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Holistic Living
Massage Therapy and Energy Work:
A Path to Self-Love
by Teodora Valdez
When you ask people how they practice self-love, common answers are exercising, eating well, and positive thinking. In my experience, learning to be a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) and studying massage therapy and energy work have made an incredible impact on the way I feel about myself intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Giving massage and receiving work as a client have both contributed to more self-awareness, self-growth, and self-love than I would have ever thought possible.
My massage therapy and energy work classes at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health have enhanced my confidence and encouraged me to trust my abilities. I have taken a variety of courses in circulatory and sports massage, traditional Oriental healing techniques, anatomy, and deep tissue manipulation. In addition, I have studied energy work, such as Reiki and Energetic Bodywork, which are healing modalities that use positive energy to promote healing in body, heart, and spirit.
My education at Healing Hands has been extremely beneficial to my emotional health. Energy work has been shown to successfully help people overcome fear, deal with their grief, and release intense emotions. In my Energetic Bodywork class, I was challenged to confront inaccurate beliefs about myself. Admitting to those was extremely difficult, but it brought me to a critical point on my path to self-love as I realized that I had been settling for less than I deserved. One assignment was to create a “dream book” in which I made a collage of all that I wanted in life. Everything in the book has miraculously come to fruition.
At Healing Hands, I truly felt supported by my teachers, who enable students to realize their potential as professional healers by providing them with an environment where they can feel secure in their learning and growth process. HHP student, Nicole Krause, expresses that being with her fellow students “continues to encourage me to seek knowledge and that leads me to greater self-esteem.” This process of developing a support system which builds up everyone’s energies is needed to create effective healers.
The HHP program has also helped me see the value of taking care of my body and nurturing it more. Research has shown that massage therapy benefits the body in several different ways. My classes have given me an understanding of the structure and function of the body, along with the opportunity to fine tune my craft with many hours of practical experience. Since it is important to take care of your own body in order to practice massage therapy, my classes often set time aside for physical activity such as yoga, stretching, tai chi, or Qigong. The teachers emphasize the importance of proper body mechanics and care about our health and longevity in the field. Many of my classmates agree that their own body awareness and body image have improved as a result.
Taking the time to receive massage demonstrates respect for your mind, body, and soul. It reduces mental stress, improves concentration, and encourages calm thinking and creativity. Physically, massage reduces muscle tension, increases circulation, improves posture, and strengthens the immune system. It is also beneficial to emotional health, enabling us to receive love and allow others to nurture us despite any of our perceived imperfections.
One client who makes time in her busy schedule to get regular massages says that bodywork improves her general wellbeing and is a peaceful escape to synchronize her mind and body. She adds that massages can be tailored to people from all walks of life, no matter what their own individual reasons are for needing or wanting one.
As a practitioner, I learn how to give love through my work. This, in turn, fuels the love I have for myself. Raina Colvin, a Healing Hands instructor, shares, “I am more accepting of myself. I have found that showing myself respect and honor helps others see the value in themselves.” One of Healing Hands School’s core beliefs is that the recipient of the bodywork session must always be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Paula Curtiss, Healing Hands Co-Founder and Director, states, “Your client is never just a pile of muscles and bones on your massage table; they bring to your table everything—truly everything—that has ever happened to them. The sum of their life is on your table, under your hands. In order to teach this kind of reverence, our faculty and staff must constantly engender respect and dignity in our deliberations with each other, with our students, and with the healing community.”
The physics of muscle stress are important to understand, but a true healer must also heal emotions. In order to hold that space for your client, you must channel love through your work. Such energy is used with all people who practice massage, from a tender wife working on her husband’s neck for a few moments, to a professional who helps athletes recover from a hard game. In order to channel that love into our practice, we must have respect and love for our work, and more importantly, for ourselves.
Through my education at Healing Hands, I have learned so much more about self-love than I ever expected. Being both a practitioner and a client has taught me how to love and care for others. It has shown me how to treat my own mind, body, and spirit with respect. HHP student Aimee Porter says, “Self-esteem and acceptance of yourself is key to being a good massage therapist. We need to be able to love ourselves!”
Teodora Valdez is a certified HHP and Student Advisor at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. Healing Hands has locations in Escondido and Laguna Hills. Please visit www.healinghandsschool.com or call 760.746.9364 or 800.355.6463 for more information.