When we think about Thailand, what comes to mind is probably beaches, exotic places, sightseeing, and maybe even Thai massage. But this healing miracle has nothing to do with any of the above.

All cultures in the world have some system of healing. People have always had problems with their bodies due to disease, injuries or accidents, and that will never change. Healers of some kind have always been a necessity for any society. Such healing systems range from shamanic approaches to modern medicine with innumerable varieties in between.

Even in western societies which have officially subscribed to modern medicine as the only healing system, there is a huge subculture of alternative approaches.  Older traditional cultures have relied on such methods for thousands of years since there were no other means available. Read the rest of this entry

During more than a decade of practicing and teaching Thai massage, I have learned a lot about the magic of touch. I know it is there, I have seen it, felt it and experienced it, and I don’t need proof other than my experience.

I am writing this from my perspective of living in Thailand where people are less intellectually inclined and much less obsessed with scientific proof for everything. I am not claiming to be right – I am only offering a perspective from an angle that diverges from western thinking.

There are lots of articles and studies that all try prove the validity and the benefits of massage and touch. It is a bizarre western phenomenon to demand that everything needs to be proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. Read the rest of this entry

Have you ever had a massage that left you with a feeling like you just went to heaven for a while? If not, you did not get enough massages, or you never found the right therapist. What is it that makes a touch magical, what is the secret? Can one develop such a great touch?

Energy transforms, and if you think that this sounds esoteric, it is not. Did you ever see someone who is deeply in love? Did you notice that the person seems to glow, to radiate happy energy? Or did you ever meet someone who is deeply depressed and you felt like a dark cloud enveloped you suddenly? Read the rest of this entry

The answer that comes to mind most easily is “money” – massage therapists can make $60.-, $70.- or even more more per hour. But the focus of this article is everything except money. After having done massage therapy for many years, I know that money alone is not a good enough reason to be in this profession.

Thai massage happens to be my specialty but the concepts in this article really apply to any massage therapist. Every therapist knows the rewards and challenges of this work, and I intentionally choose to highlight only positive aspects in this context. Read the rest of this entry

Massage therapists have a fairly high burn out rate. Why? Massage is very different from most other kinds of work. You are physically exchanging energy with another person. If you only know technique, but you don’t know how to manage, protect, conserve and rebuild  your energy, you are a burnout candidate waiting to happen.

Energy is always being exchanged, if we know it or not

There is an invisible energy exchange happening whenever people get close to each other. You feel uncomfortable when “the air is thick” in a room, and you feel at ease in the presence of happy and inspired people. When you touch people this energy exchange becomes magnified. That is why a heartfelt hug feels so good, and a heavy hand on your shoulder can feel very intimidating or threatening. Read the rest of this entry

Heavenly Head Massage

There is a lot of information available about the benefits of massage. It has been scientifically established that massage is good for your body.

I am lucky to live in a place where massage is not a luxury. At about $5.- an hour there is little reason  not to indulge regularly. My personal measure for good massage is being able to fall asleep during the session.

In my many years as  a massage therapist, I have seen a lot of people fall asleep during my sessions. It became very clear to me that this was not normal sleep, but another, much deeper state. Image you are sleeping in your bed at home and someone starts to rub you, move you around, and squeeze your muscles. You would instantly wake up. Read the rest of this entry

touch feels great!

Language is sometimes not sufficient to convey meaning. Let’s look at ”love”. You can love your wife, your children, your job, your cup of coffee in the morning, your new hunting rifle, God, or your country.

Clearly loving God is a very different concept from loving your job.  Loving your wife is a totally different emotion from loving your new hunting rifle. We use the same word “love”, but its meaning changes depending on the context. The word by itself  does not have meaning.

Now let’s look at “touch”. Your laptop has a touchpad. That’s a very mechanical, non-emotional concept. You can touch someone’s body. That could be anything from friendly to sensual to sexual to painful to lethal depending on the kind of touch. Read the rest of this entry

Does this Thai bus station look like a place where magical things occur? Why not, it happened to me. There are some events in life which we never forget even though they happened a long time ago. It might have been a little thing, a kind word, a helping hand, a truly happy or beautiful or magical moment. In my case it was a simple heartfelt touch. Read the rest of this entry