Thank you so much for sharing with our readers about your practice! Can you start by telling me a little bit about your massage practice and how you came to it?
My name is Taylor Mayers and I’ve been a massage therapist for a little over eight years. I went to Spectrum Massage School in Lake Stevens; I did medical massage for about five years and then kind of transitioned into trauma informed for the last two years now.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
Can you give us a sense of the difference between medical massage versus standard massage versus trauma informed?
Standard—or therapeutic—massages are tailored to your [immediate] needs. With medical massage, there’s always a goal at the end; [if] you get in a car accident and you have whiplash and now you can’t turn your head, our goal is to increase your range of motion, or the client has a referral from a medical doctor.
Trauma informed care means working with anyone who has experienced trauma or toxic stress. It means shifting the focus from decreasing/stopping symptoms to asking the question, “How can I be of support?” We do that by creating an environment for clients that is safe, trustworthy, and transparent. It is about increasing resiliency for a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
What made you interested in trauma-informed massage therapy, in particular?
Like most people, I am on a journey of self-healing. I see a mental health therapist regularly and have been for some time.
A few years ago she asked if I had ever heard of the book, “The Body Keeps the Score.” I hadn’t, so I read it. That book was life changing for me in many ways. But what stuck out the most was how effective body work had been in Bessel van der Kolk’s patients when traditional talk therapy was at a plateau. I started looking into trauma informed body work for myself, and thus a passion was born to incorporate it into my work.
What benefits does massage have for the average client?
One of our most basic primal needs as humans is touch. A benefit that every person who gets a massage receives is a dopamine release.
Along with: stress hormone reduction, relaxation, improved circulation, decreased pain and discomfort, and improved range of motion (ROM) or [improvement to] injury.
Are there any particular massages you’d recommend relieving everyday stress?
Massaging your own hands and feet is a great way to relieve stress daily. However, I always recommend to my clients to stretch. Taking 10–15 minutes to stretch out the entire body is a fantastic way to tend to everyday stress, as well as practicing mindful breath practices or meditation.
What’s your favorite thing about being a trauma informed massage therapist?
Giving clients who have those anxieties about massage and being touched [the reassurance] that it’s a safe place and helping people who have mental illnesses and/or diagnoses [to not] feel judged [in telling their stories if they wish to… it] just gives me a deeper understanding of working with their nervous system. And then I get to work in the mental health field, as a massage therapist… It’s a really amazing experience. Vera Massage Studio, 186 Gilkey Rd., Burlington, 425.923.7505, veramassagestudio@gmail.com
