By Josie Davenport
Philosophy of Life by Josie Davenport – 1979 FSM Transcripts “Though we are born with individual talents, and the processes of our lives make us different, we all share the same basic human needs – we need to feel connected to the earth and to other human beings in a loving way,”
I came to FSM in the Fall of 1979 during a one year period in which two of the original owners had again bought the school. Their orientation to massage was technical. We were being trained as technicians but I wanted something different.
I later found this difference described in Martin Buber’s book “I and Thou”. The attitude of seeing the other as a “thou” rather than a “you” goes beyond belief and religion to meet and honor the uniqueness of each person as they are in the present moment. As a massage therapist, this includes listening to the client’s request and addressing that request while being open to their emergent quest for health and wholeness.
Just before I graduated in March of 1980, I saw a note on the bulletin board for deep tissue training at the home of Lee and Doreen Joseph. This is where I found the training that I was seeking and the foundation for our current school. Lee Joseph bought the school that year (1980) and developed much of the training that we continue to this day. The next, and most important element to our school’s foundation came from the Gestalt therapist Pat Korb and her knowledge of communication skills.
In 1982 during a Structural Integration training, I met Pat. She taught how to work with the client’s inner process as it was presented by them. I learned to respect this spontaneous process without interfering or tampering. Our communications classes teach the foundations of this work. Paul Davenport developed our anatomy training as “the interface between consciousness and physical being.” My life has been enriched beyond measure by this attitude of whole-person, respectful listening.
Josie Davenport, Fall 2024
