Integrating Chinese Medicine into Massage Therapy
The Certification Program is expressly designed for students who want to integrate Chinese Medicine into their bodywork practice. It offers comprehensive training in both theory and hands-on skills, both rooted in the Chinese approach to health. Class time is also divided between: Presentations of foundational theories of Chinese Medicine; Hands-on practicum of techniques in Acupressure, Meridian Massage Therapies, and Aroma Acutouch Therapy; Practices to cultivate embodied presence; Self-care (using self-acupressure and Chinese self-massage techniques) to cultivate your Chi. This program is rooted in Chinese Meridian and Chinese Five Element theories. It moves students beyond the application of session protocols, and fosters skills in assessment, and session planning in response to individual client needs. The Acupressure techniques learned in class (Jin Shin Acupressure, Aroma Acutouch Therapy, T'ui Na, and Table Shiatsu) will be practiced both on the self and on other students. Practices for the development of embodied presence will enable students to "touch" clients more deeply (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), to provide a container for clients' potential emotional release, to offer compassionate listening, and to respond in a way that is both supportive and within our scope of practice as manual therapists. Practices for Chi cultivation give students a felt experience of the benefits of this work. They become their own testimony to the efficacy of this approach. Feeling the benefits of these Chi balancing techniques will inform the students on how to use these techniques with clients.
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