It’s not that I have an aversion to the first session with a new client…
It is just that I am barely getting to know a person and their body. Tuning in to their nervous systems for the first time, only beginning to assess the situation. I do enjoy getting to know new people. It’s just that, of all the bodywork we will do together, it’s my least favorite.
I’ll explain…
During the first session, we are meeting for the first time, and a newbie isn’t familiar yet with my office space. I will learn about their health history, injuries, and wellness goals. Both the client and I are feeling out whether our personalities jibe. Safety and trust are still not fully established.
Either this session is the most intense (tender, sensitive, inflamed, sore, during or after)…or a person has a higher degree of numbness or lack of sensation. They can become armored (hardened) due to chronic tension or trauma.
Factors, such as a person’s constitution (soft-tissue texture) and lifestyle (hydration, stress, degree of inflammation, nutrition, occupation, hobbies, self-care habits, frequency of receiving bodywork, etc.); all of these play a role in how a person responds to massage/bodywork.
Like exercise or starting a new physical activity, post-treatment, there tends to be more soreness. Although the muscles and joints may feel less pain after a massage, minor soreness is not uncommon.
Being touched can shine a light on things and bring a new level of awareness that wasn’t there before. Bones may need to adjust to their new position, and your nervous system is still unwinding, which can feel “different” at first. These nuances begin to lessen after the first or second time working on a tight area.
Also, between the 1st and 2nd treatments, there is more regression because neuromuscular re-patterning, or a new habit, has not yet formed. And muscles tend to want to go back to the way they were out of habit, especially if they’ve been that way for a long while.
By session 3 or 4, the work really starts to “hurt so good,” and that’s when it gets juicy. When the nervous system experiences harmony, the body holds the work longer.
At this point, it is helpful to have a physical therapist or someone who is qualified to help you rehabilitate and strengthen your body through movement.
Regardless, the sessions do build on the ones prior. Sculpting away the tension patterns (new and old) enhances structure and function, and increases circulation. Stress goes down, sleep improves, flexibility returns, and pain disappears or becomes more manageable.
And the relationship with your therapist deepens as trust and familiarity grow, becoming a unique and cherished part of your support system.
I can only speak for practitioners whose work styles are similar to mine or how it works when you work with me…
It gets better with time. Just as regular exercise and/or stretching does, the bodywork progresses and begins to produce significant and lasting results, and that’s the most rewarding work for both of us! That’s why the first session is my least favorite.
Shalene Zarate, LMT, NMT, CST
Beyond being a massage therapist, Shalene’s calling is to help deepen people’s relationship with their own bodies and strengthen the lifestyles that nourish them.
