Massage school Week 22

Happy Weekend Everyone 🍁🌻🍂

Just wanted to inform you about my progress and journey through Massage. It's definitely been an up-and-down process of emotions, but this week it all became real with the start of Clinic. I've noticed the past couple clinics left me feeling down and pretty sad to be honest, mostly because I've noticed my limitations and feel like I don't measure up to the rest of my classmates. I know I'm not supposed to compare myself to others, as it's myself I need to worry about, but it gets hard sometimes. That being said, I did have some small wins this week! I stayed after class one day and had a good conversation with my APP Instructor, who is sadly leaving us to go back home and take care of her dad for awhile. she taught us our last psychology of the body class where we all stood in a circle and practiced a mindfulness exercise where we focused on giving relief to an injury or problem in our life by connecting our mind and body and our thoughts and senses together. It was a great way to slow down and move in a way where you are aware of your body and what it needs. After class I talked with my Instructor about hospice massage or what is known as Comfort Therapy. It's a type of massage that relies more on touch and presence than manipulation of the muscles or fixing anything. It's a service for those who are struggling through a terminal illness and those who are often overlooked or abandoned by friends and family in their last stage of life. When a person is put on hospice they are typically given two months to live, sometimes they live longer and sometimes they pass away before the two months is up. Regardless of the time, they are often too fragile to receive a regular massage, so the Therapist is a comforting presence to them at a time where they might feel alone and spend a lot of time being poked and prodded by doctors and at a time where they can benefit from a loving/caring presence. The Therapist gives them a very light massage or simply sits and talks with them. While my Instructor was explaining the process to me she looked me in the eye and told me she knew I could do this kind of work. she said that its very rewarding and easy on your body, though it is emotionally draining and you need to be comfortable talking about death. I'm not sure whether I will become a comfort Therapist or not, but it was very comforting to hear her say that she believed I could do that kind of work. Another cool thing that happened this week was when we had our head and neck treatment class. I was a little nervous about working on the neck because it's such a fragile area and a lot of people don't feel comfortable being touched there. I made a breakthrough during class and was happy as my Instructor seemed proud of my progress :) I was also nervous about working behind the Trachea, as we focused on treatment for clients suffering from whiplash. We were able to move the Trachea aside and get behind it to massage the anterior spine. Once I got over my nerves it was actually really cool! Everything that been happening in class lately is about facing my fears and getting over my nerves. It's challenging, but deeply rewarding 🤗 How was your week? share your thoughts, feelings and comments below!