Put second opinions where they belong

I was originally drawn to Massage Therapy because of the practically limitless learning possibilities involved. I am the kind of person who must be learning to stay engaged, and every culture offers a type of massage, a modality for every interest.

Today I pulled out my trigger point workbook from school, looked at many of the illustrated trigger points and areas of referred pain. I thought "oh yeah, I was using that point on Teri yesterday...yes, yes, I DO use those points on the calf muscle". I looked through pages and pages of charts. Charts created by someone else. Point upon point, muscle upon tendon, tendon upon bone. Points pionts fingers thumb...after a while it just really looks like no matter where you touch a person, there is likely to be a potential point that needs to be worked.

I feel like these maps and charts are rather arbitrary. The point of what I do is that I develop palpation skills, not that I learn to read a chart and memorize points. I can read a book. I can read a map. But my skill is not in performing a diagnostic test and following somone else's arbitrary protocol.

Maps are valuable. But I would rather find water via context clues and landscape than rely on a map.

So those books go back on the shelf. They are good sometimes for showing a client what you just did. Which muscle you have just affected. But I find my favorite new books are not massage books at all. The two books I am reading now are written by scientists. One is about nervous systems (yes, in general, across species) and the other is about hands. These books mention nothing of massage therapy. Their authors may never have given me a thought.

What I am discovering is that the best knowledge comes from a variety of sources. I am creating my own scale for validity.

This all coincides with a moment I shared with John Scott. I was walking past some folks exercising in the gym, and it just struck me as funny. "Exercise is weird" I said to John. "Yes, it is" he replied. We went on to discuss the fact that every exercise out there in the gym, SOMEBODY, somewhere, sometime made up. It's not invalid because it is made up. That is just the nature of it.

So when I pull out the Massage Therapy text, look at all the maps of points and charts of zones, I think "somebody just charted what they observed" I am sure it is valid. I just don't need their chart to do my work.

If I had a time machine to send a message to the me of 5 years ago (or to any newish massage therapist) I would say this:

Trust yourself first.

In business, in leasing negotiations, in web content, in hiring, in design and marketing, in the work that you do with clients. In EVERYTHING, trust yourself first. Ask for second opinions. Do research. Brainstorm. But at the heart of everything you decide, ask yourself first.

Somebody made all the rules for everything up. Never accept things as they are if they don't make sense to you. Don't underestimate yourself because you work in a profession that has a "flakey" reputation.

So those are my meandering two bits. So much for defying the "flakey massage therapist" stereotype.