Sequence- So many conflicting methods

[Acouncatt]

Oh yes cola, there's no substitute for sussing out your client. A tick-box makes that neither better nor worse if you're asleep on the job.

A verbal and painstakingly written case history can miss loads also. How many times do people tell us they're not on medication when they are?

Because people often think they are healthier than they are, I always spell out 'don't forget sprays, creams, inhalers, eye and ear drop, contraceptives and OTC meds'. Even so, some still say they're not on anything, and when asked about the packets of pills that just fell out of their handbag will reply 'oh, that's just for my heart'.

So I still stand by the point that the tools we use are not to blame, we can use them well or badly, we shouldn't blame them when things go wrong, nor should we throw them away just because some practitioners use them to become lazy.

 

[yvette H]

I thought it was just me that had clients not declaring meds. I always say that if they forget anything, not a problem I'll write it in later. Then the client isn't under pressure and later into the treatment the real interesting things crop up that the client thought wasn't relative to the treatment but was. Typically things like an accident falling out of a tree when they were 12 years old and they completely forgot about the incident.

RP

 

[shawshank]

Its even worse when they don't declare an operation and you discover a operation scar somewhere

 

[Courtney L]

Amazing how once you begin to unravel the problem the relevant stuff seems to pop up to the surface all on its own!

Going a bit OT now

 

[neoplop]

I agree with you. I know there are people here who say no two massages are alike, and up to a point they are right. Colleges teach you "three strokes of this, three strokes of that", and of course, in the real world, that is nonsense. But a routine makes good sense from both the therapist's and the client's point of view. If I were to leap around the client's body (left leg, then face, then right arm, then over to the back, then over again and back to the right leg...), I might miss something out that could turn out to be crucial. But probably more importantly, it will make no sense to the client - there is a reason why you might be taught, for example, to begin with the legs, then move up to the abdomen, the arms, shoulder etc. The reason is that it feels natural to the client and doesn't give them any unnecessary surprises.

Of course, if the client wants something special, then that is different (and the most important thing is to satisfy the client), but otherwise, what is wrong with a natural progression around the body - wherever you happen to start it?

 

[Kimberley Kern]

i suppose then, the difference is not in someone doing a routine or not, but in an intuitive therapist performing a routine versus a 'paint by numbers' therapist doing a routine, because there is a difference.

Of course you have to have some sort of plan, ie where to start etc, but the frustrating thing is, when someone does 2 of this and 3 of that, because that is how they are trained, and then when you ask for say, extra time on lower back, they go to pieces because they dont know what to do....and yes, I have experienced this with therapists, on more than one occasion.

 

[Mooky69]

Hi Guys

I've developed routines for FBM & chair massage combining moves from assorted courses & learned from other therapists. I know these work well as a sequence & come in on time & I'll use these with a new client with no particular issues or someone who pops in occasionally for a tune up.

Would hate to use them all the time though so I bring in different moves from time to time to keep it fresh. Also, more importantly, it doesn't work for clients who have particular issues or preferences in their massage.

One of the benefits of lots of training & learning from other therapists is that we develop the confidence & enough techniques to respond to what the client wants/needs and adjust or even abandon any routine without going to pieces as ST outlines above.

 

[Pompal 09.]

This strikes a chord with me!

I once decided to treat myself to a two hour massage and wondered why the time had flown quite so quickly as she neared the end of completing the whole body massage whereupon I was asked to turn over again and she did the same 'paint by numbers' massage again for the next hour.

It became like walking home along the same old route, predictable and boring. She only knew how to do a one hour massage sequence and that was it. Lucky I didn't ask for a 3 hour massage or I would have thought I was in some kind of deja vu nightmare.

I've also on occasion asked for extra work on an area and then found that it was at the expense of other areas normally included being missed out completely even though it was a 'full body' massage because the hour was up. Should be possible to still do the other areas even if less than normal due to time spent elsewhere.

I notice there are courses teaching 'intuitive massage'.

Maybe massage therapists should adopt comedians names to indicate their massage approach?! An hour of Eddie Izzard please or a Miranda.

Or for the one hour repeated twice a Jim Davidson

 

[Pompal 09.]

A Jim Davidson, what a nightmare!

Well I have to admit that I have many mini-routines that can be cut, pasted and linked to suit the need of the client. Gets the timing right as well - I have to admit that this takes confidence and experience.

"Amazing how once you begin to unravel the problem the relevant stuff seems to pop up to the surface all on its own!" Yes K, it is amazing and thank goodness it does happen!

RP

 

[Katelyn Weesner]

That's terrible!!

 

[Family Guy]

LOL Coolhandluke! You were turned over like a rotisserie chicken - fully basted too!

When I first graduated and started working, I relied heavily on the sequence I was taught, but at the same time, I talked to clients who were happy to talk, and got great feedback that way. With time, I used this feedback to experiment with changes to my routine, some which worked and others which didn't

Eventually, after about 6 months of being a full-time practitioner, I was at the stage where I started to really know what I was doing. About 3 years later, I'd had more training, attended more demonstrations, enjoyed regular massages from different theapists, and had gone completely intuitive. That routine was a great start, though.

 

[scochiari]

Hi

I've been thinking about what constitutes an "intuitive" massage inbetween clients today. Even though we need at first a routine to be able to function, but there comes a point that a good massage therapist works in a way that they just "do" something and it works without understanding why, only later finding that other therapists have a similar technique and a rationale why, yet there was no previous knowledge (apart from feeling, doing and being with the client). It least that's my story, and I'm sure plenty of you will agree. So may be a factor in "intuitive" massage is that knowledge and technique may not be always cognitively understood in the head, but felt in the hands. Could also be understood as having a sense of the clients body and the ability to response to subtle feedback from palpation while massaging.

Best wishes

RP

 

[Teilbadd]

What a lovely post, RP! You've summed it up beautifully, I think. Thank you.

Derek