Instructor: Lynna Fuller, LMT

“She massaged under my armpits very near my breasts in a way that made me feel like she was trying to touch them, and which also made my breasts move against the table. Later, when doing work on my glutes, she was working in a way that made me feel like she was trying to touch my vagina. She told me that she felt like she needed to work especially "deeply" in that area, though I had not complained about specific trouble in my lower back …. Again, because she gave a specific reason for the work, I thought it might be an acceptable technique although it made me very uneasy. Later, after working on my neck for a while she said she wanted to work on my hip flexors, but I declined because by that time I was concerned that she would try to touch me again in a questionable way.” (WA DOH complaint against LMT)
br> What’s going on in this story? Is the LMT trying to be inappropriate, or is the client’s vulnerability coloring her interpretation? And why isn’t the LMT picking up on the client’s clear discomfort?

While massage in general has aspects of vulnerability for both therapists and clients, massage on—or sometimes even near—vulnerable areas has its own ethical concerns for both therapists and clients. In this class, we will focus on the potential vulnerability of clients, by reading some of their stories and attempting to put ourselves in their places.

We’ll spend time writing about topics that cause us as individuals to feel vulnerable and discussing in small groups what things might make us feel vulnerable in a massage of our own sensitive areas. We’ll reference texts such as The Body Keeps the Score to apply concepts of remembered trauma and triggering responses to what we might see in client behavior and response. We will discuss the 4 Fs (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn), which are automatic reactions to a perceived threat, but can be overactivated, even in non-threatening situations.

We’ll also review and discuss Washington State’s very specific rules for giving massage in vulnerable areas: required verbal AND written consent are our allies in in doing this important work. Knowing and voicing the rules with clients can greatly decrease our chances of triggering the kinds of misunderstandings that stem from being and/or feeling vulnerable. Most importantly, we will use all of what we learn to make it much less likely that those of us working on or near vulnerable areas will end up saying, “Wait! That’s Not What I Meant!,” and seeing a harmfully negative outcome for a client who was only seeking a neutral, positive, healing experience.

Satisfies WA's ethics requirement.

Class Date: March 8, 2024
Class Time: Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Live Webinar (please click on the link for details)
Cost: $70
Cost/Hour: $17.50/hr
CE Hours: 4

Other Coursework by Instructor:

• Incorporating the Breast and Chest (Seattle April 5-6, 2025) - 16 hours (Satisfies WA's breast massage CE requirements.)
• Incorporating the Breast and Chest (Post Falls April 26-27, 2025) - 16 hours (Satisfies WA's breast massage CE requirements.)