Good News & Massage Therapist in a Mask! – 20 Massages in 2 Months (Massage #7)

Jennifer Turek giving a massage.  (Don't be surprised if you look up and see your massage therapist wearing a hospital mask.  Therapists at the Center for Well-Being wear masks when working on head, neck and shoulders to prevent the spread of cold and flu germs!)

Good news! As a result of the hard work and unique gifts of therapists at the Well-Being Center for Health on Hill Street in Monroe, Washington I am not only gaining insights into my subconscious patterns, the physical situation is improving markedly as well!  (Because the subconscious and physical are linked, changes in one bring changes in the other!)

Not only is the numbness in my right arm much less persistent and pronounced, I have moved on to registering light dread as opposed to sheer terror upon having the front and sides of my neck touched.  

I went into this massage marathon confident of results. After all, there is a reason that massage is so popular. What I did not expect is improvement in chronic issues at just over1/3 of the way to reaching the goal of 20 massages!

This trend continued with a fantastic massage from Jennifer Turek. Jennifer, who you may also see at the Center's front desk without her mask - has a sweet, understated demeanor. She also has a well-tuned finesse for applying pressure and an ability to tune into the body to create flow, release, balance and relaxation. She is a careful listener who matches her technique to the stated needs of the client. Click here to see a picture of Jennifer.

Jennifer, like some other therapists at the Center, learned massage at the Spectrum Center School for Massage in Lake Stevens, Washington. I looked up the school on-line. Apparently, the school as been commended by the Washington State Board of Massage for its high academic standards. The school’s website describes massage as follows:

“Massage as a form of touch is an extension of heart felt communication.”

This sentiment came across in Jennifer’s massage.  After placing heat packs on my body she began gently kneading the backs of my legs through the blanket. I asked her what purpose it served and she said, “I’m saying hello to the body and getting it warmed up.” I realized that is exactly what this initial touch accomplished, a way of helping the body settle in from the pace of daily activity to the centered, resting state of massage. 

Next Jennifer worked on my legs which I appreciated. For those of you who’ve been following this in the first blog post I said I wanted to focus on tight leg muscles as much as on back and neck issues. Jennifer focused on areas of tension and adapted pressure as needed. 

Also, there was a moment of victory. Before we got started I told Jennifer about the past life memory of drowning released in Massage #6. I asked her to work on the sides of my neck to test for improvement in my ability to handle touch in this area.

Jennifer firmly massaged this area with no mind-numbing fear on my part. It appears that Richard’s massage was powerful enough to liberate me and my neck from a heavy layer of its former servitude. I still felt some inklings of fear and flashes of a few less-than-comforting images, so I suspect there may be more to release, but I feel that the hardest part is over.  Here’s me smiling and breathing a sigh of relief!

I will be seeing Jennifer again next Tuesday and I can’t wait.  I felt wonderful after this massage!