as lastingly as we’ve thought Muscles…
Read MorePUTTING MORE ART IN YOUR MASSAGE
Tips for Therapists Get Feedback – unlike paints and notes, our medium is intelligent and can tell us if our work is inspiring them! Brilliantly eliciting and responding to feedback can almost guarantee that you can optimize the experience in every single session. Every session is a collaborative artwork. Listen – with your hands. What…
Read MoreEnding the Energy Debate – Moving Forward with High Quality Education and Therapy
There have been many recent on-line discussions in our field about “energy” and the role it may or may not play in our work and education. Many people have noted regretfully that some of the discussions have given rise to divisiveness somewhat uncharacteristic in our field. Partly this may be a function of “social” media.…
Read MoreThe study of massage
Various T.V. shows have depicted massage as something kind of weird or funny. And that’s fine. But I see that as people making fun of things they don’t understand or are embarrassed about. Massage and the study of massage is actually one of the most profound professions and realms of study that there is. So…
Read MoreWHAT’D I SAY?
I asked some questions the other day in this blog and on Facebook and got over 250 comments! Today it occurred to me to see how I would answer these questions. 1. Is massage/bodywork a science? 2. Is it a form of non-verbal psychotherapy? 3. Is it a fine art? 4. A form of holistic…
Read MoreIs massage/bodywork a science?
Is massage/bodywork a science? Is it a form of non-verbal psychotherapy? Is it a fine art? a form of holistic healthcare? an allopathic medical practice? a wellness modality? a liberal art? a spiritual practice? Massage and bodywork in the U.S. have been regarded as healthcare practices and, increasingly, beginning in the 1960’s, epitomized at the…
Read MoreNOTES ON A SESSION – 12/9/2013
I periodically remember, way after the fact, that it could be useful for any of us to share the details of our sessions. Each session is such a fascinating integration of art, intuition, critical thinking, applied science, touch experiments, careful observations of client response, and moment-to-moment refinements as we see what may be working best…
Read MoreFists down the erectors
by David Lauterstein There are a vast number of potentially effective techniques for lower back pain. In my experience, however, there are three which are most dependably useful and, if done well, have a wonderful impact. Like most effective techniques in troubled areas, if not done well, they may exacerbate the pain! Let’s practice structural…
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