Transcript: Andy is sitting in a room in front of a massage table covered with a sheet in the center and a sofa and armchair on opposite sides of the room. He is wearing glasses and a sweater while signing his story. Good morning, I’m Andy Brinks (my formal name is Andrew T. Brinks) and I will be talking about massage. I’m Deaf - I was born Deaf and grew up attending Deaf schools, Kendall and MSSD, then Gallaudet University, where I graduated with a degree in PE. Then I got my MA in Deaf Education and a PhD from Gallaudet University. I taught at Gallaudet for 31 years. I’m going to talk about massage. Here is where I give massages to my clients (points to massage table behind him). This is my massage studio. I’m a licensed massage counselor (LMT) That means that I went to massage school and earned my 650 hours. The “L” means I’m licensed and have a college degree. Other massage practitioners may have an “R” in their title -registered massage counselor. That means they don’t have a college degree. So, it’s important to know which type of massage therapist you want. Licensed massage therapists can work in hospital settings, cancer clinics, or hospices, which are for people who are terminally ill. Registered massage therapists can only work in spas, such as Massage Envy, for example. They are both good. They just have different training backgrounds. Now, my background allows me to provide different types of massage using different techniques. I can give Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sport massage, and Thai massage. Let me tell you a little bit about each. Swedish massage is good when someone wants to relax. It can be soft or hard, depending on how much pressure you want. Deep tissue massage addresses trigger points that you sometimes find and work on. These happen especially in the neck and shoulder areas, caused when people sit and work on their computers all day, or experience stress all day. Driving can also cause knots, and so can picking up heavy things, such as in construction jobs, which can hurt the lower back. Sport massage - I’m an athlete, a long-distance athlete. I do a lot of long-distance training, including half marathons, swimming laps, weight lifting and cycling. Often when I train hard, I go in for a sport massage. I also have 60 hours of training in Thai massage, which involves yoga. I love it. I do yoga and massage on the table, or on the floor. It depends on what the person desires and if we are focusing on the legs or shoulders, for instance. It depends on their training and background. Massage can be done before or after training and either way works fine. There are different reasons why people get massages. My belief is that it is connected with wellness. Wellness has 7 different components. They are an ongoing process of work related to the body. The components are: mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and intellectual (inadvertently omitted physical). Those 7 different dimensions can have ongoing growth. For example, I am strongly physically oriented and work hard at exercise. When I go to get a massage, I feel physically refreshed and good. My body feels wonderful. Feeling less stressed and less sore - these are related to physical benefits. Other people come for massages for different reasons, such as emotional, or intellectual, where you learn more about your body. When you are lying down on the table, you might notice your body feels different and wonder why. You may end up having a discussion with the massage therapist about this. Okay, I want to share a little bit about what my clients tell me about how massage benefits them. I’ve noticed that benefits include helping with anxiety, stress reduction, fewer physical injuries, FMS (fibromyalgia), digestive disorders (improved digestion), reduced pain in different parts of the body, particularly with muscles or connective tissues. These are just a few of many benefits massage offers. These are all good reasons why my clients come on a regular basis, whether it’s once a week, biweekly, or once a month. It varies. It’s important that I discuss with clients what I can do for them before we start, and they tell me how their bodies function throughout the day. After we discuss this, we agree on the goal and then we get started. I give massages for 60 or 90 minutes, but most of my clients like 90 minutes because they are slower paced and focus on particular body parts. They are full body massages, from head to feet. I want to thank you for allowing me to share with you about massage. Disclaimer: The videos featured by Deaf Counseling Center (DCC) are contributed on a purely voluntary basis by community members. DCC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of the videos. Our sharing the video does not imply our view or endorsement. Deaf Counseling Center www.deafcounseling.com
Transcript: Andy is sitting in a room in front of a massage table covered with a sheet in the center and a sofa and armchair on opposite sides of the room. He is wearing glasses and a sweater while signing his story.
Good morning, I’m Andy Brinks (my formal name is Andrew T. Brinks) and I will be talking about massage. I’m Deaf - I was born Deaf and grew up attending Deaf schools, Kendall and MSSD, then Gallaudet University, where I graduated with a degree in PE. Then I got my MA in Deaf Education and a PhD from Gallaudet University. I taught at Gallaudet for 31 years.
I’m going to talk about massage. Here is where I give massages to my clients (points to massage table behind him). This is my massage studio. I’m a licensed massage counselor (LMT) That means that I went to massage school and earned my 650 hours. The “L” means I’m licensed and have a college degree. Other massage practitioners may have an “R” in their title -registered massage counselor. That means they don’t have a college degree. So, it’s important to know which type of massage therapist you want.
Licensed massage therapists can work in hospital settings, cancer clinics, or hospices, which are for people who are terminally ill. Registered massage therapists can only work in spas, such as Massage Envy, for example. They are both good. They just have different training backgrounds.
Now, my background allows me to provide different types of massage using different techniques. I can give Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sport massage, and Thai massage. Let me tell you a little bit about each.
Swedish massage is good when someone wants to relax. It can be soft or hard, depending on how much pressure you want. Deep tissue massage addresses trigger points that you sometimes find and work on. These happen especially in the neck and shoulder areas, caused when people sit and work on their computers all day, or experience stress all day. Driving can also cause knots, and so can picking up heavy things, such as in construction jobs, which can hurt the lower back.
Sport massage - I’m an athlete, a long-distance athlete. I do a lot of long-distance training, including half marathons, swimming laps, weight lifting and cycling. Often when I train hard, I go in for a sport massage. I also have 60 hours of training in Thai massage, which involves yoga. I love it. I do yoga and massage on the table, or on the floor. It depends on what the person desires and if we are focusing on the legs or shoulders, for instance. It depends on their training and background. Massage can be done before or after training and either way works fine.
There are different reasons why people get massages. My belief is that it is connected with wellness. Wellness has 7 different components. They are an ongoing process of work related to the body. The components are: mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and intellectual (inadvertently omitted physical).
Those 7 different dimensions can have ongoing growth. For example, I am strongly physically oriented and work hard at exercise. When I go to get a massage, I feel physically refreshed and good. My body feels wonderful. Feeling less stressed and less sore - these are related to physical benefits.
Other people come for massages for different reasons, such as emotional, or intellectual, where you learn more about your body. When you are lying down on the table, you might notice your body feels different and wonder why. You may end up having a discussion with the massage therapist about this.
Okay, I want to share a little bit about what my clients tell me about how massage benefits them. I’ve noticed that benefits include helping with anxiety, stress reduction, fewer physical injuries, FMS (fibromyalgia), digestive disorders (improved digestion), reduced pain in different parts of the body, particularly with muscles or connective tissues. These are just a few of many benefits massage offers.
These are all good reasons why my clients come on a regular basis, whether it’s once a week, biweekly, or once a month. It varies. It’s important that I discuss with clients what I can do for them before we start, and they tell me how their bodies function throughout the day. After we discuss this, we agree on the goal and then we get started.
I give massages for 60 or 90 minutes, but most of my clients like 90 minutes because they are slower paced and focus on particular body parts. They are full body massages, from head to feet.
I want to thank you for allowing me to share with you about massage.
Disclaimer: The videos featured by Deaf Counseling Center (DCC) are contributed on a purely voluntary basis by community members. DCC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of the videos. Our sharing the video does not imply our view or endorsement. Deaf Counseling Center www.deafcounseling.com