Massage Techniques

If you are looking for that one technique that will "fix" every client and have clients knocking at your door, you may as well study everything. There is no "one" technique that will be the end all technique.

When I was doing research for the section outlining the many types of massage, I discovered a common theme among the different types of massage and bodywork. Most came from the healing of the therapist or close family member or friend. Some study a certain discipline and then decide they have different insights and they develop their own style.

In general, there are 11 basic types of massage. I am sure there may be many more, but this is a really good place to start.

1. Swedish Massage The basic techniques you will most likely learn in massage school. Relaxing, therapeutic, rejuvenating
   
2. Sports Massage -massage applied to athletics for the purpose of enhancing sports performance, preventing injuries, and healing injuries.
   
3. Deep Tissue -addresses the deeper musculature of the body and the myofascial system that connects the body. Deep tissue work done properly can be painless. It is also often stimulates emotional release (but all touch can)
   
4. Structural Integration -based on the work of Ida Rolf. Most are a 10 or an 11 session series of bodywork that is done to rebalance and align the body.
   
5. Clinical Massage Therapy -massage geared towards treatment of injuries and conditions such as herniated discs, tendonitis and other conditions. Includes orthopedic techniques, strain/counter-strain, muscle energy and myofascial therapy.
   
6. Chair Massage -seated chair massage where the client is fully clothed. Done in the office setting, airports and can be used as a marketing tool for most other therapies.
   
7. Spa Therapies -includes some of the basic massage skills and uses hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, body wraps and other techniques. Used generally to pamper clients but can also be used medically.
   
8. Energy Therapies -Reiki is probably the most popular. Others include polarity therapy, acupressure, shiatsu.
   
9. Eastern Therapies -Shiatsu, acupressure, Jin Shin Do, and other modalities from China and Japan
   
10. Mind/Body Therapies -integrating the body and mind (which all touch therapies do even if they don't know it). Includes the Rosen Method, Hakomi Therapy and others that focus on increasing awareness.
    
11. Animal Applications -horse, dog, cat...all animals are included. This really started with the Linda Tellington Jones method who is known for her work in zoos and with animals in the wild.

There are so many different types of massage it is often difficult to decide where to begin. The different therapies also overlap so much and they all do many of the same things (energy, mind/body). The good news is that you will be constantly learning new techniques throughout your career.

To begin with, most massage schools teach basic Swedish Massage. It is a great way to learn to apply touch and become more aware of how touch affects others. It is a great place to begin a career in massage. You can and most likely will be constantly exploring new techniques.

Our techniques provide us a framework for learning to build relationships with clients. It usually is not the technique that heals but the therapeutic relationship that is the core to building a successful practice. That is why you can do the same technique on someone and if they don't trust you or value you, you may not get the same good results as you usually do.

Your techniques will just be the beginning of learning to connect with clients and build a therapeutic relationship with them. Most massage schools will focus on the techniques because that is a way to get you touching people where you can really learn the most about yourself. Massage school is limited in what they can teach you about that. I talk about it more in my Ebook The Massage Therapy Career Guide

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