The Ariana Institute’s Mind-Body Therapy Manual is part of a series of massage manuals that are designed to help deepen the knowledge of current massage therapists and introduce new massage therapists to the world of massage and bodywork. The Mind-Body Therapy Manual features topics that are also available as NCBTMB approved online CE courses through the Ariana Institute at www.arianainstitute.com/ce-online/, including:
- Soothing PTSD and Trauma
- Reiki Level One
- Reiki Level Two
- Reiki Level Three (Master/Teacher Level)
This manual incorporates detailed protocols, photos, links to online videos, marketing strategies, personal stories, and resources to encourage a comprehensive understanding of mind-body therapy modalities beneficial for your massage practice.
Here’s a personal story about PTSD and trauma featured in the Mind-Body Therapy Manual.
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AND TRAUMA RELEASE THERAPY
My most significant influencers in this area of specialization include Rick Levinson, LCSW, and Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. It is through the knowledge I gained from these individuals over the years that I deepened my understanding of the importance of coupling somatic modalities with qualified psychological guidance when focusing on the reduction of the symptoms of trauma and the management of PTSD.
Several years ago, there were a series of wildfires in Central Texas that devastated the landscape and caused several of my clients to lose their property and everything they owned. One of my clients lost her beautiful two-story home, a cottage on her land where her son lived and her pottery studio. Another client lost her home, her pottery studio, her yoga studio and her massage studio. They each grieved the loss in different ways. Fortunately, they both had excellent support networks to help them through those troubled times. I am grateful to have been a part of their resource team.
I was honored to be able to offer massage therapy sessions to these two women after the loss of their homes, businesses, and landscapes. I appreciated being able to make a meaningful difference in their lives at a time of regrouping, centering, and restoring balance.
Massage, whatever the modality, is typically harmonizing and balancing, and it helps to draw individuals back to their core. This seems to be especially true for my two clients who experienced a sudden and unexpected whirlwind of energy around their very peaceful, creative and serene country lives. When they came for their massage sessions, both women expressed their gratitude for being in my treatment room, which they called a “sanctuary” and an “oasis” in their otherwise topsy–turvy lives.
One of the women wrote later in a Christmas letter to me, “As the year draws to a close, it is fitting to write you, who helped us recover from the fire, and to assure you that we are at peace and settling into our new life. We are far from finished; everywhere we look we see our next task on this burned–out the earth, but life is resiliently returning and there is magical beauty emerging within the dramatic changes that fire has wrought. The act of consciously embracing what ‘is,’ no matter how unthinkable, opens up a deep reservoir of faith and strength that provides a surprising lightness of being. Incredibly, we have been blessed every step of the way with help and support from our friends. Right now it is a time to quietly pull inward, allow the tight layers of stress to unwind, and let the creative process complete the healing.”
Her letter is a testimony to the resilient nature of the human spirit. When I received the letter, I was even more grateful, in a very humble way, to have been a part of her process of recovery by offering massage therapy to her during a time when she was restoring her life to balance.
Many of my clients inspire me and shine a light on the path that I’ve chosen as a lifelong career. I am grateful that I had the courage to say “yes” to the challenge of becoming educated about trauma and healing. I am also appreciative of the inner healing that has occurred as a result of my focus on helping facilitate the healing of traumatic issues. I can now serve from a more centered and grounded perspective
I am grateful for the knowledge I gained while learning to offer massage for survivors of PTSD and trauma, especially as I was designing the Ariana Institute’s Soothing PTSD and Trauma course.
I developed the Soothing PTSD and Trauma course to increase massage therapists’ knowledge regarding working compassionately and effectively with the effects of trauma in their practices. Topics addressed in the course include finding a personal comfort zone, self-care, maintaining appropriate boundaries, establishing trust, centering and grounding skills, effective communication skills, and honoring your scope of practice.
Diving into the world of PTSD and trauma from a therapeutic perspective has enriched my life and has provided yet another avenue for being of service to the world as a professional massage therapist and massage therapy instructor. To those of you who read the PTSD and Trauma section of the Ariana Institute’s Mind-Body Manual, I honor you, am grateful for your interest in soothing trauma, and I appreciate your presence in the healing community.
As Franklin D. Roosevelt so aptly stated, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” By offering survivors of PTSD and trauma an environment where they can restore themselves to balance and reconnect with that core of peace within, massage therapists are helping their clients heal and rediscover their true essence. I am grateful for the influence of Rick Levinson and Peter Levine in guiding me along the path of helping people recover from traumatic events and restore their lives and their bodies to homeostasis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – ARIANA VINCENT, LMT, MTI, BCTMB
Ariana Vincent was awarded the 2015 CE Provider of the Year Award by the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education. She is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapy Instructor whose classes are accepted throughout the United States. Ariana is also a Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Honoree and author of the Ariana Institute’s therapy manual series available on Amazon.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To read the foreword of the Mind-Body Therapy Manual, visit https://arianainstitute.com/blog/the-ariana-institutes-mind-body-therapy-manual-and-ce-courses/.
The Ariana Institute’s video introduction to the Soothing PTSD and Trauma, Reiki Level One, Level Two, as well as Level Three (Master/Teacher) CE courses can be accessed on the Ariana Institute’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/ArianaInstitute.
To order your copies of the Ariana Institute’s Mind-Body Therapy Manual, visit www.amazon.com/author/arianavincent.
For additional information about the Ariana Institute and to register for online continuing education and MTI courses visit www.arianainstitute.com/ce-online/.
