Be Inspired—What Is Your Favorite Thing About Being a Massage Therapist?

On ABMP’s social platforms, we recently asked, “What is your favorite thing about being a massage therapist?” We were flooded with answers that were both thoughtful and inspiring. The responses were too good not to share, so we compiled some of them here to further inspire others.

“Human touch. Good for client; good for me.”

—Cynthia Antoinette Seltner

“I love that moment when a muscle finally releases, and the client physically sighs with their whole body.”

—Timothie Burgess

“I always think of being a massage therapist as making the world happier. I make someone happy and in turn they are nicer to others, and it keeps going on down the line. That’s what I love about being a massage therapist. I’m making the world a better place.”

—Jaime Felmer Smith

“I love it when clients get off my table and have the look of heaven on their faces. They are so amazed at how much mobility they have regained—relieved of their aches and pains and relaxed and refreshed, so much so that it brings some clients to tears. Knowing that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life with my passion for what I do makes my ‘why’ totally worth it.”

—Adroit Hands by Toya LLC

“The opportunity to use my gift of touch to transform the lives of many.”

—John Davis

Want to read more? Check out the complete story at bit.ly/3D3fHjw or visit ABMP’s Instagram or Facebook!

Huna Kane

HOO-nah KAH-neh

noun

This Hawaiian technique espouses that emotions and experiences are trapped in the fibers of each muscle group and organ in the body. Through a rhythmic massage technique where the practitioner “dances” with the forearm softly across their client’s muscles while informing the client of the particular emotion being addressed (e.g., guilt, fear, anger, etc.), huna kane allows clients to reexperience that emotion and to clear it from their bodies. From this place of clarity, awareness, balance, peace, and harmony become more accessible.

Huna kane is practiced on fully clothed individuals lying on a mat on the floor.

Top 5 Courses in the ABMP Education Center for 2022

It was another exciting year for continuing education at ABMP in 2022! We provided two online ABMP CE Summit events—free for everyone in the profession—focused on fascia and lymph, and added new CE courses to the ABMP Education Center on aromatherapy, anatomy/pathology, business, ethics, self-care, teaching, and techniques.

“ABMP strongly believes in the value of continuing education, and it’s an honor to provide events and courses for practitioners to enhance their professional and personal skills,” says Kristin Coverly, ABMP’s director of professional education. “Learners earned more than 145,000 hours of CE in the ABMP Education Center in 2022. It’s exciting to think of the ripple effect that knowledge will have on their practices, clients, and the profession.”

Those top five courses are:

“A Combined Approach: Hands-On and Cupping Techniques for Neck Fascia”

By Allison Denney and Dr. Joi Edwards

• Learn hands-on and cupping techniques focusing on the sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, and scalene muscles.

“Blood Clots: Causes, Concerns, and Considerations”

By Ruth Werner

• Explore the pathophysiology of thrombosis and learn clinical decision-making.

“Create a Zero-Tolerance Practice”

By Joyce Gauthier

• Identify and deter sexual solicitors.

“Fascia Fundamentals: What Every MT Needs to Know”

By Rachelle Clauson and David Lesondak

• Understand fascia: what it looks like, its role in the body, and the different types.

“Manual Lymphatic Drainage: Basic Techniques for the Neck and Face”

By Nicola McGill

• Discover gentle, yet effective MLD sequences for the neck and face to support the movement of lymph fluid.

Learn and earn free ce: abmp.com/learn

The ABMP Podcast Network

“Pediatric Touch Therapy” with Tina Allen

Imagine a world where every child has the chance to reach their full potential. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Tina Allen, founder of Liddle Kidz Foundation, discusses the differences between infant and pediatric massage, why she created the Liddle Kidz Foundation, what she has noticed in her travels around the world regarding “touch culture,” and what advice she has for practitioners interested in learning more about pediatric touch therapy.

abmp.com/podcasts/ep-309-pediatric-touch-therapy-tina-allen

Cornerstones: The ABMP Instructor Development Program

Transform your classroom with Cornerstones: The ABMP Instructor Development Program, a library of interactive CE courses that is free to anyone in the profession through April 2023.

We know the massage and bodywork community is full of passionate instructors possessing caring hearts and expert hands-on skills who give their all to students, but so many are often trained in the “trial by fire” method. Cornerstones gives these instructors a well-researched, comprehensive training program they can easily complete online, on their own schedule, and at no cost to them or their school.

For your top instructors, Cornerstones may be a refresher about best instructional practices. For the less-experienced teacher, Cornerstones is a life raft: a 25-hour intensive opportunity to learn the core skills needed to teach effectively.

Get started now in the ABMP Education Center at bit.ly/3GW6jzc.

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