INTERVIEW WITH CAROLLANNE CRICHTON

Carollanne Crichton has been practicing stone massage for over 20 years. She is a skilled Ayurvedic practitioner, Yoga instructor and massage therapist with a great love for healing. She is the author of the DVDs Healing Stone Massage and Healing Stone Massage 2.

1. When and how did you decide to become a bodyworker?
After I had a serious horseback riding back injury in my early 20's, which left me unable to walk due to nerve involvement, I tried a range of therapies, but found the most appreciable benefit came through soft-tissue as well as mind-body practices. In the process of rehabilitating my own injury, I gained personal experience of my innate healing potential for the first time. I had been studying nursing at the time, in pursuit of a profession in healthcare, but redirected my focus to holistic healing. I also knew that I would prefer an integrative, private practice to highly medical or clinical work.

2. What do you find most exciting about bodywork therapy?
Even after 20 years of full time practice, I still find myself to be hugely enthusiastic about sharing information, positive lifestyle observations and changes with my clients. I am also a massage therapy educator these days, and am excited whenever a student feels unimpeded in learning a new level of bodywork.

3. What is your favorite bodywork book?
Wow. Tough question. Right now, its got to be one of 3 Ayurvedic Healing books: Dr. John Douillard's "Encyclopedia of Ayurvedic Massage"; or "Secrets of Healing" by Maya Tiwari, or "Ayurveda Revolutionized" by Edward Tarabilda. They are very dogeared and oily!

4. Which part of the body do you find the most challenging to work on?
I can't really answer that in a general sense, but, I do find that when I am fully present to my client and to whatever is presenting in the session, I am able to respond with full capacity and am comfortable with the body in totality. I say "fully present" as a prerequisite to this sense of total comfort because, in contrast, if I am trying too hard to be something I am not such as a heroic healer, or, if I am involved with some other preoccupation in my own mind, then I am not meeting my client unconditionally. Massage therapy, for me as a practitioner is as much a meditation and a centering practice as it is for my clients!

5. What advice you can give to new massage therapists who wish to make a career out of it?
Keep your heart in the right place and take your focus off the money. Don't overbook yourself. Keep clear boundaries and ethics in your practice. Approach each massage with curiosity. Find teachers everywhere...

6. How do you see the future of massage therapy?
Massage Therapy right now is following the medical model, for better or for worse. On the plus side, this means there is better education and professionalism. On the down side, there may be more of a tendency to forget the multi-dimensionality of the healing process in favor of the "fix-it" mentality. Time will tell.