Integrating Eastern and Western Bodywork
In our increasingly globalized healthcare landscape, can we develop effective hybrid healing modalities that integrate different understandings of health and healing from across the world?
As the shiatsu teacher for the Community College of Rhode Island's Program in Massage Therapy, I am experimenting with integrating core principles and practices of Japanese Zen Shiatsu therapy into Swedish massage. My Spring semester Introduction to Shiatsu course devotes significant time exploring how to apply traditional Chinese medicine philosophy, body mechanics, diagnostic approaches, and meridian and acupoint theory to the practice of oiled table massage.
My Fall 2010 semester, 30 hour continuing education course at CCRI, "Integrating Shiatsu Into Full Body Massage," taught advanced massage students and licensed massage therapists how to integrate shiatsu and acupressure techniques into full-body therapeutic massage on the table. Hybrid approaches we exploried included effleuraging along the meridian lines, adapting mat-based manual techniques for the table, and weaving acupressure into muscular therapy. The goal of the course was for students to draw on shiatsu principles and practice in order to provide more diverse, effective, and ergonomically beneficial massage therapy treatments. All licensed massage therapists are invited to take this advanced course when it is offered again in Fall 2011 (30 NCBTMB contact hours).
Email me your questions and thoughts on further developing this hybrid bodywork approach. For more details on the above trainings, visit my Talks and Workshops page.
2009 Karlo Berger. Some rights reserved. Website Design by Solid Uncoated.
Thanks to Hannah Burr, Kristin Granli, and Jim Kelly.