How I chose to become a Massage Therapist
People often ask me how I decided to become a massage therapist. It’s never an easy answer, especially since I find the story to be quite long and I’m usually asked by a person receiving a massage. So here it is- the long version.
I wish I could tell you that massage came to me in some sort of magical way, but it didn’t. The truth is that it came to me as an epiphany. That is, after months of a thorough search of what to do with my life post-college. I’m a scientist at heart. I like facts and logic. My undergraduate is in sociology and I planned on going into research. However, when the time came to apply to graduate school, motivation and inspiration were elusive concepts.
I had been working in an office setting for nine years, and while I didn’t know what to do with my life, I knew for certain I did not want to spend hours a day at a desk ever again. So I worked with a career counselor and read numerous career and personality books. Yet, no career felt right to me. I began to feel stressed, and a little hopeless. Then one day, when I finally gave myself the space and compassion to accept that hopelessness, it hit me- massage therapy.
While it is an ordinary story, it was a very thoughtful decision. I have scoliosis, and therefore chronic back pain. I saw a chiropractor for what seemed like my entire childhood to reduce the curvature of my spine. I’ve never been able to stand up straight, no matter how many times I’ve been told. I’ve never been able to sit for a long time without a leg going numb or my upper back feeling like it’s on fire. And I’ve never been able to stand for a long time without pain in my lower back and hips. Needless to say, I understand chronic pain. I eventually reached out to a massage therapist after reading an article about how massage helps with stress and anxiety.
At the time, I had gone back to school nearly full-time, while working full-time. Now add in chronic stress. The massage therapist that I saw talked to me about scoliosis and how the relationship between muscles and my curved spine was eliciting a pain response. So, back to my epiphany – these memories hit me and I remembered how I felt after each massage. And I knew- that’s what I want to do. So after doing research on the field, I signed up for massage school. Looking back on it, I’m still in awe of how easy that decision was, especially given the months that I struggled in my search for the perfect career. My goal is and always will be helping people find relief from chronic pain and anxiety, because these two things have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
If you have any questions about massage, about me, or about any issue you are experiencing, please feel comfortable contacting me, either by phone or email. I’d love to hear from you.
To learn more about me, click here to read about my background.