I was born in San Diego, and moved up to Seattle when I was 10. Did a back and forth a few times, but I am here to stay, and couldn’t be happier. I’m a rainy day kind of girl! I’m married (two months to the day!) and a proud mama of a Siberian Corgi (Locke) and two wonderful cats (Eko and Jack). I’m a reader,baker, cook, penguin enthusiast, writer, chemistry enthusiast, and love a good whiskey.

The path to my career in massage started just over a year ago. I was a server, working at a popular restaurant just above Pike Place Market. For a few months, I had some minor knee pain, which only impeded my ability to walk a little. Nothing big, I certainly didn’t think twice about it. I’ve had knee problems in the past-but I loved my job.

But this pesky knee pain. It just kept getting worse. It got to the point where I was holding on to a counter to pull myself up with every ounce of strength in my arms, while my knees were screaming at me. Stairs became something I avoided at all costs. I could walk…but it was not the most fun activities I could think of. Getting in and out of cars was… a feat.

And then came my breaking point. Quite literally. I was on my way to a chemistry test (see, it really is one of my passions!) and my knee said no more. It gave out on me. I was sobbing in pain, on a bench, a hundred feet from my classroom. Yet, I sucked it up and hobbled (holding back the tears) to my course, and promptly failed the exam because my knee was in such pain. I quit my beloved serving job as I laid on my bed, writhing in pain, it hurting even when I wasn’t putting any pressure on it. It was a rough time, and I worried my fiancé and family so.

I was lost. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t work. Couldn’t finish the career path in which I had set myself on. I sat on my couch, hour after hour, just watching television. Until, I got a massage.

I don’t even wish I was kidding. I had one session, on my knee. And I could walk.

Granted, I wasn’t pain free. Not yet. But after another session, I could walk farther, and more often. And oh goodness…it felt so good. And so then, I started working with Find Touch. I had a new, amazing appreciation for massage therapy!

Since this pain began, its been a long journey. I’ve been through physical therapy, learned all the exercises, and yet, still, nothing worked for me quite like massage.

Which is why I love you guys. So much. Because of the healing work that you provide, I can walk again. I can take my dog, Monster (affectionately called) for a walk. I can mow my backyard, and go for hikes in the fantastic NW. I can go up the stairs to work to connect you with employers, Continuing Education, special deals and our blog.

I am so proud to work with the healers that you are. I learn more about you every day, and more about the healing that you provide. As a non massage therapist immersed in a massage driven community-I can’t thank you enough. I continue to be inspired by you daily, and am personally forever thankful to you. All. Of. You.

Mel

Hi there Find Touchers!

I’m Mel. Or Melissa, depending on if you get emails from me.  I thought that you might like to get to know me a little, and learn how I came to Find Touch, and how massage has changed my life.

I was born in San Diego, and moved up to Seattle when I was 10. Did a back and forth a few times, but I am here to stay, and couldn’t be happier. I’m a rainy day kind of girl! I’m married (two months to the day!) and a proud mama of a Siberian Corgi (Locke) and two wonderful cats (Eko and Jack).  I’m a reader,baker, cook, penguin enthusiast,  writer, chemistry enthusiast, and love a good whiskey.

The path to my career in massage started just over a year ago. I was a server, working at a popular restaurant just above Pike Place Market. For a few months, I had some minor knee pain, which only impeded my ability to walk a little. Nothing big, I certainly didn’t think twice about it. I’ve had knee problems in the past-but I loved my job.

But this pesky knee pain. It just kept getting worse. It got to the point where I was holding on to a counter to pull myself up with every ounce of strength in my arms, while my knees were screaming at me. Stairs became something I avoided at all costs. I could walk…but it was not the most fun activities I could think of.  Getting in and out of cars was…a feat. 

And then came my breaking point. Quite literally. I was on my way to a chemistry test (see, it really is one of my passions!) and my knee said no more. It gave out on me. I was sobbing in pain, on a bench, a hundred feet from my classroom. Yet, I sucked it up and hobbled (holding back the tears) to my course, and promptly failed the exam because my knee was in such pain. I quit my beloved serving job as I laid on my bed, writhing in pain, it hurting even when I wasn’t putting any pressure on it. It was a rough time, and I worried my fiancé and family so.

I was lost. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t work. Couldn’t finish the career path in which I had set myself on.  I sat on my couch, hour after hour, just watching television. Until, I got a massage.

I don’t even wish I was kidding.  I had one session, on my knee.

And I could walk.

Granted, I wasn’t pain free. Not yet. But after another session, I could walk farther, and more often. And oh goodness…it felt so good.  And so then, I started working with Find Touch.  I had a new, amazing  appreciation for massage therapy! 

Since this pain began, its been a long journey. I’ve been through physical therapy, learned all the exercises, and yet, still, nothing worked for me quite like massage.

Which is why I love you guys. So much.  Because of the healing work that you provide, I can walk again. I can take my monster (affectionately called) for a walk.  I can mow my backyard, and go for hikes in the fantastic NW.   I can go up the stairs to work to connect you with employers, Continuing Education, special deals and our blog. 

I am so proud to work with the healers that you are. I learn more about you every day, and more about the healing that you provide. As a non massage therapist immersed in a massage driven community-I can’t thank you enough. I continue to be inspired by you daily, and am personally forever thankful to you. All. Of. You.

Mel

Mesothelioma patients experience a number of symptoms throughout the progression of their disease. Chest pain, difficulty breathing and anxiety are common, and coughing or reduced chest expansion may also occur. While a number of different treatmentscan help relieve these symptoms, massage therapy is one of the gentlest ways to keep them under control.

Massage therapy is considered a palliative mesothelioma therapy. Although it cannot cure the cancer, it is one of the effective therapies for the management of mesothelioma symptoms.

Pain is one of the most intense mesothelioma symptoms, but it is also one of the symptoms that is most responsive to massage. Mesothelioma pain is often dull and located in the chest. As the cancer spreads, the pain can also spread to nearby parts of the body such as the upper shoulders. Depending on the location of the pain, gentle stimulation of certain pressure points can provide a great deal of relief. Some of the pressure points that can provide the most benefits for mesothelioma patients include:

To help prevent causing any additional pain, a trained massage therapist will avoid directly stimulating any areas of the body that are already tender from tumor growth.

Therapeutic massage may also be able to improve breathing by relaxing the muscles along the back and the chest. Stimulating the Heavenly Rejuvenation point – located between the shoulders – can help boost lung function. Massaging the deep muscles of the back can also help reduce sharp pains that occur during breathing.

Additionally, massage can release stress and promote relaxation. Points such as the Heavenly Pillar below the skull and the Inner Gate on the arm are related to anxiety; stimulating these points can help release nervousness. Stress-related insomnia and fatigue may also be relieved by stimulating the Sea of Vitality pressure point.

When I first learned massage, touching the spine was a no-go. We were learning Swedish and body mechanics, using long sweeping effleurages with neural glide returns. Those bumps in the center of the back were a no-hand zone.

As we filled in the air spaces between our ears with practice and more practice, the “danger” zones were opened up. Miracle of miracles, we could actually touch the spine, rub it, knead it, run up and down its lamina grooves looking for knots and twisted vertebra. Not only would that not kill people, it made them much better faster.

I have here and there taken a good spine class, such as Erik Dalton’s Myoskeletal Alignment, and my respect and fascination for the spinal massage has grown. There is a tapping massage for the spine, a lymphatic spinal massage, a Thai yogic spinal massage, etc.

Admittedly, I have a secret. When I was clunking around in my overshoes as a newbie therapist, I could not shake the idea that the spine had a lot to do with energy and fatigue. My first few massages for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome clients, I felt the need to pump up my spine skills. A good bit of what seemed stuck in these people seemed to go on at the spine.

But I had a sectional knowledge of the spine. Segments, dermatomes, myotomes, etc, but not a full-length spinal massage that I felt integrated all of the areas and balanced them. Thus my secret.

Looking for a full-length spinal massage I could use for total integration, I found a little book about massage for serious systemic diseases – based on hypnotic readings by Edgar Cayce. Yes, the fellow who would sleep and read people’s illnesses, recommend treatments and predict the future.

Cayce had a lot to say about massage for serious disease. He did so many intuitive readings over several decades that the techniques were collected in a book, “Edgar Cayce’s Massage Hydrotherapy & Healing Oils.”

The massages described therein tend to be small, gentle circles either side of the spine in directions to increase or decrease energy to different organs and zones. One is a massage from the brain to spine to the plexuses, a massage I find very helpful for chronic pain. Another draws with circle massage from the plexuses up the spine.

The styles of massage are food for thought, and quite handy when I feel a spinal massage is in order. Another way to see and heal the body.

Authored by Sue Peterson

Over the years since realizing that goal, I’ve had many opportunities to enjoy the Truth of that choice. At least weekly, and more often daily, I am privileged to have an interaction with a client who had no idea that they could feel better, who stands a little straighter and moves a little freer than an hour ago. There is joy in helping a new athlete achieve their goal to run their first marathon, or to assist a new parent in being able to lift their child without pain. Occasionally, though, there is an experience that seems to run deeper, into depths that only the clients know, and rarely share.

Muscles have memory, not only for the patters of physical activity we engage in, but also for the stressors and emotions that we quite literally *internalize*. Sometimes, when the physical tension from stress is released a client will have an equal release internally of the emotions related to it.

This had happened on occasion throughout my career, and had always been an opportunity to practice empathy and respect, preserving boundaries of professionalism and comfort, giving space for the client to have their experience without unwanted interference. Sometimes, I would be a sounding board to what was coming up, offering sympathy without judgment.

Then there was the day when I met Consuelo (not her real name), who was brought to see me by her son, to receive her first ever professional massage. Consuelo had taken a hard fall, cracked her patella, and suffered severe whiplash, but had no insurance to pay for treatment. In her mid 70s, she shuffled in, obviously in pain. She spoke very little English, but had been instructed by her son, a previous client of mine, as to what to expect. He gave me an overview of her condition, which she confirmed by pointing to areas of discomfort.

The truly amazing part came later, when she was on the warm table and started to relax. She responded tentatively at first, not sure how to react. Then, as she started to feel better, breathe more deeply, and her muscles began to unwind she began what became her mantra for the rest of the hour.

“Thank you, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am. Oh, thank you, ma’am!”

The intensity with which this statement was delivered really struck me. The pure gratitude and simple appreciation came through so clearly that it brought me the impression of someone who had done so much for others (as exemplified by her loving son waiting in the lobby) and very little to take care of herself. I started to tear up at the thought, all the while grinning to myself and replying to her in soft tones of reassurance.

When I began to work on her hands, I came to a spot where one of her fingers was twisted due to an older injury. Immediately her head popped up from the table. “First husband, in Philippines,” she said, “bad man, twist back! I left!!” This was nearly shouted.

“Sounds like you did what you had to do. Good job.” Was my reply.

Something about Consuelo’s openness, her vulnerability, and her courage really struck me. I haven’t seen her since, but for that one day she and I were Very Good Friends. After we were finished, she dressed, and we had a brief outtake discussion, we walked together out to where her son was waiting. She had impulsively hugged my waist as we walked, and did not let go. She told her son I was “magickal” and “beautiful” and I told him that it was the other way around. His mother was amazing. He had to agree.

I smiled about Consuelo for days after that, renewed in my resolve that I am in the right profession.

Written by Melissa Holm, LMP at Dreamclinic, Inc.