Monty,

I am very much in favour of massage therapy as it can be extremely helpful. However when one is like us (many ) there are certain things to be aware of and look for when seeking out a licensed massage therapist.

What qualifies a licensed massage therapist to say that they are trained to work with survivors differs from state to state and country to country.

You've met with her which is a great way to start. Letting her know you have certain issues or areas that are off limits is good. Asking her what she is trained to do should you have a deeper reaction than expected might be a good idea. Not to add to your stress but just toss out your worries to her so that she knows what your fears are and how to better work with you safely. Does that make sense?

I am very much for this but very skeptical of the masseuse or masseur. Not yours in particular but in general.

It can be scary for survivors to receive positive safe healing non sexual touch. The person doing the touching needs to have a much better understanding of trauma and how it can be stored in the body than your average masseuse or masseur.

I have had phenomenal results when able to afford regular massage and other bodywork treatments in addition to my western approach of pharmaceutical and psychotherapy. I'm fortunate that the two massage therapists I use have been in the field for more than thirty years combined. They're both female (I'm not against a male masseur but happened upon these two while seeking and stopped with perfection! ) and have been extremely respectful of my emotional state during any bodywork. Sometimes I've gotten physically ill from the massage either due to my own toxic body and icky health or memories being stirred up that were too much to handle any other way. Neither masseuse freaked. I've had scheduled massages and only wanted half the session. Weird as that sounds sometimes I don't want to be touched even though it is safe and healing. Just NO! And they fully get it. They've both been compassionate, helpful, kind, funny, intelligent, and trustworthy. I wouldn't even start any type of bodywork with someone I didn't feel was trustworthy. That's just me.

Anything that helps you feel more comfortable and helps you all feel better about the body sounds like a great idea to me/us.

With your usual wise caution you'll do fine with this. Please go slowly and at the pace you all are comfortable with. Let us know how this goes as this can be a very wonderful addition to the healing toolkit.

p.s. often the massages would leave me feeling physically relaxed and my body felt wonderful but my emotions and mood were left funked out. I think that is just a natural part of moving stuff around. I'd experience the body feeling of relaxation and less tension even if my mind didn't take the hint to let go and enjoy.