tion for Structural Integrators. These nonprofits’ websites help individuals locate practitioners in their area. According to Maureen Moon, past
Bodywork Goes MAINSTREAM
Helpful Access Points to Health
by Linda Sechrist The seed holds within itself hints of its magnificent maturity. So it is with the practice of whole-person health care, which has matured in language, sophistication, credibility and acceptance. In a single generation, we’ve seen its presence grow from the outer edges of holistic and alternative wellness to complementary and integrative health care. Its latest evolution into America’s mainstream is known as functional medicine. The branch of massage therapy, the germination point for myriad therapies collectively known as bodywork, patterns the movement’s development.
O
nce considered a luxury for the pampered few, massage was among the first therapies
to be widely recognized by physicians as a respected aspect of integrative and functional medicine. Bodywork increasingly shares this status, as it is included in conventional medicine’s more innovative healthcare models that embrace a body, mind and spirit approach. One of many examples is Duke Integrative Medicine, in Durham, North Carolina, where patient services include a form of integrative massage that blends Swedish massage, myofas- cial therapy, reflexology, energy work
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and somatic therapy techniques. In the public’s view, bodywork is still largely associated with mas- sage, although distinct forms stand on their own, including Rolfing, structural integration, shiatsu and myofascial and craniosacral therapies. Bodywork professionals generally belong to the American Massage Therapy Associa- tion (AMTA), whatever their specialized modality. They may also participate in other professional organizations, such as the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, which has some 80,000 members, many of which are also members of the International Associa-
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
president of AMTA, many massage therapists (which don’t refer to them- selves as bodyworkers) are trained in various bodywork therapies and intui- tively integrate them into their sessions, depending upon each client’s needs. She notes that, “Many AMTA members are so passionate about their profession and meeting the continu- ing education (CEU) requirements that they go far beyond the units required to maintain their license, which can vary from state-to-state.” For example, Moon has trained in spinal reflex analysis, developed by Dr. Frank Jar- rell, neuromuscular and craniosacral therapies, shiatsu and seven massage therapies. “Most AMTA members are CEU junkies,” quips Moon, who points out that national conventions provide continuing education and chapter meetings frequently introduce attendees to new techniques. Some practitioners discover specialties while in search of pain relief for personal injuries or other conditions.
Myofascial Therapy
Olympia Hostler, a myofascial therapist in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, had two serious horse riding accidents during adolescence and three automobile accidents by age 40, which combined, left her so incapacitated that she could barely walk. “I couldn’t work for three years, because I was so debilitated,” relates Hostler. She found her doctor’s diagnosis of severe permanent damage to the body’s soft connective tissue, or fascia, and the prognosis of a lifetime of living with pain unacceptable. So she began searching for something that would help restore health. Her investigation of therapies ended with myofascial release, an effective whole- body approach to the treatment of pain and dysfunction, developed by Physical Therapist John F. Barnes. “I had several sessions and found lasting pain relief unlike anything I’d ever experienced,” advises Hostler. Unlike massage therapies focused on improving circulation, inducing re- laxation or draining lymph fluid, the
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