Yesterday, our clinic clients made several of our graduating students cry.  But these were tears of joy.  For our students were reminded why they chose massage therapy in the first place.

As their next-to-last clinic, we took our students on a field trip to a nearby retired living facility.  Wednesdays are normally “outing” days for the residents there, but they agreed to stay in this day to get massaged.  And for 3 hours, that’s exactly what our students did – experiencing some very powerful stories along the way.

There was the woman who had undergone back surgery, was about to have foot surgery, and suffered from Parkinson’s.  After her massage, she told our student, “You gave circulation back to my legs.”

Then there was Leo, 98-years-old.  He hadn’t left his room in 2 months.  But massage brought him out.  Feeling so good afterwards, he said he might even venture out of his room more often.

Students practiced the gentle, caring touch that many seniors need.  One woman cried as she told her therapist, “I haven’t been touched in so long.”

Several students said they received the most meaningful, heartfelt client feedback they had ever gotten.  As they graduate next week, career and money are foremost on their minds.  But at the heart of it all is the power massage has to help people.

BodyWorlds will forever change the way you view the human body.  Four years ago, I had the good fortune to see the first BodyWorlds tour – an incredible experience!  Anatomy drawings, pictures, and models just don’t compare to seeing the complexity and intricate details of the real thing.  However, when I recently went to Bodyworlds 3 at the California Science Center here in Los Angeles, I was even luckier to be in the company of some of our outstanding teachers.  Getting insight from those who teach this stuff every day was its own education.

For those not familiar with it, BodyWorlds is an exhibit of real human bodies preserved through plastination.  These bodies are donated for the purpose of science; at the end of the exhibit, you can read testimonials explaining why some people chose to donate themselves.  The wild success of BodyWorlds has led to copycat exhibits of lesser quality.  While the science community has questioned the ethics of these imitators, the original BodyWorlds has consistently proven itself to be a reputable organization.

Our teachers have led some more field trips for our students since then, but for those going on their own, we put together the following tips.  This L.A. exhibit closes September 7, 2008, so you must hurry.  Otherwise, check the BodyWorlds website for a visit near you.

Click Here for BodyWorlds 3 Teacher Tips

NHI Teachers at BodyWorlds 3

On a related note, over this past weekend I watched a German horror film that uses plastinated bodies as its storyline.  It’s called Anatomie and stars Franka Potente (Run, Lola, Run).  It’s certainly not respectful towards the scientific intent of BodyWorlds, but if you enjoy German horror films, you’ll probably like it.  Apparently it was good enough to warrant a sequel – creatively titled Anatomie 2.  Viewing Tip: I saw the version with cheesy English voiceovers; it would have been much better in the original German with English subtitles.