by Pete Whitridge
I just returned from Big Pine Key following several wonderful days of teaching. I’ve been going to the Keys to teach for over 25 years and have always treasured the relationships with my colleagues there, some of whom have been in practice for four decades. We’ve built deep connections over the years and being with them always nourishes me in a profound way. Lee, who took her Big 3 required classes with this group every renewal, knows and loves them as well. As I shared details about my week with her, we began pondering the strange circumstances of the past four years, where the Board has allowed in-person classes (for these two renewal periods only) to be taken virtually for health safety reasons. We were discussing the incongruity of hands-on, touch professionals (in heart and mind as well as body) furthering their growth as therapists in this very hands-off way.
When I teach, I always observe life affirming experiences happening. The roomful of LMTs who arrive, mostly unknown to each other, create in the course of the time spent together, a connection that would have been unavailable to them in a virtual setting. It’s called “distance” learning for a reason. The online education may be convenient, but it doesn’t provide a way to bridge the distance between us as humans.
Massage therapy information and skills are only part of what in-person continuing education workshops deliver. They also give us the opportunity to network with fellow professionals, allow inexperienced therapists observe and receive bodywork from seasoned LMTs, and provide the chance to have our own human needs for contact (and good bodywork) to be met. As providers whose work is to give, being in
class allows for uninterrupted time to receive for a change. And that can be invaluable in a busy world where demands rarely stop and self-care can be nonexistent.
As the renewal period begins to wind down, I would encourage you to consider nourishing yourself with time spent in the company of your colleagues. I would love to see you in one of my summer workshops.
You can register for June: Myofascial Components of Low Back and Leg Pain
July: Manual Therapies for Surgeries, Scars and Burns
Or August: Therapeutic Strategies for Effective Pain Relief
I will also be teaching the Big 3 Required classes (Ethics, FL Law, and Prevention of Medical Errors) in person on Monday, August 7 at House of Waking Life (HOWL) in downtown Gainesville. Always a fun location – great coffee, tea and interaction. Hope to see you this summer!
