By Mary Reis
I have been a Massage Therapist for 30 years now, and the answer to this question is pretty simple for me… I really enjoy helping people feel better and find more ease in their bodies. And I hope to be blessed with the physical & mental ability to continue this work for a few more decades.
Once I started massage school, there was never a doubt that I was fascinated by this field. It totally clicked for me. While I worked extra hard to deepen my education after school to improve my skills and confidence, it was never hard to find something interesting. This work grabbed me from the very beginning.
It also felt AMAZING!! It helped me relax, de-stress, feel good, and heal from years of athletics and some really bad auto accidents. And experiencing the results, helped me KNOW how beneficial it could be for others.
Much of my interest in the last 20+ years has been focused around craniosacral work. The anatomy, the history, and the different approaches — I still spend hours reading about it, listening to lectures, and attending courses. One of the foundations of working in the cranial field requires slowing down and sensing more globally. Doing so helps us drop into deeper states of consciousness, which allows us to feel the subtle movements and qualities happening in the system. We feel motions that are so small they cannot be measured by modern equipment; we sense wide arrays of tonal qualities and characteristics, incredible depths of stillness, and so much more. It is even possible to feel and know things about people from a distance — I have worked with people remotely and been blown away by it!
Developing my sensorial pallette and learning to trust it more fully, I have seen and felt what is possible. It is truly amazing sometimes, almost miraculous, and then sometimes it is very normal and almost mundane. Sessions can fall anywhere in between, and most often it is deeply restful, if not deeply healing. There is so much to learn that it keeps me coming back for more and more.
But this is just me sharing my experience… What is yours? What is it that you like about this profession? What keeps you here? And what do you yearn for? I’d love to hear from you — drop me an email and let me know: maryreis@me.com. I’d like to be able to share your stories in future Connective Issue articles.
We have lots of opportunities for study at FSM for the rest of the year… Will you come learn about the 3 main types of Craniosacral work with me in August (registration form here)? Or maybe you prefer to learn more about working with scars or providing pain relief with Pete? Getting specific in the head and neck with Frank? Or study Sports Massage more in-depth with Keith & Christian? Have you explored Thai with Ariela yet — I hear nothing but great things about her training? How about Christina’s Essential Oils course — it’s essentially a super fun and great smelling chemistry class!
So many great classes happening at FSM to help you deepen in your work and explore new areas. I hope you find enrichment and inspiration, and I hope to see you around the school ❤️
