Week 12

It's hard to believe we are more than half way into the semester. For many students, the reality of:"I am really doing this!" is setting in, replacing the adrenal rush of a life change with the routine of classes, tests, clinic and fieldwork. We continue the dialogue about homework sessions in circle, answering questions, discussing concerns and celebrating successes. We discuss a wide range of our clients' physiological and psychological responses, including laughing, crying, unusual chattiness, twitching, snoring etc. While we never fully know what our clients bring to the table, literally, we need to know how to create a safe space for them to receive bodywork in a therapeutic way.
The discussion is a necessary one, considering that tonight we are working on head, neck and face. Most people don't have that area touched unless they are in a medical or an intimate setting. Massage therapists fit uniquely in between, helping relieve tension headaches, fatigue, neck pain, insomnia, stress etc. Letting someone touch your head or face requires enormous trust. One student is uncomfortable with the work we are doing, asking for alternatives. He does not like having his face touched, and it's hard for him to imagine it being pleasurable for others. We solve the problem by having him work with our wonderful teaching intern, who spends the evening talking him through the movements, giving feedback and eventually helping him do a complete session. This student may never choose to receive head, neck and face massage, but he can now offer it to his clients. That's the whole point of client centered massage as we understand it around here, and tonight is, therefore, a success.
On a different note, the student who struggled with work and family life in the beginning of the semester ended up withdrawing for now. I have no doubt we'll see him in the hallways again soon enough, but for now I am touched by how many students ask about him and keep him in their prayers. Something happens in this place that's hard to explain: people who were strangers just a few weeks ago become friends for life. I guess when you take an amazing journey, you hold on to people who were there with you.