Category Archives: Politics

Interview with David Palmer

Posted on June 11, 2013 by David

At the 2013 World Massage Conference (WMC) David debuted his first webinar entitled The Future of Professional Touch. After the presentation and discussion, they premiered a video interview that had been shot in April 2012. You can view it here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage, Politics, Videos | 1 Comment

Viewing Massage Through a Holonic Lens

Posted on August 2, 2012 by David

One of the critical topics in the massage community is how to define and label what we do. How we define massage influences how we market our services, how we regulate them and how we educate new people coming into … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodywork, Business, Education, Politics, Touch | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Canyon Ranch Think Tank

Posted on July 10, 2012 by David

Have you every wondered why the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) has such an awkward name? What’s with that business of “Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork?” Couldn’t they have stopped after the word “Massage?” You can credit … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodywork, Education, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

MTBOK: Missed Opportunity?

Posted on May 15, 2012 by David

Reading the impressive 58-page paper entitled Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) was both exhilarating and disappointing. Developed by a coalition of six national massage organizations, Version 1 of this effort was published in 2010 and is a landmark document … Continue reading →

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Moving Massage from Acceptability to Accessibility

Posted on January 9, 2012 by David

For as long as people have been paying for therapeutic massage services, practitioners have feared being mistaken for prostitutes. That fear was the primary driving force that, in 1983, led the American Massage Therapy Association to re-brand “massage” into “massage … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodywork, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How Massage Became Therapy

Posted on November 28, 2011 by David

The year was 1983 and the oldest national association of massage practitioners was about to change the face of an industry by turning “massage” into “massage therapy.” This is the story of what led up to that moment. The association … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Is it time for massage to embrace touch?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by David

Which profession should hold the keys to the storehouse that contains all of  the world’s  knowledge about human touch? Besides bodyworkers, is there any other (legal) occupation with more practical and theoretical knowledge about touch? I don’t think so and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics, Touch | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments