1. Inner Rhythm Holistic Healing School Massage Program
Introductions
School Information
Philosophy
Apprenticeship
Licensing Exam
Inner Rhythm Holistic Healing School Massage Program

2. Introduction
Massage is defined as systematic and scientific soft-tissue manipulation for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining health
Term not used until 19th century
Origin of the word is unclear
History of massage
Illustrate the path of the profession
Sense of connection with those who precede you
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3. The Prehistoric World
In prehistoric times (i.e., before written records), evidence supports the position that massage was practiced around the world
In this period, extensive pictorial records show the use of massage.
Artifacts from several cultures depict use of massage
Only indirect evidence of medical massage
● What is the earliest indirect evidence we have for the use of therapeutic massage?
European cave paintings from about 15,000 bc depict massage-like activities.
● Some have surmised that the instinctive rubbing of bumps and sore places was the beginning of massage.
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4. The Ancient World China
Chinese records have revealed the practice of massage goes back as early as 3000 BC
First written records date back to this time
Amma, forerunner of other therapies
Nei Ching, a 1st century BC compilation of massage techniques
Called the classic scripture of traditional Chinese medicine
● The ancient Chinese amma is considered a forerunner of all other therapies. Some therapists still base their practice on it.
● Like several other East Asian modalities, amma focuses on the movement and blockage of Qi (life energy) in the body.
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5. The Ancient World Japan India
By 6th century AD, had modalities similar to those in China
Shiatsu, based on the stimulation of tsubos (energy points)
India
Ayur-Veda, a sacred Hindu practice present by 1800 BC
Manav Dharma Shastra, a set of legal codes, mentioned massage in 300 BC
● On the Indian subcontinent, the practice of massage has also existed for more than 3,000 years.
● Knowledge of massage was brought to India from China, where it became an integral part of Hindu tradition, as exemplified by the inclusion of massage treatments in the sacred practice of Ayur-Veda (c bc).
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6. The Ancient World Greece
Physician Æsculapius (c. 500 BC) and others formalized techne iatriche (healing science)
His holy snake and staff remain the symbol of the medical profession
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7. The Ancient World Greece
Hippocrates focused on individual patients, mentioned massage in several contexts; his collected works are called the Corpus Hippocraticum
● Hippocrates is considered the father of modern Western medicine. How is his oath often summarized today?
First, do no harm.
● Hippocrates wrote that “the physician must be skilled in many things and particularly friction” and that after the reduction of a dislocated shoulder, friction should be applied with soft, gentle hands (On Joints, Section IX, lines 25–33).
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8. The Ancient World Rome Aulus Celsus, a historian, wrote De Medicina
Asclepiades and the Methodists were Greeks living in Rome
Galen of Pergamon practiced and wrote De Sanitate Tuenda (Hygiene) in the 2nd century
● What word did the ancient Greeks and Romans often use for massage?
Friction
● How would you summarize the contributions made by the ancient world to the development of massage?
Physicians of the ancient world developed techniques and ethics for the use of massage, considered massage a healing art and part of the science of medicine, and wrote down valuable observations and theories.
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9. The Middle Ages Period of decline in Western medicine
Galen remained the authority in the West for centuries
Rise of several medical centers of learning and expertise in the 1200s
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10. The Middle Ages
Expansion of Islamic world and synthesis by Persian physicians
Rhazes wrote during the 9th and 10th centuries
Luzzi wrote Anothomia, the first modern treatise on anatomy (1316)
Avicenna’s writings from the 10th and 11th centuries, such as the Canon of Medicine, were used until the 1600s
● Not only did the Persian and Islamic scholars transcribe the Greek and Arabic works, but they also expanded upon them within their own religious, scientific, and philosophical framework.
● During the Renaissance, Western medicine was revitalized by new translations of classic Greek and Latin texts, thanks to the newly invented printing press.
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11. Renaissance & Enlightenment
Early Renaissance practitioners and works
Vesalius’s De Humani CorporisFabrica (1543)
Paracelsus- herbal medicine
Ambroise Paré- military surgen
Girolamo Mercuriale’s De Arte Gymnastica (1569) (first book of sports medicine)
Timothy Bright’s Hygienia and Therapeutica (c. 1584)
● The Enlightenment is called the Age of Reason, and scholars at the time focused on collecting and standardizing the existing body of medical knowledge—in other words, they were working to make a science out of the healing arts.
● Paré (c. 1510–1590) invented several surgical instruments. He was among the earliest modern physicians to discuss the therapeutic effects of massage, especially in orthopedic surgery cases. Paré even went so far as to classify various types of massage movements.
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12. Renaissance & Enlightenment
Enlightenment (early modern period) practitioners and works
From China, Chen-chiu ta-ch’eng
From Japan, San-tsai-tou-hoei
Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (analyzed muscle contraction)
William Harvey (analyzed blood flow)
Thomas Sydenham- disease descriptions and cures
Simon André Tissot- exercise for disease
● Chen-chiu ta-ch’eng contained a chapter on pediatric massage
● San-tsai-tou-hoei mentioned both passive and active massage procedures
● Harvey demonstrated that blood travels through the body in arteries and veins. How did this help massage to be accepted?
The importance of blood’s unimpeded flow became clear, and it became understood that massage is therapeutic because it facilitates the flow of blood.
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13. Renaissance & Enlightenment
18th century saw incorporation of anatomical, physiological, chemical discoveries of the previous 200 years
These systems provide rationale for gathering and dispensing new knowledge, adding prestige to the medical profession and helping weed out “quacks”
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14. The Modern Era
Pehr Henrik Ling, Swedish physiologist and gymnastics instructor
Father of Swedish Massage and Physical Therapy
Ling’s system known by various names, and what is called Swedish massage was one component of overall system
Use of gymnastics to treat disease and injury
Three primary movements: active, passive, and duplicated
● Despite his influence, even in his lifetime, why was Ling’s work opposed during his lifetime?
Although Ling developed a system of exercises and massage therapy that attracted many students, he was not a physician.
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15. The Modern Era Johann Mezger, Dutch physician
Promoted massage as rehabilitation to medical community
Introduced French terms
Translated Chinese books
● Because he was a physician, Johann Mezger was more successful than Ling in getting his contemporaries to accept massage.
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16. The Modern Era Massage in the United States
Taylor brothers brought Ling’s system to the United States in 1856
Douglas Graham was another follower of Ling
Hartvig Nissen opened Swedish Health Institute in Washington, DC
John Harvey Kellogg spread knowledge of massage to general public by publishing in popular press
● Some other important names in 20th century bodywork include F. M. Alexander (the Alexander Technique); Moshe Feldenkrais (Functional Integration, Awareness through Movement); Ida Rolf (Structural Integration); and anatomist Deane Juhan.
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17. The Modern Era Massage and physical therapy
Just Lucas-Championniere’s techniques were used to treat the wounded in World War I
John S. Coulter was the first professor specializing in physical medicine
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18. Professional Massage Therapy
In the UK, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
American Society of Physical Therapy Physicians
● Rehabilitative physical therapy as a manual therapy has enjoyed more acceptance among the medical community than massage. What are some possible reasons for this?
Answers will vary. The idea of physical therapy treatments, which are usually prescribed for specific problems, fits easily within the modern “medical model” of treatment: a patient presents symptoms and expects treatment to be directed at those symptoms.
In contrast, many massage modalities are holistic, focusing on the whole person and on more than just physical well-being.
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19. Professional Massage Therapy
American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA)
Est. in 1943; originally called the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses
Helped to establish the National Certification Examination
Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP)
Est. in 1987 and is the largest organization serving massage therapists
● What are some pros and cons of a national certification exam?
The certification process is in place to ensure the good name of professional massage therapists by requiring that all therapists have a certain minimum level of training.
Some therapists have expressed concern over the standardization and consolidation of power that results, and there is debate over what constitutes the crucial level of knowledge. The current exam was written for experienced therapists, but it is being used as a licensing exam for new therapists.
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20. New Methods More than 80 methods classified
Large number of new techniques have been developed in the United States since 1960
● What accounts for massage therapy’s rising popularity?
Answers will vary. Student should consider the public’s increased knowledge of (and subsequently, use of) complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). As more information becomes available, more patients and physicians accept and endorse CAM. For this reason, the idea of “integrative” medicine has been gaining ground.
The National Center for CAM (a part of the NIH) helps this process by funding research, announcing study results, and supporting outreach programs.
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21. Summary
Massage and other complementary/ alternative therapies have become more popular in the United States
Increased popularity has promoted growth and evolution of the profession
Respect for and use of massage has also grown
Research establishing the effectiveness of massage is ongoing
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