Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2025

46 • Massage Therapy Journal

AMTA Continuing Education

• Give advice other than client self-care or referral. • Promote a technique or modality because it’s of interest to you. • Ask questions frivolously out of curiosity. Trauma and Massage Therapy Trauma results when a person is unable to choose a course of action, is forced to participate or observe a traumatic event, has no control and sees no way out of the circumstance. When people are caught up in a natural disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane, they may be left feeling traumatized. They have no choice or capacity to change the outcome of the event, and they feel unsafe and vulnerable. When people are forced to witness a terrible crime, such as the Boston Marathon bombing, they may also feel traumatized, unsafe and helpless to change the situation. Experiencing trauma does not mean that a person is unable to recover from it. Indeed, the literature suggests that recovering from post traumatic stress is one of the most treatable forms of mental health challenges. By seeking professional help to assist with processing the trauma, many people are able to recover. Three common denominators of trauma are: • Lack of safety • Lack of freedom to choose what happens to self • Lack of capacity to resolve a conflict or influence its outcome. 91,92,93 Soldiers and security personnel face traumatic circumstances every day as part of their jobs. When they are able to meet the opposing force equitably, they may not experience any traumatic consequences. If they perceive they are powerless, unsafe and unable to change a terrible outcome, they may be left with post-traumatic stress. 94,95 Trauma also occurs as the result of fearful encounters with people who intentionally harm others by threatening or harming their victims verbally, psychologically, sexually or physically, particularly where a significant imbalance of power exists. A lack of safety, freedom of choice and the capacity to resolve a conflict are also common to situations of child sexual abuse, victims of

bullying and domestic violence. 96,97,98 In addition, when victims are forced to keep the trauma secret, results can be devastating. When a person is abused, the victim is often silenced or threatened that if they do tell someone, they or someone they love will be hurt. This leaves the victim as a keeper of untellable, disturbing secrets. One of the worst forms of trauma occurs when a perpetrator is a parent. 99,100,101,102 This betrayal cuts deepest because families represent the core of child safety, vulnerability and parent protection. When parents betray their children, the trauma is sustained and pervasive. A person who has experienced trauma often may have difficulty leaving their traumatic experiences in the past, and this can contribute to chronic states of anxiety. The traumatic experience may mean that the person no longer feels safe in the world and is unsure what will happen next. Individuals who have experienced trauma are often acutely aware of what others may keep hidden from their consciousness: • Choice may be ripped away at any time • No place feels completely safe • No person can be completely trusted • It’s possible to deny but not to forget what happened • Life is fragile and can be gone or forever changed in an instant. 103,104 Trauma is a part of the human condition and scars all who encounter it. Consequently, massage therapists need to be able to recognize its impact to respond safely and appropriately to clients who have experienced trauma. Some who experience severe symptoms of trauma develop acute, short-term symptoms, such as sleep disturbances and physical pain. Others develop chronic responses, including hyper vigilance, emotional absence or unresponsiveness, numbness or hypersensitivity, and loss of interpersonal connection. 105,106,107,108 When these symptoms occur together, they may indicate post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Clients who have experienced trauma may have difficulty explaining what they hope to

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