Dear Clients and Friends,
I want to first thank you all for the past nine years of working with you! It has truly been a fantastic journey that is not about to stop, so don’t get your mind a racin’ after the first sentence! This is just the beginning of the next leg in my career.
Over the past couple of years I have really focused on who I am as a person and a therapist and really tried to improve in both areas. What I found is that as a therapist, I had created an assembly line business. I could keep my schedule packed with 6-8 clients a day, day after day. I didn’t get to spend any time with you except during the massage. Many of you had been telling me for years I worked too much. When March 2020 rolled around I very quickly realized all of you were RIGHT!
March brought with it Covid-19 which has devastated many families, increased stress and depression and created a slew of other terrible issues. For me however, it was rejuvenating for my mind, body and spirit. I was forced to slow down. In that slow down I was able to discover what I had been missing outside the office working so late. I also discovered some really incredible skills I never knew I had, and for that matter, didn’t really believe existed. That only came from having some real down time.
On June 5, 2020 the craziest thing happened that changed the course of my life and career forever. I was able to connect with a client’s energy and manipulate them without touching them. When I say manipulate, I mean move their physical body without touching them, with my hands 18-36 inches away. I tell you this, the moment that happened I about wet myself and ran out of the room. I regained my composure and returned to perform a completely different kind of massage than I had ever done. That was just the tip of the iceberg that has come to reveal itself very quickly over the past few months.
With everything happening at one time, I had no choice but to fully explore what these changes were. This meant laying low for a while and focusing on exploring this new “super power” which is what I jokingly and foolishly called it at first. I didn’t send out openings because I had no idea what would happen in a session as new things would happen. I had experienced a new understanding of time and relationships and how we interact with each other and the world in general. One message became ultimately clear to me BE STILL, LISTEN and TRUST. How was I to incorporate those into my business practices?!?! The best way was to TRUST and just do them and when I did, I understood what I was to do.
As of November 16, 2020 my practice will officially change. My focus will be on MIND, BODY and SPIRIT not just the body. In a lot of ways, things will be the same but with a different approach. I have created a space in which you can be safe, quiet, still, alone, comfortable and most importantly FREE of ALL that is outside of the massage room and FREE to be YOURSELF and FREE to RELAX and BE STILL . This will allow the mind and spirit to relax as well, and aid the body in healing in all areas.
One of the biggest changes that will take place is my approach to massage. For almost a decade I built my practice on deep tissue sports rehab massage. Digging deep, stretching, bending and twisting the clients. Sometimes I made sound effects as I found yuckie spots. Sometimes I did things that really made no sense but I felt I should just do them and they were exactly what was needed. These were glimpses of what was to come. It did a lot of good for a lot of people, but it wasn’t the whole picture. It was only the body getting attention.
Now I understand there are far more things to address with a client, which play a far more important part in their reason for scheduling an appointment. Mind and Spirit are often neglected while the body is more often looked after. The interesting part is that those popped up from time to time and I never was slowed down enough to see it as something to work towards.
The next time you come in, these are some things to expect that might be the same or might be different than before.
Massage Itself
The massage itself is really the same except I now start with the most important part first, which is the torso and head. That is where most of the energy flow is. It is also the most common area that stress and worry are stored; from the baggage we carry to emotional stress we experience every day. The massage has more movement with arms and legs to unwind the fascial tissue that is restricted and causes pain and discomfort and could be the root of many chronic issues. This unwinding allows for an easier release of the muscles and less “make it relax” kind of massage.
Sounds
Sounds play a vital role in understanding what is actually happening during the massage when a therapist is working. The client’s breath, words, sighs, laughs, cries, creeks, pops and any other sound coming from the client’s perspective tell the therapist many things. It tells them to keep holding, lighten up, go deeper, be patient, be empathetic, keep going or stop. I have found that many people keep these repressed. Those sounds are all part of the communication process and should be expressed when felt. The same holds true for the sounds a therapist makes because it is two way communication.
The therapist sounds can be just as varied. For me these sounds can include ohm-ing and growling as I get to certain areas. That growling indicates negative energy or ick in those areas of the body. It’s my metal detector. My divining rod. My compass for finding the ick that needs to be let go. Sometimes the growl changes frequency and tunes in and becomes the classic ohm sound we all know of with meditation.
Another is deep breathing which I encourage my clients to listen to and follow where they can and where they feel it. Usually when I am making loud open mouth breathing sounds and a client breathes with me accidentally or on purpose, the ick slides right off. With two energies focused on the same issue the ick is guided out much easier; leaving a subconscious understanding by the client that they got rid of the ick instead of it being done for them. The client is an active part of the release. The ick is what we hold in our bodies from trauma, stress and even other people’s trauma and stress. It’s the stuff that causes disease or simply dis-ease.
Focusing on the breathing sounds, the music or the water can help clients in settling their minds and letting go of all the stuff outside the room. We all know that right now everywhere you turn is some sort of something that gets our pulses up or makes us huddle up at home thinking the worst is about to happen. Forgetting it all for two hours could be an amazing thing.
SomataEmotional Response
This is an area that is not necessarily new but was few and far between. You’ve heard people talk about muscle memory when it comes to activities like sports. The more you do over and over in the same way, the body remembers the movements. Muscles can actually trap emotions or memories that can cause issues for many many years. Usually it is from trauma such as car accidents, abuse, loss of a child or other negative situations. For example, many times my clients will randomly start crying. Much of the time they have no idea why. It is whatever trapped emotion or memory leaving the body. This release is very healing to the mind, body and spirit. Most have expressed huge weights being lifted off their shoulders following emotional release like this.
Sometimes clients will know exactly why because it triggered bad memories. Again, these can be traumatic events that have happened. It is very important to understand that this is all part of a process. You are safe. You are alone and you are free to let loose. I am simply a tool, a vessel being used to heal. Please let it all flow out. Do not hold it back. It is exactly why the client and I are there and why I created a safe space. If you need to stop to regroup or just stop, please say STOP, take a couple of deep breaths and then figure out what’s next.
Intention
Intention and focus are two very important areas that can often be overlooked in a hectic scheduling environment. That is why I have intentionally created a space to let go. Once you pass the threshold, the intention is that everything but you, your Mind Body and Spirit, are left outside. My focus is to help facilitate in stripping the excess that wasn’t left at the door and allow the client to “just be” in the moment with absolutely NOTHING required of them but being still in mind and body.
Energy
Some have expressed concern for me processing all of this negative ick and held back so as not to put that on me. As I mentioned before, I am simply a vessel through which the work can be done. The loud breathing I do is part of the vacuuming up the ick and then the release to God, the Universe the Light, whatever you believe does the healing. Please be open and allow me to connect with your inner physician and do the work it knows needs to be done.
BUSINESS
Scheduling
Since day one doing massage, I felt sticking to a timeframe was ridiculous! How can you do a one hour massage on a 6’ 6” 300 lb man who lifts heavy every day and do it effectively? What can you possibly do on a 4’ 6” 100 lb woman who has virtually no physical issues for two hours? The answer is simple. You can’t. It’s even harder when it takes 15-30 minutes for a client to relax and let go. This is why I will only schedule 90+ minute massages moving forward. You need the time for yourself. You need the time to help repair instead of bandaiding the issues.
Also, when scheduling please keep in mind the rest of your schedule and allow for transition from here to your next destination. Please allow two hours for your massage including before and after time. If you are going to be rushed getting to your appointment or from your appointment to the next, please consider scheduling a better time for a massage. All too often a client will come in and have to shorten their massage because they have to be somewhere else.
Electronics
For you to receive the maximum benefit from the time in the space including your massage, all cell phones and watches and any other electronic devices must be turned off during the session or left in your vehicle. Exceptions are those on call. There is a simple reason for this. It is an interruption to you and the therapist. Silencing your phone only creates a different sound, usually just as loud because they rattle keys or anything else they touch.
Late Cancellation/Missed Appointments
The No-Call/No-Show and late Cancellation policy will be strictly enforced. By reducing the number of clients per day so that I can focus on each one, there is no longer an option to ignore this.
I know this has been long, but I thought it was important to get it all out there. For some of you this will be a financial issue and I completely understand. For some of you, this will be completely out of your comfort zone. I understand that, as well. For most of you, this is exactly what you’ve been needing and didn’t know it! If after your next appointment (or before) you feel as though we are not a fit any longer, I will be happy to direct you to an appropriate therapist next door. Each therapist has their own area of focus and you will be in good hands. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this more, please reach out to me. I’d be happy for you to come by, check out the new space and sit and talk. By the way, I’m just right next door in suite 106. You know, formerly Michael’s Photography which many asked if it was mine. It is now..
Basically the whole idea is to come, be still, listen, trust, relax and release.
Welcome to FIND YOUR OHM WAY.