Two clients come in with interesting stories. The first tells you she received chemotherapy two days ago while wearing an odd-looking cap with a chin strap. It was a special “cold cap” cooled her scalp during the chemotherapy infusion. It made for a chilly session, so the infusion staff took pains to keep the rest […]
Save the Date!
The Oncology Massage Healing Summit is Scheduled for April 27-29, 2018 in Bloomington, MN at the Northwestern Health Sciences University. The conference schedule will be posted soon, and registration opens this September. Don’t miss this unique gathering of oncology massage therapy professionals and speakers. The conference is so popular with attendees that the Society for […]
Growing Up, Getting Real
I stand at the side of the bed, looking down long lines of stuffed animals. They form a plush parabola around my sleeping child. For years, they have held all-night, wide-eyed vigils on this bed. By morning they will have been flung at each other in crazy angles. But now, at 11 PM, they are […]
Ethics in Oncology Massage and Hospice Care
My client complained about her doctor, the nurses, and the general care she was receiving during cancer treatment. She went on for some time. Now and then, she took a breath, then looked at me as though to ask “Do you agree?” I held her gaze. It seemed like a challenge to choose sides. Agree, […]
On Not Healing Other People
I spent the night in an awful dive of a motel. I had cleared my client schedule and headed out of town, eager to attend the workshop. It was worth the sacrifice. About 20 MTs were gathered in a massage school flanked by woods. It was the early 1990’s, and it might have been the […]
7 Reasons Not to “Give Your Client Whatever They Want” at End of Life
“How was your massage last week?” “It was fine, good, actually. But honestly I would have liked it much harder. Can you go deeper today?” My client was speaking to me from her bed. She had advanced pancreatic cancer. Her pain was deep and constant. She wanted relief, and she wanted heavy massage. I’ve had […]
Notes from the Oncology Massage Healing Summit, 2016
Our teaching staff returned from the 4th Oncology Massage Healing Summit in high spirits last month. Nanci, Erika, Cindy, Joan, Megan, Julie, Michelle, and Kim raved about their 4 days in Minneapolis, where they felt a strong sense of community among oncology massage therapists and a renewed respect for OMT teaching and clinical work. Kim […]
Quality of Care in a Thriving Oncology Massage Practice – Meet Our Teacher Erika Slocum
Massage therapists often ask for survival tips for growing a practice in oncology massage therapy. Here, we offer the first of occasional “Featured Teacher” posts about successful OMT practitioners among our instructors and colleagues. Erika Slocum has been teaching oncology massage therapy with us since 2011. She co-owns an expanding practice, BlueFern Massage Therapy, with […]
Massage Therapy and the Benefits of Cereal
William Bernbach, a famous advertising executive, gave us Mikey and his bowl of Life cereal in the 1970’s. A wildly successful ad campaign, it became a classic. It reportedly ran for 12 years. In the 30-second spot, Mikey’s older brother’s are skeptical of a cereal that is “supposed to be good for you.” So they […]
Little Details Make Big Connections in Oncology Massage
In oncology massage, we know that the little details matter. How you gently tuck the draping so a client’s shoulders stay warm. The way you offer to massage a client’s scalp after hair loss. The way you hit exactly the right spot on your client’s foot, without too much pressure, in the infusion room. The […]