How have history and the professional associations influenced the practice of ma!
Question: What do you mean by "History?" Who's history? History of Massage in this country? History of professional massage associations? What?
The prof. organizations were formed to professionalize massage therapy into a prof. health related industry, and away from the image of prostitution. They also help in networking among other therapist, and to present continuing educational classes and workshops to increase the skill level and professional status of the profession. In some ways, this has helped. In other ways, as when politics have gotten out of control within the organization, it has hurt. Over-all, I believe that many of the national organizations have further the development if the profession within the massage community, and with its image to the public as a whole.
As for its history, massage has come from being viewed as a medical procedure performed in hospitals with therapist having to have medical training from a medical school from around 1917, to being preformed by untrained personnel working at a health club in the mid 1920's, to therapist today with anywhere from being moderately educated with only 200 hrs of training, to someone who has had 1500 hrs of training. There are also more than 150 different types of massage/bodywork modalities being taught and performed in this country today. So, the field has certainly grown, and is about to come full circle from what it was back in the 1920's.
I hope this has helped.
Answers: What do you mean by "History?" Who's history? History of Massage in this country? History of professional massage associations? What?
The prof. organizations were formed to professionalize massage therapy into a prof. health related industry, and away from the image of prostitution. They also help in networking among other therapist, and to present continuing educational classes and workshops to increase the skill level and professional status of the profession. In some ways, this has helped. In other ways, as when politics have gotten out of control within the organization, it has hurt. Over-all, I believe that many of the national organizations have further the development if the profession within the massage community, and with its image to the public as a whole.
As for its history, massage has come from being viewed as a medical procedure performed in hospitals with therapist having to have medical training from a medical school from around 1917, to being preformed by untrained personnel working at a health club in the mid 1920's, to therapist today with anywhere from being moderately educated with only 200 hrs of training, to someone who has had 1500 hrs of training. There are also more than 150 different types of massage/bodywork modalities being taught and performed in this country today. So, the field has certainly grown, and is about to come full circle from what it was back in the 1920's.
I hope this has helped.