I love my professional organization. There, I said it. The organization is Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and I am some kind of a nerd or something to have feelings for an organization that most people think of as nothing more than an inexpensive way to get liability insurance.
One of the things I love is that they have thousands of hours of continuing education available free to members. So anytime I feel like it, I can sign on and take a class. I thought I’d be interested in teaching, so I started taking classes in massage therapy instruction. I was surprised how deep these classes go into the weeds of learning theory and curriculum design, and I’m only halfway through.
As I began working at Brown Chiropractic, I was asked if I could offer cupping. It was frankly not a practice that had ever interested me, but at the end of my second shift I was wrapping a leftover hot towel around my achy arm when next thing I knew, my coworker Juana had stuck a few cups on me and told me to bring them back to the next shift. Driving with cups stuck on my arm is the kind of thing massage therapists do, along with carrying CBD cream and nail clippers in my backpack, so it was only slightly amusing. By the time I got home, I was feeling so good I decided to take a cupping class.
That’s where ABMP comes in. I’ve had the intro now, have applied cups to a few clients, and plan to have more training under my belt by the time I go back tomorrow. Did I tell you I love my professional organization? Also I now love cupping. Come and try it out.
Rachel Creager Ireland, LMT 