I volunteered with a group that provided compationate touch for terminally ill patients.
My client had ALS and was already in a wheel chair by the time I was able to work with her. She was a very beautiful person and so young.
I found out what she liked to do, and what she missed just talking with her during the massage. She told me she loved to go to the beach and collect sea shells, and also loved to listen to Dean Martin sing.
So during one of my visits I brought a bucket that was wide enough to hold sand and shells. She could put her hands in and collect the sea shells I put in there with some warm water. I also had an ocean CD playing in the background. She loved it, brought such a big smile to her face. I also brought a CD with Dean Martin and we had an evening out. She got to listen and also dance to Dean Martin.
When her condition got worse and she could only blink, I knew her well enough to make her laugh.
She was a great inspiration to me. I appreciated her strength inside. When times were bad, she always wanted to see me for her massage. It was so important for me to be there for her. She brought me just as much joy in life as her family told me I did for her in her last months.
I was able to spend about 9 months with her and wouldn’t have missed that opportunity to be there for her.
I believe once you lay your hands on a person, it is no longer about you, its about them and how are you going to help them, relax, take a breath or just give them a chance to be.

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There’s so much to be said for thought and perception. It’s becoming increasingly critical that in massage therapy, we formalize a discourse on the impact of thought and perception on physiology and anatomy. Implications for healing thereby are tremendous.

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