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Southeastern School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy

February 23, 2006

Southeastern School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy

My name is David. I have been receiving massages regularly for over ten years. I had wanted to become a massage therapist for several years. After I was laid off my regular job in January 2004, I decided that now was the time. I lived in Columbia, South Carolina which had 2 massage therapy schools. At one of them the training was geared more for positions as a massage therapist in a spa. The one I attended Southeastern School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy trained you for positions more in a medical environment. I attended Southeastern from Mar-Aug 2004 as a full-time night student. The program is approximately 550 hours. It encompasses Anatomy, Physiology along with learning how to massage, both Swedish and neuromuscular. I attended Southeastern School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy because I was able to get a Federal Student Loan to cover 75% of the $5400 cost. The other school was not under the Federal Student Loan program.

I was very apprehensive about the coursework because I never liked biology, but the instructors were good and went over the material very well. In fact some instructors would have a review immediately prior to giving the tests, which was good reinforcement for me. I was more interested in learning Swedish massage, not neuromuscular massage. The instructor who taught us the muscles was also a chiropractor. Some of the session required that we pair up and outline the muscles with markers on the skin. One of the neuromuscular instructors was a female bodybuilder. I have a very low pain threshold, so in one of our initial classes she hurt me while trying to access my ilio soas. I yelped and she finally stopped. I did make an informal complaint against her to the director, and she understood that she had to be more careful when working with me.

Classes met Monday-Thursday. After 6 weeks of class we began our clinicals. On Fridays and Saturday mornings we gave Swedish massages to clients from outside the school who would come to the school specifically for discounted student massages. After the massage these clients would critique our work: techniques, flow of the massage, pressure, in other words how professional we were or weren�t. Another phase of the training required that we give 50 massages outside of the school setting. Half of these massages were also formally critiqued.

I did not care for neuromuscular therapy, although I believe it probably is a more lucrative business. I just don�t have the strength that is required to do neuromuscular massage therapy. We were exposed to several forms of massage, such as reflexology and hydrotherapy, along with aromatherapy. I would like to learn more about aromatherapy. I want to help people really relax. In fact in one of the first massages I ever gave, the client actually went to sleep on the table. That was an affirmation for me.

During the time frame I was in school and after I had finished the course I was able to exchange massages with my regular massage therapist which was a big help because he would tell me what worked and what didn�t.

I waited a year before taking the National Board, which was a big mistake because I did not pass. I intend to study more and take it again once my finances allow it.

The main thing I have learned is that no massage is exactly the same. I never give the same massage even to the same client.

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