Integrating Massage and Touch for Health

Over the years as an instructor I’ve seen many massage therapists and body workers take Touch for Health classes and inevitably ask, “Now how can I start integrating these techniques into my practice?” Most find it impractical to use a 14 muscle balance during a massage session but are eager to use their new skills to benefit their clients. I find most choose to use techniques which are simple and do not require muscle testing. Providing an approach that meets the needs of massage therapists and also encourages them to utilize the powerful tool of muscle testing has been a challenge and the subject of discussion by massage therapist TFHA group at recent annual meetings.

In the hopes of encouraging more body- workers to begin implementing TFH tech- niques into their work I have developed a workshop format that teaches basic muscle testing procedure (using only one muscle) and blends several simple TFH skills. I have also developed some balancing techniques that can be easily integrated into any bodywork practice as a compliment to what is already being done. Keeping the techniques as simple as possible works best for those new to Touch for Health. Some of the techniques which are presented in the “Integrating Massage and Touch for Health” workshop include ESR, meridian massage, neurolymphatic massage, checking for water, auricular massage, and procedures using spindle cell and golgi tendon techniques.