Course Outline - Rough s1

500 Hour Program Class Outline Form

Class Title: History of Massage II – 53a

Course(s) and Hours: AT- 1 hr.

Class Description

Learning Objectives

Class Outline

Time Description Assignment/Resources

00-05 / Attendance/Meditation / MT – pp. 2-13
05-15 / Shiatsu – one main forms of Asian Bodywork Therapy
Uses essentially same concepts as traditional Chinese medicine (chi/energy flow through meridians – stimulated by needles with acupuncture; with massage and stretches with shiatsu). Began to be known in West in the 1970’s with new interest in acupuncture and massage and other natural healing forms. Shiatsu is often done on the floor, but can be adapted to table work.
The form we teach here, mostly in the Advanced Program, draw both from the Japanese and Thai massage traditions.
Thai Massage (Nuad Bo Rarn) uses a similar theory (but different vocabulary) of meridians and energy flow as shiatsu. It involves more stretching and less direct work on the acupoints themselves.
Energy-based therapies – Reiki, Therapeutic touch
Reiki is based on the idea and practice of channeling a certain energy (“Reiki”) which will be healing for one’s clients. It can be done hands-on or hands-off. As with many “pure” energy based therapies, some people believe in its efficacy (beyond placebo effects) and others are doubtful.
Therapeutic touch is another form of energy-healing which can involve touch or not. It was developed by spiritual teacher and Theosophist, Dora Kunz and a nurse, Dolores Krieger. It has been mostly practiced by nurses. Like Reiki it has its adherents, however, most scientific studies of pure energy-based modalities have not shown them to be “scientifically” valid.
15-25 / Clinical Approaches within Massage Therapy –
Ben Benjamin – originally got into receiving massage as a dancer. Then he got training from a disciple of James Cyriax, the progenitor of “Deep Transverse Friction”. Ben was one of the first therapists to teach massage students and therapists how to effectively diagnose and treat injuries. His books, esp. Listen to Your Pain, have been very helpful and we recommend you add that to your library.
Paul St. John – former medic for the Green Berets; he blended Janet Travell’s trigger point work with a Chiropractor, Dr. Raymond Nimmo – and began teaching NMT – the St. John Method of Neuromuscular Therapy. It is characterized mostly by finding trigger points and engaging them quite aggressively with intense direct pressure.
Judith Walker Delany – helped co-develop NMT, then later went her own way – and has done some excellent books collaborating with the English Osteopath, Leon Chaitow.
Bob King – founder of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, one of earliest proponents, practitioners and teachers of Sports Massage. Former national Education Director and President of the AMTA. Bob presided over dramatic raising of visibility of massage and higher standards in massage education. He was David Lauterstein’s first massage teacher and as well as an early mentor of John Conway.
Whitney Lowe – author of Orthopedic Massage and Orthopedic Assessment in Massage Therapy – both used as sourcebooks in our Advanced Program. Whitney has helped systematize orthopedic massage through his books and teaching.
Benny Vaughn – former athlete, Certified Athletic Trainer and Massage Therapist – one of earliest proponents, practitioners and teachers of Sports Massage. Superb educator and highly in demand by professional athletes and Olympians.
25-30 / Cranio-sacral Therapy – developed originally by osteopath, William Sutherland, and based on idea that just as spinal bones and joints may affect nerves and, through them the whole body – cranial bones and joints can have a global effect as well – via the cranial fascia, the meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid. This was popularized and brilliantly marketed by Dr. John Upledger who began to teach a gentle form of cranial work to bodyworkers and acupuncturists beginning in the late 1970’s.
30-40 / Movement Therapies
Milton Trager - MD. (degree from Mexico) who developed a method of gentle movements that dramatically evoke the relaxation response.
Aston Patterning – Judith Aston will be HERE at TLC on Sat. Sept. 6th 10:30am-12 doing a free Introduction to her work for students, alumni and the general public! Judith comes from the dance tradition and developed her own varied ways of using movement and bodywork to amplify health – she emphasized the way the healthy body moves in gentle curves (as opposed to Ida Rolf – who emphasized a bit more the vertical “line” of alignment.
Feldenkrais – born in Ukraine, early practitioner and teacher of jujitsu and Judo. Mechanical and electrical engineer. Started a work that is very sophisticated in the ways it engages the nervous system to help change movement habits. Two branches – ‘Awareness Through Movement’ that is more movement oriented and ‘Functional Integration’ that includes more hands-on bodywork.
40-50 / Ida Rolf – founder of Structural Integration aka “Rolfing”– the “Einstein of modern bodywork –
By identifying fascia in the body as the “organ of structure” Ida Rolf started a whole new level of “somatic education”. Rolfing involves deep work over the course of 10 sessions to re-organize the body into a better relationship to itself and the gravitational field. Had her PhD in Chemistry from Columbia University, was a scientific researcher, but eventually developed her own approach to integrating the body’s structure.
And offshoots – for instance,Tom Myers – founder of “Anatomy Trains” and the Kinesis (offshoot of Rolfing method). Anatomy Trains course is here at TLC on Aug. 15-17 – taught by senior teacher Carrie Gaynor. Tom is a brilliant teacher of anatomy and myofascial work.
50-60 / Fritz Smith, MD – Osteopath, Rolfer, Master’s in 5-Element Acupuncture, and spiritual student of a number of Asian teachers. First person to explicitly show how to integrate not just structure, but energy as well as well. Also first body-therapist to show how to bring the skills of massage into ways to engage the deepest energy flows, through the core joints and bones in the body. Founder of Zero Balancing which he’s taught since the early 1970’s. The first 25 hour course in Zero Balancing is included in our Advanced program.

July 24, 2014