I’M ONLY HERE BECAUSE MY TRAINER TOLD ME I SHOULD COME…

I walked into the office and checked in with the front desk secretary for my 3:00 pm appointment. She told me to sit down, fill out the required form, and she’d call my name shortly.

So, I waited – with apprehension and discomfort.

When my name was called and I was led into a softly lit room. I thought how the room was designed to relax most people because it was decorated with many feng-shui principles.

The room had well-positioned, round mirrors of various sizes in an interesting pattern on the wall. There was a tall, triangular chest of drawers in the corner and a post-modern chrome and leather chair. The opposite wall had different-sized Buddha heads sitting on small black cubic shelves, each perfectly sized to fit the head. Music played softly in the background.

I tried hard to avoid looking at the massage table with sheets and a face cradle. Despite the feng-shui decor, my stress level increased when I remembered, “Yes, I was really going to have my first massage.”

The therapist asked, “So what brings you in?”

I replied, “I’m only here because my trainer told me I should come.”

He then asked a battery of questions:

• Do you have any pain?
• Where do you carry your stress?
• When was your last session?
• What type of pressure do you like?

I explained that I’d never had a massage, I was a private person, and – again — I was only there because my trainer told me to have a massage session.

I also confessed that I did not like to be touched.

Then the therapist asked, ”You are aware that a massage involves being touched, right?”

I replied, “Yes, of course, but I just want you to know that I’m not comfortable with it.”

With a bit of trepidation in his voice, the therapist instructed me to undress to my comfort level and lie face down and cover myself with the sheet on the table. He would return when I was ready to start.

As he closed the door, I muttered under my breath, “Undress to my comfort level? Even removing my shoes when I’m fully clothed stretches the limits of my comfort zone.”

Please read next week’s blog to find out how I, a doctor, deal with this therapy situation…