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Michigan Massage Licensing

Michigan Licensing Bill Signed by Governor Granholm

Friday, January 9, 2009

Today, House Bill 5651, providing for the state licensing of massage therapists, was signed into law by Governor Granholm. The law is effective immediately.

The law will benefit the massage therapy community in three primary ways:

• Minimum training requirements and scope of practice are defined.
• An avenue for consumer complaint is established.
• Local regulations will be pre-empted, meaning all massage therapists will license with the state and no longer have to become licensed in their city or in multiple cities.

An eleven member Michigan Board of Massage Therapy, consisting of seven massage therapists and four public members, will be created to implement the law.

Click here to read the law.

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Jan 2013 UPDATE: EXCITING NEWS!  The applications are ready! Here is a link to the application, in .pdf format, complete with application, instructions, and information on requirements for grandfathering: Massage Therapist Application Packet

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Nov 2012 UPDATE: The Michigan Board of Massage Therapy was scheduled to meet four times in 2012. They cancelled three sessions and met once. Check for updates here.

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Nov 2011 UPDATE: The Michigan Board of Massage Therapy was scheduled to meet six times in 2011. They cancelled five sessions and met once. See what's new here.

My Massage Website

Finally! My massage website is up and running. There is so much I'd like to do there still, such as adding informative articles on health and massage. One wee step at a time, me lassies. ;) Come visit me at goldenflowermassage.com, and tell me what you think!

Massage Job Update

It's official: I got the job! I'll be working at a chiropractor's office in Royal Oak beginning September 22. I will begin by taking new clients only one day per week, and my hours will increase slowly over a period of perhaps 2-3 months. The office itself is going through a transition of its own, so it seems fitting that they'd move me into the position slowly.

I'll post more details later.

Hurray!

IMI Graduation

It was a wonderful and happy day. The best. And blessed.

Click the Play button in the lower left corner of the screen below. Music is included, so adjust your volume accordingly.





I am sorry that I did not get photos with the following people: Rob Kelly, our pathology instructor; Larissa Cisaruk, teacher of several classes at IMI (Torso Techniques, for ex.); Barb Brigee, clinic manager; and Cindy and Annette, our Hands-On apprentices. My experience at IMI would have been incomplete had any of you not been a part of it; likewise, the above photo presentation is, to me, incomplete without you in it. But I did see each of you there, and for that I am glad. It was a grand day, wasn't it?

Photographers: Stephie & Kate. Lovely job, ladies. Thank you!
Song: "May It Be" by Enya
Video production:

IMI Graduation

Yours truly with Irene Gauthier, IMI's beloved founder, teacher, healer, and bestower of blessings.

I'm working on a slide presentation of my graduation photos. Check back soon.

To Be or Not to Be ...Employed

On Friday, May 23, the bookstore let me know that Saturday the 24th was my last day on the schedule for who-knows how long. You're still employed here, they said, we just don't have any hours to give you. So, technically speaking, I still have a job, but practically speaking, I've been unemployed for a week.

I was really upset at first.

But then I spent an entire day in my garden. First time this year. Glory! What a happy, happy day. I looked around at the overgrowth, weeds, and general brokenness and, instead of (or in spite of) feeling heavy-hearted over the loss of my garden's former beauty, instead of pitying myself for the gardening hours I won't have when I go back to work, I told myself, Pick a spot. Just choose one spot, sit, and tend.

I sat in the center garden and began the tedious job of pulling the tall grasses, a few skinny blades at a time, that had sprung up amidst the thyme and periwinkle. In light of all the work that needed to be done, this grass-pulling was a drop in the bucket... the most luscious drop I'd ever tasted.

Hello, sun! Hello, dirt! Hello, opportunity to garden till sundown! It was my bestest gardening day ever. I need a job, but I am so grateful for this time off.

Meanwhile...

Yesterday, I received the job list from IMI's placement director. It's a list of 67 job opportunities in the metro Detroit area, 30 of which are in Oakland County. Of those, I highlighted four jobs that most interest me, one of which tugged at my shirt sleeve, saying, Pick me! Pick me!

I'll start sending resumes tomorrow. Today, I graduate.

Six o'clock this evening, Silver Garden Shriner's Center in Southfield.

Smiles.

FINITO!

Yes, my classes ended last week, but I had a couple of loose ends to tie up. Today, I went to IMI and tied up my last loose end! Woo hoo!

I went upstairs to peek in at my old classroom. (Old? Ha. I was just there last week.) There was our room, full of new faces, new students on their first day of Hands-On class. There was Deb who spotted me and laughed as she headed over for hugs, accusing me of not being able to stay away. Who, me?

And there was Randy at the head of the room, frantically preparing to begin class. Mind you, "frantic" for Randy means turning from Point A to Point B with papers in his hand that he then sets down at Point C. When he's really frantic, he holds his fingers up as if checking the direction of the non-wind, smiles, and says, It's okay. And, sure enough, everything is okay.

I am so lucky to have had IMI's best for hands-on instruction! Thank you, Randy and Deb. And thanks to Annette and Cindy, our esteemed apprentices. I couldn't have asked for a better team.

IMI: Closing Ceremony

On 8 May 2008, we held our final class. We partnered up for one last massage (blindfolded; think Luke Skywalker), shared a potluck meal, and then we gathered in the Harmony Room for our Closing Ceremony. I'll describe only part of the ceremony:

Picture us -- some fifteen students, two apprentices, two instructors -- sitting on the floor in a circle, lights dimmed, a tealight candle burning in front of each of us. Randy holds up a string, maybe two feet long, with the two ends knotted together so that the string forms a circle or loop. He says that this string represents all of us over the past year; the knot is Randy, our teacher. He picks up a pair of scissors and says...

I don't remember what he said next. I remember only the image of the string, the knot, and the scissors, my sudden and tiny gasp when he picked up the scissors, and my watery eyes as he cut the knot from the string, and I remember feeling sad and not sad.

Randy passed the string and the scissors to his left and asked us each to tie a knot at the end of the string and then cut it off. I snipped my little knotted "me" from the string and thought, this is so cool.

Rituals can be nifty things. I never would have guessed that such a simple event could have such a springboard effect on me. Whoosh! and Randy ushered our hinies out o' the nest, and again, Whoosh! ...the beating of wings.

Therapeutic Exam: Wee!

I took my final final exam at IMI last Thursday. I got an A, hurray! The kicker? I barely studied at all. Go figure. Granted, this exam was, in my opinion, easier than the Basic Exam in that it covered aspects of massage that we'd been practicing (hopefully) throughout the year. Less memorization, more common sense.

So, what's left?

- Last class, May 8: Blindfold Massage & Closing Ceremony
- Practical Exam (massage an instructor), May 9
- Clinical event hour (massage an apprentice), May 15
- Turn in my Program Summary (one page summary of my experience & growth while at IMI; one page, are they kidding? ::smiles::)
- Send my resume to our placement director

Graduation is on June 1.

The Basic Exam: Brain-Whoa

The Basic Exam, which covers physiology, pathology, and anatomy, is the first of two written exams given near the end of the IMI program. I took the Basic Exam on April 3. I got a B.

I studied hard. During the test, I kissed my A+ goodbye because I was making too many guesses. I was fine with that, no stress. But I didn't think I'd miss an A altogether; a B!

Wish I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me, "Nobody's going to look at your grades once you're in the working world." Yes, I know. And I don't care. It's not about that. I just plumb enjoy acing tests. Makes my brain say, "Wee!"

With so many folks both here in trade school and also at university repeating how unimportant your grade is in the "real world," I can't help but wonder if relatively few people have themselves experienced a brain-wee.

A brain-wee begins with intense study, crescendos during the test, hits a high plateau upon completion of the test (the waiting period during which you're pretty sure you aced it), and finally bursts into its glorious Wee! upon seeing the mark. The brain-wee is completely independent of others' responses to your mark.

When someone (like me) is accustomed to having a brain-wee after every test, and when they (like me) study very hard for a particular test and expect another A but see instead a B, their brain says, "Whoa!" This is known as a brain-whoa. A brain-whoa is not to be confused with a brain-woe, which is more Eeyore-like in nature. A brain-whoa is simply a surprise with a smidgen of bummer mixed in. Its effect is not long lasting.

;)

Last Day at Student Clinic

Your Body is a TempleThis is what we see upon entering IMI's student clinic. Today, however, this is what I saw as I turned to say goodbye. I snapped this photo on my way out, having just completed my last day working here. I owe many thanks to the incredible staff for their patience and guidance, and to those gracious clients who entrusted themselves to these learning hands. Learning and ever learning. Namaste.

Elective: Torso Techniques

Essential Torso Techniques, taught by the inimitable Larissa Cisaruk, is a 16-hour workshop covering a variety of massage techniques for the torso, with particular focus on the chest, abdomen, and buttocks -- those areas of the body on which the client may be hesitant to receive massage and/or the therapist may be uncomfortable working. These often neglected areas of the body need at least as much attention as any other, if not more.

Please note that although we spent equal portions of class time on the chest, abs, glutes, and back, as well as tying it all together into a flowing practice, and although I could write oodles about each of the sixteen class-hours, my focus for this entry will be on the chest, for soon-to-be obvious reasons.

I was the demo for the pecs/chest massage! Aren't I lucky? (Okay, I volunteered. Loudly). The photo above, which I nabbed off the web, does not represent the chest techniques that we learned in this class. The female client will have one towel draped across her chest to cover the breasts, and the other towel covers her from the waist down, leaving the upper abs exposed. This allows the massage therapist to access the center of the chest by reaching under the towel, working near and around but not touching or exposing the breast.

At one point, as our instructor stroked my chest muscles outward from the center (sternum), I felt my chest cavity open and rise as if now capable of deeper breathing. To my surprise and delight, I felt the same sensation in my closed eyes, as if my eyes expanded.

Have you ever cleaned out a closet or some part of your home and felt that you were making room for something else, making room in your life for whatever comes next? My chest massage in this class left me with the distinct sensation that I'd been opened up from the inside, that I was and am ready for more, for whatever comes next, which is the constant unfolding of this moment.


Larissa Cisaruk is one of the finest instructors I've encountered at IMI. Without a doubt, my future success as a massage therapist will have stemmed in large part from the techniques learned and the attitude and confidence developed in this class. Thank you, Larissa.

Hands-On: Cranial Massage

Cranial Massage. That's what we did in hands-on class last Thursday. I enjoyed it immensely, both giving and receiving. I do believe that cranial massage will be a focus -- if not the focus -- of my future in massage therapy.

I have much to learn, of course, but for now what I'm referring to by "cranial massage" is just that: massage of the skull. The scalp is naturally massaged in the process, and the face is or can be massaged as well, but the focus is on the cranial sutures, those lines where the skull bones come together.

In class, each student gave and received a full one-hour cranial massage. Receiving the massage was an amazing experience; my whole body relaxed, tension melted away. At one point, it felt as if my spine slowly lifted off the table and then slowly sunk into the table, as if my spine itself inhaled and exhaled.

Giving the massage was also a wonderful experience. My eyes went blurry, and that's a good sign. Blurred vision during massage tells me that my focus has moved to my hands, and that I've let go of the mental noise, the worrying and wondering whether I'm doing this the "right" way or feeling what I'm "supposed to" feel. I've come to believe that my hands know and recognize far more than I give them credit for.

Elective: Hot Rocks

Giving...















...and receiving.

Posture!

It has come to my attention that a number of visitors found my blog while searching for information on "dowager's hump." So, I'm back with the rest of the story. Thanks to Garry Adkins for his expertise and enthusiasm, and for his trusty camera.

As described in my CTS post in July, Garry told me that I had the beginnings of a dowager's hump, which I vehemently denied. "See me during break," he said. Ohmigod, I thought, teacher wants to make an example of me! Indeed, and thank goodness for that.

During break, Garry aimed his camera at me and asked me to stand as I normally stand. Ha! I thought with a silent snicker. Okay, mister, okay. Watch me! So I stood erect. I felt happy that day, positive, confident, and certain that my posture was pretty darn good. Behold my "pretty darn good" posture:


With one hand on my back and one hand on my upper chest, Garry instructed me to tilt my torso up and back, and then he told me to pretend someone was pulling my head straight up to the sky. That’s it. Fewer than ten seconds passed between the two photos:


Just let your eyes bounce back and forth between the two. Amazing, isn't it? Compare my shoulders, rounded and slumped on the left, up and firm on the right; my "hump" is hardly a hump on the right; my jawline appears more pronounced on the right, and my neck longer. Take a look, too, at the angle of my chest; clearly, the lady on the left is saggy, whereas the lady on the right is pert near perky. Most amazing to me is the difference in my line of vision.

Garry said nothing about my eyes or my line of vision, nor did I give it a single thought at the time. The direction of my gaze was as it was, a natural result of my posture:


What an impact these photos have had on me! Two months later, and I still catch myself slouching, but it is no longer bothersome to correct my posture. What a joy to lift my head and straighten my spine, to feel my body rise, thereby creating my own uplifting experience everyday.

Upright posture is addicting.

On the advice of a certain Certified Personal Trainer I know and love: If your posture is way out of whack, don't try to correct it all at once and without additional training. It takes time. Strengthen your core, practice yoga, get a massage. Consult your physician before starting any exercise routine.

iVillage: Stop Slouching!

IMI's South Entrance

This is what I see every time I enter my school building.

Emmanuel Gets Dressed, Pt. I

Okay, so the belly of his biceps is a bit large and low, and his gluteus minimus raises serious doubts, but get a load of his erector spinae! He has mighty fine intercostals, too, if I do say so myself.

His arm appears disproportionately large because he's at an angle, with his hand extended toward the camera. I held him gently by the ankle because he wouldn't stay still for the picture. (He's shy, don't you know. That, and he didn't come with a stand.)

In Action

My right hand is saying, "Here's the medial border of the scapula," and my left hand is saying, "So this must be the infraspinatus." And then -- I remember this moment well -- drawing on my intuitive skills and my keen sense of focus, I thought, "Let's see, now I'll... OMG, is that Garry with his camera?!"

Garry posted photos from last weekend's Carpal Tunnel class on his website. You can view them here. Note the dates at the bottom of each photo; only 10 of the 50 photos are from my class (July 2007).

Elective: Carpal Tunnel

Did you know that the carpal tunnel is actually a tunnel? Yep. The bones in your wrist form a "U" shape, and a band of tissue covers the "U" like a roof. Through the tunnel run a number of tendons as well as the median nerve.


Most sources will tell you that carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when the structures in the carpal tunnel become inflamed, thus compressing the median nerve. What they often (but not always) neglect to tell you is that compression anywhere along the median nerve can lead to symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Over the two-day period, we learned and practiced various techniques that relax the muscles in the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands, and we also worked to increase range of motion in the joints.

Our instructor, Garry Adkins, demonstrated each technique on student volunteers. When it came time to demonstrate our last technique, Garry didn't ask for a volunteer; he chose me. He walked right over to me, set up his video camera, and all I could think was, woo hoo! Massage from the teacher is a wonderful thing.

Clearly, Garry picked me because of my neck. Rather, my hump. Earlier, he told me I had the beginning of a Dowager's Hump, to which I immediately replied, "No I don't!"

Do you know what a Dowager's Hump is? It's that slumpy hunchback lump usually attributed to osteoporosis. Do you know what a dowager is? A dowager is an elderly woman of high social station.

Now. I am neither elderly nor of high social station, but I have the hump. I ask you, is that fair? If I'm going to have the hump, and if, as I expect, I am eventually going to be elderly, then I think I ought to have the high social station t' boot, don't you? And all the ladies said: Amen!

Seriously, I believe that my pre- (repeat, PRE-) dowager's hump is the result of poor posture over the past several years, no doubt due in part to the rounded shoulders and hanging head that accompanies depression.


No more! Depressed or no, I'll hold my head up, thank you very much. And my shoulders back. You may think this a digression, but it's not. Poor posture, rounded shoulders, a hanging head, all these can and likely will lead to a compressed median nerve, which causes symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

So, in order to work my neck and relax my tight muscles, Garry lifted my head and turned it and pulled it this way and that way, all the while digging his fingers into and along the sides and back of my neck. Mercy! It hurt, but when he finished, I felt fantastic. Felt like I had a new head. (I checked. Nope. Same noggin.) And oh, did my neck feel wonderful. Lighter, longer.


Our esteemed teacher, Garry Adkins:



GarryAdkins.com

AdvancedMassageEducation.com