Today's topic concerns how and why massage therapists use music during their sessions. Well, I can't really speak for all therapists, only myself. But parallels can probably be drawn between us in the business.
Two main reasons come to mind as to why. First, music serves as a distraction from the silence you'd otherwise hear during the course of your session. Second, music (or sounds) are used to play on your nervous system to help calm you and your muscles to relax. How this works is thought to happen in your brainwave activity. A faster, more pronounced wave is associated with alertness, cognizant increases, focusing, etc. A slower wave indicates a more relaxing set of activities. The type of music you listen to triggers different brainwave patterns and your body, physiology and mood alter accordingly.
Music therapy is said to be a growing aspect of alternative health care because of the results of research in this area of neurological study. Although both music and sounds are being studied, music seems to be the primary focus, though sounds do have certain responses in patients studied.
Typical massage music encourages slower brainwave activity. When this happens, the autonomic nervous system is eventually affected in the following ways: client's breathing and heart rate slow, their relaxation response is triggered, internalized stress levels drop and neurons connecting muscles to the brain slow-fire, allowing muscles and other soft tissue to relax. A positive state of mind is induced biochemically preventing the stress response, particularly corticotropin and cortisol (although other markers were not as conclusive).
Having said all this, individuals are different as night and day. What calms some, drives others crazy according to their taste in music and sound. What works for you is what's important when it comes to your massage session. It's important to have a dialog with your therapist concerning which music will be played during your massage.
Music is NOT played for the benefit of the therapist! While it gives both parties something to listen to in an otherwise quiet room for an hour or two, your session is all about YOU!
My clients are encouraged to bring any music they wish to listen to during their sessions. I always ask my clients if the music playing is good for them. If not, I have a selection of other music or sounds they may choose from or they may bring their own if they prefer.
While part of this blog got kind of technical, I find it pretty interesting stuff. I hope you enjoyed it, too. Stay well and play that relaxing stuff at home!
Till next time!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
How To Choose A Massage Therapist
Fewer people have given any thought to choosing a massage therapist than they have any other healthcare provider. I think that's because people often don't think of their therapist in the same terms as, say, their doctor, dentist or chiropractor. But the truth is, we provide therapeutic work intended to improve your health. That's the bottom line. Being placed in such a position, I believe that an equal amount of consideration ought to be given to who you want working with you on maintaining your health. So, how to go about picking the best therapist?
First and foremost, the therapist you choose should fit you, your schedule, your price range and your healthcare goals. As part and parcel, your therapist should have experience with your specific concerns, education in the types of therapy that would best suit your concerns and be willing to not just work ON you, but to work WITH you to bring around the results you are looking for. The right therapist should fit you like a glove. A client would want to look forward to seeing their therapist and vice versa. Similar or interesting personality, an earnest, caregiving attitude.
Secondly, the surroundings in which your therapist practices should be inviting, pleasing, relaxing. How many people think about their impending dentist visit and DON'T think about the sound of a drill or smell of flouride in the air? Color schemes used in most massage practices are inviting, quieting, comforting specifically for that purpose. Your therapist wants you to walk in and go, "Aaahhh..." If you don't feel that way, your defenses are still up.
Thirdly, cleanliness and sanitation would be high on your list. Dirty carpets, old-looking, oil-stained table linens, sickly plants, unattended-to restrooms all say bad things about an office.
So, how do you find the right massage therapist that you know you'll really click with? Well, as with most providers, you may have to visit a few before finding THE one. Your best bet is to take the recommendation of a trusted friend or family member. If you know them, like them, trust them, are much LIKE them, you may well find yourself recommending the same therapist to others again! In fact, we therapists are ALL about working with referrals. Many of us have some kind of reward program for referring clients as part of our marketing.
Next, do a little homework. Call the therapist and speak with them on the phone to get a feeling of how they relate to you and your concerns. Don't be afraid to ask if they have experience with your particular issues and ask them to be specific about their plans for working with you. Ask about their education, amount of time as a therapist, how long they've been in business. Don't ask us if we can give you any references -- we can't. That'd be a breach of confidentiality. We can't even talk about your spouse's visits or issues. But we might have testimonials listed somewhere, such as our website, a newsletter or other public venue.
One of the biggest concerns of the therapist is NOT to transfer what's going on in our lives to you. If you visit a therapist who ends up talking about their problems or having a bad day or a problem with a client, then you don't want to go to them. Your session isn't about the therapist; it isn't about another client; it certainly isn't about their business loan or a recent car dent! Don't get me wrong. Massage therapists have problems just as anyone else does. The good therapist knows they are having a problem with transferrence and will call their appointments ahead of time, though, to reschedule them.
Feedback is extremely important to us and is extremely helpful for you. The perfect match of therapist and client is that not a word needs to be spoken and everything transfers between the two as if they were joined at the brain. That kind of thing probably happens only in the same place where kids eat all their vegetables and money grows on trees. If something the therapist is doing -- whatever it is -- doesn't suit you, by all means, tell us. We very well may be tuned in to you, but we're not mindreaders. Feedback such as pressure, pain, tickle spots, places you don't want massage, sensitive points in your muscles or near an injury are all things you will want to relate to your therapist. The session is all about you, so take an active part in making it a great session!
Feedback may be given at any point before, during or after a session. If your therapist doesn't seem open to feedback or denies your concerns ("That shouldn't hurt!"), that's a red flag for you. If it's a concern for you, it should be a concern for the therapist. Everyone experiences pressure and pain slightly differently. Some people enjoy a heavy pressure while others cannot tolerate it. The good therapist will always ask, "How's this pressure?" Be truthful. If you need more or less, say so.
In my work as a professional ship captain, I prefer my watchstanding officers to call me before they get into trouble. My standing orders include the wording, "I'd rather be called 100 times too early than once too late." Carrying this into your massage sessions, I'd rather be told that you don't like this or that about what I'm doing so that I can adjust my work right there and then than to lose you as a client and never know why. What's more, clients tend to tell more people about a bad experience than a good one. I'd like to keep those bad experiences to the absolute minimum...say, zero!
In most cases, my clients are results-oriented. They come to me looking for relief from specific muscle pain. The rest come to me for general relaxation -- also results-oriented, but not specifically. With both groups of people, I try to educate them with their bodies. We're taught so little about how muscles work and it's a fascinating science. I take the time to explain what I'm doing and why so you can participate in your own healthcare and help me gauge results you're experiencing. This is important to me. However, it's not always important to my clients. Some aren't bothered WHY things are happening or how, they just want it to go away and that's it. If this is you, I'm good with that. Not everybody thinks it's fascinating or even interesting. Whichever you are, just let me know or ask questions to satisfy yourself. Personally, I believe this is a good way to do business with a client. My idea of good customer service.
So that's my bit on how to find a good therapist for yourself. If it isn't me (and I hope it IS!), then feel free to use this information to help you find the person most suited to work with you for the long term. Massage works great once, better twice and best routinely.
My new website will expand over time to include more educational information for my clients and prospective clients. If there's anything concerning massage and the soft tissues of the human body you'd like to see me address in my blogs, videos or newsletters, please fill out a feedback form or send me an email. I love it when people are interested in taking care of themselves for the long term.
My new website!
First and foremost, the therapist you choose should fit you, your schedule, your price range and your healthcare goals. As part and parcel, your therapist should have experience with your specific concerns, education in the types of therapy that would best suit your concerns and be willing to not just work ON you, but to work WITH you to bring around the results you are looking for. The right therapist should fit you like a glove. A client would want to look forward to seeing their therapist and vice versa. Similar or interesting personality, an earnest, caregiving attitude.
Secondly, the surroundings in which your therapist practices should be inviting, pleasing, relaxing. How many people think about their impending dentist visit and DON'T think about the sound of a drill or smell of flouride in the air? Color schemes used in most massage practices are inviting, quieting, comforting specifically for that purpose. Your therapist wants you to walk in and go, "Aaahhh..." If you don't feel that way, your defenses are still up.
Thirdly, cleanliness and sanitation would be high on your list. Dirty carpets, old-looking, oil-stained table linens, sickly plants, unattended-to restrooms all say bad things about an office.
So, how do you find the right massage therapist that you know you'll really click with? Well, as with most providers, you may have to visit a few before finding THE one. Your best bet is to take the recommendation of a trusted friend or family member. If you know them, like them, trust them, are much LIKE them, you may well find yourself recommending the same therapist to others again! In fact, we therapists are ALL about working with referrals. Many of us have some kind of reward program for referring clients as part of our marketing.
Next, do a little homework. Call the therapist and speak with them on the phone to get a feeling of how they relate to you and your concerns. Don't be afraid to ask if they have experience with your particular issues and ask them to be specific about their plans for working with you. Ask about their education, amount of time as a therapist, how long they've been in business. Don't ask us if we can give you any references -- we can't. That'd be a breach of confidentiality. We can't even talk about your spouse's visits or issues. But we might have testimonials listed somewhere, such as our website, a newsletter or other public venue.
One of the biggest concerns of the therapist is NOT to transfer what's going on in our lives to you. If you visit a therapist who ends up talking about their problems or having a bad day or a problem with a client, then you don't want to go to them. Your session isn't about the therapist; it isn't about another client; it certainly isn't about their business loan or a recent car dent! Don't get me wrong. Massage therapists have problems just as anyone else does. The good therapist knows they are having a problem with transferrence and will call their appointments ahead of time, though, to reschedule them.
Feedback is extremely important to us and is extremely helpful for you. The perfect match of therapist and client is that not a word needs to be spoken and everything transfers between the two as if they were joined at the brain. That kind of thing probably happens only in the same place where kids eat all their vegetables and money grows on trees. If something the therapist is doing -- whatever it is -- doesn't suit you, by all means, tell us. We very well may be tuned in to you, but we're not mindreaders. Feedback such as pressure, pain, tickle spots, places you don't want massage, sensitive points in your muscles or near an injury are all things you will want to relate to your therapist. The session is all about you, so take an active part in making it a great session!
Feedback may be given at any point before, during or after a session. If your therapist doesn't seem open to feedback or denies your concerns ("That shouldn't hurt!"), that's a red flag for you. If it's a concern for you, it should be a concern for the therapist. Everyone experiences pressure and pain slightly differently. Some people enjoy a heavy pressure while others cannot tolerate it. The good therapist will always ask, "How's this pressure?" Be truthful. If you need more or less, say so.
In my work as a professional ship captain, I prefer my watchstanding officers to call me before they get into trouble. My standing orders include the wording, "I'd rather be called 100 times too early than once too late." Carrying this into your massage sessions, I'd rather be told that you don't like this or that about what I'm doing so that I can adjust my work right there and then than to lose you as a client and never know why. What's more, clients tend to tell more people about a bad experience than a good one. I'd like to keep those bad experiences to the absolute minimum...say, zero!
In most cases, my clients are results-oriented. They come to me looking for relief from specific muscle pain. The rest come to me for general relaxation -- also results-oriented, but not specifically. With both groups of people, I try to educate them with their bodies. We're taught so little about how muscles work and it's a fascinating science. I take the time to explain what I'm doing and why so you can participate in your own healthcare and help me gauge results you're experiencing. This is important to me. However, it's not always important to my clients. Some aren't bothered WHY things are happening or how, they just want it to go away and that's it. If this is you, I'm good with that. Not everybody thinks it's fascinating or even interesting. Whichever you are, just let me know or ask questions to satisfy yourself. Personally, I believe this is a good way to do business with a client. My idea of good customer service.
So that's my bit on how to find a good therapist for yourself. If it isn't me (and I hope it IS!), then feel free to use this information to help you find the person most suited to work with you for the long term. Massage works great once, better twice and best routinely.
My new website will expand over time to include more educational information for my clients and prospective clients. If there's anything concerning massage and the soft tissues of the human body you'd like to see me address in my blogs, videos or newsletters, please fill out a feedback form or send me an email. I love it when people are interested in taking care of themselves for the long term.
My new website!
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