This month brought us another NM Massage Board meeting.  I will start this blog with a disclosure that along with updates I will also give my opinion on where I stand on this position.  These opinions are my own and were not expressed by anyone on the Massage Board.  You can also read the minute draft on the NM Massage Boards website at http://www.rld.state.nm.us/Massage/index.html

The first item on the agenda was a discussion on draping, how it is defined in the massage regs, and do we need to make it more clear.  Kirstie Segura, the Massage Board Chairwoman was the person who put this on the agenda.  The massage regs on draping currently read; each licensee shall obtain prior informed consent from the client regarding draping to insure the safety, comfort and privacy of the client.  This was brought up because the program that Mrs. Segura teaches for in Taos, NM was showing an Esalen video where there was very limited draping and one of her students questioned how the NM law reads.  The general audience seemed pretty together on the current law and that there shouldn’t be any changes done.  My view;  what I observed was a student questioned draping and I think the current regulation should stand.  I also know from my being taught, my teachings, and my practice is that I talk about draping during the interview, I let the client know to dress down to their comfort level and that only areas that were being massaged is undraped.  When it comes to a female (and this can go for males too; I shall not exclude) breasts I drape for the clients comfort and safety.  So the regulation stands and it appeared from all the school owners we seem to teach about draping in the same way.  It is all about communicating with the client at the time of the interview about where they are comfortable and as a massage therapist where you are comfortable.  There are experiences where your clients comfort can be more than yours.  Everyone in the room needs to feel safe and comfortable.

The next item on the agenda was establishing a rules committee.  The reason this came up is because all boards for the state of New Mexico are being required to go high-tech and by next year all boards must be able to accept license applications through the web. This then has to be written into our regulations.  With any rules change there has to be a public hearing so Jackie thought it would be a good time to go through the rules and clean up anything that needed to be. The committee will be Jackie Holmes, Kirstie Segura and Elizabeth Harris.  The public hearing on the rules changes will be announced.  My view; this looks to me like a general rules change and clean up.  I didn’t see or hear anything from board members or the audience that alerted me that we should all be on the look out for some big change.  However, I will encourage all of you who can make it to the hearing do so.  These are rules and regulations that can effect your practice and business so giving your feedback is helpful and helps the process to keep us all involved.

Agenda item 3 was also brought up by Madam Chair Kirstie Segura.  She feels that in addition to the definition of massage therapy on the regulations we could also have a scope of practice definition.  She found one that was done in Canada and it was very well written.  Massage therapy definition and scope of practice definition have two different intents and is felt that both are needed to keep it clear as to what we can do as a massage therapist.  My view, I didn’t see anything that would make me question this and it was written very well.  I am sorry I don’t have it to share with you.  However, Jackie will be emailing it to us so I can post it later.

The last major thing on the agenda was again the discussion of the Asian type massage ‘parlors’ (for lack of better term) and human trafficking.  There were no updates from APD or SFPD.  In fact, Jackie seemed discouraged that she wasn’t hearing more from them on what is happening around this subject.  It was brought to the attention though that there are more applicants with Asian surnames being sent in to the board for approval for licensure. Luckily one very detail oriented board secretary noticed that transcripts coming in with these applications all were very similar.  They all had different massage school names, student names and that information, but they all had the same amount of hours in every class and all had the same grades in every class.  Jackie and her staff researched on only 3 of the 5 California schools were legitimate. It seems there are diploma mill schools in California selling/giving fake transcripts to these therapists so they can get licensed in other states.  It was also mentioned that a school in Artesia had been contacted by someone asking what teachers names were there and what they taught, etc.  My view; first and foremost look out for yourself and each other.  If you get what you feel is a suspicious call from someone get as much information as you can without giving any information and report it to Jackie so she can be on the lookout.  As a school owner the last thing I want is for someone to use my information to be apart of any kind of human trafficking.

That sums up this latest massage board meeting.  I encourage anyone who can make these meetings to do so. The next meeting is set for October 24, 2011 at 10:30 in Santa Fe.

You can reach the massage board at their website http://www.rld.state.nm.us/Massage/index.html

Namaste

Jennifer

That is what I read yesterday in an email from one of those horoscope sites that I subscribe to. I love to read horoscopes. I always have ever since I was a kid. Friends and family always laugh at me when I would read them because I read them with excitement and joy. Guess what your horoscope says……talking to my friend and he would say “what?” (with an eye roll and smile) and then I would read out loud and get all excited for him that he was going to have this fabulous day or gave him this message of such clarity he could look into and he would just smile and say “right” (another eye roll).

As I read this line though I realized that horoscopes like everything else in life are just little messages that you can pick up or put down. If it helps you that day to have some faith that your Universe is going to be okay after you read a horoscope then what is wrong with that. If it gives me a glimmer, shimmer, or a heave-ho to pull my “ass” out of the dumps when I need it then what harm does it do?

On to the line I read yesterday in my horoscope. It is just one of the messages I needed to hear right now. “Get out of my own way” rings really true for me right now. I have been in my own way. Of course, it is always easy to say you’re my way, she’s in my way, or he’s in my way. But really we are the ones who are in our own way. We are the ones that have the “story” the belief system about what we deserve, can wish for, or have in this life. Who is to say I should do things another way, faster, slower, or different. If you’re not the one in my way and I am you can’t tell me how to do things until I get myself out of my way. I had sensed that this is what was keeping me from receiving those things that I have been working really hard for. I keep working and going I can feel it, I almost have it and then it fall through. So I would do all those lessons I learned of how to change your vibration, how to clear yourself from blockages, all those lessons and tricks I’ve learned over the years. When all I had to do is look in the mirror and see that it is me. Big and beautiful me. I am the one stopping me. I am the one either consciously or unconsciously putting up the wall and saying nope you can’t have that. If you had that then people will judge you, or talk about you, or, FORBID, not accept you. I have noticed in talking with friends and reading others blogs that this is a topic that seems to be coming up right now for people, deserving and accepting. For me I realized these deep rooted belief systems are lifetimes old. Part of my lineage is Yugoslavian and I heard on NPR yesterday a Yugoslavian writer being interviewed. She wrote a great novel and is getting recognized for her accomplishments and she said that she had a fear around the recognition and abundance she has been receiving when asked why she simply said “I am Yugoslavian we find a five dollar bill and then we are hit by a train.” I thought to myself whoa that is belief system I have grown up with and have carried with me all this time. As I find myself at the end of this beautiful month of June reaching my 39^th solar return that I am shifting that belief and getting out of my own way. I deserve all the abundance that I am receiving. I deserve to be happy, to travel, to have things I want, to have a place of my own, and to give opportunity I can to my daughter. So I am cleaning today, clearing today, chanting today, and fasting today. For me that is how I let go of heart strings and belief systems to old pasts that no longer serve me and I no longer serve them.

Hey, Jen, get out of the way.

Namaste

P.S. Just before I posted this blog I did one more thing that I do during my day I pulled a Divine Guidance Card. It was card number 2; Illumination and it said “you are a shining star. In truth, you were born to illuminate the world with your Light. The time has come to get out of your own way and allow yourself to be all of who you are meant to be. Remember, it is only the thoughts in your mind that hold you back and it takes a lot more energy to hold yourself closed,, than it does to let yourself flow open. This card is asking that you to allow yourself to take up space, to open yourself up and illuminate this world!”

I got the message today Divine Spirit. Thank you for your guidance.

How is your monogamous relationship with Ego anyway? You know, that secret relationship , in which all of our dreams and any sense of rationale are wickedly shamed and battered. That suffocating voice telling us where to go, when to go there and how to act once we do. I get it, many times it seems like Ego is there for us, protecting us from others comments, guarding us from the truth, that can sometimes sting oh so badly. This protection is costly to our spirits as it demands in return that we live out its version of our story, ensuring that our freedom is locked away, keeping us trapped in its own little microscopic world. So, how is that cage working out for you?

Let us consider for a moment the opening statement. I endlessly get this very response when I recommend the practice of daily meditation to others, in fact I even said it myself, before I figured out that it is, in fact, bullshit. Yes I said it, sting a little? I know, it did for me too. The ego wants us to believe that we are too complex to meditate, it wants us to believe that we are somehow this rare being that has a mind working faster and harder than the rest of the world. Here is the revelation, you’re not unique, your brain isn’t working harder than everyone else’s, in fact, you are in a position that 90% of those around you are also sharing.

When we sit in the premise that we “cannot” meditate because our minds are just too busy we are living out only the dreams and wants of that controlling, maniacal life partner, Ego. True evolution and advancement of the mind comes from quieting the Ego, ending the stories and discovering the new conversation you can have in the setting of silence.

Your not completely stuck however, there is a new partner on the horizon, waiting for your time deep within, it exists, it is your inner spirit. Patiently awaiting your arrival at your heart center and it has been waiting a lifetime to share with you insights, encouragement and praise. So here you sit, stranded between two bedfellows, the beauty of this dynamic is that you have a choice. A choice to stay in the disjointed, confused state you currently find yourself in or a choice to lift yourself up in the knowledge that you are protected, guided and living each moment in mindfulness and compassion. This choice can only be made by you, no one else can bond with either side, but you. So if you had to say it out loud, to the world right now, which do you choose? Peace or pandemonium?

Yes, the practice of daily meditation is one of the biggest challenges we can take on. It not only can feel like an awkward adjustment to how we normally run with our thoughts, it can also change many things about our life perspective, how we communicate with others and yes, it can often shift our future direction and goals. At its base this is change, and we hate change, our Ego commands us to. That is how it maintains control and authority over the mind and mutes the heart. So let us all confront the fear of change right now.

Change is defined as: to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. Sit with that definition, what does it spark inside of you? What emotions were triggered when you consider applying that definition to your life? What thoughts come to mind when you think about changing your outlook or routine? As you think of these questions in yourself I ask that you write down your answers on a piece of paper, now read it, read it again, and again and again. Read it until its meaningless, until you’re not sure its even about you, now destroy it! Tear it up, burn it, whatever you have to do to make it dust!

Now that the fear is sitting in a pile of nothingness it is not part of you any longer. That was the last message from your disgruntled other half, Ego. No longer do you have to do the fear, guilt, shame tango. Now you are free, released to rise from the ashes of that note and able to experience true evolution of yourself; mind, body and spirit. Allow yourself in this moment to relish the control you are about to insert into your life, the vision of your wants being met and not shelved or squandered in fear. It is a very exciting choice and time, SEIZE IT!

We must all begin to make a conscious decision to become more mindful. Look at the chaos of the world around you here in 2011? It can seem scary on the surface, and some of it may cause short-term problems for many of us for some time to come, and its beautiful. Humanity is evolving, the inherit rights of every spirit graced on this planet is now crying out to be heard and allowed to live free. I can see a vision of the world in which compassion is used before violence, freedom is celebrated for all and mindful energy propels us into a new golden age! I can see it, I can feel it, I can know its truth because I guide my life now, with my spirit arm in arm, ego is quiet, his damaging ways no longer a reality. Imagine, live and meditate, that is our future.

Namaste

There was an update from the Santa Fe Police Department on how the city of Santa Fe is now handling the Chinese Massage Parlors that have been opening up. We have seen them opening in various locations around Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department Vice Squad let the board know last meeting what they were doing. SFPD is now operating undercover operations to investigate what is happening and to make sure what establishments are legitimate and which ones are not. The big issue here is that some of these establishments are being used as fronts for human trafficking and prostitution. The massage board has put up a link on their website for Crimestoppers if you see a need to report anything of this nature you can do this through that link.

There was a discussion for language changes in the rules to include specific verbage for medical billing. It seems to be unclear at this point where the actual direction the discussion needs to focus on. It seems that the board wants to be able to help therapists be able to submit to insurance companies their billing and get reimbursed. According to the Insurance Commission there are already stipulations in their laws called the clean claims act that should support this reimbursement. Therapists that choose to work with insurance companies may or may not agree with this. I think we all know that there is an issue here and that people will have their opinion one way or the other. This is issue is being tabled for further discussions in future meetings. The massage board can not officially approach the Insurance Commission but an organizational body such as the AMTA can. The AMTA Board President, Rick Wiles, commented that the local AMTA chapter would be glad to step in and be a part of a committee to look at what kind of legislation, if any, can or could be passed to help support therapists to get reimbursed. Kirstie Segura, NM Massage Board President commented that in her research the states of Washington and Florida had such a legislative bill. There was a comment from a member of the audience that is new to NM from Washington State that said the law Ms. Segura was referring to still had its glitches.

The next topic that came up had to do with some therapists who have called the board with the concern that the spa they are working for is asking them to perform facials when an Esthetician is not available to do so. It is the official position of our board, as advised by legal counsel, that our board cannot do anything about a massage therapist performing a facial. If a customer has a complaint they would be referred to the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. It was commented by the audience that ethically a massage therapist who is asked to perform any therapies that they have not specific training in can refuse to do those therapies. This has been a topic of discussion for the last two board meetings and seems to be satisfied now that ‘legal counsel’ has made the official position of our board.

The AMTA wanted to make public and update that they support our board support the two exams that our board accepts for massage therapists to take; the National Certification Exam and the MbLex.

There was a request from the administration at The Scherer Institute to clarify the requirement of CEU and Advanced Learning curriculum. If a school has advanced curriculum approved by the board a student can take that advanced curriculum and use those hours as continuing education towards renewal.

Finally, a general question/discussion was brought up by new board member Elizabeth Harris with regards to modalities that are not covered by the Massage Therapy Board such as, Cranial Sacral, Polarity Therapy, Reiki, etc. and should there be some sort of way that practitioners of these modalities be either regulated by the massage board or at least be registered in some way in case there is a complaint. After comments from the audience and other board members it was noted that there is already a NM law HB664 The NM CAM Law that protects the practice of traditional healers and practitioners and includes those bodywork practices that are not under the regulation of the Massage Board. It was also noted that this topic has been discussed and that most of the modalities that are included in the CAM law have their own regulating boards, i.e. the Polarity group is self regulated by the American Polarity Therapy Association www.polaritytherapy.org

The next board meeting is in April. You can contact the Board Administrator, Jackie Holmes, to be put on the email list to be alerted when the meeting is and what would be on the agenda. I encourage you to attend these meetings they are informative and it is important that we stay involved on how our profession is being regulated.