In Session Massage Webinar with Cupping Canada
Join Paul Kohlmeier from Cupping Canada as he explains:
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- Safety tips to keep in mind.
- How cupping helps with lymph drainage.
- Why some cupping methods don’t work for lymph drainage.
Connect with Cupping Canada
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Gas Lighting and Safety in Massage Webinar Transcription
Hello everyone and welcome to this in-session webinar brought to you today by Massage Magazine. Massage's presenter is Priscilla Fleming. Priscilla is an educator, small business owner, and published author. She has experience working as a massage therapist in spa settings, chiropractic offices, private practices, and wellness centers. She owns a private massage studio and is an ethics instructor.
Priscilla's continuing education course focuses on safety, solicitation, gaslighting, and power dynamics. It was created after her own experiences with sexual harassment in the industry. Today, Priscilla is going to present information on gaslighting and power dynamics in the session room, intended to help you practice massage safely. Welcome, Priscilla.
Thank you so much, Karen, and thank you to Massage Magazine for having me today. I'm super excited to talk to you all about gaslighting and safety in the treatment room. As Karen has mentioned, I am clinically certified in neuromuscular therapy and structural bodywork. I'm the owner of a private practice here in Concord, North Carolina. I am a self-published author, and I have written the Bodyworker's Guide for Soft Tissue Pain Patterns. I'm the former ethics instructor at NC School of Massage and a board-approved provider.
A little bit about my massage journey: I graduated from NC School of Massage in 2019, and the harassment that I had to endure was almost immediate. Second, I got licensed and I created my business's social media page and my business's online presence went live. I got flooded with all types of disgusting, vulgar, and just inappropriate messages. And my first real-life predatory experience happened in my first month of being licensed. It was at the first establishment that I worked for, a private practice in a large commercial building. It didn't look like anything super special from the outside, just a generic commercial building. But inside was this very, very large, beautiful open courtyard.
One day, I was in the courtyard having lunch and a gentleman was there, on his phone, staring at me. It was uncomfortable, but I could manage. Then it sounded like he was watching pornography on his phone. That was terrifying because the courtyard was isolated, and I felt trapped. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if I should leave, fearing he might follow me. I sat there for what felt like an eternity, panicking. Finally, I started screaming, asking if he was watching porn and expressing my discomfort. He eventually left, but I was still frozen with fear, unsure of what to do next.
After what felt like forever, I mustered the courage to go to my suite and just cried. This traumatic event made me question my decision to enter this industry, as I now had to navigate a completely traumatic event while dealing with the isolation of working alone in dark rooms with strangers. I went on to experience various degrees of harassment and solicitation in almost every location I worked, including private practices, chiropractic offices, wellness centers, and franchises.
I didn't always feel supported by my leadership when these situations occurred. Some were amazing and did their best, while others dismissed my concerns. So, I decided to open my own private practice on March 1, 2020. Unfortunately, I had to shut down on March 7 due to the pandemic. In those seven days, I had my first intentional client exposure incident. I spiraled into a depressive episode but sought help from an accountability coach, Erin Brown, who helped me navigate this difficult period.
Erin challenged me to turn my traumatic experiences into something educational for other massage therapists, leading to the creation of the ethics course. The course covers gaslighting and power dynamics, how to recognize predatory red flags, gaslighting behavior, and how to confidently screen and terminate therapeutic relationships. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation intended to make victims doubt their reality. This topic was crucial because it's what I felt when speaking out about harassment – doubting my own experiences.
Gaslighting can be unintentional, even from well-meaning support systems. This psychological turmoil can be dangerous, which is why recognizing it is crucial. In our industry, we're aware of power dynamics. Generally, the power differential is in our favor as professionals. However, societal constructs like age, gender, and race can shift this dynamic. When a client or therapist believes the client is superior, manipulation tactics can start, including gaslighting.
Maintaining healthy professional boundaries from the beginning of every therapeutic relationship is vital to maintain the power differential in our favor. Red flags must be recognized, and boundaries upheld. For example, if a client exhibits inappropriate behavior via text messages, terminating the relationship is appropriate. Some clients may push back, but maintaining a firm stance is essential.
The trope that plagues our industry is the "happy ending" jokes. These jokes perpetuate a dangerous stigma that associates legitimate massage therapists with illegal activities. Many illegal massage businesses are fronts for sex trafficking, contributing to modern-day slavery. It's crucial to educate the public about the benefits of massage therapy and that we continue to call out the problematic tropes that endanger the vulnerable public as well as us as a massage therapist. And as an industry, we allow therapists the space to speak out against harassment and the experiences while supporting them as needed. And then speaking of support, please consider joining the LMTs for Zero Tolerance Facebook group. It is a group that is intended to share resources, support, and assistance to therapists combating harassment. If you're in a situation with the client that you need to help navigating, the group is there to support you. If you have read an article or taken a class that you found helpful for you and your safety and you would like to share it with your colleagues, please share it to the group. If you yourself have created a course or resources for safety, please, again, feel free to share it to the group. I feel as though together is the best way that we can build awareness and reduce the stigma that plays our industry. And then that concludes my presentation today. I am here for any questions that you may have. If you have a question that you would have rather asked me in private, you can definitely email me at the email address listed on the screen at info, keyframe, massage. Or if you have need help navigating a situation or have a question after this webinar, again, feel free to reach out. You can email me or you can contact me on social media. I'm on Instagram and Facebook @pflemingmassage
And then Karen, did we have any questions? You know, I've been looking for questions. We have not had any come through. I know that you gave such great information and everyone here who attended today will receive a link via email to this recording. So I can imagine that as people process this information and all the resources that you provided, that it could really start a new conversation within the massage industry. So I want to thank you. This webinar was so important and educational. And I know it will help massage therapists create more safety in their session rooms. That is my hope as well. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And it's just exciting that you have the Facebook group and everything's getting going now with greater understanding among the general public and massage therapists. So I want to remind everyone that you can learn more about Priscilla and her classes also at pflemmingmassage.com. You'll receive that email with a link to the recording and just want to say thank you, Priscilla, and thank you everyone for joining today. Thank you again. Bye. Bye, thank you.