By Cindy Williams
When clients come in with concerns beyond muscles aches and pains, it behooves you to make them aware of lymph massage as a great therapeutic option—either in the form of offering the treatment option if you are a trained practitioner, or referring them to someone else. But beyond just making clients aware of this modality, educate them as to all its many benefits. All healing modalities are more effective when the recipient understands what is happening in their body and can visualize the effects taking place.
A Great Tool for Massage Clients
As for any learner, when educating clients, it is essential to offer sensory support as much as possible. The more sensations you can tap into (sight, touch, sound, etc.), the more the client can comprehend and recall the information . . . and also tap into the brain’s capacity to direct specific types of healing to occur within the body.
Let’s use allergies as an example for how this process might work. In the thick of allergy-stimulating seasons, clients come in with runny noses, sneezing, congestion, sore throats, and general fatigue due to the hard work the immune system is under. This would be a great opportunity to turn them on to lymph massage as a supportive ally. It will likely help them feel better and will encourage them to come in for lymph massage before the allergy season hits so the body is already strong and circulating effectively. Here’s how to use the senses as teaching tools in this scenario.
Sight
Craft a client handout with basic images that explains allergies in a simple way. For example, you might say:
“What we call allergies, or allergic reactions, is your immune system’s attack response to certain foreign substances (proteins) that would normally be considered harmless. In the case of seasonal allergies, the body reacts to proteins that are launched into the air from trees, grasses, weeds, and mold (among other things) as they grow or get cut (such as mowing the grass). These proteins are known as allergens. There are many types of allergens besides seasonal allergens, such as proteins found in foods, medications, latex, pet dander, and venom from an insect sting. When these harmless proteins are identified as harmful by the immune system because of an unusual and very individual sensitivity, a ripple effect begins. A short-term attack is launched with a single goal—eliminate the allergen and protect the safety and balance of the community (the body and its collective organs and systems). The primary mode of defense is a release of histamine, which is responsible for your allergy symptoms of mucus production, itchy and water eyes, sneezing, and coughing. Each of these symptoms is designed to get the unwanted protein out.”
You could then show the client how the immune and lymphatic systems are interrelated. For example, you might say:
“Immune response is only one aspect of the big picture. In fact, the immune and lymphatic systems are in a tight alliance. Between every single cell of your body is a vital substance called interstitial fluid that is responsible for carrying nutrients to your cells and waste products away from your cells. For this to happen effectively, the fluid must be moving. Liken it to a flowing river versus a stagnant pond. You can easily see all the debris and gunk that floats in the pond because it has nothing moving it along. Anytime there is an inflammatory response via the immune system (such as an allergic reaction), there is gunk that needs to be flushed.
One of the key roles of the lymphatic system is to keep this fluid moving. In simple terms, this fluid moves into a network of vessels (similar to arteries and veins that carry blood through the body, but not exactly the same). Once the fluid enters the vessels, it is called lymph. Lymph is then moved through the vessels toward filtering and cleaning stations, which are called lymph nodes. Inside lymph nodes are specific immune cells that break down and remove what isn’t contributing to life and the overall needs of the body. Once clean, the fluid continues into a new cycle of circulation—load, wash, rinse, repeat.”
Make sure you don’t just offer a handout that you expect clients to read and comprehend on their own. Take the time to go through it with them. The handout is a reinforcement of what you explain with your words. You could also find a short, basic video to accompany this information. And, of course, include a body map of the lymph pathways so they understand on a deeper level the approach you are taking when you touch them.
Touch
When you are suggesting lymph massage as a beneficial modality to an existing client, it is helpful to give them a sample of what they will be experiencing ahead of time, that way they don’t arrive expecting something similar to a wellness massage. As you explain that lymph massage involves a specific pace, pressure, and direction with the strokes, give them a sense of it on their forearm or other area of the body that is exposed while they are clothed. When they are in the actual session, they can decide if they want to use visualization to enhance what you are doing, or simply relax and let you do your thing. You can also ask them to try it out on themselves; perhaps as part of an at-home self-care lymph massage treatment that extends the effects of what you do during the session. The more in tune they are, the more powerful the body-brain connection.
Sound, Taste, Smell
Certainly, the senses of sound, taste, and smell are a bit more difficult to incorporate into the client experience, but with some creativity, they are absolutely possible. You can use the analogy of the river as previously mentioned and encourage them to conjure the smell or sounds of a river. These are very soothing images that enhance the parasympathetic response that the work is already inducing. Or perhaps you encourage them to taste fresh cool spring water and imagine themselves drinking it, nourishing themselves, and adding to the cleansing of the body.
Each of these sensory integrations excites a different neural pathway that reinforces the positive outcomes of the work. And, again, it adds to the client’s learning and comprehension so they are better equipped to keep the momentum going beyond the session. Finally, they become knowledgeable about what is actually happening in their bodies, regardless of the ailment or symptom.
Lymph massage is a powerful tool to help clients when your standard protocols aren’t addressing their complaints. Using the clients’ senses to help them understand the work will pay dividends in its overall success.
author bio
Since 2000, Cindy Williams, LMT, has been actively involved in the massage profession as a practitioner, school administrator, instructor, curriculum developer, and mentor. In addition to maintaining a part-time massage and bodywork practice and teaching yoga, she is a freelance content writer and educational consultant. Contact her at massagetherapyfortwayne@gmail.com.