ABOUT US

Thomas Cushman, Licensed Massage Therapist & Reiki Master

Connecticut Massage Therapy License # 006054

American Massage Therapy Association # 22591

 I began my journey with Hands on Therapy receiving Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki sessions to help with a chronic health issue. During my first session I had an unexplainable sensation in the indicated area. I went on to get the level I certification. I moved and, with the help of my teacher, found a center called Healing Gateways which offered a Reiki Master Teacher and hands on concepts that focused on aspects of bodywork and energywork. I walked into Healing Gateways of Madison CT in 1998. Joan Clark was a nurse with various backgrounds in bodywork. Visually she was legally blind with the ability to make out who people were and, with years working on every floor of a hospital, had learned to interpret colors as pathology. Richard Porter had an undergraduate degree in psychology, was trained to monitor floatation tanks and had a small education in bodywork. Together, with over 11 years and thousands of clients, they looked at how the body held trauma and how to help the client release it. Joan and Richard incorporated gentle rocking and supportive bodywork to nurture the sympathetic nervous system. Along with learning from them I completed the certification for Reiki Master Teacher in June 1999. I moved again in 2000. Joan transitioned in February 2001 and by 2007 Richard had advanced Parkinson’s and was unable to carry on the work. While having what I felt was a good approach to a bodywork style, I wanted to honor Joan and Richard by giving professional credibility to the work and establish it as a continuing education course for LMT’s, and to be ethical and professional myself it was necessary to go to massage school and get the state license. I started at Branford Hall Career Institute in the spring of 2008. As classes went on, learning body mechanics, Kinesiology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Assessment, I realized just how important it is to have the fundamental foundation of Massage and Bodywork education. The teacher for my final Neuromuscular Massage class had a certification in Orthopedic Massage from Whitney Lowe.  Whitney has spent years as an LMT working with medical professionals learning how to do assessments and learning what type of massage and stretches work best for various types of soft tissue and the injuries they can suffer. The assessment is not a matter of diagnosis as that is outside the scope of massage therapy. It does give a good starting reference with how to proceed and track what is working best. I am taking continuing education with him and along with what I already stated another valuable takeaway is how to work as part of a treatment team with other medical professionals. I have also taken continuing education with James Waslaski. Another great reference guide I utilize is Clinical Massage Therapy Assessment and Treatment of Orthopedic Conditions by Steve Jurch.  Amongst other notable achievements, he is the Director of Massage Therapy for the Women’s Tennis Association. I am also continuing my education of the Japanese acupressure method of Shiatsu that works the Chinese Acupoints and Meridians with fingers instead of needles. I now have an integrated method with therapeutic massage and bodywork which I feel is unique and affective. I utilize the orthopedic and clinical methods for the immediate soft tissue pain and injury while using the bodywork and energywork methods for the emotional support to help bring the body from sympathetic “flight or fight” response to parasympathetic response. My goal is to help the client achieve the benefits that they want.