Common Mistakes of Massage
So we’ve been talking about getting clear and taking a path to eliminating pain. We’ve figured out that pain is not random. Now that you’ve figured out what is going on…..what do you do? You have to start building a team! So let’s go through some the big mistakes that people make when going to get a massage.
We all know that massage is immensely important in many different ways and the many benefits it can have. What we have to realize is when we go to get a massage we’re not just ‘checking out’. You have to realize what your intentions are when you go. If you’re going in just to check out, as long as you understand that beforehand, it’s fine. However, if you are going in for help in a specific area, follow these 3 steps:
- If the therapist asks you what’s going on, you do not want to say nothing and just tell them you’re alright, then you’re just going to end up getting a routine massage. That routine is going to be based off many different things and you’ll be at the whim of the schooling of the therapist. I’m not saying all therapists are bad, I’m just saying you’re not driving the train, so you can end up anywhere. For those who want to check out, that’s perfect. When you allow a therapist to do whatever, unless they know you very well and they understand how your body’s working, your body will just protect itself. You will end up checking out mentally, but your body will clam shut. Since it doesn’t know or trust this person, it doesn’t know if it’s safe. Yeah we have spa music on, it’s tranquil, but if you change that thought process and tell the therapist what to focus on, then your body’s saying I have some direction and will start working with the therapist. I guarantee your therapist will thank you for it, whether the therapist knows it or not, that direction gives him a purpose, rather than him searching for one.
- Now tell them exactly what you want to get done; don’t clump it all into one area. Don’t say, ‘I hurt here, so just focus on this area’ or ‘So let’s just do upper back’ or ‘Let’s just do lower back’. The body doesn’t work like that. You want to allow the therapist to do extra work on the affected area and to also incorporate what’s happening in other parts of the body. If not, your body will start to off balance itself and something else will clam shut because it’s going to have to work harder. You want to think consistent balance; work as many areas as possible in the world of circulation, of kneading muscle tissue and all these different aspects of the greatness of massage.
- Incorporate stretching or any movement in a massage. The way that muscle tissue works is the more it moves, the more blood flow flushes through. So you’re getting your massage…you’ve told the therapist exactly what you want…if you don’t allow that area to move during the massage all those latent toxins will just pool. Once you get up and start moving afterwards who knows how your body will react. If during your massage they stretch out areas they are working on, those parts will start learning how to open after they’ve learned to contract. That’s when your body says ‘oh wait, this is a proper movement’. It’s so much more likely that the body will hold that movement pattern and say ‘this is alright’ as well as eliminate all those toxins that were flushed out in the first place.
Take Away:
So those are the three things I want you to focus on. One, don’t go in without a plan unless you want to check out. Two, identify with your therapist specific problems you want addressed and not let them work on just that area. Three, do some stretching or movement work during the treatment. All three of those will get you better results with every single massage you do. If you’re a massage therapist, ask for those things, focus on those things, because you’ll get such better results.
Hopefully you’re starting to piece things together, because all this is is data retention of knowing what is going on with yourself and other people. The more you start understanding others and yourself, you can start to notice things before they happen. You will start to see and know yourself and be able to pick yourself apart. This is key! Once you are able to achieve that you can preempt things and then you are no longer reacting to situations…you are responding to them and now you are on the road to consistently being pain free.