Light Sculpture Art by Agoya
I look forward to recreating the Touch Lifting Community (TLC) Program “‘Massage For Peace” in New York State as I get settled in here. Below are programs I created in San Francisco and on Cape Breton Island….
This is a brief introduction to the history of Peer to Peer Children’s Massage. (We inadvertently recorded the videos in the Selfie Mode so apologies as all print is reversed!)
This is a “Play Along” demonstration of Peer to Peer Massage for children and for those who are young at heart! My willing model and Beloved Partner, Ronnie Figueroa, who is a Holistic Mental Health Counselor consider ourselves sen-agers…senior- teenagers and have fun sharing healing massage, touch and hugs regularly! https://theholisticenergyhealinginstitute.com/
If you would like a written handbook just contact me and I can send you a complimentary copy as an attachment!
(We inadvertently recorded the videos in the Selfie Mode so apologies as all actions and all print is reversed! When I was drawing letters and words on his backs it is also confusing because I actually drew a letter “p” on his back but it looks like a “9” which is what he guessed!)
Touch Lifting Community
I helped develop a community service program called the Touch Lifting Community Program or TLC Program in 2001 at Novella Day Spa. When I moved on to focus on my own business I adopted the Program into my private practice.
Each week during the school year I drew a San Francisco school teacher’s name and gave them a complimentary massage. There were 12 schools benefiting from the program. I wanted to reward teachers for their dedicated underpaid work and to see if I could build a cadre of teachers fired up with the goal of introducing a program in the schools to teach children to massage one another. Unfortunately the School Board was not willing or ready to allow such a progressive program.The TLC program was officially expanded in 2005 to include any individual who is doing exceptional work in the world and whom I feel deserves to be “Pam-purred”!
Massage For Peace
In 2009 a friend who knew of my frustration to create a school program for children’s massage suggested I approach an independent after school program. I was thrilled to be warmly welcomed and started “Massage for Peace” at Thrive House in the Fillmore Neighborhood in San Francisco. Thrive House offered, tutoring, cooking classes, swimming, outdoor activities, music, yoga, meditation etc. to our demographically mixed neighbourhood of predominantly AfroAmericans Latinas and so massage fit right in to their program.
I adopted techniques similar to the ones used in Sweden’s “Peer to Peer” Programs many years ago in which school children learn to give one another safe touch and massage starting in kindergarten. In that program every morning there is time allocated for a massage exchange between pairs of students who would like to participate. They are fully clothed and sit at their desk leaning forward with their head resting on their arms. They are asked if they wish to participate and their wishes are respected if they don’t want to but they have to stay in the same room and do a solitary activity like reading. It was found that those who might at first not wish to join in usually did so subsequently as they could see how much happiness it was creating in those giving and receiving the massages. Teachers report that the level of aggression and violence substantially decreased and empathy and compassion were increased.
We found similar results in San Francisco where the young ones (5 and up) often arrived stressed and hyperactive but settled down to a very relaxed, calm state after they massaged one another with “peaceful touch”. I made up playful names fro massage strokes,” the lobster claw” when like squeezing the trap muscles, “cat paws”, palms gently down the back, “milking the cow” as we squeezed the arm and pulled the fingers etc. What I discovered was that I was doing more than teaching them massage, I was giving them permission to do what comes naturally! They invented new strokes and blissfully shared their inborn human gift of nurturing touch. We could see that they also developed bonds that increased empathy and compassion, decreased bullying and aggression that ultimately helped them feel more grounded, relaxed and integrated in their bodies. Massage releases endorphins like oxytocin aka “the love hormone” and decreases the stress hormones. For fun to see if could remember the name oxytocin I told them you all know that we need oxygen to breathe right? Imagine a circle on the floor and when you put your toes in to get massaged…you feel much better…. Oxytocin like Oxy-toes-in! Each week they would return with wonderful stories about how proud they felt that they massaged their, Mama and Papa and GrandMa and baby brother and sister AND the family pet! I did this program weekly for 5 years but Thrive House unfortunately closed and I am keeping my heart open to finding another location where I can continue on with a new group of children, hopefully here in New York State!
C-elder-bration
C-elder-bration was a massage program I co-developed with my Aunt, Carolyn Marchand, at Wilson House in 2003 to show respect to our Elders. Family and friends honored the residents including my grandmother, Gladys MacEachern, by presenting a living tribute,recounting their lives and accomplishments. Each Elder was invited to share their wisdom with those gathered at the celebration and given a chair massage afterwards.
Season for Non-Violence
The Season for Nonviolence (SNV) was co-created in 1997 by Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun and his wife, Sunanda, founders of The M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence, The Association for Global New Thought (AGNT) and The Martin Luther King Social Action training programs. I was so inspired by the CDROM that contains the programs, exercises and educational materials that I decided to record the Public Service Announcements on our local radio station KPOO in San Francisco and now every year the station plays the PSAs from January to April.
The CDROM contains an incredible amount of material including:
* Endorsements from the United Nations, Nobel Laureates, The Dalai Lama
* Principles and Quotes from King and Gandhi plus a 7-week study series on Gandhi’s spiritual practice, guiding principles of Spiritual Activism
* Stories of famous heroes, prayer circles, prayers and sermons
* Writings from Riane Eisler: Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence, (SAIV)
* Non-violent parenting and Third Side approach for resolving conflicts
* Teacher lesson plans
* Pledge of Non-violence
* Forgiveness works
* 64 ways and spiritual practices
* Press, media support, PSA’s and letters to sponsors
The Season is the 64 days from January 31 to April 4, the anniversaries of the assassination of each of these peacemakers. Over 20 cities, 40 states and 10 countries have declared the Season since it’s inception. Hundreds of unique events and programs continue to be carried out at the local level, achieving wide coverage in print and broadcast media. Over 400 major Peace organizations, religious, business, arts, and learning institutions have elected themselves as official co-sponsors of the Season for Nonviolence.
“The primary objective of A Season for Nonviolence is to create an awareness of nonviolent principles and practice as a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and communities. Through an educational and community action campaign, we honor those who are using nonviolence to build a community that honors the dignity and worth of every human being. By identifying “what works” in these new models for reconciliation and human harmony, we demonstrate that every person can move the world in the direction of peace through their daily nonviolent choice and action.”
I am not an official member of any of the 3 groups who merged to create this body of work but I share their goal, each of us taking responsibility to create a peaceful world starting with ourselves … one which is inclusive rather than divisive. World Peace Starts Here!
I feel like a farmer planting seeds so I am hopeful that these PSAs will blossom and grow!
Association for Global New Thought
Email: snv@agnt.org or 805-563-7343
Vision: Peace through Touch
I believe in the Ripple Effect. When people are relaxed, feeling safe and peaceful, that has a positive effect on everyone they encounter.
My gift of touch has helped me see how vital it is in facilitating peace in the world. When someone comes to me who is stressed, angry and upset I see the positive transformation that occurs during the massage. Soothing, nurturing touch calms the person and helps break the negative emotional cycle. When we are stressed, our bodies catapult into the “Fight or Flight” mode of the Sympathetic Nervous System producing norepinepherine and cortisol.
When a person receives a massage their body enters the “Rest and Digest: mode or Parasympathic Nervous System in which our natural morphine like substances, the endorphins, are produced. The Touch Research Institute at The University of Miami has discovered that this beneficial effect happens not only in the person getting the massage but in the person giving the massage as well!
I see my role as a facilitator in your healing. Our bodies are inherently self-healing and it is my goal to help you discover how to create balance in your life. I wrote this little poem that I feel is true.
“Pain is your teacher…
First it will whisper,
Then it will shout,
Then it will hold you hostage…
Until you figure it out !!!”
We can create imbalances physically when we strengthen our muscles more than we stretch them or vice versa. When we are not being true to ourselves emotionally or spiritually it can also manifest as muscle tension and pain in our bodies. “Acid thoughts” are as debilitating as lactic acid in the muscles! When we receive a massage we have an opportunity to sink into our mind, body and soul and listen deeply to what they are saying.
I like to encourage people to follow their heart and share their special gifts with the world. I am blessed to be able to do work that I love… it’s been said if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life!!!
I hold a larger vision that I share with any touch practitioners, that is to see everyone on the planet receiving and giving nurturing touch on a daily basis. People in our society are touch deprived which can lead to depression, alienation, loneliness, promiscuity and even aggression.
Students in some countries like Sweden learn to give one another safe touch and massage starting in kindergarten. Every morning there is time allocated for a massage exchange between pairs of students who would like to participate. They are fully clothed and sit at their desk leaning forward with their head resting on their arms. Teachers report that the level of aggression and hyperactivity substantially decreases when the programs are instituted.
There are massage studies created by The Touch Research Institute in Florida which pair elders with babies with the touch deprived condition called failure to thrive. They were born to mothers who were addicted to crack cocaine. They cannot determine who is benefiting more from the massage, the Elders who are giving it or the babies who are receiving it! A great win–win program