​Years ago when reading Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” I was struck by something he mentioned early in the book: Character Ethic versus Personality Ethic.

In the 1970’s Covey did an in-depth study of success literature in the United States. He found that in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, the literature shifted focus from developing principles like integrity and trust (Character Ethic) to a focus based on techniques to manage how one appears to others, manipulation of perception (Personality Ethic). Here’s a video of Stephen Covey explaining this concept. 

In both my work and personal life, I am passionate about and committed to transformation for the long-haul. This is work that involves introspection and self-awareness - in the realm of character ethic - and is not a quick and easy endeavor. And yet the messages all around us, from books, podcasts, articles, companies, social media “influencers,” seem to echo the same unrealistic message of “Get Great Quick” personality ethic. 

Messages like “kick those bad habits forever, guaranteed!!” and “achieve your wildest dreams in just three days!!” offer shortcuts, quick fixes, and one-size-fits-all instructions, but they don’t work, not for real change. These techniques might help with some initial success but they don’t last.

Why? Partly because personal work is ongoing, and often involves daily practice rather than one-and-done. And partly because each of us is an amazing individual. And to continue to develop our character, uncover that amazingness, we have to put in effort tailored to our own lives. I call it shoveling out the stable. You’ve got to move out the manure (old habits, patterns, beliefs, and behaviors) in order to really see what you are made of. 

This is sometimes hard work, but it is good work. Work that you’ve probably already been doing in order to get through life’s sometimes excruciating curve balls. Developing character, inner awareness, new insights, and changing actions to get different results is truly a lifelong process. It is rewarding to apply new learning and to cultivate new habits in order to go through the day proud of how you look, feel and act.

I think Stephen King says it best: “It is the dab of grit that seeps into an oyster's shell that makes the pearl, not pearl-making seminars with other oysters."

Originally published July 2022

​The eastern sky is glowing, the mountains dark against the rising sun. Pearl Lake is silent, the early morning breeze riffling the glassy surface. I paddle steadily, skirting the lake’s edge, and look to the opposite shore, where I catch a flash of white against the grayish blue water. A few minutes later, I come upon the source of that white - three pelicans move easily amongst the grasses then out into the open water, their strong flipper-feet creating ripples that stretch behind and around them in a large wavy V. 

These are American White Pelicans, and they are native to Colorado. Their winter grounds are along the Gulf Coast, southern Texas, and as far as South America. 

In unison, the three angle their heads slightly to the side and back, the better to keep their literal side-eye on this stranger on a paddleboard. A couple summers ago, there was one lone pelican who seemed elected as the delegate. It paralleled my progress, keeping just a few yards away, never taking its calm, watchful eye away from me. The bird most likely had its reasons, but I attributed its behavior to part curiosity, part suspicion, and part hopeful that I might just have a large tasty fish I’d toss its way. 

The pelicans seem an ethereal presence in this alpine setting. They don’t blend the way the ducks and great blue herons do. They aren’t shy like the greater sandhill cranes, whose presence I am only aware of from their haunting calls echoing through the Pearl Lake valley. The pelicans move in a way that signals self-assuredness, confident of their place on this lake.

There are much larger nesting colonies throughout Colorado, in larger bodies of water. Why does this little group come here? Are they the same group year after year? Do they remember and return intentionally, or randomly find themselves at Pearl?

Imagine the daily feast they have, with Pearl’s fish population mostly all to themselves. Imagine how it would be to take flight over Pearl, wings stretching over four feet to either side, strong and sure.

Sources/Learn More

• Steamboat Magazine: The Pelican Brief
• NoCo Wildlife Center: June 3, 2025 Pelicans really do live in Colorado! 
• iNaturalist Guide: Wildlife of Steamboat and Pearl Lake State Parks: American White Pelican

​Independence, noun: the ability to live your life without being helped or influenced by other people. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Tomorrow is Independence Day in the U.S. Flags, parades, hot dogs, hot weather. Summer’s climax. 

But on this morning’s hike, straps biting into my shoulders with 20 lbs of dumbbells in my daypack, I have another sort of independence on my mind: independently aging. To me that means aging capably, cultivating resilience in both body and mind as the years go by.

Surely this starts with mindset. Because, things happen as we age. Unexpected things like a chronic pain or illness, a cardiac event, an injury that takes five times longer to heal than it used to. Things that start to make us reluctant to venture out. Things that make the chair in the summer shade or the soft warm winter couch alluring for too many days or hours. Those cozy spots are siren calls, and we might then find ourselves wrecked on the rocks of stiffness, immobility, enervation and ennui. 

Sometimes mindset needs a little work. Those mornings when I dread getting out of bed to go run up a hill, I think into the near future, when I’m back from that run. I know I’ll feel energized, clear-headed, and fully alive. I know that the sooner I get out the door, the sooner I’ll be drinking coffee and eating my yummy breakfast. Cultivating this discipline helps my mind stay resilient in the face of discomfort and challenge.

Physical challenges are sometimes a matter of the patience to build up to something. Doing fingertip pushups to make my hands stronger for my massage work has been a game-changer. Several years ago, I could have quit and chalked it up to my hands being too old and too tired. I decided instead to get stronger. At first I could just do two or three fingertip pushups. I’m now doing 60 (to be clear, I’m on my knees). Building the strength in my hands and arms means that I continue to do the work I love, and the sense of capability plays out in other areas of my life as well - like paddleboarding Pearl Lake!

Independently aging also means having the perspective of the long game. Things might take longer to do than they used to. Healing time might be longer, recovery and rest are more of a priority, new goals need a longer timeline. I so often hear from folks older than me their seeming amazement that they haven’t recovered from this injury or that joint replacement within the tiny window of time they allotted. I wish they’d tune in to what their body requires, work together with their own body as a team, and I think the recovery would be much more successful despite the time necessary. This too speaks to cultivating resilience. 

Years ago, I had a client named Sylvia. Sylvia was a feisty Italian woman who’d run a grocery in New York City with her husband while they raised their family. Due to an aneurysm decades before, Sylvia had progressive neurological issues. The warm pool at the retirement campus where I worked was important therapy for her, and she’d get a massage afterward. 
​
She’d come down the hall to my office, first with a cane and later in an electric wheelchair, her white hair elegantly styled, make-up and dress impeccable. This took a painstaking amount of time, but Sylvia would not walk out unless her appearance was just so. She did everything this way. 

Getting ready took longer and longer as she moved more slowly. She shared how it might take her two hours to get a simple meal together at her home, where she lived alone. There came a day when she hired someone to clean, and then someone to take her to the grocery store. I asked her about that. She said, “I hope that I’m never too stupid to ask for help when I truly need it.” 

Her words have stayed with me. Sylvia was independently aging. She had the discipline, the mindset, and the courage to live her life on her terms. When challenges came, she figured them out. Even when it meant being smart enough to ask for help when she was ready.

​​Last August my daughter joined some friends for the final 75+ miles of the Colorado Trail from Molas Pass (near Silverton) to Durango. You can read about that in my post The Million Dollar Highway. Her friends completed the entire length of the trail, 567 miles, over several weeks. At the time, I hadn’t realized that the Colorado Trail, or CT, wasn’t completed until 1987. Though its conception was in 1974, the project languished due to lack of interest and funding until Governor Dick Lamm in 1985 pushed for its finish. Golden spike ceremonies in September 1987 marked the completion of the CT.

This July I’m trekking a few miles of the CT with my adventure-loving daughter. We’re planning five nights on-trail, covering about 60 miles. To be clear, Charlotte could do the 60 miles in three days. I’m feeling very lucky that she’s willing to meander next to me, barely breaking a sweat, while I huff and puff up and down the climbs. 

I’m not sure about you, but I tend to get a wee bit anxious with a trip like this. So I’m taking my training seriously. Dumbbells in my daypack give my legs and back that extra challenge as I hoof it up Mt. Werner or Emerald Mountain. I climbed Emerald twice last Sunday, and messaged Charlotte in a panic on Monday that my sore muscles might not be up to the task at hand on the CT - multiple 12-mile days. She calmly explained that no, you don’t get up in the morning with a spring in your step feeling like a million bucks. You are sore, tired, and use duct tape on your blisters. This is life on the trail.

When I asked a friend of Charlotte’s who is doing a portion of the Continental Divide Trail, also in July, what she’s doing for her training, she told me, very kindly, that well, at her age she really didn’t need to train. Ah, yes. Youth and its many benefits.

But training has its benefits too. I notice that hiking with my weighted pack, though challenging, has actually helped my legs feel better - stronger and more balanced with the need to recruit every one of those leg muscle fibers not only on the climbs, but stability on the descents as well.
I can feel my back getting stronger. And my home strength training is supercharged with the new goal of being as strong as possible for the trail.

On my way up Lane of Pain near the top of Emerald the other day, I was counting my steps, a little trick when I’m tired to get me to the top of a climb. In my tuckered-out state, I was moving pretty slowly through a shaded area and caught a lovely whiff - of the wild pink roses blooming all along the trailside. There were dozens of small orange butterflies taking delight in the almost imperceptible moisture on the ground. Were it not for my training and heavy pack, I might have missed this little piece of paradise.

Learn More
Colorado Trail Foundation: Key Events in the History of The Colorado Trail

Important note: Hiking Hahns Peak is a unique adventure held in many hearts. At this moment, Hahns Peak is in jeopardy, as it is included in the 14.3 million acres of Colorado public lands (250-300 million acres nationwide) that would be for sale under the current Budget Reconciliation Bill. 
Learn more in this Yampa Valley Bugle article.
See map of lands for sale and take action here.
​
*******
June Jaunt Up Hahns Peak
Early one Thursday morning in late June, my daughter and I turned onto the dirt road directly across the highway from the Columbine General Store. The reviews we’d read didn’t exaggerate about the deeply rutted road. Jolting and jouncing, we at last catapulted over a steep rise and into the small parking area. I was grateful that my SUV earned its title on that trek. Compared with the approach, the trailhead parking was luxurious - a peaceful and empty patch surrounded by evergreens. More importantly, it was flat. 

We headed up the lovely alpine trail, with plenty of gorgeous views - nothing but mountains to the west as far as the eye could see. Once we hit the talus field on the ridge at the top, my acrophobia kicked in. My go-to in these fear-of-height situations is to drop down to a pseudo-crawl and speak words of encouragement to myself. Works well for getting to the top, and is pure hilarity for my daughter - I heard her quietly snickering and turned to see her taking a stealth video of her nutty mom. 

The Hahns Peak Lookout is such a cool structure. The view of Steamboat Lake and the 360’ surrounding mountains was fabulous. It was especially lovely to see Pearl Lake from here. The rest of this summer, while on my Pearl Lake paddles, I’ve gazed at the Hahns Peak Lookout lit up by the sunrise, and think of the fun we had that morning.

Hahns Peak Specs

• Elevation is 10,839’ above sea level (the 1972 US Geological Survey says “about 10,840 feet” and in a Google search several different elevations were listed, which I found both interesting and strange). 
• The mountain is an extinct volcano.
• Was known by trappers back in the day as “Old Baldy.”

A Little History
What is now known as Routt County was the summer hunting grounds for the Indigenous Ute Tribes, and possibly the Cheyenne and Eastern Shoshone as well (Interactive Map Native Land Digital: maps Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages - you can type in your address to determine which Indigenous Peoples originally lived there.)

Eventually trappers, explorers and gold miners made their way to the region. That’s where Joseph Hahn comes in - he found gold in the vicinity of present-day Hahns Peak.

The story is that three men, Hahn, Doyle and Way, were prospecting and winter set in. Way was dispatched to get supplies and return - he left, taking with him all the gold in camp, and was not heard from again. After surviving until April, Doyle and Hahn set out on snowshoes. They made it to the banks of the Muddy Creek on April 30, 1867, near Kremmling. The two men sat down for a rest, and this is where Hahn collapsed and died.  
Steamboat Pilot Article Sidebar: Mysterious Fate of Joseph Hahn
Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection: Hahns Peak Monument to Man Who Perished After Gold Discovery

Hahns Peak Lookout
The Hahns Peak Lookout started as a stone shelter when in 1908 it was commissioned by the Forest Service as a fire lookout. Between 1908 and 1912 people and horses packed up concrete, local stone and timber to construct the building. (Colorado Preservation: Hahns Peak Lookout)

The lookout was decommissioned in the 1940s or 1950s, and fell into disrepair. In 2014 it was listed as one of Colorado Preservation’s “Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.” Between 2014 and 2017 the lookout was restored as part of a joint project with Historic Routt County, USDA Forest Service, Historicorps and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. (Historic Routt County Hahns Peak Lookout)

Hahns Peak Village
Hahns Peak Village began as a gold mining camp, and had the first post office in Routt County. It is the oldest permanent settlement in Routt County, and served as the county seat from 1877-1912. The schoolhouse, opened in 1912, held its last class in 1943.
Hahns Peak Area Historical Society
Northwest Colorado Cultural Heritage Travel: Hahns Peak


​Originally published August 2023

​The official flag was established by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. Flag Day was officially declared in 1949 by President Harry S. Truman.

The seven red and six white stripes symbolize the original thirteen colonies, and the stars the fifty states. “The colors of the flag are symbolic as well; red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.” (PBS: The History of the American Flag)

Growing up, Flag Day was always a bit of a mystery to me. Why was it on the calendar? What did it mean? 

The flag, Old Glory, means different things to different people. But the underpinnings I believe are shared values. Freedom. Opportunity. Equality. Dignity. The sacrifice of those who’ve died under the banner of the flag. The flag is the symbol of a nation of immigrants, people who’ve been coming here for hundreds of years to seek a better life. In war time the flag could mean support, help, safety. 

But the symbol of the flag doesn’t always live up to the promise. I think of the indigenous peoples of the nation and the violence and betrayal that the flag must represent to them. I think of immigrants in current times and the violence and disappearances - surely the flag doesn’t represent freedom or safety for these people. And I think of the opportunity that is many times denied to marginalized people. There is a harsh reality underlying the original vision for what this country and its flag would mean to the people actually living here.

It is complex, this idea of the symbol of our nation. I still can’t say that I fully grasp all that is meant by Flag Day. But it is tomorrow, June 14, and it is time to emphasize the highest intentions of our flag. The American flag represents our unity as a nation, as a people. Many people have fought and died for the freedom the flag represents. The dignity with which the flag is treated, the humility of lowering to half-mast in the event of a tragedy, the exuberant pride as it flies decisively across a royal blue sky - all appeal to those qualities in ourselves. 

May we treat one another with dignity, honor, and respect. May we have pride in ourselves and our communities, maintaining the understanding that all people are inherently equal and valuable. May we, as a nation, cultivate empathy and work to resolve the problems we have in common. 

With liberty, and justice, for all. 


Sources/Learn More
PBS: The History of the American Flag
PBS: What is Flag Day?
The Fulcrum: Reclaiming the American Flag

​The word community is on a lot of lips these days. As our world descends into ever-increasing violence, unkindness, and online siloing, being in proximity with caring people, actual in-person community, is one relevant antidote. Connecting with, reaching out, being there to support - these mean a great deal in the fractured now. 

The etymology of the word community, from Old French, is “the common people” - distinct from rulers or clergy - and “commonness.” I grew up thinking of the word common to mean base or lowly, a bit of a slur. To be uncommonly good at something, to rise above, was the aim. I still believe that working to be a person of quality moral character, that is, someone who cultivates awareness, takes action to support and be kind to others regardless of religion or politics, and learns from and apologizes for their mistakes, is a worthwhile way to live.

But I now take a different perspective on the idea of “the common people;” rather than lowly, the common people are those who put their commonality in front of their differences. If a neighbor knocks on the door because they need food, aid for an injury, or help moving a heavy item, we don’t first assess all the ways in which we differ. We see that they are a person in need, as sometimes we are in need. Basic needs are often a commonality.

Last weekend my daughter ran her first marathon - the Steamboat Marathon. She ran a consistent race, thanks to her disciplined training, and I am beyond proud of her mindset, her strength, and the huge smile on her face right to the finish line. While on the side of the road ready to cheer her on, another woman was also there to cheer on and we struck up a conversation. I didn’t know her, I didn’t know the runners going by, but we cheered and the tired runners gratefully acknowledged the enthusiasm. We had formed a sort of community based on our excitement for them to finish, the understanding that they were in the tough part (hot, tired, ready to be done), and our belief in and encouragement of their accomplishment. 

There are the communities of long-standing. Folks who’ve been coming together for meals, sports, books, games, etc., for months or decades. People who give rides to that test at the hospital, text or call when there’s been a power outage or illness, celebrate the births and graduations of kids and grandkids.

Community can be brief, temporary, lifelong. Right now, maybe it is time to expand the idea of community. By that I don’t mean invite the stranger you see on the street to an intimate family dinner, although that could be interesting. What I mean is, begin to focus on what you have in common with people at the grocery store, on the trail, and yes, even driving. This is not easy. In all three of those situations my go-to is usually a version of “you are in my way and please be gone!” I’m not proud of that, but I’m being honest.

If I focus on the commonality, it looks more like: “hm, looks like they’re just trying to get their groceries and get outta here, same as me,” “well, they are appreciating this beautiful river like I do,” and “we’re both frustrated with all the cars on the road.” Looking at what we have in common is the way to shared humanity. 

To take that further: if I feel surprised and irritated by a large medical bill, I think of the people who literally do not have the funds to pay that bill, or who don’t have health insurance. With rising prices on food items, I can choose other options - but I can still buy food and not everyone is in that position.

Finding commonality, feeling community with people who are not in our normal circles isn’t about feeling guilty or sad, although awareness is heartbreaking. Rather it is about humility, an awareness of what we do have, and a way to keep in mind the compassion and understanding of people who are in dire or different circumstances. There but for the grace of God go I.

From this place we act. Awareness is important, acting on that awareness is non-negotiable. 

To be truly in community we can’t just have all of our feelings and awareness and stay at home. Community is viable and thriving when we jump in. We help the neighbor, honor the get-togethers of our friends and families, and also find a little time to engage by volunteering. Or maybe time is so short we donate $10. If we forget what we have in common and make a mistake, we apologize and repair. We make it right. 

Community is give and take. We find commonality, practice awareness, take action. This is when a community of the common people is a living, breathing thing, when there is a recognition of oneself in others, when we’ve created a net that is strong, even stronger in its mended places, so that it continues to grow and support each one of us for a long time to come.

​​It is spring, and Mr. Marmot has made his annual appearance at the gazebo outside my office building. He guards the rocky entrance to his subterranean abode, slouching back against the wooden gazebo base, short front arms resting on his chest, watching the world go by.  His lounging comes to an abrupt end when anyone or anything is too near. He glares, harrumphs, and then disappears down the burrow. 

The marmots living in Colorado are yellow-bellied marmots. Marmots are also known as rockchucks and whistle-pigs. They can be over two feet long, and weigh roughly eleven pounds. They prefer chomping on flowering plant stalks but will feast on green grasses and leaves as well - the important part is to eat, and eat all summer long, as they must put on lots of fat to make it through their long hibernation. They lose half their summer weight during hibernation, and hibernation is a major factor in their mortality: not enough weight going in, or a burrow not deep enough, means they won’t make it to spring.

With the arrival of spring, and plenty of green foodstuffs, the marmots lose no time in mating. Mama Marmot will give birth to anywhere from three to eight little ones. The gestation period is only 30 days - imagine producing up to eight babies in just one month!

No wonder Mrs. Marmot is a rare sight around our gazebo. She needs all of her energy to grow those teensy ones, and once they are born, she needs all of her energy to nurse them in the burrow. At 20-30 days the babies are weaned and begin to step out. This year I’ve counted five baby marmots at the gazebo, all roly-poly miniatures of their parents. These little balls of joy scamper about, though under the watchful eye of Mr. (and sometimes Mrs.) Marmot, and never too far away to quickly dart under the protective gazebo, inquisitive face peering out from the shadows.

Marmots are typically out of the burrow for mid morning and early evening meal times - much of the rest of the day they are in the burrow. This is partially to avoid predators like owls, golden eagles, hawks, coyotes, and weasels. 

Our marmot family doesn’t seem to follow some of the behavior mentioned in some articles. For example, there is no evidence of the burrow harem of several females - it seems Mr. and Mrs. Marmot of the gazebo are monogamous. Also, though eating is most likely high on their agenda, most of the activity I observe is playing, rolling, running around, and basking in the sun. They also don’t do a lot of whistle-warning, they simply slip into their burrow sanctuary. 

As the summer days become warmer, and the marmot babies become larger, Mr. Marmot seems to relax a bit. He waddles around showing off his successful weight-gain, and last year he somehow made it to the gazebo railing where he posed his sleek self for all to admire.

Seeing the marmots each year is something people frequenting the building take great delight in.There is a bit of happy hopefulness to see this furry family in action. Something comforting in their day to day, in the safety of their gazebo burrow, under the luxuriant green shade of old tree friends, in their play, in their cycle of life that keeps on keeping on.

Sources/Learn More

• Yampatika: Wildlife of Steamboat 
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Yellow-Bellied Marmot
• National Park Service: Marmot
• YouTube video: Meet Colorado’s Marmots

​When I first started listening to podcast pieces about Chap GPT a couple years ago, I felt one part fascination to nine parts dread. After all, I’d seen the Terminator movies. I knew where this was all heading. AI was about to take over the human world and run it for themselves - we didn’t stand a chance.

AI isn’t all Hollywood evil. It has helpful applications in small businesses, for example, doing the grunt-work of writing things like grant applications, proposals, etc. It can free up those in small businesses for more human-skilled tasks. AI can be used to polish resumes and cover letters, acting as a personal editor to some degree. On a broader scale, AI is used to improve efficiency of energy grids, and can help address the complexities of the climate crisis. When used for the power of good, the promise of AI is a more sustainable future.

On the flip side, AI raises environmental concerns. To name a few: the use of water for building and then cooling the electronic components, the high use of electricity to power AI, the large land area accommodate AI centers, the electronic waste produced as innovation results in obsolete technologies, and the negative impact of mining the metals used in AI. These concerns could be addressed by thoughtful policies - indeed, over 190 countries have agreements regarding ethical use of AI, but environmental concerns are not, at this time at least, included in these agreements. There is also the possibility that AI could be used to generate misinformation about the climate crisis. (UN Environment Programme: AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that.)

What about the implications of AI for writing? From some poking around on Google, the jury is out as to whether or not using AI to generate an essay or other written piece is considered plagiarism. Some state it is unequivocally so, while others take the view that since a specific work is not being directly copied from, using AI is not plagiarism. Consider, though, that AI is digitally sprinting around the internet gathering information from bazillions of human sources for its responses. Those human authors do not receive credit. AI, by lifting those author’s words directly, is certainly plagiarizing from their work, as is the person utilizing AI for their essay, however indirectly.

While it is true that AI has useful and meaningful applications, I continue to be a member of the Chat GPT resistance when it comes to writing. I think much of my resistance stems from the fact that I am a writer. 

One of the most frustrating and ultimately rewarding things about writing is working through the words, sentences, and paragraphs to say what you really want to say. Constantly checking a thesaurus, re-working, deleting and sometimes starting from scratch, are the ways I sift through to the essence of what I’m trying to get across. Mostly, writing is distilling many ideas to the truth.

Is the finished product perfect? No. Would it be more polished if I “ran it through Chat GPT?” Very likely. But here’s the thing. My finished work is written by a human (me) for other humans. AI can not ever write from the truth of human experience because it is not human. If it poses as human, the writing is dishonest. And one of the basic tenets of writing is honesty. It is one human’s truth of experience that resonates with another human. 

AI has real promise. AI has some maturing to do, and some ethical and environmental boundaries to be laid. While all that is going on, I’ll be writing my own words, from my own truth.

Sources/Learn More

• UN Environment Programme: AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that.
• SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson): Will AI be Net Good or Net Bad in Terms of Sustainability?
• Gravel to Gavel: AI Needs Critical Materials, Fast! But From Where?

​Have you ever walked out of a massage feeling more stressed than when you walked in? Probably not. Most clients look more relaxed through their faces and the way they are holding themselves, and report that they feel more at ease. Some tell me how much better they sleep that night. 

What does the research show?
Numerous studies have shown that massage decreases stress, anxiety, and depression, in populations young and old, in preterm infants and their parents, in pregnant women. For example, one study measured salivary cortisol (stress hormone) in both preterm infants and their mothers before and after the mothers massaged their infants. Cortisol levels significantly decreased in the mothers after giving the massage. Although prior studies have demonstrated the benefits of massage for this population (preterm infants and parents) using observational data, this study was the first to measure a physiological stress marker. (See study here.)

Another study in 2020 looked at chronic back pain in women, and specifically the effect of massage on pain and depression. The study utilized massage techniques that focused on slow, superficial strokes along the back, shoulder and neck, and found there was a significant decrease in pain and depression compared with classic massage technique. (See study here.)
 
Massage can ease held emotions
You may have heard that emotions are stored in the body. One possible explanation for this is that in a situation where a strong emotional reaction is involved, a person may physically hold themselves back from expressing their feelings. This holding back results in tension in the muscles and connective tissues doing the holding. During a massage, when the muscle tension is addressed and released, the emotions which created the tension can also release. 

This is where the skill, professional training and emotional capacity of the massage therapist come into play. Although a massage therapist is not a psycho-therapist, and thus can not provide counseling during a massage session, the massage therapist can provide a supportive and calm environment for the client. This can include design elements of the massage space, like the colors of the artwork and walls, easy and soothing music, a slight amount of aromatherapy, and a comfortable massage table and room temperature. The massage therapist builds trust by tailoring the massage to the client’s needs, honoring what comes up for the client (words, tears, silence), and providing a space of acceptance and compassion throughout the session.

Massage therapy truly is both physically and emotionally healing.


Sources

• American Massage Therapy Association: Beyond the Physical: Massage Therapy for Emotional Health
• American Massage Therapy Association: A Growing Body of Research Supports the Positive Impact of Massage Therapy for Mental Health
• Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic explores: The role of massage therapy for mental health