Healers or Helpers? Which are We?

[Uncannyxman]

On the religious decor thread, a different discussion began about massage therapists as healers. I can see this topic taking on a life of its own, so I spun the discussion off into this new thread:

Maubast wrote: Our rooms should be a sanctuary for all....We don't do massage to "express ourselves". We do massage to heal others. We express ourselves in massage with the healing power of our hands.

Fusion1 responded: I specifically recall the instructors in school drilling in the fact that we aren't healing people. I never quite understood that frame of mind as yes I truly do think we ARE healers. The only rational explanation why they would say that is if the client failed to get better we would think we failed in some way...

I think that people heal themselves, and we are simply assistants in that process. When we begin to see ourselves as healers, we are taking power and responsibility away from our clients. The risk is that we start thinking we can "fix" people, and when we fail, that we are to blame. I believe we should try our best for each client - bringing both skill and compassion to the table. At the same time, I think it's important to remember that there's so much outside our sphere of influence -- what is our client's life like when they're not on the massage table? Do they have a complex medical condition? Are they unhappy in some area of their life? What are their emotional, spiritual and physical stresses? How well do they take care of themselves?

We are just part of the picture -- not the whole picture. I think that's the point Fusion1's instructors were trying to make. I prefer to approach each massage humbly, with great hope for each client's ability to heal themselves, and strong intent on my part to help them through that process.

I imagine a lot of other forum members have opinons about this topic? Which way do you lean in your philosophy?

 

[That Guy!]

For me personally, saying I am a "healer," or that I "heal" someone implies that I am doing something TO another person, which is why I prefer not to use that expression. When I was taking my eastern training, I was taught that we may be a facilitator of healing, but that one of the most therapeutic things we can do is to just observe and be with the session. What needed to happen would happen, as long as the focus and intent, (and under certain circumstances, training,) was sufficient to allow us to let it.

I agree that this philosophy may have been stressed because of our natural inclination to "fix," to force, and to change. There are reasons why things may not change for a client, but the process continues to be beneficial, even if our perception is that there is no external change.

With that in mind, I try to help the client understand that a therapeutic session is a cooperative experience, not ME fixing them. Interestingly, that attitude means a high degree of compliance with "homework" like stretching, and hot/cold therapy. Since they are a dynamic part of their healing process, they are more invested in doing their part instead of just waiting around for me to do something to them.

 

[MattMCFC]

Quotes transported from the other thread:

Maubast wrote: Wow. I'm just glad I don't think like you. I know that massage is healing. I'll tell you a short story of why I got into all this in the first place.

When I was 12, I was mauled by a dog. My left leg was ripped to shreds. Pretty soon, I had a serious infection and the doctors thought I might lose some of my toes, including my big toe, which would have made it very difficult to walk. Being from FL, massage and acupuncture are widely used in medicine, and my doctors recommended that I have manual lymph drainage done on a regular basis, which I did, and it literally saved my toes.

Later, when I was trying to regain the use of the leg and bring it out of atrophy, I had massage done during physical therapy. It helped me to stretch muscles that I couldn't stretch on my own, bringing circulation and nervous stimulation back, and it continued to help with pain management during the difficult and long road to recovery. I didn't walk for almost 2 years, and I had 1 year, 8 months physical therapy. During that time, my mother and I were taught some basic techniques that we could do at home to keep down the pain and help flush out the toxins. Of course, it made a deep impact on me, and that's why I continue to do it today.

Massage helped me to walk again. True story!

So, you'll pardon me if I beg to differ with you.

Macalla wrote: Here's another way to look at it and I'm willing to bet your teachers were thinking this way when the spoke like that, there's a real danger in people talking about themselves, selling themselves thinking that they are actually "healers." I've met so many phonies in the business who led with that line. That's often purely ego driven and mostly uniformed.

Often others will give us this title and I have no problem with that, I try to be gracious but no matter what people have said about me my approach is that the person that is allowing me to work on them is the healer, being laid vulnerable to try to heal themsleves. The wisest bodyworkers I ever knew always referred to themselves as "facillitators" of the healing process, this would account for healing power to flow through their hands. I am convinced that taking their egos out of it makes them more effective.

In your case Fusion perhaps you are facillitating the power you feel from God and using it to help people. We are all unique and that's what makes this such a great profession.

 

[micki]

Ha! Macalla, I think I'm your echo.

 

[jmau]

Sorry. I was posting this on the other thread when Bliss' redirection popped up...so I moved it here.


Massage is indeed healing, but I would humbly assert that we ourselves are not the healers. Our work helps facilitate the body's amazing ability to heal itself. It does that best when we work with purity of intent, removing attachment to a specific outcome, focusing only on what is needed with no distractions of ego or desire to force a result. The client's state of mind and willingness to heal has as much to do with any outcome as does our work.

Taking credit for the result by calling ourselves healers is at the very least presumptuous and at worst a sin of pride and self-delusion. Even the holiest figures working miracles did not claim that power or title for themselves.

 

[XArmed For BattleX^3]

The word I like to use is "facilitator". We have some of the knowledge that can help or catalyze another's healing. I echo the sentiment of the others here, in that we ourselves aren't "healers", and I also think that's a dangerous path to go down.

I look at us and all natural healing practitioners (be they chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, etc) as akin to an enzymatic role in the digestive process, for example...we may help make the natural process of healing occur much faster, but it's not US that MAKES it happen. Rather, it's the inner power, inner consciousness (and for those who argue the existence of such a consciousness/energy/power, I only mean it in the context of that which separates the living from the dead).

Just my philosophy, 1 person's opinion, take it how you will

OK, I just realized I badly need sleep lol

Nitey-nite,
~Jyoti

 

[Miss Samantha]

Someone had a quote on here ages ago... the healer is on the table ie the client, not the therapist having a lie down

I have to admit when people say "I am a healer" it usually makes my skin crawl, usually too much ego caught up in it. Every person I have met that I would consider a healer, has not called themselves such.

 

[Timmy the Dog]

I can't really imagine saying the words specifically about myself, but I think I know what people mean when they say it about me on occasion as clients will do. So I just let it go or add a comment about all the work they did themselves; it feels better in the moment not to make a big deal of it in discussion.

It does feel like there's a big difference between claiming healing power for the modality, and proclaiming "healer" status for oneself to others. The first seems humble and reasonable; I feel uncomfortable with the second. Although . . . I *have* met people who called themselves healers and they really were, so I guess it's an individual call. It seems like we practitioners do like the appearance of humility in each other.

 

[patricia]

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[kaiserthegreat]

i agree with everything. the different explanations are great!

i don't like using the words that i am a healer.. i don't think i am. and i've yet to find a term that i feel comfortable with. i'm just amanda. and i like to do massage.

but i know that healing is part of a bodywork session.. and it comes from somewhere and each time it's amazingly different and wonderful. i hope that we've all seen what we might call 'miracle' cases or sessions.

i,too, don't feel like i absorb anything during a session - if anything, i am more charged and more energetic, ready to work on someone else and see what happens. i tell my clients that they give me as much as i give them.

there was a quote on this board somewhere that said "massage rocks!" and man, that is so true. i dig this job so much!

amanda

 

[crazyb117]

Some of my clients call me their "mechanic." LOL! I love it because it describes very succinctly what I do. We are very technical in our analysis of which parts are keeping them from "running smoothly."

To some, that might seem a little disparaging, but it's not. I have a very warm, peaceful and inviting atmosphere. My clients learn or know that there is often an emotional or historical component to tension and pain, but they also know that when they come to my table that they will get very specific treatment, based on anatomy science, to help them with their discomfort.

Sometimes the client's relief at having the assessment done, then getting on the table and discovering that part of the problem is "RIGHT HERE," is amazing. You can feel their relief hanging in the air. Sometimes by the time they come to me, they've tried everything medical, nobody has ever examined their muscles or touched them, and they are beginning to think they are crazy. So the relief that someone finally has "discovered" what they have been saying all along, well it's very profound. It's not me "healing" them, though. Sometimes I think it's a matter of providing a safe environment, acknowledgment, and mechanical know-how so that their bodies can quit being traumatized and begin to find some benefit in treatment.

I guess some of that is a little off-topic. Just rambling this morning.

 

[Mike H]

Some of my clients call me their "mechanic." LOL!

often times i feel like a baker, rolling out dough to a desired consistancy...
i only feel this when i work on the back. strange... t017

i too feel like most~ i'm not the healer; i'm a conduit.

 

[Eat Beef!]

Healer, mechanic, technician, therapist, et al

If I think about what I do when I use touch or give a massage, I am not very effective, as I know that most experienced massage therapists do what comes natural--perhaps even instinctual. Often, a claim, such as healer is a bold ego statement that implies that one is special and God gave you special equipment or powers.

I see myself as a partner or giver of touch and massage. I notice that when I ask my partner to be aware of their breath throughout the experience, then everything just flows freely between us. The 'receiver' takes responsibility for letting go of their tensions, stress and anxiety by observing their breath while the 'giver' uses her skills to connect the vitality of our breath with the power of touch.

I feel as though we are one body, mind and spirit during this massage experience. When we do massage together there is no me and them. We are in harmony and giving and receiving our energies as One.

Thanks for bringing up this subject. I think that most of us are using mindfulness while giving and receiving massage.

 

[Rachel R]

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[Jimmy Jazz]

Thank you Macella

Thanks for those kind and thoughtful words, Macella. I am very happy to find a discussion that allows us to express our feelings and our thoughts. You and others in this discussion are very experienced and have much to offer us.

I love to give and receive touch and know that we have a society that is suffering from the lack of physical interaction. Most people don't realize that loving touch is a basic human need and when it is not given or received in healthy ways, we begin to withdraw from others, feel angry, isolated and alone in the world. I believe that some of our early social scientists referred to this illness as Anomie. And, we all know about the dangers of babies and infants denied physical contact and interaction.

Anyway, much of my social work experience and practice is now devoted to introducing touch to these populations and to the professionals employed in these services or resources.

 

[Bella <3 Jandro.]

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[Jez]

As therapists we are most definately, to my thinking, helpers. The person who is really doing the hard work is the client on the table. On my most recent massage course that was possibly one of the most powerful we spent four days learning how to be a client. How to receive a fantastic massage.

I provide the movement and the touch, the client does the releasing.

Mat xxx

 

[Pompal 09.]

From a legal standpoint, as it has been explained to me, the only category considered "healer" in the United States is a doctor (MD). I have read about multiple lawsuits where practitioners claiming to "heal" were charged with practicing medicine without a license. Ouch.

That's a different slant on the subject, but I feel still valid. I'll try to drag some quotes in tomorrow when it isn't so late and I have more time.

 

[fhotoace]

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[Ziona]

Thank you Macella

Most people don't realize that loving touch is a basic human need and when it is not given or received in healthy ways, we begin to withdraw from others, feel angry, isolated and alone in the world.

I completely agree with this and make sure to mention it (or a variation) particularly with people who say they "don't like to be touched."

I also agree with the partnership that you speak about, although with some clients I feel let down like they didn't "show up" as the partner and perhaps I am in need of ways to approach the subject of partnership based healing depending on what the client is there for.

I never feel like I am a healer or that I have healed anyone. But I also do not think that it is the client alone who does the healing. I really see it as the joining of the two for a common goal, which may or may not be spoken, but definitely felt in the ebb and flow of the session. Both parties letting go of ego and following what just is. That, to me, is where healing occurs. I think on a more energetic level perhaps.

Oh I am up to late or maybe I had to many Porters. I am sounding so new-agey.