On Saturday, nearly a week ago, I went back to my massage school campus. There was a continuing education course that I was very interested in that happened to be taking place there.
There were five of us students, the teacher, and an AMTA representative sitting in. The topic of the day was massage for burn survivors. We discussed the physical trauma of burns, the continued trauma of treatment, and the ongoing psychological ramifications that survivors face. We learned the types and physiology of scars and how to work on them (or not, in some cases).
The teacher of the course is a massage therapist and a burn survivor, so throughout the class, she volunteered her own scars for us to learn on. At the end of the day, three others came in for us to practice on, and also to get a good idea of the variety of experiences in the burn survivor community.
The day was honestly incredible. There were intense moments throughout, but it was a positive, enriching experience, and well worth the cost of attendance.
Participation in that day would almost have been sufficient on its own, but I am now qualified to do burn scar therapy in my massage practice. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the burn survivor community!