Bodywork == Debugging Code

When I tell potential employers I also do massage, they always seem to highlight that it is so divergent from coding. Personally, I have never felt that the two are that different. Here is why:

Most people have an idea of what they perceive to be "massage". What that is, I can not control. It's pretty much based on what they have experienced previously. Usually however, their idea of what it is...is simply not what I do.

While I am intuitive and do practice compassion and holding space for my clients to simply be for a short time, I do not and never have considered myself a "spiritual healer", nor do I intentionally manipulate their energy. That is just not my realm. 

The body work I do is very technical and is like solving a puzzle. I work with muscle relationships. I talk to clients about their activities and injury history, do some movement assessment, look at the kinetic chain, possible Trigger Point referral patterns, observe compensation patterns, misalignments and imbalances, then address--not necessarily the muscles that the client complains hurt, which could actually exacerbate the problem they are having--but often the muscles that are opposing the strained tissue. It is often confusing to the client ("Can you please spend more time on my back? That's where it hurts."). It's not always pleasant--and it's not for everyone. But with clear communication, and a collaborative process, it works. Together, my clients and I have many times discovered the root cause of an issue that they have been trying to resolve for years. It demands a passion and a curiosity for the structure of the body and a desire to enable it to function optimally.

I bring that same curiosity and passion to a body of code.

I was explaining this the other day to a small group of Ruby developers, and someone made the connection I have been trying to articulate for so long: "It's like debugging code!" YES! FINALLY! Someone gets it! Thank you Zassmin.

Yes, I am excited and proud to say: "I am a bodyworker AND a coder, and they are not that different, regardless of what your preconceived notions are!"