All Articles
What is muscle-specific deep tissue work of the arms and legs?
by Brian Utting The phrase ‘deep tissue work’ is used in so many contexts that it’s hard to know what it means anymore. To some practitioners, ‘deep tissue’ simply means deep pressure. To others, it has more fascial, myofascial, or structural connotations. Muscle-specific deep tissue work still works with the fascia, and uses deep pressure…
Read MoreAbdominal Massage
by Hannah Ford A riddle for you: what do a sub sandwich, a novel, and a massage have in common? They’re all deeply unsatisfying if you leave out the middle. Your massage education included the basics of abdominal massage, but have you found yourself skipping that part of your sessions with clients? There are many…
Read MoreHomage to the Feet!
It has always been incredible to me how much massage clients enjoy foot massage. Yet most therapists know very little about the detailed anatomy of the foot! And mostly they use general massage techniques! It brings a whole new level of pleasure, service, and benefit to your work as a therapist to really understand and…
Read MoreGrad Chronicle – Natalie Durkin
Natalie Durkin, LMT I attended Semesters 1 & 2 at TLC during 1999-2000. My immediate passion became working with clients for pain management, sports performance, and rehabilitative/restorative bodywork. In my first years starting out, I continued to work part-time in corporate office environments while completing my licensing requirements and building my practice. In the Winter…
Read MoreREADING EMOTIONS THROUGH THE ENERGY BODY
by Jim McCormick CLIENT: MALE, 45, Engineer, healthy ZB FRAME: “I WANT YOU TO HELP ME REMOVE MY DOUBT.” ZB SESSION: The client didn’t specify exactly what doubt he wanted to get rid of. He was not really open to doing a lot of processing about it verbally. When he asked for that frame I…
Read MoreRELAXATION DAY – AUGUST 15!
“Relax” – from the Latin, “to open again” “Calmness of mind does not mean you should stop your activity. Real calmness should be found in activity itself.” – Shunryu Suzuki-roshi It’s interesting that when therapists talk about kinds of massage – sometimes “relaxation massage” is a mode that is spoken of condescendingly. “Oh, he only…
Read MoreHooked on Acupressure
A Massage Therapy Instructor’s Reflection on Her Journey with Chi/Qi. by Dr. Gayl Hubatch OMD, LMT instructor I use acupressure for everything – from my own muscle stiffness after a workout, headache or trouble sleeping to giving hour-long treatments in my professional clinic. When my spouse or daughter has a headache or allergies, they are…
Read MoreMyofascial Techniques for the Thorax and Diaphragms
by Liz Hoffmaster Let’s look at the rectus abdominus (RA) muscle and a role it plays in our lives. We are a culture obsessed with core work. In truth, 95% of all abdominal core work is done with severely or mildly bulging abdominals. You have to wonder why one would want to do this? The…
Read MoreMASSAGE – THE ANTIDOTE TO THE ECONOMY?
For years, I was fascinated with System-Centered Therapy and worked hard in a group. One thing I learned was that many of our fears are not based on reality. Rather, we often make negative predictions about what may happen in the future – a meeting might not go well next week, this new client might…
Read MoreDON’T LIKE HOLISTIC HEALTH?
I was at a panel discussion last week about public relations with media representatives who cover healthcare. One covered healthcare topics on radio, another on T.V. and another in the newpaper. One topic discussed was their reluctance to cover “holisitic health,” because, they said, it often couldn’t be shown to be evidence-based. I had many…
Read More