Welcome and Orientation to the 4 Essentials for Thriving Therapists

Welcome to the Four Essentials for Thriving Therapists! We appreciate your openness to learning new healing approaches. And we are especially grateful for your investment in your own wellbeing, learning, and self-care. Our intention is to help you be the happiest and healthiest bodyworker, and human possible! We hope you enjoy this healing exploration with us.

With Metta (loving kindness),
Heath and Nicole Reed, LMTs

The Four Essentials for Thriving Massage Therapists offers key approaches to providing bodywork in ways that Feel Good to Give and Feel Good to Receive. 

The pillars of the Four Essentials include:

1. Easy Body Mechanics
2. Pain-Free Deep Tissue Therapies
3. Practical Self-Care
4. Drama-Free Communication Strategies

Easy Body Mechanics: Have you had the experience where you actually felt better after giving a session than before you started? Practicing Easy Body Mechanics allows this possibility to become a predictability–where you feel more energized and upbeat at the end of your sessions, than before you began. Easy Body Mechanics teaches advanced positions like “Kickstand” and “Instant Maui” and reinforces proactive concepts such as “minimal effort, maximum impact,” “bone stacking,” and the embodied truth that  “it’s better that your legs are shaking than your back is breaking.”

Pain-Free Deep Tissue Therapies: Two top complaints made by clients are: “not enough” OR “too much” pressure. Too much versus too little pressure is a double-edged sword. And Pain-Free Deep Tissue gives you, the therapist, the tools and techniques you need to provide the deepest pressure gently in every treatment—without hurting yourself or your clients. Pain-free techniques protect you from injury and help your clients get out of pain. 

Practical Self-Care Are you experiencing some of the same aches and pains as those on your table? We offer a bevy of simple and short practices you can use to reverse and prevent burnout and injury. We demonstrate fast fixes to release stress, relieve tension or pain, and build more physical and psychological resilience. These practical self-care tools are inspired by therapeutic yoga, sports medicine, breath work, physical therapy, qigong and more. 

Drama-Free Communication Strategies How many times have you heard “you can go deeper if you want to”? This unartful request may be better communicated as: “I would like more pressure please”. Most complaints are the result of unspoken requests. Discover how to prevent complaints by empowering clients to make clear requests. And become proficient in how to flexibly respond to requests. Not only will you discover communication strategies for turning blame into curiosity, but you’ll also be given the tools to eliminate drama, both personally and professionally.

This course’s focus on “thriving” therapists is very intentional. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines thriving as: 1. to grow vigorously: FLOURISH 2. to gain in wealth and possessions: PROSPER 3. to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

Our aim for this course is to equip all therapists, regardless of their circumstances, with the practices that allow you to flourish and prosper.

In the Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton demonstrates that all the cells in our body (from bone, to blood, to brain cells and beyond) can only operate in one of two primary modes: 1. Cells are growing 2. Or cells are guarding. Metaphorically speaking, cells cannot step on the gas and the brakes at the same time.

The same applies to our ability to learn and develop our touch therapy skills–as we are exposed to new concepts or practices, we can either grow or guard.

Are you willing to be a thriving therapist?
And, are you willing to grow vigorously?

Evidence that you are Thriving as a Therapist:
– I feel good after giving a day’s worth of sessions
– My body doesn’t hurt during or after sessions
– I utilize tools and practices to help support my own recovery and wellbeing
– I’m growing kinder to myself
– I feel confident educating and guiding my clients during and after sessions 
– I am open to feedback and encourage my clients to make requests
-I feel like what I’m doing is important and has a positive impact and measurable results
– I trust my expertise and easily communicate my recommendations with clients to help support them between sessions
-I feel continually refreshed and inspired by giving, and I still love what I do
-I look forward to going to work and feel curious about what I’m going to explore and discover in my sessions
– I use my experiences as a “living laboratory” where I routinely experiment with my techniques and approaches to make thing easier on me, and more supportive of my clients
– I am experiencing and expressing less negativity and negative talk
– I feel more grounded and I am growing my ability to be more present in the moment
– I regularly discover and practice new techniques and approaches at the table 
– I am continually feeling more resourceful and responsive
– I create safe and healing spaces for my clients and myself
– I am crafting and curating ways to embody and model a healing lifestyle 

This is only a partial list. What would you add? 

If you’d like to learn more about us, visit us at LivingMetta.com