What's up with Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts?

Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts was what I referred to as a "massage school with heart" from 2001-2011.  The Durango, CO  massage and energy healing school has officially ceased operations. 

I almost feel as if I'm writing an obit because I have so many good things to say about the school and all the people who were involved over the years.  I (Rebecca Mauldin) founded RMIHA and had a feeling of great things to come.  I had no idea!!   From both professional and personal perspectives, owning the business offered me all the potential for growth I could have imagined.  We had some really amazing teachers and the students and I learned tons from them.  I could tell stories forever and maybe someday, we'll all get together for a grand reunion and do just that!  Many of the students will be in my life forever.  And if you feel you've lost connection and are reading this, add a comment and we'll reconnect!  Massage education was and is a passion for me.  I believe that body work and physical healing is an integral part of healing the whole of our lives, individually and collectively.  So it only made sense to me to create an incredibly excellent massage school where students could learn the physical elements the science of massage in detail, but could also explore the spiritual and emotional dimensions.  What a grand ride it has been.

Many people have asked why the school is closing.  Basically, it's that I'm being called to new ventures.  As fulfilling as RMIHA was, there are new things out there for me.  Running RMIHA as the sole owner, took a huge investment of time and energy from me and it's now time to open that up for something else. 

To all of you who've come to this post looking for RMIHA info, thanks for your interest.  To those of you who've been a part of it all, much love and gratitude.

Rebecca

Garage Sale on the Way!!!

Details to come, but be prepared for a great garage sale of RMIHA goodies.  Includes massage tables, stools & supplies, books, office furniture.  It'll be a great time and a good chance to pick up some bargains.  Next weekend in Durango!

NCBTMB Announces Specifications for NCAP

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has drafted specifications for their National Certification for Advanced Practice. The draft may be viewed online at their website. The specifications are being posted for review and you can post your thoughts and comments online as well.

The proposed certification is separate from the basic national certification you may already have. It is not designed to be an entry level certification that can be used for licensure, but instead is intended to reflect advanced knowledge and ability. Check it out!

NCBTMB Announces NCAP Test Specifications

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has drafted specifications for their National Certification for Advanced Practice.  The draft may be viewed online at their website.  The specifications are being posted for review and you can post your thoughts and comments online as well. 

The proposed certification is separate from the basic national certification you may already have. It is not designed to be an entry level certification that can be used for licensure, but instead is intended to reflect advanced knowledge and ability.  Check it out!

What is It Coming To?????

Many of you readers have probably received the following notice from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. For those who haven't, I'm reprinting it below my comments. I read it with a combination of horror and resignation. I have been watching the changes in the massage education field with the same, I must say. I understand that change has to occur. It's inevitable of course. Back in the day, people learned to be massage therapists through books and apprenticeships. Then educators and state boards decided the process should be more formal and more appropriate for the profession. What I have noticed of late is the loss of many of the education providers who were in it for the love of massage therapy. I've witnessed the birth of massage education based on profit and not passion. That seems to be what we're witnessing all around us here in the United States. I do my best to support local businesses and avoid generic or mass produced items, but it's not always easy. I'd love to hear from all of y'all about the trend in products and services being driven by economies of scale. Or is it even a trend or just the way things are now?

I know it's not large, ethical corporations that are driving the incredibly unethical practices NCBTMB is addressing.  But I'm wondering if there's any correlation.  Haven't all MTs been taught about the massage school scandals that brought about the ill repute of massage therapy in the first place?  I guess I'm thinking what MT would allow anything like this to happen???  I know I'm rambling, but I'd like to get some discussion started here!

So...here's the press release from NCTBMB:

As you are undoubtedly aware, there are ever-increasing issues of illegitimate massage schools, organized prostitution and alarming occurrences of human trafficking affecting the reputation of the massage profession. In order to do our part to restrict the ability of these illicit institution’s students to become nationally certified, NCBTMB has spent the past 18 months developing and implementing a national School Compliance Program.

The School Compliance Department at NCB works to identify and investigate institutions that give the appearance of operating in an illegitimate or fraudulent manner. The department conducts in-depth research when it finds inconsistencies and abnormalities in information submitted by schools, such as transcripts and attendance records or falsification of certificates and diplomas.

The outcome of these investigations has resulted in NCB imposing sanctions which, in some cases, have prohibited a school’s graduates from sitting for the National Certification Exams. NCBTMB then shares this information with state regulatory boards and local law enforcement agencies on a monthly basis, and it is posted on our website. This ultimately helps legitimate schools by protecting their reputations and underscoring the standard of excellence they uphold.

In order to help draw attention to the disgrace of human trafficking and its effect on our profession, we have created this brochure: Human Trafficking – What You Need to Know, which is being distributed to massage schools and other stakeholders nationwide. The brochure was produced in partnership with Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. You can order copies of the brochure online at www.ncbtmb.org. We hope you will share them with your faculty, students and peers.

Together, let’s all work to raise awareness and help eliminate human trafficking in the massage therapy profession. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our School Outreach Department at schooloutreach@ncbtmb.org or call us toll-free at 1-800-296-0664.

With kindest regards,

Paul R. Lindamood
Chief Executive Officer