Probably one of the most consistent issues that I see is that a lot of massage therapists have difficulty receiving their full massage payment, and don't fully value themselves. What does that mean? They are uncomfortable charging what they are worth, asking for payment, and of making a very good living. And because of this they often unconsciously prevent themselves from achieving what they are really worth.

Now, instead of going about this problem in the normal way, of feeling like you should value yourself, I have a theory about why this happens that offers another solution. It actually involves putting less focus on your “self” and more on the bigger healing circle.

The thing is, if you are a good massage therapist you know that you don't "fix" people. Instead it is a partnership of healing, between the client and the therapist, and the world. A good therapist also connects with a bigger energy that they are conducting to help their clients. A good massage therapist does not say or believe things like: “I fix people, I heal them, they need me.”

Because intrinsically, massage is holistic. And to do this work well, you have to relax the “normal” dualistic division and descriptions that we apply to ourselves. You have to let go of your ego based self a bit, and open up. And because of this you are rightfully aware that you are not fully "responsible" for all of what you are providing or doing for your client. You are just an important part of an entire process.

What does this have to do with valuing yourself and being at ease receiving full massage payment? Well, I think that this is the main reason why many good massage therapists are not comfortable receiving full value for what they do. Because if you don't feel fully responsible for the results, then you also do not deserve to be paid fully. You don't feel like you deserve it, because it is not just you doing the “fixing”. And I would say that is true, your ego based self is not fully responsible. That is one of the joys of this work.

The real problem here is that when it comes to receiving massage payment you step right back into your ego based self and act as though that bigger connection has stopped. You receive your payment from the perspective of You & Them & the World, as distinctly separate. You see the holistic healing relationship of the massage. But, after the massage, you seem to think that this dynamic relationship stops when it comes to payment.

And this is not the case. This is seeing one small circle, and not the bigger circle of healing. Making payment is a connected piece of the healing process for your clients and you. It is even more important for them than it is for you. It is a commitment on their part towards their own well-being and yours. And if you don't see the interconnection of this, then when you go to receive payment there will be a barrier.

Not only that, a good massage therapist lives in the world. They have bills, stresses, needs and desires. If these are not met, the quality of massage provided will decrease. So ultimately if you and your client don't fully value your services, then your services will degrade to match the level that you value yourself at. That sort of makes sense doesn't it? It is a natural balancing act.

Also ask yourself, do you want your clients to just barely get better? What quality of well-being do you want for your clients? If you can only imagine and achieve a “just getting by” level of well-being for yourself, how can you expect to help your clients achieve anything better in their physical health?

I created this graphic to help demonstrate the idea of the bigger circle.