"Can you go a little deeper?"

If you're a massage therapist, you've probably heard those words hundreds—if not thousands—of times.

Some clients genuinely enjoy deep pressure. Others have come to believe that if a treatment doesn't hurt, it can't possibly be effective. We've almost been conditioned to think that pain is proof something is happening. After all, we've all heard the phrase, "No pain, no gain."

While there are certainly situations where discomfort is part of the rehabilitation pro…

We've all heard of the 80/20 rule. It's become a way of thinking about almost everything in life—that a relatively small number of actions often produce the majority of our results.

But what if we applied that thinking to clinical practice?

Years ago, a teacher I respected said something that stopped me in my tracks.

"Don't fix the client completely. Leave them about 60% better so they'll come back."

I remember thinking, That isn't why I became a therapist.

My goal has never been to build a…

Build the Fences, Play in the Field

What Are the Foundations of Effective Acupressure Treatment?

Right now, I am writing and delivering a new course called Acupoint Alchemy. In the course, we explore the meridians and acupoints, along with the assessment tools, and clinical reasoning tools used in acupressure to help practitioners choose the most effective meridians and point combinations for each client.

Because there is much more to acupressure than learning a collection of individual point…

Many practitioners learn acupoints as though they exist independently of the tools used to stimulate them. In reality, the relationship between acupoints, meridians, and treatment tools is much more nuanced.

Not every acupoint is appropriate for every tool.

• Some points are traditionally needled but respond poorly to pressure.
• Some points are ideal for moxibustion.
• Others respond beautifully to cupping, gua sha, electrical stimulation, vibration, or manual techniques.

The question isn't …

Several years ago, I was working in a multidisciplinary clinic alongside practitioners who had completed an acupuncture certification designed for regulated health professionals.

One day, a former client named Pete came in for bodywork.

Pete was a professional musician. He was a gentle, soft-spoken man who wrote and composed his own music. He suffered from chronic pain, spinal stenosis, and recurring headaches.

As we talked, he mentioned something that surprised me.

He told me that acu…

Many people are surprised to learn that Registered Acupuncturists study several hundred hours of anatomy and physiology as part of their training.

In fact, if you’ve ever been told that acupuncturists don’t study anatomy and physiology, you’re not alone. This misconception comes up fairly regularly in conversations with clients.

Recently, something came up in a professional discussion that reminded me just how common this misunderstanding is. Occasionally, clients tell me they’ve been advised …

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself wondering something…

What if this period of time has been one big test?

A test of

• resilience

• compassion

• discernment

• and our beliefs about the world.

More than ever, I’m convinced that no matter what is happening out there, the most important skill we can cultivate is our ability to stay centered, grounded, and aligned.

These days the cool kids call it “nervous system regulation.”

For those of us working in healing profession…