ABMP Podcasts for Massage Therapists & Bodyworkers

The psoas is a lot like an old man who likes his solitude and scares those who pass his cabin in the woods. But with a little patience and finesse, the fear will ease—and the old man will have a new kick in his step.

In this episode, Dr. Ben Benjamin discusses the three phases of frozen shoulder, how resisted stretching is used to increase range of motion and decrease pain, why friction therapy is a great method for massage therapists to use during a session, and how being a thorough communicator during assessments is key to understanding a patient’s treatment options.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB): This genetic skin condition is sometimes called butterfly disease, because the skin of affected people is so delicate. So when a client with EB, plus fibromyalgia, plus blood thinner use asks for “very deep work,” what do we do?

In this episode, Cherie Sohnen-Moe discusses what inspired her to write her first book, Business Mastery; how massage therapists should be using treatment plans as a marketing tool; incorporating retail sales into your practice; and her hopes for the future of massage and bodywork.

Ruth eavesdrops on a conversation between two massage therapists sharing concerns about clients with cervical dystonia. Cervical dystonia, also called spasmodic torticollis, is one of more than a dozen types of dystonia, and understanding this condition involves lots of twists and turns. (That’s a joke—tune in to find out why.)

Ever wonder what would have happened if you had made different choices in your life? In this episode, Allison sits down with Christy Cael—author, instructor, bodyworker, and biomimicry master—whose story has taken turns she never dreamed possible. Christy’s success, she reflects, is all thanks to her willingness to say yes to opportunities that she at first wasn’t sure she could accomplish. 

In practice as a bodyworker and body-psychotherapist for 20 years, Dr. Cynthia Price worked extensively with individuals who were disconnected from their bodies due to stress, trauma, and pain. Inspired by Focusing, an experiential psychotherapy approach of present attention to the “felt sense,” Dr. Price developed Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) as a mindfulness-based approach for use in body-centered therapy practice.

T-cell lymphoma is a relatively rare form of cancer that can affect lymph tissues, bones, organs, and the skin. In this episode we’ll look at this condition in two different clients with very different presentations that take us to similar conclusions.

Massage therapists’ hands are a powerful tool. Like an extension of the brain, hands are a highly intelligent sense organ that can perceive and communicate without words. But are we taking them for granted? In this episode, Heath and Nicole Reed discuss the “elusive obvious” that is our hands.

A client has Dupuytren’s contracture, a progressive thickening and shrinking of the palmar fascia that causes her pinky finger to be bent all the time. Now it seems to be starting on the other side. Is massage safe? Can it help slow the progress? What is Dupuytren’s contracture, anyway?

Can you get too many massages? #Wellness has taken on a whole new meaning. In this episode, Allison highlights the autonomic part of the nervous system and relates it to the balance we seek in wellness and in the work we do as massage therapists. 

Tracy Walton’s belief is simple: Everyone deserves compassionate touch. She has developed guidelines that are already at work in hospitals, massage schools, and clinics across the country. This includes a pressure scale she developed, based on the work of Gayle MacDonald and Dawn Nelson. In this episode, Tracy discusses her beginnings in oncology massage, how frustration in the classroom helped develop the pressure scale, and her hopes of trauma-informed massage therapy instruction in the classroom.