HEAD, NECK & SHOULDER MASSAGE
with Sherry Galloway

Discover a unique combination of Swedish and sports massage in the head, neck and shoulder area and how to sequence and integrate it into a full body massage. Many of you wrote to tell us how much you learned from Sherry’s instructional segments in the Esalen Massage video. Now you can have your own one-on-one tutorial session with Sherry on this new video.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: This video presents a unique combination of Swedish and sports massage in the head, neck and shoulder area and how to sequence and integrate it into a full body massage. Combining anatomy, joint movement and technical massage, Sherry teaches you both basic and advanced techniques including how to:

• fully approach the anterior and posterior aspects of the shoulder
• assess and maintain shoulder function
• increase neck motility and flexibility
• use long, Swedish strokes combined with therapeutic detail work to keep the body injury-free
• identify and get rid of trigger points in the muscles to alleviate headaches
• use your body weight to enhance thumb work
• apply pressure point squeezing to relieve tension
• monitor your client’s comfort level throughout the massage
• gently integrate rocking and stretching into the massage

ABOUT SHERRY GALLOWAY:
Sherry Sanders Galloway is a nationally certified massage therapist, a certified member of the AMTA and a registered nurse (R.N.) A long-time member of the acclaimed Esalen® massage crew at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, Sherry has taught Esalen style massage for the California AMTA chapter and she has extensive experience teaching sports massage. A R.N. for more than 20 years, she has worked closely with people suffering from medical, physical and psychological trauma and has taught nurses and paramedics, as well as bodywork professionals. Her educational background includes course work and training at Los Angeles Harbor College, UCLA, California State University at Domingues Hills and the Esalen Institute.

MASSAGE Magazine, September-October 2004

Sherry Galloway’s video, Head, Neck & Shoulder Massage, part of a "Massage Master Class Series," offers massage therapists a straightforward, solid routine for addressing the upper body. Galloway’s sequence combines Swedish strokes, simple trigger-point work and fundamental stretches to relax the upper quadrant and work contracted tissues. Her directions are clear and the filming is well done.

This video is a good review for students in massage school and recent graduates who may need a refresher on how to pull together multiple techniques into a simple routine. For new massage therapists whose schooling concentrated on relaxation massage, Galloway’s video offers instruction on how to add deeper, more specific techniques to one’s bag of tools.

SHERRY SANDERS GALLOWAY Q and A

How long have you been a bodywork practitioner? What made you decide to enter the profession?
In March of 1989, I began an entirely new and different second career as a certified massage therapist. For almost twenty years before that date, I was an emergency room R.N. My work life was frenetically busy and intensely stressful. In addition, I was a marathon runner who occasionally received therapeutic bodywork to heal strains and sprains. It was a full life. Too full. One day, realizing that I was approaching burnout, I decided to take a friend's advice and sign up for a five-day workshop at Esalen. I needed to reassess my life and the direction it was taking. The workshop included about four hours of massage instruction. I also received several massages while I was there. And I started to think: I can do this. I can create a whole new life as a massage therapist. It seemed like a perfectly natural change in direction, from nursing to bodywork.

What are your credentials, and how did you earn them?
Once I made the decision to change careers and become a massage therapist, I enrolled in and completed the Esalen certification program, which meets the California requirement of 130 hours of training. Since then, I've earned a 500-hour national certification that allows me to practice anywhere in the country, and I maintain a level of continuing education, so that I can renew that credential every four years. In addition, I am a certified member of the American Massage Therapy Association. Finally, I maintain my status as an R.N. in California.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering becoming a bodywork practitioner?
Before giving any advice, I'd ask one question: "What is motivating you to do this work?" If the answer is "money," I would probably say, "Look, the work is hard; it's emotionally and physically taxing. There are easier ways to make a buck. Find another path." I think it's absolutely essential that anyone who is contemplating a career as a bodywork practitioner recognizes the intensely demanding nature of the work. If the person truly understands this, then I would pass on lots of pointers. For example: Learn everything you can about anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. If you don't understand how the body works, you can't work with the body. Also, avoid injury to yourself. Build up your strength. Learn correct body mechanics. Get movement training. And be careful not to overbook. Last and perhaps most important—have some kind of spiritual or grounding practice to sustain you.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
Without a doubt, it's the contact with people and the connections that evolve. People trust me with their bodies. They come to me with physical or emotional conditions that are causing them to feel fragmented and distressed, and I have an opportunity to work with them so that they leave feeling whole. It's terrific compensation to hear a client say, "Oh, I didn't know I could feel so good." Or, "It doesn't hurt any more." Although my clients are not actually sick, I honestly feel as though I'm engaged in healing work with them.

What do you think is your most distinctive characteristic as a bodywork practitioner? In other words, what do you bring to the client's experience that sets you apart from other massage therapists?
I'm fortunate to possess two distinctly different qualities that combine to create a unique experience for the client: First, my medical background, the years I spent working as a nurse, gave me grounding and strength in the technical aspects of the profession. Second, I am by nature a motherly, nurturing kind of person, a caretaker with a heartful and empathetic sensitivity. The fact that I'm able to integrate these characteristics and produce a truly healing session for the client is what distinguishes my work as a massage therapist.

What is the greatest gift that you have received from your work as a massage therapist?
Once again, I would have to say it's the personal contact. The love and trust that I get from my clients is a tremendous gift that enriches my entire existence. I have clients who've been coming to me for 12 years, who've made me a vital part of their lives. These are people who have become friends. They call me on my birthday; they actually care about me. When a client looks at me and says, "I feel like a new person," I feel as though I've fulfilled the trust that person has placed in me. That's my reward and the reason I can't imagine not doing some kind of healing touch work.