By Nancie Yonker, BA, LMT
STRESS is something we have all heard about, experienced, and to some extent embraced as a part of being human. This is something we live with every day. We know the emotional effects of stress, but forget how it can also impact us physically. Stress causes tension throughout the body, diminished circulation, various aches, pains and many other issues.
THE POWER OF TOUCH. Touch is the most essential and least appreciated sense…..until there is pain, conscious pain. When it becomes severe, people will drastically change their daily life to get out of pain. Consider, if you will, emotional pain that is not dealt with might eventually translate into physical pain that must be addressed. A very interesting concept that has been conveyed by numerous wise bodyworkers over the years is this: “Your biography becomes your biology.” In other words, your attitudes, life experiences and stresses not dealt with in that emotional realm often will translate into physical body pain, pathology and/or disease. When this point is reached, pain MUST be acknowledged. This may seem far-fetched but bodyworkers see this commonly with many of their clients. This is where massage therapy is important and extremely helpful.
Licensed Massage Therapists are in the trenches with stress, pain and holding patterns of life which lead to pain. Again, the power of touch!! There is no replacement for human to human contact. When the skin is touched, the associated areas of the brain are stimulated and light up. The skin is directly connected to the brain. If there was little or no touch received as a newborn child there would have been some aspect of slowed growth with serious cognitive and behavioral disorders showing up later in life. Touch is the first critical bonding foundation. From the moment we are born, our skin/brain circuits are always on. Skin is our largest organ and sensory interface with the outside world. The need for touch is a constant and endures as we age. It is the social glue, of sorts, that connects people, fostering trust, gratitude, and sympathy.
Massage Therapy is so far reaching that it inspires a whole cascade of physical effects that are very complex physiologically. Touch sensors embedded in the layers of the skin stimulate nerve endings which send complex signals of texture, vibration, pressure and temperature to the nervous system. These little cells extract sensory information from the outside world and send it to the central nervous system. A Swedish massage lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases the amount of the “feel great” hormone oxytocin. This is the same hormone credited to the mother/child bonding when our brains were developing. On some level, when the massage therapist touches you they are tapping into deep associations between emotion and the touch kindled at the beginning of life. There is no way to relieve all the stresses in life, but massage therapy can help manage them and relieve the physical impact it can have on the body.
Cost for a massage at a student clinic is very affordable. Manatee Technical College has a massage clinic that is open to the public on Fridays by appointment only. The students attending MTC’s Massage Therapy program are preparing to take the industry exam to become Licensed Massage Therapists, and an instructor is always present. To make an appointment, call 941.752.8100 x 2041.
Have a Great Day and Enjoy Great Health!
Nancie Yonker, BA, LMT
Program Coordinator, Massage Therapy Program
Manatee Technical College East Campus
yonkern@manateeschools.net
941.752.8100 x2037
Massage Clinic line 941.752.8100 x2041
If becoming a massage therapist interests you, the Manatee Technical College Massage Therapy program is 750 hours. It meets from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily for about seven months. There are two start times during the year—generally in August and January. MTC is funded in part by the State of Florida which is why the tuition is so reasonable. The curriculum will prepare you to take the MBLEx exam to become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in the State of Florida. Massage therapy is a very physical profession which is based in a strong understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, Muscles Origin, Insertion, and Actions. Program foundations are History and Theory of Massage, Pathologies, Health Care Core, Ethics, Laws, Hydrotherapy, Business and 60 hours of working on the public in a real-life setting in the student clinic. For more information, please contact Debbie Kinley at 941.752.8100 x2008. She can provide you the answers regarding start dates, information sessions and application protocols and can direct you to me for specific programmatic questions.
The Massage Therapy program at Manatee Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) and the Council on Occupational Education (COE).
MTC offers over 50 career certificate programs. For more information, go to www.ManateeTech.edu.