Managing Physical Stress with Therapeutic Massage

With a growing number of individuals seeking massage treatment to relieve physical stress, massage therapists and other relevant health professionals must have a basic understanding of how to appropriately manage these increasing client demands. Managing Physical Stress with Therapeutic Massage is the only book available that addresses how health professionals can utilize massage therapy to identify and manage client physical stress. Designed around the innovative Personal Stress Inventory, this highly visual resource provides specific techniques, assessment, and troubleshooting tools to identify, track, and reduce physical stress. With step-by-step procedures covering everything from developing an anti-stress plan, to breathing techniques for stress reduction, to performing self massage, this book is sure to be an indispensable resource for massage and allied health professionals in a variety of practice settings.

With a growing number of individuals seeking massage treatment to relieve physical stress, massage therapists and other relevant health professionals must have a basic understanding of how to appropriately manage these increasing client demands. Managing Physical Stress with Therapeutic Massage is the only book available that addresses how health professionals can utilize massage therapy to identify and manage client physical stress. Designed around the innovative Personal Stress Inventory, this highly visual resource provides specific techniques, assessment, and troubleshooting tools to identify, track, and reduce physical stress. With step-by-step procedures covering everything from developing an anti-stress plan, to breathing techniques for stress reduction, to performing self massage, this book is sure to be an indispensable resource for massage and allied health professionals in a variety of practice settings.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Martha J. Greenberg, PhD, RN(Pace University)
Description:This is a practical guide for massage therapists to help their clients and themselves reduce stress. Many stress inventories and assessment tools are included along with specific instructions for massage and/or self-help techniques to reduce stress.
Purpose:The goal is to teach therapists and lay people how to recognize and treat stress. In a format close to a workbook, a series of simple tests and assessments are presented in a way that both a lay individual and a therapist can use.
Audience:In addition to massage therapists, this book would be an excellent resource for physical and occupational therapists, athletic trainers, physical education teachers, healthcare providers teaching stress reduction, and nurses. It is written at a level appropriate for both professionals and lay people. The author has over a 25-year involvement in massage therapy, stress reduction, consultation, education, and research.
Features:There are several captivating features of this book. The illustrations and pictures are excellent and useful for professionals and lay readers. The extensive compilation of assessments and inventories are informative, practical, and comprehensive. And, the exercises, with or without pictures, are understandable and practical.
Assessment:This is a superb contribution not only to the field of massage therapy but also to stress reduction. The author is knowledgeable and she successfully balances the scientific with the practical.

Jeffrey Forman, M.Ed., Ph.D., is Instructor in Adapted Physical Education and Massage Program Director at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. He is a frequent presenter at the AMTA Council of Schools annual meeting and is on the Planning Committee for the 2005 AMTA Council of Schools meeting. Forman first learned about massage when he studied adapted physical education (physical education for the physically limited) at Springfield College in Massachusetts. After receiving a doctorate in human behavior with a focus on stress reduction, Forman first worked at Palo Alto Veteran's Hospital and then was hired by De Anza in 1978 to head its adapted physical education program. Forman established the massage therapy program at De Anza in 1992, making De Anza the first community college in California to offer a state-accredited massage therapy program.