Elizabeth's blog

Hamid is a great Licensed Massage Therapist.  I first met him in June of 1999.  I always knew he had an amazing gift for massage. While he attended EWC I had the honor of having a massage from him in the student clinic.  His massage was extra-special and he really seemed tuned in to me emotionally.  Since then I had the pleasure of keeping up with him by reading his blog http://www.transcendingtouch.com/blog/blog_portland_massage.html where he opens his heart to the world.  He has also blogged about the extensive advanced training he has done in massage therapy.  I have had several massages from him in the last four or five years and he is able to tailor his massage to match what is needed. He utilized heat packs (hydrotherapy) into the massage and the result allowed me to move and bend my body with less pain.

What a pleasure it is to speak to our alumni!  Erin is in the process of applying to an Occupational Therapy program. Erin came to Portland to attend EastWestCollege of the Healing Arts from Minnesota and started school in 1999.  She was interested in Occupational Therapy then and now it seems like a natural step to enter into the OC field.

Michael Gill spoke at East West College's massage career preview today and did an amazing demo of Thai massage!  He is so cool!

Michael does exclusively Thai massage in his Southeast Portland studio on Clinton. Michael studied Thai massage in Portland and in Thailand: at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand. You can read more about him on his site http://bodywork-mg.com/about.html .

It was so nice to hang out with him today and hear how things have been for him over the last eight years of working in massage therapy. I really respect that he is able to do massage and also has time to devote to his music.  Michael is so soothing to listen to and I was enthralled watching him do the demonstration of Thai bodywork. It seemed so effortless!  The guy he worked on seemed to really like it. Michael was so good at answering the prospective student's questions.  I really appreciate the alumni of East West College!

  Who is the most highly recommended among males with healing hands? According to Portland Mercury it is our own East West College of the Healing Arts graduate Chris Lacey! Chris does Thai massage at the Woodstock Wellness Center and at the Khalsa Pain Relief Clinic on SE Hawthorne. On Chris’s website he helps people understand what Thai massage is and why it might be great for you. He says, “So what are some reasons to try Thai Massage instead of another massage modality?

Individually East West College of the Healing Arts alumni therapists are great, and add them together…and ZAMA! They are fantastic! Zama Massage is comprised of at least five alumni and has over 40 years of combined experience. They are dedicated to providing an environment that encourages health, well-being, and wholeness.  I spoke to Lynn Bukowski recently and am so proud of her accomplishments.  I remember completing her admission paperwork on October 13th, 1998. As is typical of our graduates, she enjoyed giving friends and family massages as a kid and has always loved helping others feel better. I was excited when she founded Zama Massage with another EWC grad Ambert Dunsmore in 2003.  I’m a friend of Zama on Facebook! And I think Ambert sums up why I am such a big fan with his personal philosophy: “The future is bright and open for possibility.”

Michelle Graf-Martin is a recent graduate of East West College. She has done a great job of explaining Thai massage on her website http://www.akesomassagearts.com/2.html and what to expect from a Thai session.  I had a two-hour Thai massage and had an amazing experience after the massage. I had an hour before I needed to pick up my daughter from a lesson and had intended to do some grocery shopping before I picked her up. Instead I headed over to the rink, eager to watch her skate. 

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in massage? I was talking to one of our alumni today and she was telling me about what she is doing right now. Beth Allen said, “It was massage school that led me to where I am today, a student of physical therapy at the University of Washington. At first, I had no intention of becoming a physical therapist, this came after working as a massage therapist. I worked in a hospital setting with other physical therapists and began to clarify that this was the direction I wanted to take. I was very interested and still am in the value of therapeutic touch and providing that healing space between patient/client and therapist.

  Today I talked to Ingrid Judson, who graduated from East West College in 1992. Ingrid works in Alaska and talked to me about what it is like to be a massage therapist in Juneau. She said that Juneau only has 40 miles of paved road and its hard (and expensive!) to do continuing education in massage. Alaska doesn’t license massage therapists, although Anchorage regulates massage therapists. Ingrid said that people in Alaska don’t always welcome government interference and estimated a 50/50 split of people who felt there should be a state license for massage. We talked a bit about Oregon’s massage license and how the state tests applicants on the science of massage and although Ingrid says she doesn’t think state licensure should be required in Alaska, she does value science education.

As the Dean of Admissions at East West College of the Healing Arts for many years, I have had about 3,400 people tell me their plans to work as a licensed massage therapist.  I feel much invested in their successes and I’m so very proud of our alumni that I just have to share some of their stories of how they are healing our community.