Hi Brandon,
I am a Holistic Practitioner and I've read a lot of your articles and what I have found here in Ontario Canada is this;
I work at a spa and am booked for massage just as much as the RMT that works there, the only people that don't book with me are the ones who want to be able to get their money back from a insurance plan so cheap people who don't really care about having a great massage, they just want one for free. I get more compliments on my massage I give and return bookings than the RMT does. People leave my treatment room feeling they have had an awesome experience not just a massage.
I also do massage for mentally and physically disabled people, nursing home residents, group home(foster kids), these places have all had RMT's work there prior to me and none lasted for more than a few months, they are not trained to work by intuition, with energy or anything other than a massage by numbers routine that requires very certain and stable positioning which cannot be obtained when working with these people. I have great success with people of all kinds because of my training and natural intuition and love for the work I do.
I feel that the only time massage should be covered by insurance is for rehabilitation after an accident. It should only be allowed to be covered for extreme therapeutic measures, and in only a clinical setting. It urks me to see people come into a spa atmosphere and want a hot stone massage and want it to be written off by the RMT so they can get there money back...
One time I had a fellow booked in for appt, he canceled because he couldn't write the massage off and get his money back, but as he waited in the lobby for his wife, he heard one of my clients come from my massage treatment, just raving about how it was the best massage he had ever had, felt amazing, couldn't believe a massage could be this unbelievably relaxing and therapeutic at the same time, that I had magical hands and could feel the energy through my hands on his body and in different places then where my hands were actually touching him.... so he booked another appt for the next day he loved it so much... so he left and went on his way and the fellow that had canceled his appt says to me, can I please book in with you for later today or tomorrow,(he was from out of town) please I want to have this experience, I shouldn't have canceled my appt..he even offered to pay a little more than the regular price, if I could fit him in... well I turned him down, told him I did not have availability for him, even though I did, because I thought you were too cheap a few hours ago to try my treatment, but now you want it and will pay more.... NO you are not going to get this great experience from me.....he was quite disappointed.(but I felt good)(I didn't say that last part to him, but I thought it).
You have massage because you want it and need it regardless of the cost, not just because you can get it for free.....
I have had RMT's in with me for massage and they say that my massage is incredible and that the only thing that separates them from me is a piece of paper and over $20,000 dollars in debt.. that there experience with me is better than any RMT they have been too.
Its because my heart is in my work, I absolutely love what I do... being paid for my job is simply a bonus... Its amazing to be able to work at what you love... I'm sure you feel the same way!
Anyways, I hope your freedom ride continues on with great success and if I can be of any assistance, let me know.
talk to you soon
Name withheld by request so she doesn't upset the RMTs that work with her
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Massage Laws in the US and Canada
Massage Laws
Here are some good links to some really well written articles about massage regulation
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.17/MLN_Vol.17__No.3/mln_vol.17__no.3.html#mln%2017/3
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.17/MLN_Vol.17__No.2/mln_vol.17__no.2.html#MLN%2017/2
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.14/MLN_Vol.14__No.4/mln_vol.14__no.4.html#MLN%2014/4
Here are some good links to some really well written articles about massage regulation
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.17/MLN_Vol.17__No.3/mln_vol.17__no.3.html#mln%2017/3
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.17/MLN_Vol.17__No.2/mln_vol.17__no.2.html#MLN%2017/2
http://www.healingandlaw.com/Massage_Law_Newsletter/MLN_Vol.14/MLN_Vol.14__No.4/mln_vol.14__no.4.html#MLN%2014/4
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Our You tube site
Please see our youtube videos Click here for a link to one of our videos on you tube
Here is a link to part 1 of our reflexology video
Here is a link to part 1 of our reflexology video
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Some thoughts on Health Freedom
Heres an email I got today from Scott Schumacher
Hello Brandon and others.
I wanted to share what I wrote on the Freedom for Bodyworkers Yahoo group lately. My thoughts were in response to the new California regulations that have happened, and my feelings of "what have we built as a viable alternative to licensing or regulation?" and the fact that we're not as organized as the AMTA, ABMP, etc, and we've not developed anything for others to plug into that would halt the craze for licensing and restrictive regulation in the United States.
I believe it's going to happen everywhere eventually, because we've not organized ourselves on "Building" any other alternative institution to take it's place.
I'm wondering what you think. Below is a portion of the email I sent to this list on my ideas (though I feel like a very lone voice in this as everyone else is just bent on complaining or only acting "defensively" when legislation comes around).
--
With regard to "new institution building" in massage and bodywork, I've had a few ideas that I've shared with a few folks, but not with a larger audience. Some of these are more radical in their approach, and might require lots of US even twisting our own paradigms about massage and bodywork. I also see these as potential "exit strategies" and "underground" institution-shifting models to counteract the licensing/specialization movements.
Here are some musings:
1) Aligning with the Energy Bodywork and Quantum Physics Science (or Spirituality)
All states but Florida last I counted, have exceptions in their laws with regard to the "human energy field" to exclude practices like Acupressure, Reflexology, Reiki, Healing Touch, etc. There's a push toward "medical massage" and more "science-based" training and certification. According to quantum physics, when we touch the body, we are not touching the body, but touching energy. Theoretically, and based on quantum theory, we never touch anyone. All bodywork is energy work. The quantum physics paradigm stretches into the boundaries between science, spirit, and consciousness. Institutions would need to be built alongside this philosophy. Learning centers, certifying groups, non-profits, member-associations, etc. And perhaps even a court case would need to happen to give credence to this philosophy of science being applied.
2) The "friends and family" exemption
Many states exempt from licensure, those who use massage in educational workshops, or on family and friends without payment. Another way to dilute the "specialties" of a licensed profession, is to make the education "common knowledge" or part of our "commons" of knowing and learning. Imagine that all of us could become consultants and educators to place this knowledge of touch in the hands of EVERYONE. We teach families and individuals the skills to use touch in their daily lives with their friends and family. People begin buying $300 massage tables instead of treadmills, and effleurage becomes a household word, as do meridians, chi, and trigger points. We teach the world, and the world uses the knowledge to use touch appropriately for their friends and family - apart from licensing, credentialism, accreditation, etc. We in turn dissolve the current "specialization" model, and become teachers and consultants.
3) The Open-Sourcing of bodywork education
It's happening in almost all forms of learning. College and University tuition is skyrocketing. Consumer debt is out of control, and yet, more avenues for "learning" in a free and supported environment are popping up as we speak. Universities are sharing courses through an OpenCourseware (google it!) model. Social Networks are defining and framing our interactions and are creeping into "learning". As our economy flattens, so does education. Showing work and proficiency would need to happen, and organizations that could "certify, credentialize, or verify" experiential and individualized learning OUTSIDE of our current Massage-Schools-ONLY paradigm would need to spring up.
I'm currently studying to take the FSMTB test, and I'm confident I could pass it, hence giving me complete passage to licensing in Wisconsin for the first year of their licensing, without their educational hours or schools requirement. I bet that FSMTB would have their eyes widened by this possible paradigm of showing proficiency. I hope.
4) The formation of LOCAL "Guilds" for bodyworkers
Just like the organic food labeling standards with the FDA, massage therapists, just like farmers, have tougher "entry points" into the market. Some areas in the country are forming "local organic standards" and are marketing them as a "local trust system." You know the farmer or bodyworker because of an alternate system of standards that is shared and supported locally. Infrastructure exists to have bodyworkers rated and commented upon (like your ebay or amazon.com positive or negative ratings percentage). Networks of trust happen organically when we can say "rate my service" to EVERY client, and this information is held by third-party organizations - feedback is confidential but OPEN for all to see. Think of it - would you choose a massage therapist with a 25% approval rating or a 99% one? A local (or even national) "guild" organization could begin to measure our CLIENTS' feedback, input, and feelings of protection. And we would have REAL DATA that speaks to who is protected by certification or not, and how a diversity of training and paradigms of massage and bodywork could provide the same protection across the board for the consumer. REAL DATA! think of it!
5) Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers shed their FEAR of spirituality
A lot of us already know that when we massage a person, that we're not just touching a body, but we're connecting with memories, emotion, SPIRIT, past and present, and maybe even THE DIVINE within the person on our table. We are so cautious to talk about these things, that schools, certifying bodies, states, and organizations have taken us completely down the rabbit hole of ONE VARIANT of science, and a Western medical model that is ONLY about 150 years old (that's NOT a very long time compared to much of our bodywork foundations and traditions). There's been very little or NO movement in concretely establishing a platform for legitimate SPIRITUAL Massage that could very well, with some work, infrastructure, unified voices, and a great liability insurance option, be a viable and crashing EARTHQUAKE to give a paradigm SPLIT that could work very well in our industry - In my opinion.
or..the last option.. not so certain..
6) We just wait it out - Let our economy collapse as we face healthcare crises, climate change, and the shift to a more localized economy post-peak-oil, and perhaps these current models will not hold societal weight. Perhaps our licensing model, along with our learning and specialization model, will simply crumble, and we'll need a new paradigm anyway.
Personally, I'd rather see us BEGIN doing items 1-5 BEFORE this happens, and then maybe we'd be a lot more poised to "change the story".
Feedback?! I'd love to hear what others think. Praise me, criticise me, or show me different possibilities.
-Scott Schumacher
--
Scott Schumacher
Holistic Practitioner, Web Designer, Person
scotts@holisticgeek.com
http://www.holisticgeek.com/
http://www.holisticgeek.com/riverbetween/
http://www.apeacefultouch.com/
Hello Brandon and others.
I wanted to share what I wrote on the Freedom for Bodyworkers Yahoo group lately. My thoughts were in response to the new California regulations that have happened, and my feelings of "what have we built as a viable alternative to licensing or regulation?" and the fact that we're not as organized as the AMTA, ABMP, etc, and we've not developed anything for others to plug into that would halt the craze for licensing and restrictive regulation in the United States.
I believe it's going to happen everywhere eventually, because we've not organized ourselves on "Building" any other alternative institution to take it's place.
I'm wondering what you think. Below is a portion of the email I sent to this list on my ideas (though I feel like a very lone voice in this as everyone else is just bent on complaining or only acting "defensively" when legislation comes around).
--
With regard to "new institution building" in massage and bodywork, I've had a few ideas that I've shared with a few folks, but not with a larger audience. Some of these are more radical in their approach, and might require lots of US even twisting our own paradigms about massage and bodywork. I also see these as potential "exit strategies" and "underground" institution-shifting models to counteract the licensing/specialization movements.
Here are some musings:
1) Aligning with the Energy Bodywork and Quantum Physics Science (or Spirituality)
All states but Florida last I counted, have exceptions in their laws with regard to the "human energy field" to exclude practices like Acupressure, Reflexology, Reiki, Healing Touch, etc. There's a push toward "medical massage" and more "science-based" training and certification. According to quantum physics, when we touch the body, we are not touching the body, but touching energy. Theoretically, and based on quantum theory, we never touch anyone. All bodywork is energy work. The quantum physics paradigm stretches into the boundaries between science, spirit, and consciousness. Institutions would need to be built alongside this philosophy. Learning centers, certifying groups, non-profits, member-associations, etc. And perhaps even a court case would need to happen to give credence to this philosophy of science being applied.
2) The "friends and family" exemption
Many states exempt from licensure, those who use massage in educational workshops, or on family and friends without payment. Another way to dilute the "specialties" of a licensed profession, is to make the education "common knowledge" or part of our "commons" of knowing and learning. Imagine that all of us could become consultants and educators to place this knowledge of touch in the hands of EVERYONE. We teach families and individuals the skills to use touch in their daily lives with their friends and family. People begin buying $300 massage tables instead of treadmills, and effleurage becomes a household word, as do meridians, chi, and trigger points. We teach the world, and the world uses the knowledge to use touch appropriately for their friends and family - apart from licensing, credentialism, accreditation, etc. We in turn dissolve the current "specialization" model, and become teachers and consultants.
3) The Open-Sourcing of bodywork education
It's happening in almost all forms of learning. College and University tuition is skyrocketing. Consumer debt is out of control, and yet, more avenues for "learning" in a free and supported environment are popping up as we speak. Universities are sharing courses through an OpenCourseware (google it!) model. Social Networks are defining and framing our interactions and are creeping into "learning". As our economy flattens, so does education. Showing work and proficiency would need to happen, and organizations that could "certify, credentialize, or verify" experiential and individualized learning OUTSIDE of our current Massage-Schools-ONLY paradigm would need to spring up.
I'm currently studying to take the FSMTB test, and I'm confident I could pass it, hence giving me complete passage to licensing in Wisconsin for the first year of their licensing, without their educational hours or schools requirement. I bet that FSMTB would have their eyes widened by this possible paradigm of showing proficiency. I hope.
4) The formation of LOCAL "Guilds" for bodyworkers
Just like the organic food labeling standards with the FDA, massage therapists, just like farmers, have tougher "entry points" into the market. Some areas in the country are forming "local organic standards" and are marketing them as a "local trust system." You know the farmer or bodyworker because of an alternate system of standards that is shared and supported locally. Infrastructure exists to have bodyworkers rated and commented upon (like your ebay or amazon.com positive or negative ratings percentage). Networks of trust happen organically when we can say "rate my service" to EVERY client, and this information is held by third-party organizations - feedback is confidential but OPEN for all to see. Think of it - would you choose a massage therapist with a 25% approval rating or a 99% one? A local (or even national) "guild" organization could begin to measure our CLIENTS' feedback, input, and feelings of protection. And we would have REAL DATA that speaks to who is protected by certification or not, and how a diversity of training and paradigms of massage and bodywork could provide the same protection across the board for the consumer. REAL DATA! think of it!
5) Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers shed their FEAR of spirituality
A lot of us already know that when we massage a person, that we're not just touching a body, but we're connecting with memories, emotion, SPIRIT, past and present, and maybe even THE DIVINE within the person on our table. We are so cautious to talk about these things, that schools, certifying bodies, states, and organizations have taken us completely down the rabbit hole of ONE VARIANT of science, and a Western medical model that is ONLY about 150 years old (that's NOT a very long time compared to much of our bodywork foundations and traditions). There's been very little or NO movement in concretely establishing a platform for legitimate SPIRITUAL Massage that could very well, with some work, infrastructure, unified voices, and a great liability insurance option, be a viable and crashing EARTHQUAKE to give a paradigm SPLIT that could work very well in our industry - In my opinion.
or..the last option.. not so certain..
6) We just wait it out - Let our economy collapse as we face healthcare crises, climate change, and the shift to a more localized economy post-peak-oil, and perhaps these current models will not hold societal weight. Perhaps our licensing model, along with our learning and specialization model, will simply crumble, and we'll need a new paradigm anyway.
Personally, I'd rather see us BEGIN doing items 1-5 BEFORE this happens, and then maybe we'd be a lot more poised to "change the story".
Feedback?! I'd love to hear what others think. Praise me, criticise me, or show me different possibilities.
-Scott Schumacher
--
Scott Schumacher
Holistic Practitioner, Web Designer, Person
scotts@holisticgeek.com
http://www.holisticgeek.com/
http://www.holisticgeek.com/riverbetween/
http://www.apeacefultouch.com/
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Meditation Classes in Brisbane. Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
For more information about meditation classes in Brisbane please see
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
Monday, November 17, 2008
Australian website revision
Sunday, October 12, 2008
An email from a Canadian RMT
Name: Christa Alyssa Kidd RMT
Email: christaalyssa@gmail.com
Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
country: Canada
Message: I just wanted to write and thank you for your frank words on B.C.\'s crazy laws about who may be called a Massage \"Therapist\". I have been working on people since I was 5 and have been a Registered Massage Therapist in Edmonton, AB and in England over the past 8 years. As I have just moved to B.C. a week ago and realized that I am no longer acknowledge here as a Massage Therapist I am having a huge personal identity crisis. The very thing I was so proud of being seems to feel like it\'s been stripped from me because of the laws here. I\'ve been know as Christa Alyssa Kidd the Massage Therapist and now I don\'t know what to call myself and feel ashamed because of my 800 hour massage course I took that just doesn\'t match up to their 3000 hours. I know that the hours of schooling taken will never make a Massage Therapist. It is in you or it\'s not. I truly feel that having the ability to intuitively understand another persons body and touch and help balance them doesn\'t
even come from a school. Techniques learned in Massage schools are very benefitial but you are very very very right, massage is as old as the world is. It\'s very sad that so many good Massage Therapists cannot be acknowledge due to legislation.
On a side note I am looking for work and trying to find my place here. If you can help point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Also if there is anything that I can do to support your school in anyway please don\'t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Christa Alyssa Kidd
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