Creating space

It's so important to reflect on action. Yesterday we had a feedback session and were asked, in class, what we thought of the massage the 2nd year students gave us last week in our practical class time.

There was unanimous agreement that the massages were great and very relaxing. I, for one, felt very comfortable with my therapist as she seemed confident in what she was doing. Her touch was firm, always appropriate, it felt professional and skilled therefore it put me at ease. Before she started, I had to complete a form to help her assess my needs and highlight any problems. We then discussed what I had put down. I told her that I had had upper back problems last year and saw a chiropractor as well as a massage therapist who happens to be one of her lecturers.

After the massage we had another chat. It was only then that I learnt that she had felt quite nervous, perhaps a bit intimidated because I had been massaged by her lecturer. Perhaps I should not have opened my big mouth however at the time I thought it prudent to let her know for a few different reasons. One, she would have an idea that I had a some experience of a professional massage therapist and hence could hopefully offer worthwhile feedback. Secondly, I thought she needed to know so that she knew where to pitch with regard to pressure and areas of the body to pay close attention to. I thought she was great and would be overjoyed if I could massage to that extent within a year!

A few things that came out of our class feedback sessions I thought are very useful to bear in mind for when I start practising. One student felt uncomfortable because she was asked to undress in the toilets. When walking back to the room (2-3 metres down the passageway) she bumped into some men who said, "Enjoy the massage." She said this made her feel extremely uncomfortable and it took her a wee while to relax once on the plinth.

I think it's very important to think about the patient's levels of comfort as well as your own and find a happy medium. In this case I think the therapist should have left the room and given the patient a few moments to undress and get herself ready. Getting undressed in front of someone you don't know can be an extremely intimate experience and the therapist should take cognisance if this as the trained, professional who has more 'power' over the space.

I think it's also very important when you are setting boundaries of what is appropriate and what is not. This is one of the first things you as the therapist can do to set the context of the interaction and state you position. In so doing you help create a space where you are in control of that space and you communicate to the patient what your expectations are.

Because massage can create a very intimate environment that can leave the patient and therapist vulnerable, you have to communicate your intentions very firmly right from the start. It's like the first class you teach in a new academic year. you have to let the students know how you operate and what you expectations are. It creates clarity and if anybody steps out of line or tests the limits, you have a safety net.

You have to create your space! And space creation happens within and without. So, on the outside you have the rooms and physical environment to work with. On the inside, it's just you and all that makes you who you are. Therefore, continuous reflection and introspection vital.

On your marks, get set, GO!

The first week was GREAT! Like most things, I think you will get out of this course as much as you put into it. The pass mark is 50% but I don't want to be a fifty-percenter!

Anatomy and Physiology requires a fare amount of memorisation which is something I have refrained from doing in tertiary studies wherever possible. So, now I have to rack that tiny, undeveloped part of my brain - should try some brain gym! The textbook is great and there are interactive activities with the textbook as well as a colouring book - YEAH! colour by body part. I would like to get some charts as I think these will really help.

The massage therapy class started with definitions and ended with a massage by a 2nd year student. If I could be as good at the end of my first year as the student who massaged me, I will be more than thrilled. The definitions were great because they really help you orient your thinking and discourse pattern. There was quite a bit of input from people in the class which I thoroughly enjoyed. Everybody seems very enthusiastic and seem to have a lot to offer. Also, because people come from such diverse backgrounds and experiences, the examples and situations they brought to the discussion were very interesting.

I am looking forward to a wonderful learning experience at the Cape Institute of Allied Health Studies!

My first day

First days are filled with intrigue; excitement; titillation; a sense of expectation - and that's exactly how I feel embarking on a new life-choice. There's such a sense of liberation in the anticipation of what's to come. It feels like lying on green green grass, legs in the air on a warm sunny day, giggling and giggling and giggling. Your stomach aches as the tears cascade down your crow's feet. (Sigh!) A sense of wonder!

I walked down the prom to a little coffee shop for breakfast a few says ago. For a moment I remembered work, just a few metres further. The thought dissipated as soon as my Berry Blitz smoothie arrived.

I want to say 'I used to be a teacher' yet that doesn't sound quite right. 'I am a teacher'? That doesn't sound quite right either. The first one is too much in the past as if you are totally removed now from what you have been doing for so long. The latter is too static in how it defines and posits you in a very specific space.

For the past 12 years I have taught (sounds better!) in various contexts. I had the privilege to teach in a rural hamlet, Jane Furse, in South Africa; at an international school in England; at 3 different private schools in Istanbul; and, for the last 4 years, at a university of technology in Cape Town.

Teaching can be an extremely enriching and most profound experience. It requires courage, integrity, strength and tenacity. It demands love, patience and kindness. We are authors constantly reworking a script yet trying to maintain the true essence of the play so that its truth is not compromised by externalities.

In his autobiography, Gandhi described his life as "my experiments with truth". My first day is a continuation of my experiments with my truth. In 3 days time I will attend my first formal class as a student of Therapeutic Massage Therapy. Green green grass, sunny skies, giggles, achy tummy, cascading tears - YES!