I graduated Sutherland-Chan in 2007 and have not regretted my decision to become a Registered Massage Therapist. Sure, I had to quit my full-time job to become a full-time student again. The more than two years of school was long and arduous.
When I attended the evening introductory massage course, we were warned that studying to become an RMT was going to be a full-time commitment. We were also warned that we would not have a social life until we graduated. They certainly were not exaggerating! The constant studying for tests and exams, the lack of sleep and long days at school made me think “all this studying and sacrifice just to make people feel good?”
In retrospect, studying anatomy, pathophysiology, neurology, techniques, remedial exercises (to name just a few) shaped my viewpoint on massage therapy. Originally, I thought it was to just rub people’s backs to make them feel good. Instead, it helped me to appreciate that people are under a lot of stress and want to de-stress, even if it is only for an hour or so. It also helped me to appreciate that a client with chronic back pain may have underlying issues. Therefore, this has motivated me to pursue post-graduate courses in visceral manipulation, neural manipulation, craniosacral therapy and manual lymphatic drainage.
One of my instructors from Sutherland-Chan always told us to “find and treat the cause of the pain.” I practice that adage to this day!
This year is a milestone for me because it will be 10 years that I have been practicing massage therapy. I still find it a rewarding and satisfying career, because every client is unique and challenges me to “find and treat the cause of the pain.” And because at the end of the day, I know that at least I have helped someone feel a little bit better.
