Bodywork and End of Life Care

with Meg Robsahm

Workshop Details

End of Life Care: Being Present Without an Agenda

End of Life Care: Sacred Moments

Sign up for both "Being Present without an Agenda" and "Sacred Moments" for $280! Just click the "Purchase Discount Package" button below.

End of Life Care:
Being Present Without an Agenda
and New Part 2!
Sacred Moments

This day-long class, Being Present without an Agenda: Sacred Moments, will focus on fundamental concepts of Hospice Massage and Palliative Care. We will review various hospice settings and clinical considerations to work safely with this unique patient population. It will give the practitioner an opportunity to clarify their own perceptions and identify methods for self care, helping them move beyond their concerns in working with their clients, or family members, at this stage of life. The intention of this class is to help practitioners find peace in being present without an agenda, and open to sharing sacred moments with another.

The following questions are among those for reflection and personal growth:

What brings me comfort in difficult times?
What beliefs do I bring to my work in end of life care?
How do I "let go of" my need, my agenda to fix?
How can I 'just BE" with my clients?
How do my clients shape me?
What are my personal and professional boundaries in this work?
What are my support systems and self care methods?

Life is relational; we come to know who we are in each others presence. As bodyworkers, we are used to tending to the physical body. When we work with those who are elderly, ill or dying, it brings forward an emotional component that bodyworkers are sometimes uncomfortable with. Yet, end of life care calls us to share our hearts and our compassion as a human being. When we share and serve in this way our common human vulnerabilities are revealed; we are no longer just massage therapist and client.

Lecture, discussion, case studies and hands-on time will bring a sense of ease and confidence in working with people at the end of life. Class goals for students:

Gain an overview of the various hospice settings
Review basic clinical considerations to work safely within this setting
Gain insight into their beliefs/experiences in working with terminally ill
Practice caring touch and offering comfort with each other
Identifying personal/professional boundaries, and self care methods
Share Case Studies

When we comfort one another, we offer our strength and hope by simply being present in their life. Caring touch offers connection, comfort and compassion when isolation, pain and suffering are constant companions. The time we spend with clients gives them an opportunity to reconnect and heal into their own sense of self and well-being at any stage of their life. Through this connection, this contact, we can help relieve another's suffering and pain. This is one of the most gratifying experiences we have as bodyworkers, and may be among the most profound experiences in our personal lives.

Sacred Moments…

As I prepared to write a few words about bodywork in end of life care, I noticed myself watching a dozen or so birds flying around the feeder on my deck. As I stood there, I paused to ask … how is it that I came to be a bird watcher. “Hum!!” I said to no one but myself.

Suddenly, I recalled that my very first client in end of life care was an avid bird watcher, and on occasion, we would sit and watch her birds. She took great delight in tending to the smallest of things in life. Her birds, the blossoms on the cherry trees and other often unnoticed events in nature were among her favorite moments. Moments she shared with me.

At first thought, this experience may not seem like a sacred moment. After all, it was simply two women sharing a cup of tea and looking out the window. That was all it was, simply two people sharing time, being. Yet, how nourishing it was to simply be present!

In today’s present moment, she and I are reconnected. I am humbled and reminded I learn the most about living when in the presence of the dying. I recognize that my clients are my most revered teachers. They shape me at a profound level; they share with me stories that will remain untold to their children. They reveal their deepest pain and unspoken sorrows. Their suffering lifted just enough, allows them to open their heart for us to touch.

Bodywork in End of Life Care is about living. It is about being present without an agenda and opening to sacred moments. Bodywork extends a kind of olive branch of peacefulness to the soul, opening a pathway for our client to connect with more of themselves. Perhaps even a new dimension of their inner self. Perhaps they are comforted just enough to ease into a new way of being.

Through lecture, hands on time, discussion and case studies, Day two, Sacred Moments offers the following:

Continue to explore the concepts in caring touch
Learn about the dying process
Explore our roles, boundaries and experiences in working with the dying
Review simple touch techniques to share with families for their loved one
Explore ways to connect with clients who have impaired communication
Identify methods of self care in working with this population
& Enjoy a few sacred moments!

Some words from Meg~

When I first began working with those in end stages, now ten years ago, I quickly noticed how different my role was with this clientele. My training in massage school had not prepared me for this kind of work; yet I felt called to walk with people in this way. The training I received from the hospice organization (where I was aspiring to volunteer) provided me with a rich opportunity to learn more about myself, as well as those in end stages. I am forever grateful, as this is the foundation upon which I have evolved personally as well as professionally.

Whether you attend for professional or personal considerations,
this class will expand your awareness of
one of the great transitions in the lives all human beings.

Meg Robsahm, M.Ed., LMP, NCBTMB, has been practicing since 2001 with a focus on chronic pain, stress relief, oncology and hospice massage. Her business, Compassionate Therapies, is located in Everett and Monroe, WA. In addition to teaching Massage for People Living with Cancer, she is a regular presenter for many organizations, on topics such as Oncology Massage, Hospice and Caring Touch. Meg is currently the President of the Society for Oncology Massage, www.S4OM.org an organization grounded in a philosophy of compassion and service. Meg is a 2007 Graduate of the Peregrine Institute of Oncology Massage Training. 2011 was a transforming year for Meg as she presenced her parents’ passage through the end of their lives. Gifted with knowledge and experience in hospice care and a deep compassion for others, Meg witnessed the transcendent effects touch offers at the end of life. Join Meg to discover practical, heart centered approaches that clarify and bring peace in working with those at the end of life.

For more information, please visit www.CompassionateTherapies.com