How To Become A Massage Therapist

By Christa Jarvis


As early as 2330 BC, a painting in the Tomb of the Physician depicts what is presumed to be a massage session, with two men appearing to have their hands and feet worked on by two other people. The Chinese compilation of medical wisdom and information, the Nei Jing, contains rubbing techniques and uses in thirty various chapters, and was composed in 722 BC. In 700 BC, the earliest known Chinese doctor Bian Que practiced medicinal massage.

Medical research has proven that the massage is not just some old timey sham therapy, but its many health benefits include pain relief, anxiety and stress relief, and reduction of depression, blood pressure, and heart rate. We know how much stress we often handle in the modern world, and we love to go to the spa or get a massage therapist Dover NH for the opportunity to forget the world and just relax. A booming business today when everyone seems to be needing a good rub every now and then, there are a lot of aspiring therapists as well. Here are a few tips you can use if you want to be a professional.

Skilled hands are not sufficient in becoming a successful therapist. First you must have the heart for empathy, listening, sensitivity, and patience. You should care about the well being of your client. Massaging is an intimate experience, so you have to be both physically and emotionally capable.

Choose an area of specialization. Like physicians, therapists also have different concentrations, depending on the end or purpose of your practice. Some will focus on repairing muscles, or reducing pain, or healing a physical ailment. Your style will also branch out from from one or two to more techniques once you mastered a couple or so.

The most common types are sports, clinical, and Swedish. If you are going for healing and relief or relaxation, you may want to specialize in the Swedish form. If you have a thorough understanding of the human body and anatomy, you could master the clinical form, design to treat physical ailments. If you are up to assisting athletes in recovering from their injuries and improving their physical fitness, you can opt for the sports technique.

Enroll in a massage school so you can get a training program. Most states require around six hundred hours of training if you want to get certified. Also, the duration of the completion of your program will depend on how many classes you are willing to take at the same time.

Most massage schools offer Swedish and other specialties, so find one that offers the specializations you are most interested in. Get to know the licensing requirements of your jurisdiction. While not all jurisdictions require a license, it would be illegal to practice without a license in some of them.

Finally, decide whether you want to look for a job or go self employed. You can usually make more money by starting your own business if you are willing to take the challenge that it will be difficult to find clients at first. Make sure that you got your business papers and items taken care of such as your business name and registration, and set up a comfortable space for your clients with reliable equipment.

According to the gate control theory, massages can stop nociception, stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, improve sleep, release endorphins and serotonin, and prevent scar tissue and fibrosis. These effects remain to be proven. However, the practice can make use of randomized controlled trials which can increase its credibility by displaying the reproducible therapeutic effects of massages.




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