Comments for Everflowing

Comment on Visiting Marty by Irene Smith

Irene Smith — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 03:56:23 +0000

Good evening Irene!
I wanted to send you a little update on my client w/Huntingtons (Carol, I should refer to her!!) Carol and I have been working together since mid December and I started working w/her 5 days a week about a month ago. Its been a wonderful transformation.

In the beginning she had a lot of movement in her arms and legs for the majority of the time, only resting maybe 5 minutes before her body jolted her awake again.

In the meantime Ive gained confidence in my touch and have learned her body and what she can tolerate or not, also being more aggressive in my touch (at first I was afraid to touch her for fear of her breaking) everything was over the cloths and never could she tolerate lower legs/feet.

We can now work skin to skin and she tolerates a good 15 min on the legs and a little bit of foot compression or holding. I’m able to work pretty much with her whole body and she is very thankful when I leave. In the last 2 weeks she has shifted from resting only 5 minutes to resting almost 30-40 minutes at a time!!!

She is very receptive and the nurses all say its made a huge difference. They say that she’s sleeping better and longer, and she’s less agitation. I walked away from the desk one day and overheard the nurse telling the DR. “That’s the only thing that is helping Carol right now.”

Ginger Peer
Massage Therapist in Virginia

Comment on Hospice Massage Referrals by Newton County Hospice

Newton County Hospice — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:37:24 +0000

Actually, if family members can experience the dying of a loved one in a caring setting with staff that support both the patient and those in the patient’s orbit, it can really help bridge the gap between what was and what will be.

Comment on Touch: The Missing Link In Massage by Riva Naimark

Riva Naimark — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:54:06 +0000

I also agree with what the concerns mentioned here. What I have found especially disturbing is the fact that evidenced based massage practioners are the worst opponents of touch. If we practice energy work or some other kind of touch therapy that is not proven ,then the evidenced based practitioners insist we are doing something unethical unless we can produce a study that the person approves of which is basically impossible. Even the Dr’s and the Nurses at the hospital where I see patients support any efforts that we as LMT’s make to help provide comfort to their patients without demanding data to back up our choices. Interestingly, I have actually come to the conclusion that I think there is some part of healing that is distinctly not scientfic at all. Otherwise, then why would my clients with similiar diagnoses, prognosis and treatment not have a more similar outcome? I happens that I have observed a wide variety of outcomes for my clients who are ill and never quite figured out exactly why.
Massage is highly regulated in New York State. We have to have 1000+ hours to sit for the exam. While we devoted quite a large amount of time to Anatomy & Physiology, Neurology, Pathology, business, etc they also made sure to introduce us to a wide variety of techniques from Western Massage to Eastern based modalities. Knowledge of both are required to pass the state exam They also prepared us well to take on massage in a clinical setting but at the same time, they made sure to always remind us what what we are actually doing is touching our clients. Occassionally I get a client that is so medically complicated or even so close to death that sometimes there is nothing left to do other than just to put my hand on them. This is the one leson that 11 years into my career I still remember every single time treat a client or patient no matter what environment it is in.

Comment on Touch: The Missing Link In Massage by Irene Smith

Irene Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:20:58 +0000

Amma, I totally agree that all perspectives are needed to create wholeness. This is, as you say, about integration. Yes lets integrate the human being into mainstream therapies. This is the point! Relationship matters. It cannot be separated in good health.

My favorite bodywork is Tom Hendrickson,s Orthopedic technique. The practitioner I see is very intimate , connected , and alert to me as a human being as well as being brilliant technically. Hendrickson is a good model for integration. Thank you for the depth of your reply.

Comment on Touch: The Missing Link In Massage by Amma Liu

Amma Liu — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:08:24 +0000

I totally agree with your concern! The question every massage therapist should ask him/her self is: Which direction or field I want to be?
Clearly there are two directions:
Medical Massage or Clinic Massage, following the allopathic medical approach, they view the physical body as a piece of machine and use “Newtonian” point of view to break down a material to the smallest parts and fix it up.
While the Holistic massage and other healthcare modalities, try to apply the “Quantum physics” to view the whole universe and human beings as a whole unit that interact and influence each other. Therefore, the external and internal energy, vibration, communicates are all important aspects of treating a person. The body/mind/spirit is inseparable.
As to the present day, allopathic medicine is the dominant / governing force, any practitioner who is looking for the acceptance in the healthcare field has to adept and comply such approach and rules, especially if you want to get paid by insurance. The techniques, such as Orthopedic massage, Myoskeletal techniques , Osteopathic therapies… all base on advanced anatomy and physiology. They do deserve high respects.
But we all know allopathic medicine doesn’t solve all the problems. They “treat the disease” but not the cause. Most of the time, they are merely chase after one symptom after another.
On the other hand, all the “out of box” alternative” practice has not gained full understanding and respect from either the “authentic” medicine professionals not the majority of the society. These practitioners have limited resource to provide strong scientific study and further prove their effectiveness. Most of them live in “shoe-string”.
While more and more public awareness has turned to the “alternative” health practices, one has to overcome lots of obstacle to stay in business. Only the ones who have the strong belief and passion in what they are practicing can survive and thrive. But they are the representatives of the future medicine! The whole world will shift sooner or later!
Where do you want to be?
In my personal opinion, everything consists of more than one side. We need both sides to have a coin. You may choose to stay in one side, but don’t reject or suppress the knowledge from other side. Working together we will have a better world!

Amma Liu
LMBT in Charlotte, NC

Comment on Elders Touching In Residential Care by David Palmer

David Palmer — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:09:01 +0000

What a beautiful example of what I call “lightly structured touch,” Irene. We are all born with a need and a talent for spontaneous touch that gets educated out of most of us by cultural norms. There are ways to teach children about appropriate touch (see the wonderful animated video for kids at http://youtu.be/ls6fHOfQnhQ) so they never lose that natural affinity. Adults need to be given permission to touch in contexts such as your class so that we can re-experience the deep value of touch. I love your “re-entry guidelines.”

Comment on Elders Touching In Residential Care by Rena Graham

Rena Graham — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:19:30 +0000

We think that as people get older, their core needs change but they don’t change, they just get sublimated. Our culture could be much healthier in the way we treat our elders and in the way elders treat themselves. Thank you for the beautiful post Irene.

Comment on Mindful Touch As A Means of Comfort by Linda Watson

Linda Watson — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:41:11 +0000

What a stunningly powerful and beautiful post! Thank you so much!

I have some training in Healing Touch, including using such techniques at the time of death. But we don’t need to have special training to do what you are talking about–to be intentional, kindly and appropriate in touching those who are ill or dying. To hold someone’s hand, to stroke the hair off their forehead, to rub lotion into their hands, to gently massage a cramp, to just get in close enough to notice that their lips are dry and need some lip balm–these are things any of us can do and they are so very important, so dignifying, so humanizing.

Thanks again.

Linda Watson
http://talkaboutdeath.net

Comment on Core Curriculum by Irene Smith

Irene Smith — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:00:14 +0000

Thank you Marguerite. As a Mindfulness teacher you know the importance of being personally attuned to our humanness. From this place we serve. From this place we are nourished.

Comment on Core Curriculum by Irene Smith

Irene Smith — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:54:03 +0000

Thank you very much Jason. I feel the same about you and the beautiful energy you filter into the world. Irene