I Had to Keep Quiet About the Most Powerful Part of My Manual Therapy Work
Article #1 in the Healing Beyond the Body series: A New Paradigm for Practitioners
My massage therapy practice was more than just a clinical service—it became a space where people returned, not just for relief from pain, but for something deeper. Patients followed me across cities and across different clinics. Even now, after stepping away from the treatment table, they reach out to tell me they’ve never found another massage therapist like me.
I want to be able to understand why.
I was trained in clinical massage therapy and began my practice in 2012. Since then, the profession has become increasingly focused on bringing in evidence-based approaches, which is considered the gold standard of modern massage therapy and healthcare in general. But there was something else happening in my sessions—something that didn’t fit neatly into the clinical model. I instinctively attuned myself to my clients' energy fields. I was led, intuitively, to the places in their bodies that needed attention. And perhaps most importantly, I never saw my clients as “injuries” or “dysfunctions” to be fixed. I saw them as whole, radiant beings, temporarily disconnected from their own vitality, and my role was to help them return to themselves.
This was not the way massage therapy was supposed to work—not according to the professional standards that were becoming increasingly rigid, prioritizing clinical reasoning over the more nuanced, relational, and intuitive aspects of care. While I no longer practice as a registered massage therapist, these deeper ways of working remain at the core of what I do today.
The Unspoken Element of Trust
What I came to realize is that the most effective therapeutic alliances aren’t just built on technical skill—they are built on trust, safety, and attunement.
When someone lay on my table, I wasn’t just addressing their muscles. I was meeting the nervous system, the emotional landscape, the subtle body. Everything that they had experienced was here with them in the treatment, too. I could often feel, in an unspoken way, whether they needed grounding or expansion, deep stillness or focused mobilization. I responded not just to what they told me in words, but to what their body was revealing in the moment.
This level of sensitivity made many people feel seen in a way they weren’t accustomed to. And when people feel deeply seen, they transform in ways that go beyond physical relief.
Why This Was Hard to Name
The profession of massage therapy, as it stands today, is heavily rooted in biomechanics, physical pathology, and manual approaches that primarily affect the body’s tissues. While these are important, they don’t tell the whole story of why manual therapy is effective. The human body isn’t just a system of levers and pulleys—it is a living, breathing expression of a person’s experiences, emotions, and energy.
Yet, in a field increasingly focused on measurable, evidence-based outcomes, speaking about intuition, energy, or the subtler aspects of healing was not welcomed. I kept this part of my practice quiet. I framed my work in biomechanical and anatomical language, even though my process was guided by something deeper.
And still, my clients felt it.
The Bridge to My Work Now
I spent 12 years refining the ability to read what was happening in someone’s body, sometimes before they could articulate it themselves. I cultivated a trauma-sensitive approach that integrated somatic intelligence, emotional awareness, and a deep respect for the person’s own healing capacity.
Now, outside the confines of the massage therapy profession, I’ve been on a sabbatical since November of 2024, I realize that what made my practice transformative is exactly what makes my coaching and facilitation work so powerful today.
I help people develop a conversation with their bodies, rather than seeing them as objects to be fixed.
I guide them in understanding their somatic, emotional, and energetic signals so they can make clear, empowered decisions - allowing for a truly informed consent process.
I still attune to people’s nervous systems, their subtle cues, and their unspoken needs—except now, instead of using my hands, I use my voice, my presence, and the frameworks I teach.
What I once had to keep quiet is now at the forefront of my work. And what I’ve come to understand is this: the greatest transformations happen when we stop treating ourselves as problems to solve and start recognizing ourselves as whole beings with wisdom to uncover.
What’s Next in This Series
In the coming articles, I’ll be exploring the key elements that made my massage therapy practice unexpectedly transformative—and how these principles extend beyond the treatment room into personal growth, leadership, and self-trust.
Next, we’ll explore The Art of Attunement—Feeling Beyond the Tissues—what it means to deeply tune into another person’s nervous system and how this changes the effectiveness of hands-on (or hands-off) healing.
If you’ve ever experienced a kind of care that felt different—something that went beyond just technique—I’d love to hear about it. What made it stand out for you?
Email me: hello (at) danasmithwellness.com