Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP)

There's an old line that gets passed around in dance and theater: "Don't just do something, stand there." Til Luchau's latest piece in Massage & Bodywork applies that same idea to hands-on work, and the science behind it is worth understanding.

Fascia and connective tissues respond to load over time, not all at once. When you hold a gentle stretch and wait, the tissue gradually lengthens and softens. That response doesn't come from pushing harder. It comes from sustaining a modest load and giving it time. Move on too soon, and you cut the process short.

The nervous system works the same way. A pause gives the autonomic system room to downshift. It gives the client time to register and integrate what is happening. The signs we look for—the deeper breath, the softening, the settling—tend to arrive in the stillness, not in the movement.

Luchau also makes a point that constant stimulation causes the nervous system to habituate. It stops registering what isn't changing. A pause lets the next input actually land. He calls it the difference between tossing one pebble into a puddle and watching the ripples, versus throwing a handful all at once and getting nothing but noise.

A thoughtful read from the autumn issue of Massage & Bodywork!

Yes? No? Or it depends? 🤔

Drop your answer below and tell us why! 👇 Your response could be featured in the next issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine.

🚨 Reminder: the ABMP Referral Directory is live, and people in your area are actively searching for massage therapists!

If you haven't set up your profile yet, it only takes about five minutes.

Log in to your ABMP portal, add your business info, photos, and contact details, and you're done.

Discoverable, bookable, and referable at no extra cost. 💯

Your ABMP CE Summit FAQs, answered! Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. 👇

Register now and we'll see you (virtually) on October 27!

🔗: abmp.com/summit

Whether you work in a spa, a franchise, or share office space with other practitioners, colleague relationships can get complicated. The latest issue of Massage & Bodywork takes a closer look at how to keep things professional, fair, and drama-free no matter the setting.

Read 'Managing Relationships with Colleagues' by Laura Allen at the link below.

🔗: bit.ly/colleague-relationships

This one is for the massage therapy students! 💰

Every quarter, we give away $5,000 to a student and $5,000 to their school. No membership required, any student currently enrolled is eligible to enter!

And if you've entered before, you can enter again. 👀

For more information and to enter, visit 👉 abmp.com/scholarship

Every MT has a story. Some knew their path from day one, others stumbled into the best decision of their life. Tell us yours. 👇

Massage instructors: the clock is ticking. 🎓

Cornerstones, ABMP's instructor development program, is free for everyone through December 31. Members and nonmembers alike. No catch.

It's 25 hours of continuing education built specifically for massage and bodywork educators, covering how adults actually learn, how to structure lessons that stick, how to assess students fairly, and how to manage a modern classroom. The kind of training most instructors never got.

Get started at abmp.com/cornerstones. And if you know a co-instructor or program director who needs this, tag them below. 👇

Students: what's one question you've been afraid to ask? 👇

Licensed massage therapists: what's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you starting out?

Drop your questions and wisdom in the comments. This is your community!