Vision Magazine

Healing Hands, Healing Hearts

With a plethora of options now available in natural healing, a new awareness has developed around massage. Its status as a mere luxury is getting a real makeover. For many, massage still seems like a luxury, as most insurance companies don't cover it, or if they do, will it include a list of exceptions. However, those who have received massage and have felt the benefits (and for those who are interesteed in becoming body workers themselves) can understand the vital link between health, healthcare and touch. The movement seems to be heading in the directions of clients and patients being proactive and involved in their own health and wellbeing. Alongside this new element of awareness and shift in prioities, the field of massage therapy is ever growing/integrative healthcare is one result of such awareness, and it is a wonderful step in combining allopathic medicine with natural, complementary therapies.

In San Diego, there is a handful of massage schools. Healing Hands School of Holistic Healthis not new to the massage field, and has been teacing massage therapy since 1992. Interestignly, it started in Neha and Paula Curtiss' station wagon; their "office" a kitchen table. These modest roots have grown into a successful school with two campuses: one based in Escondido, and the other on Laguna Hills, California.

Paula, one of its founders, discussed how Healing Hands developed in response to a community need for this type of healing, even before the Department of Education recognized massage therapy as viable training. There are now large trade schools around the nation that offer massage. Before it was adopted by the Department, there were only independent schools (such as Healing Hands), concentrating soley on teaching the art of massage. The founders' vision is "to teach theraputic bodywork where the massage students not only learn the teqhniques but are inspired by the art and the craft of the work. We understood that the student must be able to feel the work; we saw then, and now, the need for the beginner to be both the therapist and the client." The school has served over 4,800 student, and offers excellent job placement assistance.

Curtiss also emphasizes the variety of massage modalities available to students, and how it reflects the multi-cultural aspect of massage itself. Although most well-known in the West is Swedish, or Circulatory massage, it is believed that Swedish actually originated from Chinese massage, (know as Tui Na today). Other cultures also have their own styles of massage, the Japanese have Shiatsu and Reiki energy work, with roots in Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism, Thai massage, hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Indian Head massage. Each culture has adapted its own style, and draws from its respective cultural and spiritual belief systems. Speaking of traditions, Healing Hands have some traditions of their own: "Every spring, since 1995, we retreat from the world of technology and hot showers and gather in a protected canyon, held in its natural state. Under century-old oaks by a bubbling creek, we are led in meditations, handcrafts, healing techniques and herbal lore. We eat delicious food, lovingly prepared. We sit at the fire and bring our voices together in song and laughter. We carry wood, water, and the need to connect."

The school's philosophy also states that holistic health doesn't ever have to be in contradiction to Western healing methods. It incorporates a variety of different modalities from differect cultures, and sees itself as a community of healing. One special element of the school is the various partnerships and participation with community organizations and events. It has participated in various triathalons and the work of many charity organizations, and the curriculum offers community service experience as well. In this way, the community at Healing Hands is a part of a larger community. Prospective students should know that in addition to the standard Massage Therapy and Holistic Health Practitioner Programs, the school offers 1700 hours of additional modalities, some of which include; Pregnancy Massage, Thai Massage, Energy Therapy, Trigger Point Therapy and even Geriatric, and Hospital based massage.

Geriatric Massage as well as Cancer Massage and other Hospital based massage are areas seeing greater integration with traditional Western medicine. For those interested in the field of Geriatric Massage, there are some fundamental adjustments to the typical Swedish massage protocol. The class taught at Healing Hands teaches about working with elderly population, and covers physiology and issues relating to aging, joint, connective tissue and other topics. A major portion of the class is completed by working directly with clients at a skilled nursing facility. Students have the opportunity to work with the same 3 or 4 client's individual needs. This type of massage is very much about learning how to manage in a hospital based environment, usually without the luxury of massage tables. Just as there are no "standard" 80-year-olds, each treatment must adapt and be flexible to the individual and the aging process, as opposed to age-based treatments.

One benefit for the elderly is simply the presence of another caring human being. It is difficult to quantify the effects and importance of this very basic aspect of human existence: the capacity and necessity for touch and presence. Holding space for the client can help with their feelings of loneliness, depression and disorientation, and can offer an overall calming effect. There is growing empirical evidence of the benefits of touch-but ultimately, touch is something that is felt and experienced. How do you put into charts or data the abstract emotional effects experienced after massage, or the increased energy or even mental clarity that you experience after a session? Massage is often about the communication between bodies, emotion, and the greater environment. One of the greatest benefits of massage lies in a deeper understanding of our bodies; it is about so much more than just a therapist putting her hands on a client-it always involves intention and listening to what the body is saying.

Published in Vision magazine
by Cindy Chen