Insight into the massage therapy encounter: a developing model

Presentation: International Conference Platform Presentation - Highlighting Massage Therapy in Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research. (Seattle, USA)

Massage therapy can be considered as a modality or discipline within the domain of Complementary and Integrative medicine (CIM), and involves the manipulation of soft tissues for therapeutic benefit.  Whilst massage therapy research is still in its infancy, some promising findings on the effectiveness of massage therapy are emerging.  However, little is known internationally about the nature of the massage therapy encounter, or the reasons why the use of massage therapy by the general public is increasing.  The objective of this study was to describe the valued characteristics of the therapeutic encounter and outcomes that encourage repeat users (clients) to return for further treatment.