Individualizing Session Design in Massage
“Even anatomically, every client we work with is fully unique. The muscle and bone and every inch of skin has its own individual form and history. If they could converse, the organs, tissues, bones and skin would tell us a compelling and unique story.
When fully grasped and understood, every person’s life holds the fascination of a great novel! I am intrigued and humbled by each client! How do I access and draw out their true self, how might I most helpfully allow it to be?
Designing sessions is a high art and science – one of the most profound endeavors we can undertake. Assisted by thinking, feeling, observing and talking, we attempt to determine what interactions through touch will make an optimum difference in someone’s life.
Asking yourself what is called for can be a bit overwhelming. How can we touch so as to liberate the action potentials of that person’s history? Some client’s requirements seem rather transparent, others more complex or tangled. In all honesty, there are some days when we ourselves may not be as insightful as on others.
One piece of extremely good news is this: although each person is so different, each person is also similar! Though different in precise form, each person has generally the same muscles and bones, the same overall anatomical and physiological organization. This enables us to immediately clarity our focus. For instance, if we know we will be concentrating on the back in a certain session and images of the relevant muscles – the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, erector spinae, multifidus, quadratus lumborum – float up and give us an itinerary for the session’s journey.
Each person is already a coherent symphony of being. When we hear their song, we can improvise a session that harmonizes the music of their life.”
– excerpt from The Deep Massage Book – http://www.redwingbooks.com/sku/DeeMasBoo