Monday, February 17, 2025

Panorama: The Heartbeat of Trinidad Carnival

 


Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is a vibrant explosion of color, music, and dance, and at its heart lies Panorama, a truly spectacular musical competition. Imagine the energy of a packed stadium, the pulsating rhythms of steelpan music, and the dazzling performances of hundreds of musicians – that's Panorama!

But what exactly is Panorama? It's a competition where steelbands, large and small, from across Trinidad and Tobago, showcase their musical prowess. Think of it like a grand musical showdown, but instead of traditional instruments, these bands use steelpans – instruments crafted from oil drums – to create incredible melodies and harmonies.


Each band chooses a "tune of choice," a popular song (often a calypso or soca hit), and arranges it specifically for the steelpan. They then spend months rehearsing, honing their performance, and perfecting their sound. During the Panorama season, bands compete in preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and finally, the grand finals.

Judging is based on several criteria, including arrangement, rhythm, performance, and overall impact. Expert judges listen carefully to the music, evaluating the skill and creativity of each band. The winning band is crowned the Panorama champion, earning bragging rights and significant prestige.

Panorama isn't just a competition; it's a cultural phenomenon. It's a celebration of Trinidad and Tobago's unique musical heritage and a testament to the skill and dedication of its musicians. The music is infectious, the atmosphere is electric, and the performances are unforgettable. If you ever have the chance to experience Panorama, don't miss it – it's an essential part of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival experience!

 

Friday, April 15, 2022

Why Mastermind Groups Trumps All


 The Most Powerful Resource Available To Entrepreneurs


Let's start with this counterintuitive human trait.  We can be aroused and eventually climax without a partner. Some single men and women are doing it right now as you read this.  The one guarantee they all have is that they can never conceive a child alone.  

Sorry, this is not an article about masturbation; it's the point.

There are lots of things a man can do alone but to create something amazing we need each other. Doing some things alone goes against the natural laws of nature. 

This is probably the rationale that instigated the author of the classic poem titled: "No man is an island” by John Donne - Poem Against Isolation. Allow me to share his words:

 No man is an island, 

 Entire of itself, 

 Every man is a piece of the continent, 

 A part of the main. 

 If a clod be washed away by the sea, 

 Europe is the less. 

 As well as if a promontory were. 

 As well as if a manor of thy friend's 

 Or of thine own were: 

 Any man's death diminishes me, 

 Because I am involved in mankind, 

 And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; 

 It tolls for thee.

 

This is why this article started with this counterintuitive proposition that we are individuals that cannot be separated from humanity.  We are all human with this trait. We need each other

As such, like the poem says; it does not matter if a lump of earth is washed into the European sea, nothing changes, and our connections are permanent, no man is an island.   

Humans are spiritually locked by the ether in the universe, we are interdependent on each other. That is we rely on each other even when we do not care. Take, for example, the Russians demonstrating the destructive power of humans banded with a harmony of purpose. 

So, you may ask, what about individuals who by themselves invented devices, developed formulas, or are natural innovators. Do they not demonstrate the power of the individual mind? 

Without a doubt, individuals have the creative mind power to accomplish great feats, inventions, and innovations. However, the value of every creation is derived from the number of people it helps by making their lives easier and better. Your cell phone is an excellent example of our physical connection, we all know the importance of staying connected.  

As John Donne proffered in his poem, we are all in the same boiling pot called the universe. We are connected but at the same time, we are so disconnected. We proudly claim free will, the power to choose, to decide for ourselves, to plan our destination; it is our individual choice. 

Many of us never make a conscious choice, our life is devoted to what was set out before us. Get an education, get qualified to be employed at the highest salary. Education is the path out of poverty for many.

Many follow in their father’s footsteps because it is a family tradition; they join the police force, and the military, and become doctors, lawyers or accountants because it’s what daddy did. To all these people, that is a success. 

The ambitious with entrepreneurial minds defy the status quo, they seek more than a salary or a title. They will gladly refuse employment, they vow to work for no man. 

It seems to be in their genes because at a tender age an entrepreneurial spirit is lit.  The kids with the lemonade stand, the ones who do the newspaper delivery, cut lawns, these activities are the molds of future entrepreneurs. 

Then there is the employee/entrepreneur with one foot on the job, and their eyes diligently seeking some other entrepreneurial opportunity. They seek employment because of the necessity of survival and view their jobs as stepping stones to their ultimate happiness.

Let us face it, personal self-development begins after graduating from a high school, or with undergraduate or graduate degrees. Academia engineers personal growth with structured curriculums determine the direction of your future.   

Sadly, academic proficiency does not translate into actual self-development. unless you become an employee because of your qualifications. What we do after graduation determines the direction of our careers and life.  

Well-known options for personal growth after graduation includes; reading self-development books or industry periodicals, webinars/workshops/seminars, in-house and external training, online courses, video training, personal coaching, and mentoring.

Each of these self-development techniques works; if and when they are done consistently. For example, books have changed the lives of many and are directly responsible for the success of many avid readers. Or, a personal coach can redirect and guide you to succeed in a specific discipline. 

These are all well-known techniques for self-development, however, in the last few years, professionals have been trending toward a classic technique that by itself is responsible for changing the lives of millions.


In 1937, Napoleon Hill introduced in his book, Think and Grow Rich, the Mastermind Group philosophy. Through painstaking research and interviews with the most successful men of the time, he discovered the power of the mastermind group philosophy. 

Why is this concept so powerful? 

Without the risk of controversy, every other self-development technique pales when compared to the benefits of Mastermind groups. Consider the following one-word benefits;

 

  • Accountability
  • Community
  • Networks
  • Focus
  • Guidance                 

And those one-word benefits just scratches the surface. No other self-development technique provides this banquet of benefits that mastermind groups provide.  

If you are unfamiliar with the mastermind group, this is the time to look into it. The biggest benefit is that once you understand the concept, i.e. not just reading about it but internalizing it; you can actually start your mastermind group.

 

Join us here to learn more.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

The Butterfly Effect Movie

The Butterfly Effect Movie: I can count on one hand the times in my life when I heard a story and...could not stop thinking about it! The Butterfly Effect story was one of those times. In a word, it's AMAZING! After watching you'll appreciate how we are all connected and everything you do matters!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015


Facilitated by Rinalda

A complete overview of the anatomy and physiology as they relate to the practice of reflexology.  Understand why reflexology is so important to our health.

This course was developed for beginners, experienced LMTs or any other health professional wanting to add an additional skill to their private practice.




For more information and contact details.  Go Here. ,







Thursday, January 22, 2015

Get to the Yes- Download Here | Talent And Genius with Nancy Marmolejo

Special Training Join me Nancy as she leads an intensive training on how to create a 6 figure coaching business! Complete with audience Q and A, bonus tips, concrete tactics, and much more.



Her “keep it simple” philosophy will show you how to reach your financial goals without overcomplicating things! 


Get to the Yes- Download Here | Talent And Genius with Nancy Marmolejo

Friday, April 11, 2014

Review Reiki Healing Program

A few months back, a friend introduced something to me, claiming that "it's one of the best products I've ever seen, man! You gotta try it!"

Apparently not only was it affordable, it could cure me of practically any disease known to man.

Yeah. Right.

You'll have to excuse my flippant tone because... seriously? If that isn't too good to be true, I don't know what is.

Let's face it: When someone comes along raving about a product that claims to be able to cure "any disease known to man," you think "bull$%!t."

That was my exact reaction the first time my friend raved about Pure Reiki Healing.
And for good reason, too.

You see, I've suffered from rashes and eczema since I was a kid, and trust me when I tell ya, it ain't fun. I need to get regular jabs to alleviate the symptoms of my very annoying condition, so not only is it not fun, it's expensive too.

So when I was recommended Pure Reiki Healing - a home study course about Reiki... something I had absolutely the faintest idea of - I scoffed at the mere idea.

How could a simple home study course about something I had never even heard of succeed where modern medicine had failed time and time again?

My friend wouldn't let up about it, insisting that I give it a shot.

So to shut him up, I did.

And to my surprise... it's not half bad.

In order for you to understand why it isn't half bad, you need to first understand what it's all about.

Pure Reiki Healing delves into an Oriental healing art called "Reiki".

According to Owen Coleman - the creator of the program - the original art of Reiki was developed in the 1920s, by a Japanese Buddhist named Mikao Usui.

Reiki makes use of the universal energy force Ki, or Chi, and manifests it for self-healing purposes, or to heal others.

According to the theory of Ki, people fall ill because the Ki is unable to flow smoothly to the different parts of the body, resulting in a blockage that hinders the natural flow of Ki.

Now, for someone pragmatic like myself, you might think that I might scoff at the idea of "energy" and "blockages" having anything to do with physical ailments.
To be honest, I did scoff at the idea.

Initially, at least.

Then I thought, "I already have the program, I've spent my money, why not just try for the heck of it?"

I did give it a try, and I have to admit... I'm glad that I gave Pure Reiki Healing a shot.

Why?

For starters, Pure Reiki Healing consists of 3 manuals, videos, Reiki meditation music, and a certification system that you can use to generate your very own certificate once you've completed the home study course.

This program is all about healing, and covers a variety of healing techniques for daily ailments that the common, "average Joe" might suffer from in this day and age.

http://


Stuff like colds, flus, fevers, digestive disorders, sinus problems, neck and shoulder tension, anger, heart problems... even spinal issues... almost anything you can think of, Pure Reiki Healing has it covered, promising that you can alleviate such conditions with Reiki self treatment techniques.

For anyone who's suffering from any type of chronic disease, that makes for a very convincing buy, especially when you consider the one-time price of the program itself versus the huge bill waiting for you at the end of every trip to the doctor's.
(It's worse for those of us who aren't covered under a proper insurance plan.)

Yet, Pure Reiki Healing is not just about giving you the tools to cure yourself, but rather the opportunity to change your life for the better.

The program also reveals the 5 Reiki Principles that will help you achieve balance and substance in your life, an example of this being, "Just for today, I will not worry."

Now that - at first glance - may seem simplistic, but the idea behind invoking such an affirmation is to remind us that our worries affect our bodies just as much as it affects our minds, so by cleansing ourselves of worry from both body and mind is the first step to enriching our health, and ultimately the quality of our life.

Pure Reiki Healing seems to have been created in such a way that the program not only allows you to self heal, but also to enable you to give the gift of healing to others.
Once you've mastered the healing techniques and received the necessary attunements, you're able to use your newfound healing abilities on your loved ones, to alleviate their ills - both physical and mental - and enrich their lives as well.
Pure Reiki Healing, with its scope of healing aspects and broad range, allows you to take what you learn and use it to help others.

What makes this a worthy buy is the demonstration videos, which show and explain every technique step by step, as if you were attending a live Reiki demonstration, right there in the comfort of your own living room.

That, for me, definitely helped speed things along in my education of Reiki.
I've already completed the entire course - all 3 levels of Reiki - within just 2 weeks, and since then I've not only been able to treat my rashes and eczema, but also I feel that much healthier, more vibrant than I have ever felt in years.

Because of that - and its affordability - I can confidently say that Pure Reiki Healing is a recommended buy.

http://




Monday, January 20, 2014

Naturally Clear Vision Without Glasses, Contacts, Surgery or Drugs

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been searching for a way to rid myself of ghastly vision related problems for decades now. I tried everything in the dictionary, from getting prescription glasses to contact lenses and even undergoing Lasik surgery! I practically exhausted a large portion of my life savings as well on all the aforementioned treatments too. Having to part with my hard-earned cash would have been an acceptable trade-off had the treatments actually worked, because as it turned out, none of them did me any help at all!
I was beyond furious and was on the verge of going insane! Just think about it, hundreds of thousands of dollars just going down the drain, with no foreseeable way to recovering any of it in the near future. I started with expensive prescription glasses before moving on to contact lenses that cost me a bomb to replace every month or so. In fact I was alternating between my glasses and contacts because neither was the perfect fit for my eyes that they were promised to be by every optometrist I went to. The glasses were really tacky and did my poor vision no help whatsoever. Contact lenses were constantly irritating my cornea and even caused my eyes to get swollen because dirt trapped under my contacts caused infections!
I looked absolutely ridiculous going into office with my swollen eyes and people were avoiding me like the plague! I was petrified upon looking into the mirror at myself because my eyes were red as an apple! I had enough and decided to take the plunge by going for Lasik surgery. Based on my knowledge and the advice of others, I truly believed it would finally give me natural clear vision. But was I in for the rudest shock of my life. Believing that my poor vision was but a thing of the past, I walked out of the operating room like a brand new person. Little did I know that the vision in my right eye would start to deteriorate by the week’s end. I suffered from dizzy spells and migraine related headaches on a regular basis. During a check-up at my local optometrist, I was told my right cornea was severely damaged as a result of the Lasik surgery. Refusing to believe him, I went to several other optometrists who gave me the same verdict! I’d have to spend another 20 grand on a cornea transplant operation!
I was at my wit’s end, because I simply could not afford to spend that kind of money as I had so many loans and my credit card debt to pay off! At the same time I could not just watch and allow my vision to deteriorate further could I? I was at the lowest point of my life and suicidal thoughts started to enter my mind. But I discovered Natural Clear Vision and my life would never be the same again! I was initially skeptical after being introduced to this product through a friend who told me how all his vision related issues, including near-sightedness and lazy eye, were now a thing of the past thanks to his product! I couldn’t bring myself to trust him because of my past experiences. But I heard a few more success stories from others that I knew so I finally decided to make the plunge for Natural Clear Vision! I told myself, “It's way more affordable than surgery, so what do I have to lose?”
It turned out to be the best decision I ever made in my entire life! It totally transformed my life. It’s like one day I was stumbling around with my flawed eyesight and the next I was confidently strutting around with my flawless eyesight! The best part is for the money that you’re paying, you don’t just receive the main Natural Clear Vision product, but a whole bunch of really awesome bonus materials that are completely free! It is definitely the most comprehensive product of its kind that I’ve seen yet!
You’ll have full access to the Natural Clear Vision Manual that covers a whole bunch of wide-ranging topics such as how to enhance your eye’s health and performance plus how to care and feed our priceless eyes, just to name a few! Contained inside are also absolutely priceless techniques and exercises on how to enhance your vision. They’re so easy to follow that even my kids and folks could do it without supervision! So it’s not something that just benefits you, but the whole family as well! All the steps and techniques are explained step-by-step in a clear and concise manner, so you won’t miss out any important details as well. If seeing is believing for you, not to worry because there’s a really helpful instructional video that’s included too! It contains important tips that teach you how to create healthy vision habits as well as increasing overall awareness about your vision. Just think of it as a fitness video that’s meant for your eyes!
Not only that, but you’ve got access to eye charts that can help you to determine if you or anyone else has a preexisting eye condition. You’d be glad to know that these eye charts are the very same type that are used by professional optometrists when conducting eye tests for patients, so you’re definitely not being short-changed in any way whatsoever. And that’s not all because you’ll also receive a Natural Clear Vision Booster Pack too! It’s unquestionably the definitive eye-care guide out there! It contains some of the most powerful and highly developed techniques to achieve perfect vision ever conceived and I guarantee you’ll not only be surprised, but literally amazed at how fast it helps you to attain that crystal clear vision you’ve always dreamed of!
That’s not all as you’re forgetting about all those free bonuses that come bundled together with the main Natural Clear Vision product. While Natural Clear Vision itself is very much an awesome product in its own right, it never hurts to own the works of the famous Dr Bates, a famous ophthalmologist who pioneered many innovations in the eye-care industry. That’s right; you’ll have full access to his original works that contain priceless vision correction tips that have helped millions achieve perfect vision without the aid of prescription glasses of any kind. If you’re not blown away yet, you will be after listening to the VisionCare Enhancement Suite. It uses highly advanced, ground-breaking audio technology that delivers an experience that will completely rewire your visual system to achieve faultless 20/20 vision in no time! And if you’ve got any doubts as to the reliability of the VisionCare audios, rest easy because the know-how behind it has been tried and tested over the past decade or so.

As icing on the cake, you’ll receive access to special reports on a monthly basis. They are actually monthly newsletters that keep you in the loop with regards to the latest changes in the eye-care industry, so you never ever have to waste money on all those pricey but overrated eye-care magazines out there. Literally everything, from the latest advancements and newest techniques being developed are all included in the special reports which are delivered in a commonly supported digital format so you can access them just about anywhere, be it on your smart-phone or tablet, while on the go! Oh and did I mention it’s absolutely free?
If you’re still not convinced about Natural Clear Vision, the fact that it comes with a 60 day money-back guarantee means you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose! If for whichever reason you aren’t satisfied with the product, you’ll get a full refund, no questions asked whatsoever, so long as it’s within the 60-day period from your date of purchase. If I were you, I’d stop reading this and scroll down to click the purchase button immediately! Natural Clear Vision helped me to gain back that crystal clear vision that nature has always intended for us and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you too!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Pain Induction Part 4

 By Rinalda,

The next day she contacted me in hyper mode relating how dangerous it is to be involved in a massage career, hence she no longer wanted to do the course.  Interesting.  For two months this young lady has been calling to remind me to keep a ‘space’ in the new class for her as she wanted to do massage a long time ago and has finally gotten her finance coordinated to facilitate such.  

I expected that her decision had something to do with not wanting to massage men’s groin, or not being able to get insurance.  But apparently after she went home there was some degree of screening and the wiser heads decided that the information in the hand-out contradicted their teachings/beliefs so she was now trying to explain to me how threatened her life would be if she had energy exchanges with clients.  

The level of fear she was displaying was irrational to me.  I pointed out that living with family members, going to the supermarket and joining a line of customers, or even working in an office with several persons all facilitate exchange of energies multiplied several times over as compared to working with one client at a time.  Besides, how could exchanges be all negative when the presence of positive helps us to determine negative?  She said that she understood what I was saying, but insisted that she cannot continue because of the many things that could rub off on her and from clients, and I realised that her fear was being generate by whoever is the figure of authority in her life rather than the principles of energy exchange.
After our exchange I shared the experience with a past student who is also a Muslim and this was part of her response:
It is so funny you should say that because I know exactly how that girl feels because I was once there myself.  The Muslim religion in our country for the most part thrives on frightening people about jinns, entities and anything we cannot see.  Ironically, those same Muslims openly go to the muftis who are equivalent to shamans who openly communicate with these other beings.  And it's not even the religion, it's the people who are oppressive.  Because of this inbuilt fear it has taken me a long time and is still taking me a long time to realize my own natural healing gifts.  
When my friends who are highly intuitive kept telling me I too have similar gifts it bothered me to the point that I know things are there for me but I can’t access them.  So I started to pray for about a month to find and use what is my right.  I don't know by what force made me google massage --that would have been the very last thing on my mind.  Then the day before the first class starts I find your page.  I don't even have male friends, much more to touch people in such a personal level.  Even at the first class I was very uncomfortable seeing all these faces, I didn’t know what to think, I had never done anything like this before, yet; it felt sooo good, I knew I had to follow through with it.  I am in the mindset now to start doing things that scare me the most.  For me, one of those things was touching people physically.
 
I suppose my point is, a lot of people in Trinidad are not ready to think independently.  A lot has to do with the upbringing.  It's only as we get older we realize the only happiness in this life is what we create for ourselves.  Don’t be surprised if sometime in the future that girl comes back.  Massage is like Reiki and I think with any healing work, we are called to it.  So in a couple years she may get restless again and be drawn to it once again.  Thank you for sharing the story...it put my own in perspective.
For me this was another humbling experience that has created a deeper appreciation for every student who has journeyed with me to the end of the programme.  Obstacles have arisen that made many consider dropping out, some were discussed, others remained private, but perseverance prevailed.  The only dead student is Nathaniel and that was as a result of a vehicular accident, not while doing massages.  I only hope that among ourselves we find strength in the determination we had in the beginning, and forge forward to attain the goals we set for ourselves.  Goals, I would want to believe, that were not associated with pain induction in the name of therapy.  Within the physical context of injury management we understand that some massage techniques stretch the skeletal muscles significantly, like friction (circular, transverse/cross fibre), and the athlete would experience some degree of discomfort. However, going into a session with the intention to induce pain takes us back to the psychological aspect of things where the Therapist is indirectly/subconsciously sending messages to the client which are being received and processed; and because of the incredible influence of the mind/body – psychosomatic – process, the pain can in fact become exaggerated, triggering tears.
We can also consider that some injured athletes might suffer from emotional problems if their self-esteem is based solely on their ability to perform and thus may cry more easily if additional pain is added to the fact that they can no longer participate as desired. Some personality types are less prone to the negative suggestions of Therapists, but the subconscious is remarkably clever and it knows what is considered to be the physical cause of pain, and it takes advantage the real structural weaknesses and creates realistic and convincing pain symptoms that can even become chronic.  I cannot imagine why we would want to deliberately induce this. 

 If healing/therapy takes place through the exchange of human energies, why don’t we channel therapy through our massage? There are other ways to get people to cry us a river.  No need to impose such on an athlete who merely wants to get back into the game.  Seeking help from a Therapist is a dis-empowered state because the athlete is basically saying: you know what is best for me.  Let us use Massage as a motivational tool, as a means of support geared at helping the athlete to regain some measure of control, and as an education for a better life through greater self-understanding.  The body is predisposed towards health, and it is our role to facilitate this.

The end of Pain Induction

Monday, November 25, 2013

Pain Induction Part 3

By Rinalda,

When it comes to physically working with a client, the Therapist is obligated to being knowledgeable about:

·         Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Exercise Physiology – which facilitate understanding physical activity and movement and greatly assists with the processes identification and assessment.
·         Fitness Instruction – helps the Therapist to be totally attentive to details, and develop excellent communication and demonstration skills, which facilitate reaching the client at their point of need.
·         Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation – this helps the Therapist to properly advise the client on appropriate exercises that would facilitate the healing process.  First Aid comes in handy here.
·         Sports Psychology – this helps the Therapist to motivate and encourage the athletes and also examine the effects of stress on their performance so that they can make more informed decisions.
 
Some programmes squeeze in a bit of massage with as many as five persons working with one client on a table (overseas in recognised places).  The programmes usually entail much more than the points above, but I am unaware any curriculum including pain induction as a motivator, or the necessity of making the athletes cry.  We need to be mindful of a person’s pain threshold.  I got a new client recently who is into sports.  He had a ‘keyhole’ incision medially and inferior to the knee through which the knee was dealt with.  Gentle circular friction was done around the keyhole and though the surgery was done a month ago, I could feel heat radiating from the tissue.  What’s the difference between surgery and a sport-related injury?  

Should I have poked the keyhole and made him cry while telling him I’m doing deep tissue massage?  Soon after an injury we understand that there can be severe pain due to inflammation, along with nerve and other soft tissue damage (not considering hard tissue here).  In addition there may be swelling, heat, discoloration, etc.  How does a Therapist conduct an assessment, recognise any of the above symptoms, and still poke into the tissue?  Lymphatic drainage and vaso-constriction should be the main focus, and as time and healing progress the techniques used can be deepened being careful not to destroy the newly formulated fibrin, and later still, more depth can be added with the view to reduce scar tissue so as to maintain appropriate range of motion.  This process of working out the kinks from onset of injury to full recovery does incur some discomfort, but it is the deliberate induction of pain that I am concerned about.
 
If the use of pain as a motivator has merit (then children should be flogged at home and in school) like the use of reverse psychology, then it is for the Therapist to distinguish such among players.  If this is found to be the case, the Therapist is still obligated to monitoring the speed, skill, stamina, suppleness, and strength of the athlete and treating him/her with a view of maintaining fitness in all the areas.  I will agree with the Psychologists here and say that behaviour can be learned, and learned behaviour can be adjusted/changed, or improved upon, so that the athlete who gets his/her adrenaline rush from pain could be re-educated to source it in a more healthy way, as speed is not the only component for success.  

Getting back to massage…  It is a ‘tool’ of fitness that is often underestimated. Effleurage, for example, is the culprit that ‘pampers’ the athlete, but it is excellent for soothing the nerves to inducing relaxation, which is critical obtaining maximum results in healing and performance. Tension creates exhaustion.  Exhaustion and weakness go together. What does that do for motivation or performance?  But who cares? Let’s flex our arms, crack our knuckles and vie for the Petrissage/Percussion/Deep Tissue crown.  While we are showing off, the athletes are suffering.
 
So the question is, why am I not ‘involved’ in the Sports Industry? Firstly, the application of knowledge (which needs to evolve into understanding) gained under the banner of Sports Therapy, Medicine, Rehabilitation, Psychology, etc. is not limited to service in the Sports Industry.  But I have other excuses…  

2 Many athletes don’t know their self-worth so we find extremes of low and high self-esteem which affects their appreciation/perception of the attention given to facilitate their advancement.  

3 Training is sometimes an emotional thing (it has to be ‘fun’), which interferes with dedication and consistency.  Success only comes before work is in the dictionary.  

4 Payment is never a problem, yet is has to be ‘gotiated,’ negotiated, and renegotiated, which is tiresome.  

5 Working frequently with some athletes can degenerate the professional relationship, but that’s okay as evidence proves that coupling-up can be an invaluable form of support. 

6 As if this is not enough, among ourselves as ‘professional’ Therapists there are multiple standards and each one of us is right about our methods based on our training and/or experiences.  I dare say we are right not because we actually are, but because we have weak/sensitive egos that are afraid of censure.  We swat every fly that passes by looking like it knows what we know lest the pedestal on which we are ill at ease is ascended by another.  

And that’s good.  Life must be lived with some degree of passion…something to live for, or something to die for.  So, if the current methods are working, let’s fight tooth and nail to maintain them, but if they need adapting, we should fight with as much gusto for the change.  All in all I am glad that the exposure is helping students to see how drastically different perceptions can be, and they can use this information in deciding the arena in which we want to function after certification.
 
One of the new students who is a Muslim was remarking that she came to do the course because she wanted to be involved in ‘therapeutic’ massage so that she could work with athletes who have injuries as against clients who might be seeking a sensual massage.  We were discussing the Human Energy Field, and our connectivity to people and things as a result of energy, starting with our own aura and the therapeutic effect of our intentions being channelled through us, so that it is not merely our physical touch and how we bend our fingers and arms that alleviate distress, but energy through touch facilitating healing.  

She was fine with that and reiterated her desire to therapeutically touch athletes and maybe people who have stroke and the likes.  Another student remarked to her that while she desires to function ‘above board’ some men in sports suffer from groin injuries and she would have to massage them.  Whaaat?!  That’s true Miss?  I confirmed such and she panicked.  

We discussed it and she understood that as we build our practice we get a feel of what works for us and that specialization is always an option.  She mentioned a cousin of hers who does Chiropractic work and fills out insurance forms for her clients, and wanted to know if she would be able to do the same if she gets a Massage License.  I told her the Insurance companies will not be able to offer support for Massage Therapy until we sort of the legality of the license, which is also why Doctors could only suggest, but not prescribe massage treatments.  Almost exactly at 5pm her phone rang.  I permitted her to answer it.  It was the home-front reminding her that she had to be return home for prayers.
 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Pain Induction Part 2


My interactive massages continued for the next few hours with me still working even after most the booths were dismantled by the maintenance staff, the cleaners were sweeping the carpet, and everyone else (except the few who were awaiting their ride) had left.  Most of the clients were students from COSTATT, but I also had one from the AVON booth and another from the Optometrists booth.  The showdown was between the AVON lady and a student.

 She told him that she had been waiting and four persons got their massages ahead of her and she had to have hers before she left.  I decided to stand back and let them work it out.  He had been waiting too, and felt he should have a massage having missed most of the activities because he was at classes, and now he had a long ride to Sangre Grande which is usually taxing on his body because he is too big for most of the car seats that the Japanese folks made for themselves.  In the end, it was ladies first.  He waited.
She explained how she usually gets stiff-neck and feels it has to do with the amount of stress she has to deal will.  I’m always amused at how an invisible thing like stress is blamed for pain.  How exactly does stress cause pain?  She said: well, you know…  Uh-huh.  I know.  But I was hoping for a step-by-step guide as to how nothing climbs onto the body and becomes something.  So I said what I know, limiting it to perception and how that affects the endocrine system causing it to release too much of some hormones while suppressing others.   

She is a nervous case too.  Said there are times when her head suddenly jerks back.  Hmmm.  She needed a separate consultation under difference circumstances.  The guy was still waiting, and a lady who appeared to be a supervisor of the day’s operations seemed to be waiting for me to get out.  The guy said he does massages for his mother and other folks, free.  He spoke of taking on people’s pain.  The flexors of his left far were particularly painful and he explained that he had recently gotten a puppy and had to fetch in on his arm while carrying his heavy bag on the other and strained his muscles in the process.  But it was worth it, for now it’s not just his mother for company, but a cute puppy also.  Bless you.  A grown man and his puppy.  Are wives becoming outdated?
Getting back to the first client who does/likes deep massages…  She reminded me of a story I heard from a student.  She had gone to the savannah to hopefully work with some members of a football team and encountered a Medicine Woman (MW) who was attached to the team.  The lady studied Sports Medicine.  The MW advised the student to do deep massages on the guys, to put pressure on injured areas too, break up the stuff, make them cry and thing, and most of all, don’t pamper them.  Poorly articulated for someone who pursued the level of studies that she did.  

But nonetheless shocking to me – her request.  Are these the intentions that we are seriously supposed to have?  No wonder the sporting world has ignored me.  I lack the ‘right’ intentions for the job.  The student called for my advice because on the one hand she wants to get in her hours of practice, but on the other hand she did not want to be accused of not following orders by doing what she considered best for the athletes based on direct consultation with them.  And as if that is not tough enough, the MW advised her that if she pulls this off well, she will refer her to some other clubs that she works with.  So here are the prospects of sparkling future in the world of sports, if only she could make the guys cry.

Look out for the final Pain Induction Part 3 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

World Massage Conference Announcement

Posted from the World Massage Conference

Here are just a few notes of interest as the fall World Massage Conference nears...

We need your ideas for a user guide

We're hoping you can help us out. We need your feedback on a guide we're creating.

We are putting together a short printable guide to help participants get the most out of their World Massage Conference experience. We have a rough draft of the content put together (but not formatted).

Can you do us a favor and look over that content and let us know if you have any suggestions? What do you do to get the most out of the conference? You can leave any ideas or tips in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

We're happy to hear any ideas you may have and we'll try to integrate as many as possible into the final version of the guide. Thanks in advance for your help! Here's the link:

http://worldmassageconference.com/gettingthemost

Have you ever worked on a cruise ship?

We are hosting a presentation on working on cruise ships. We’d love to hear from therapists who have had the experience to get the good, bad and ugly. We’ll record your experience over the telephone and play it as part of the presentation. If you’ve always wanted to be on World Massage Conference, here’s your chance.

If you are willing to share, simply reply to this email and let us know that you've worked on a cruise ship and we'll send you more details on how you can be involved. If you can attach your picture, we’ll use that in the presentation.

Register now! Price doubles on November 19th

If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, now’s the time. Any available discounts are coming off the site on November 19th. Right now, when you register for the fall conference, you’ll get instant access to about 25 hours of recorded presentations from the spring 2013 conference. Altogether, about 50 hours of online education from some of the top experts from around the world for less than $100 bucks. It’s the deal of the year. Click here to register now:

http://worldmassageconference.com/register-now.htm

Another free resource to download

It’s so important to take notes as you’re listening to the presentations. It helps you to retain the information and to better integrate the information into your practice. Not to mention the fact that you have quick and easy reference notes to go back to in the future.

To help you out, ABMP has produced a variety of great note taking handouts. These are usually made available to instructors for use in their classrooms, but ABMP is making them available to you at no cost to help you get the most out of your conference experience. Download them here:

http://worldmassageconference.com/responsemomentforms

See you Today for our next pre-conference broadcast,

Eric Brown, Scott Dartnall and Melanie Hayden
http://www.worldmassageconference.com