That AHA Moment!
I recently had the opportunity to go to the dentist. Ok, I wouldn’t necessarily call it an opportunity, but maybe I would call it…”it’s time, you have put it off way too long.” You see, if we have ever had the opportunity to talk about dentists, you would know that I am not a fan of dentistry. And “not a fan” is putting it mildly.
Maybe it is because I had a dentist, when I was growing up, that really didn’t care if it hurt me or not. Or maybe it was the fact that I had braces twice or what. I have extreme anxiety when it comes to going to the dentist. That’s the honest truth.
If I have extensive work done, I have to be sedated. If I need a crown (not the one that I would put on my head, but a crown for my teeth…lol), I need the nitrous oxide to be turned up pretty high. If I need a filling, I also need the nitrous. Sometimes even just a cleaning can cause some anxiety, but I try to not need the nitrous oxide for that. That’s how much of a fan I am NOT of having to go to the dentist.
Anyway, when I went to the dentist and the nitrous oxide was freely flowing, I kept thinking, “Why would you want a job that most people are afraid of? How can you love something and be passionate about something that most people don’t like?”
I kept mulling this around in my mind for a few minutes, and yes, I will admit, in my highly altered state. Then I thought, “I love my job and am very passionate about what I do and I am so glad that people don’t ‘hate’ what I do! I am so glad that people love what I do and want to get a massage.”
That’s when I had my moment of clarity and enlightenment! Not everyone is a fan of massage. Say what??? I know it is hard to believe, but there are a lot of people that don’t like massage. Or maybe I should say, there are a lot of people that don’t like to be touched. It’s true!
The truth of the matter is…people that don’t like to get a massage or don’t like to be touched have had, at some point in their life, a negative experience with touch. It could be physical, sexual, emotional abuse or even just an experience in where that person was vulnerable and was hurt in some manner. Even people who have PTSD from war or some other traumatic event, can have a difficult time with being touched or getting a massage. Being on the massage table can bring up powerful and/or painful memories for anyone.
But not all is lost. What you may not know is that I have created a program that is called Informed Conscious Touch Therapy for those people that have a hard time with touch regardless of what has happened. Because of the sensitive nature of this program, I do not have anything on my website currently, but I have put together a brochure that I can mail to someone.
Why does any of this matter? Well, because the appointment needs to be handled differently than someone who is coming in for a regular massage. The intake process is different and the treatment is different. It’s just a different process altogether to help those people that have issues with touch. The appointment times range from 15-30 minutes, no more.
If you know of anyone that may be interested in this process, please let me know and I will gladly send them a brochure that I have put together to help them understand the process a little bit better. They can contact me at kathy@inharmonymassage.com or call me at (317)372-1988.
Although, I am still not a fan of the dentist, I am grateful that I had this AHA moment, a moment of clarity and enlightenment, so that I could explain this program to you also.
DISCLAIMER~~This article is not meant to replace the advice of your physician, psychiatrist or counselor. If you hold a lot of trauma, it might be helpful to pair your bodywork sessions with traditional talk therapy to help process the emotions that resurface while you are on the massage table.