Jesse Crandell

How long have you been a licensed massage therapist?

22 yrs

How many hours of training do you have?

1300 hrs

Why did you choose massage therapy as your career?

I had talent and resources and support to follow this path. Massage therapy helps people and I can feel good about my job and my career. Really I feel like it chose me because people have always come to me, even as a child, and I was always told I was good at it. My immediate family members are all health professionals. When I started studying and working professionally, I realized that my mentors were some of the most skilled, competent, knowledgeable and effective healing arts practitioners and educators. Now I have had over two decades of people telling me that I changed their life or gave them the best and most effective work they’ve ever received. I had to accept that life was offering me opportunities with gifts for helping others, and to honor the teachings, the teachers and the people who reached out for help.

Where did you go to school for massage?

The Healthy Lifestyle School of Massage Therapy

How do you describe your massage/work to others?

I have a lot of specialized and clinical training, and experience working with doctors and other health professionals in issues of acute injury, chronic pain and musculoskeletal structure and function. Ultimately it is up to the client what they hope to get out of the work, and I try to be flexible and resourceful with my training and experience to help them get there. They are paying for a service, and I am being paid to serve, and I like to operate from that foundation. I try to accomplish as much as possible within my therapeutic scope in the time they have with me.

I can do very deep and targeted techniques, but I still like to approach them slowly, gently, listening with finesse and flow, and integrating it into the client’s conscious awareness. I like treatment that engages and resolves issues as much as possible without going over the threshold of producing a threat and defense response in the body, and resulting protective resistance and reaction in the very muscles and tissues I am trying to release. Sometimes even with really deep and tough issues it’s about subtler approaches than force.

Recently I am shifting more and more toward gentle touch modalities and therapies. This is for a number of reasons. Twenty-two years of professional practice has given me a lot of experience and insight.

I have witnessed how, often even when a client prefers heavier pressure, the more I press, the more the body resists. This means that a lot of unnecessary force is going into working against the body’s resistance. It also means that their body is guarding itself against this pressure as a protective mechanism. I find working with, rather than against, the client and their body much more therapeutic and effective. I am much more likely to create change that the body will receive and integrate if it does not perceive treatment as something against which to protect.

I am actually able to work deeper with a gentler, less aggressive pressure because the body yields more to that touch, and I am able to sink deeper with less resistance. Often injuries, traumas, imprints, strain patterns, restrictions, protective guarding, neurological inhibition, hypertonicity and imbalance are caused by force acting upon the body. And therefore putting more force into the system is not always helpful, and can even be counterproductive.

I think systematically about issues, but also try to listen to intuitions and be open to new discoveries. I like to be methodical but not formulaic. Everybody is different and has its own unique history, needs, expectations, boundaries, and dynamics.

I like to explore challenging areas and come out of a session learning something new and giving the client something they can take home and continue to apply in their life: an observation, inquiry, idea or recommendation. Most of all encouragement to educate themselves, be engaged and inquisitive, and learn to listen to what their body needs.

What are some examples of Continuing Education you are interested in and why?

My current focus is on Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and Craniosacral Therapy (CST). They both operate on the principles outlined in my last response about using less force to affect greater change. They both expand my study of anatomy and physiology, and the scope of clients and conditions I can treat beyond the musculoskeletal realm of structure and function. They require a subtle and detailed attention and awareness that challenges me to improved levels of presence and listening. They both tend to calm the body & mind, settle and balance systemically, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system- the “rest and digest” response where healing and restoration occurs. CST in particular seems to interface more directly with the nervous system, which I feel compliments and augments Neuromuscular Therapy techniques.

How has receiving massage affected you personally?

I have had many muscle and soft-tissue injuries and restrictions, and structural and mechanical issues, resolved through bodywork. By receiving, and being more aware of my body and how I treat and condition it, I am in better shape, have better body mechanics, and feel better, than ever before. I learn about what is happening in my body, and I learn about how to help others with theirs.

There is a psychological, neurological, chemical, emotional and systemic relief that takes place during healing touch, where some of our pain, stress, worry, fear, grief and suffering is alleviated. There is a symbolic and physiological gesture that takes place between giver and receiver, of good will, faith, trust, caring, valuing, respecting, honoring, supporting, helping and healing. It improves our feelings, our attitude, our thoughts, our actions and our experience, and gives us more reason to pass on a loving and genuine act to others in our lives.

What do you do to stay healthy?

Massage, music, yoga, daily meditation, prayer and exercise (including practicing Ashiatsu barefoot massage!), diet, active lifestyle, education and intellectual challenge, hard work, hydration, time outdoors, walking, swimming, time with family and friends, and activities that bring me joy and physical wellbeing. Mostly improving my attitude, beliefs and self talk, and staying grateful, humble and joyful.

What do you like about working at Myo Massage?

Myo is my favorite job ever! I like the business, the space, the owners, the therapists and the staff. After working here for over fifteen years, many of them have been very influential and meaningful in my life. The atmosphere is professional but natural and comfortable. The clientele really love the place and give a lot of compliments and appreciation. The business is run by massage therapists who are very conscious and informed about caring for the client, the practitioners and the service. Communication is friendly and effective, and standards and values are healthy and respectful. I feel good about giving my time to this work here, and enjoy and appreciate the people I spend it with. I see clients all day coming out of treatments happy, relieved and thankful, and watch talented practitioners making an honest living doing quality work. I am so grateful to work here!