Modules

Holistic Massage

This academic year is all about holistic massage. You will learn several coordinated techniques for a full body massage. Attention to a correct, efficient body posture while giving massage, the quality of touch and massaging from calmness and being present.
The techniques can be divided into connecting techniques and focus techniques. Connecting techniques mainly consist of long massage strokes, forearm techniques and movement techniques with the emphasis on the connection of the different parts of the body. This combination is usually experienced by many people as being wonderful.

They create relaxation and connection with the whole body. The focus techniques are on specific muscle groups to stimulate blood flow to the area, to remove waste products and to help improve muscle function. These techniques also feel good, especially for the tense body parts that need some extra attention. It is essential that you understand the position and function of the muscles. Therefore, the lessons are combined with the study of anatomy and palpation, which have been developed in a ‘hands on’ way. You learn to massage from a basic attitude which your own grounding is essential. Working from the whole body is central to all forms of massage. That is why there is attention during the lessons about your own body and body consciousness. For example, there will be regular movement exercises and self attention and discovery exercises during classes.

Therapeutic Education
Therapeutic training is aimed to be an encounter with yourself. In addition to the teaching weekend, there are two separate days in which the introduction of the character styles and the introduction of the method ‘focusing’, developed by Eugene Gendlin, are also covered. The weekend is from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon at an external location and is completed with self-examination in
the form of movement, bodywork, meditation.

Movement Education
Exercise education is an important part of the curriculum. In these lessons you will learn through movement how to be in contact with your own body and you gain insight into your own movement patterns. Body awareness is essential to be able to give good massages.

Practical Learning
The Practical Learning lessons are intended to support students throughout the course
in the development towards a professional practitioner, in the first year as a masseur and in the following years as massage therapist. In these lessons you will learn treatments, or a series of treatments and what aspects are involved. In practice you will eventually start to integrate what you have learned from the different lessons and subjects during your period of education. The practical assignment is an important part of this course. You practice independently with giving sessions to test subjects. Practical experiences are discussed in working groups and in lessons And topics that are relevant in this regard. Finally, receiving sessions from professionals, including your own teachers, are part of this course.

Course Information

• 25 days of lessons
• Incl. 2 retreat weekends on location (Friday evening to Sunday) on average € 300 per
weekend (incl. food and drinks).
• Undergo three sessions with selected massage therapist
• Home study
• Homework and assignments
• Reading literature
• Review

Overview study units basic year massage therapy:
• Holistic Massage Connection 19 SP
• Holistic Massage Focus 7 SP
• Palpation/Anatomy 6 SP
• Practice Based Learning 8 SP
• Therapeutic Education 9 SP
• Movement Education 4 SP

Program Costs
The costs for the course holistic masseur are € 2,990. This is excluding stay of the retreats weekends on location, the textbook literature, and the three sessions that you must undergo at a professional massage therapist during your academic year. Payments by instalments is possible.
The costs of the internal weekends on location, including food and drinks, are approximately € 350,- per weekend.

Literature
• Boswijk-Hummel, L. (1999). The anatomy of love, the energy of the heart in relationships. Haarlem:
Torch eg.
Holistic Massage Focus / Anatomy and Palpation
• Biel, A.R. (2014). Trail Guide to the Body – How to Locate Muscles, Bones and More, 5th edition.
Boulder: Books of Discovery.
• Salvo, G.S. (2014). Mosby’s Pathology For Massage Therapists Third Edition. St Louis: Elsevier.
• Frederick, R.J. (2014), Embrace your emotions, free from fear of your feelings. Amsterdam
• BoomDe Bruijn, E. (2014). Focusing – The power of inner listening. Wooden: Terra Lannoo.

Exams
There are various test moments during the year and the year is concluded with an exam.

Instructors
• Jet Keizer
• Mariken van de Bovenkamp
• Mirjam Visser
• Natasha Meijer

Registration procedure
You can register via the button below. Fill in the requested information and enter a (to) payment, you will receive an email with more information about the intake interview with head teacher Jet Keizer. You then make an appointment and register after an informative conversation

Occupational perspective
After obtaining the certificate as a Holistic Masseur after the first year of professional training, it is possible to work as an employee or freelance in saunas, gyms,beauty salons, holiday resorts or in hotels.

Masseur or massage therapist?

In the course holistic masseur you learn to give an effective, relaxing massage and you become more and more aware of your own relationship between body and mind. The above courses support you in the process of your personal development.
The course is also intended to investigate whether the massage therapy course is suitable for you and whether you want to continue with the massage therapy programm (3 more years).

How can you tell the difference between massage and massage therapy? A masseur gives a session and receives the client, a massage therapist, in consultation with the client, determines a treatment plan to work on together. The massage therapist learns to guide a process of personal growth, in which there is more presence and input from the client, this is expected more in a session than just focusing on relaxation.
After completing the first year, you will receive the Holistic Masseur certificate. You are then ready to get started at saunas, wellness centres and spas or you can integrate what you have learned in existing work. Think, for example, of a coaching practice, a job as nurse or activity director. You can also start a practice aimed at giving relaxation massages. However, with this Holistic Massage certificate you cannot join a professional association. This is possible after the vocational training.

Diary of a student

Day 1, 6 Nov Course holistic masseur: I’m about to start!
Hi, I’m Marleen, 45 years old, and I’m going to give you an insight into my experiences as a freshman massage student holistic masseur. It’s exciting. We are 16 students, a not too large group, and that is nice. There are now extras measures due to Covid, but the atmosphere is relaxed. Of course, there is a lot of practical information, questions about the study guide, books, tutorials, etc., but soon we are doing touch exercises, we move and we learn to give feedback. That’s a bit uncomfortable at first, of course you do not want not hurt anyone else. However, it is such a safe environment that giving and receiving goes very well. Personal development is important this year and I notice that right away. There is a lot of space for it.
You learn this by doing and feeling and a lot of practice! OK…. But I’m not worried. Jet’s guidance is soft, but also focused.
Before you start, do you have an intake interview with Jet? She said to me: ‘At the end of the year you can give super good massage.’; I trust that. My intention is therefore to take this step by step, it will be fine.
The first day passes quickly and there I am, back home. Satisfied, tired, but most of all I am looking forward to the next days!

Day 4/5/6, 27 Nov A whole weekend away!
The first weeks passed so quickly. From day 1 I started massaging a lot, you have to do it and it really grips you. You mainly get to know the technique and be able to apply it, but I know that there is still some playfulness to it.
Giving energy to the client, but also receiving energy at the table, also requires practice. I have now experienced what it is like to give yourself completely as a masseur, I was really broke the rest of the day! That is of course not the intention….
This weekend also gives energy, but in a different way. The fellow students immediately feel familiar and the practice session during the weekend are very valuable. Of course, it’s different now due to corona, the protocol is there for a reason, but still, we are a group, and everyone becomes accepted as they are.

A new calendar year! January 9
If you think that massage therapy is just learning techniques, you are wrong…. In addition to the Holistic Massage Connection and Holistic Massage Focus (different handles!), There is also a lot of room in the curriculum for personal development and deepening.
In Physical Education you go deeply into your own body. How can you improve on getting to know the human body? With yourself of course! Not only in movement, but also in reaction. Most events also have an impact on your body. So, move a lot and do a lot of exercises together and also alone in this lesson.

Practical tests March 24
The basic year is only 5 months later, and it is unbelievable to think that you can now give full massages. With satisfied customers. Of course, the Academy wants you to show these new skills. You will give a fellow student a massage in a quiet setting. With a good intake interview and massaging in 75 minutes. Well, that’s pretty long, isn’t it? Meh, in practice that goes pretty fast….and like everything else in the course, the teachers are there to help you. So, a discussion about the session and good feedback are important.