Therapeutic Massage

My physical therapy training next semester requires that I learn to practice soft tissue manipulations and this goes with being on the receiving end of this as well. I have never had a massage (yes, chicken!) and find myself, once again, feeling a lot of anxiety about being out of my comfort zone. Personally, the thought of “me” being draped with a little cloth and acting as the patient is much more intimidating than the thought of being the practitioner. The saying: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander” always did have a way of getting under my skin.

 

Yeah, therapeutic massage is a bit rougher than the spa types. This is something else to think about, not that I’m scared of a little pain mind you, but that it seems I could be perceived as being just a wee bit competitive :saint: at times in things such as MMT (Manual Muscle Testing) and have done a little bit of trash talki…errr…motivational speaking at times which seems to have “possibly” instigated some rivalry. :saint: One day the instructor interrupted the “activities” and told the class that we would be able to inflict more pain on each other during therapeutic massage sessions coming up and would have a chance to get some revenge…and then smiles while looking MY way!

 

It seems like, in general, the women are much more enthusiastic about this than the men. Just about every woman I know seems to have had a massage compared to just a few men. My lab partner just simply laughs at my head shaking, eyes bugging insecurities as I look at the curriculum and she expresses the same type of sentiments about how great it is. You’d think it would be the other way around but nooo, you women can be ferociously secure in these matters.

 

Yeah, I know, but was saying “in general” because it seems more common that what I usually hear of is about women getting a message. Its cool if you like massages; the practice has been around forever and I think it can be very good for people. I imagine if I ever learn to relax it might be good for me too; especially since I workout a lot and don’t do nearly enough stretching. I just think this is one of those cases of cultural influences causing inhibitions and do hope that eventually this "intimidation" you speak of should be overcome through experience and professionalism. And I could be wrong but it seems as women have an easier time on this. The instructor has also commented on men having a harder time with the hands on experiences.

Our program started with 26 people, most all ready in the field and of high caliber, who did all the prerequisites and waited two years to get into this program and yet it looks like we are down to 16 after the first semester. Our grading scale is 84% for a B and 93% for an A, and it takes a minimum of a B on all exams and lab practicals to stay in the program. It has been like a boot camp, therefore I’m trying to adjust my thoughts and wrap my mind around the upcoming curriculum during this much needed winter break.