There are many different modalities in Massage Therapy, all of which are beneficial. But of all the different styles and techniques, there is one skill which is commonly ignored: The client’s.

Many massage clients are unaware of the role they can play and leave all the work to the therapist. Learning how they can aid the process will ensure better results. This skill has to do with what clients bring to the table and how they affect the quality of the experience.

Both the therapist and client bring something to the table. I try to bring my attention, intuition, and compassion, as well as my professional experience, in order to be as present as I can. I do my best to prepare both mentally and physically before each session. There is much more variety to what my clients bring. Some bring their jobs or traffic jams. Others bring recent arguments, frustrations, or worries. It is always a pleasure when someone brings their curiosity and attention. The healing process becomes unhindered when the client lets go of their struggles and becomes fully present in their body. Awareness is the seed of change. My job as a Massage Therapist is to help clients get there.

The following ideas are ways in which you can help me help you.

Stay Present

Be in the room with the therapist. Be in the moment. In your body. You are not taking the kids to school or planning dinner. You are not with your family, friends, or co-workers. Don’t plan for what you will do after the session. Let all that go and join me in your session.

But what does it mean to be present? When you park your car at home and have no clear memory of the drive, were you really present? Thinking of past situations or future concerns pulls us out of the “now” and into a partial awareness. We’re keeping tabs on what’s going on, but we are not fully attentive to the moment. I find that I am most present when I allow my actions and senses to completely fill my attention. Our body and environment are in the moment… Try to be there with them.

Be Attentive

We are living in vibrant bodies which are constantly informing us about what is happening in the present. Most of the time we only half listen. We filter out the essentials from the constant chatter of our sensory nerve endings. During our session, be attentive to your body. What is it saying? At first you may not hear much more than the usual, but listening is a skill that improves with time. Can you hear your pulse? Can you feel your breath as it travels through your whole body? What does your tension feel like? Get to know it personally, not just superficially. It has much to teach.

One benefit of massage is that it makes hearing the inner voices that have been in the background all this time easier to hear. When I challenge a muscle’s habituated tension by applying direct pressure, the volume of its “voice” rises above the body’s usual clamor. Use my hands as mirrors into your own body. Can you internally acknowledge that tissues tension and help let it go?  Does its “message” change and how does that affect the rest of your body? Stay open and focus your attention inward; changes come in all forms.

Look for Patterns

You have a great opportunity to learn about yourself here. Your body is very intelligent and protective. It is constantly doing things on your behalf, most of them very beneficial, if not absolutely essential. But your body is also very habitual. It often uses old, patterned responses in new situations.

During a massage, circumstances often arise that allow you to perceive a habitualized pattern of guarding or armoring. Whether it is holding your breath or holding tension in your muscles, this response is not intended but unconsciously performed. I will point out these patterns when I find them; you should do the same.

Know Your Limits

Actual pain is counter-productive in therapeutic massage, because it increases your instinctive protectiveness. This does not mean you should run away from intensity, but rather be attentive to the experience and know your limits. If you can breathe through it while staying present with the sensation, perhaps we can work through it.  If you have to work at it, perhaps we can find a softer way?  Tell me when a certain technique gets too much – before it becomes too much. It will not offend me and will ensure a more productive treatment.

Let Go

In our society, we spend much of our time trying to control ourselves and our environment. In time we develop holding patterns that we aren’t aware of and never let go. Because massage requires surrendering control, we will often find your holding patterns. The more aware you become of your holding patterns, the more you will be able to let them go.

Your role as a client is not strictly passive or observant, but also active. You can learn to aid in the release of this habituated tension. It is less an active effort, and more of an allowing it to happen or just not resisting it. Letting go does not require any preparation or effort, it is simply a surrendering of control. Thus, by surrendering control, you regain control.

Use This Time Wisely

I always give a better treatment after I’ve stretched and meditated. This is how I let go of my daily minutiae and become more presently attentive to the moment. We only have a short time together. If it normally takes you 20 minutes to let go and become present, that’s 20 fewer minutes of an effective work. Give yourself 20 minutes before we begin to get ready. Arrive early and read a book in my waiting room. Take a walk or sit at a café so that we can maximize our time together. If you don’t have the time, simply notice what you bring to your session and consciously set it aside.

Make It Last

How long do the effects of a massage usually last for you? An evening? A few days? With a little extra effort, you can learn to retain the benefits longer. Notice what tenses you. Can you bring the same attentive presence to these situations and find the habituated response pattern? Experiment with letting go and allowing a new response to appear: one that is healthier and less burdensome. This is the beginning of change at a deeper level.

PS.

This article was written in 2007 and I haven’t practiced Therapeutic Massage for many years. However, these strategies will benefit any bodywork session.  I practice Structural Integration, a modality that uses fascial release techniques to address chronic pain and imbalances and improve how the body organizes and functions through-out or daily lives. I work to achieve long term solutions to chronic problems for my clients: aches, pains, and limitations that are so chronic they have grown into the body’s structure.

Luckily, I have chosen Therapeutic Massage and Structural Integration to be a part of my busy life. The reward of physical well being is immeasurable. Thank you, Eli.

Deborah Gordon – Real Estate Agent