Two students at the Louisiana Institute of Massage Therapy share their journey through massage clinic held in the months of May and June 2011. Thank you Sara and Jessica.
A View Into The Mind of A Massage
By Jessica Arabie
My first client is on the table.
My heart is racing, racing, racing.
My mind is playing the familiar tune,
I can’t do this, I can’t do this.
I have forgotten all my strokes.
If all else fails effleurage!
The Heart!
Do the Heart stroke!
Desperately praying “Please guide my hands to my clients needs.”
“Calm my spirit dear Lord”
“Bring back to my memory all I’ve learned”,
“Help me Lord, Help me”
My nerves start to calm,
My mind slows down.
I have lost myself in this massage.
The strokes are coming naturally now.
My hands following the contour of my clients body.
My game face is on.
The traps, the lats, and yes, that is the quads.
I go a little deeper to the Rhomboids, up and around the deltoids.
Yes, Yes, I remember !
My heart beats slow and my spirit is calm.
My mind is clear,
And all is peaceful.
I CAN DO THIS!
YES, I CAN DO THIS !
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The Diary of a Mad Massage Therapy Student
By: Sara House
For all massage therapists, current students and future students out there, you may know the feeling I had right before clinicals… I am talking about the feeling of a MAD massage school student. Do you know the feeling of sheer panic and madness? The one you have just before you are about to jump off a cliff. That is the same feeling that I had before giving my first client massage.
During one of our first weekends of clinicals, I was requested by a known client who LOVES deep pressure. Knowing the other therapist in class who had given her a massage, I knew that I would not live up to their massage. Automatically I reverted back to my pre-clinical freak-out mode and believed that I would fail. During the massage the client kept telling me what a great job I was doing. I started to feel like I could do this! After the massage was over the client proceeded to tell me how she thought I had extra training and loved her massage.
Now, three weeks into clinical the feeling of panic and self-doubt has mostly subsided, but a tiny fraction still remains. By the time we are done with clinicals, I predict that the feeling will be 100% gone. I am on the way to no longer being a mad, panicked student and to becoming a confident massage therapist.
