Metta Massage

A Little Change & A Lot of Gratitude 💛

When I started Metta Massage in December 2019, my vision was to make massage accessible to people who may not have a lot of discretionary income, but who could benefit from making it a regular and consistent part of their health and well-being self care routine.

It brings me a tremendous amount of satisfaction to know that I accomplished that. One of the greatest measures of that success has been staying consistently booked since I opened my doors. I am incredibly grateful for the trust and loyalty that has made that possible.

As I move into this next chapter, I’ve decided to scale my schedule back in order to attend to my personal life and obligations, particularly as my husband navigates some health challenges. I will be significantly reducing my schedule, and with that change comes some exciting news that I’m happy to share with you.

I am going to be sharing my massage room with a wonderful therapist who has over 13 years of experience and whom I highly recommend. We have traded services with each other many times over the years, and I’ve been fortunate enough to call her both a friend and colleague for the past 6 years.

Her name is Candy Hypes, and I trust her completely. I’m very happy to welcome her into the space and introduce her to all of you.

This change isn’t about stepping completely away from the work I love. It’s about creating more room for the things that matter most while continuing to serve my clients in a way that feels sustainable and meaningful.

Thank you for your loyalty, your trust, your referrals, and for allowing me to be part of your wellness journey. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and everything you have helped me build over the years.

With love and gratitude,
Rhonda
Metta Massage

When I first started practicing psychology, I sat across from people who could not function. Who couldn’t stay awake during their sessions due to being over-medicated, and who were still desperate for relief despite treatment. People who wanted help and didn’t get a blueprint for how the body and mind are connected. And how we have to use protocols to heal the body in order to become well.

That clinical experience changed my life. It made me a dedicated student. I devoted myself to learning more and devoured all I could on nutrition, the gut, and trauma. And in the haze of my own brain fog and depression, I finally started to see a way out as I put into practice everything I learned.

Everything that was left out of my PhD program.

Many people belief I’m a torch the system person. I am not. I support a wide modality of treatment. Contrary to what people say I believe, I support and have treated, countless people who take medication. I’m open to what people tell me they experience. And, I believe that people are their own best experts on what works. Especially when they’re fully informed. Especially when they get the whole story, including the story that their body is a miraculous, selfhealing vessle.

Mental illness has been heavily marketed as a chemical imbalance. As a simple “broken brain” concept that’s handed down genetically, leaving us powerless and destined to simply manage symptoms. We ignore the well-studied placebo effect. The power of belief. And the incredible power of gut and mitochondrial healing.

The system tells one chapter of a story, and that leaves people in the dark about what steps they need to take. And how they can take them. That darkness is what inspired me to bring the greatest experts into selfhealerscircle to teach what I wish I had access to when I needed it most.

My heart is with anyone going through the darkness right now. It’s with people who have been shrugged off and left hopeless. My respect is with all the educators out there teaching with passion and purpose— gifting content every day on these platforms to bring the truth to people who need it most

Slow is an intentional strategy when working with fascia. 🐌

Fast strokes create quick sensory signals. Slow, sustained pressure can keep some mechanoreceptors active while contact is maintained.

This is why we take our time at Metta Massage.

We're giving the nervous system space to register our input and respond before we move onto the next area of the body.

(OP and photos from Sarga Bodywork)

1MettaMassage.com

The fascia research coming out keeps reframing how we see and understand the body.

A 2024 review published in Frontiers in Neurology establishes fascia as a regulatory system in health and disease.

Here's what that means:

Fascia is highly innervated and rich with blood vessels, lymphatics and receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters.

It doesn't just passively connect these systems.
It actively REGULATES communication between them.

It also shows how neurology and connective tissue are intimately interdependent systems.
Both are critical in regulating many of the body's functions.

When you understand this relationship, you unlock new perspectives on how fascia influences bodily regulation.

This paper also suggests that fascial restrictions may contribute to pain patterns and movement dysfunction.

The bottom line is this:
Your fascia is an active participant in pain, movement, health and nervous system function. Take good care of it! ❤️‍🩹

A myofascial approach to bodywork has never been more important. 🙏

Many peoples nervous system have been on high alert since the
terrorist attack of 9/11/01… economic collapse, political divide, pandemic, repeat, repeat. It’s like having the gas pedal pushed down to the floor and the brake on at the same time.
Massage can help you reset yourself.
💆‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️💆💆🏻

The Sympathetic Nervous System

You know that scene in a scary movie where the character reaches for the basement door?

The house is quiet. The handle turns slowly. The music builds. Each step down is careful, breath held, their heart pounding so loudly it feels like it might give them away. Every sense is sharpened, and every shadow brings a sense of urgency. The body is no longer just walking down the basement steps, but it's preparing for survival, for the unknown.

That is the sympathetic nervous system.

We sometimes confuse it as being the villain of the story, but in fact, it is our guardian. When the brain senses threat, the amygdala signals the hypothalamus, and a cascade begins. Adrenaline and noradrenaline surge, while our cortisol rises, and our blood flow is redirected from organs to muscles. The body becomes action-ready, sensation-focused, and future-oriented as you slowly begin to descend the stairs.

Years ago I described this system like a pot of water sitting on a stove, and the image has never left me. When the flame turns on, it serves a purpose. Heat gathers, molecules move faster, and energy becomes available for us to use.

A short boil can be helpful.

A rolling boil can save a life.

But so many people are living with the burner always lit; sometimes at a low restless simmer, and others at a violent boil, but rarely ever turned fully off. Deadlines, trauma history, relationship strain, constant input, lack of sleep, unprocessed fear, and a culture that rewards urgency. The flame keeps licking the bottom of the pot and no one remembers to remove it from the heat.

Now if the body is largely water, imagine what chronic internal heat does to the bodies landscape. Inflammation rises. Tissue repair slows. Hormone rhythms drift. Even mood changes, because long exposure to stress chemistry reshapes our neurotransmitter balance. Our sympathetic system was built for moments of fire, not a lifetime slowly burning on the flame.

So much of regulatory work is not about silencing this system but about completing its cycle: removing our pan from the stove, then taking the time to replenish our water.

Draping as Dialogue

If there’s one thing bodyworkers know how to do, it’s debate draping. We talk about it in classes, online forums, break rooms, and comment threads. We defend how we were taught, question how others do it, and sometimes draw firm lines around what feels “right.” And honestly, that makes sense. Our understanding of draping has been shaped by our education, our mentors, our laws, our cultures, and our own comfort levels. But perhaps we can approach this conversation in a way that brings more understanding and depth.

In the healing arts, draping is often introduced as a rule to be learned and mastered. A sequence of folds practiced until it becomes automatic. Those rules matter. The laws, ethics, and professional standards of our states and countries are crucial. They exist to protect everyone in the room, and honoring them is part of holding safety and integrity in our work.

And within those boundaries, thoughtful adaptation remains both possible and appropriate.

As my career unfolded, working in different countries and with diverse populations quietly expanded my understanding of draping. I started to see how culture, personal history, and lived experience shape what safety feels like on the table.

Some clients feel completely at ease with glute exposure. Others only relax when all their bodywork is done through the sheet. Some respond best to a half-drape or a quarter-drape. Some need the sheet tucked firmly and held close to feel secure. Others soften when the fabric is loose and breathable. Over time, I realized that each preference carries meaning. Each one tells a story about the body it belongs to and none of them are wrong.

What became clear to me is that the real issue isn’t finding the correct drape. The issue is assuming there is only one.

When we focus too narrowly on doing it “the right way,” we risk overlooking the person in front of us. Many clients have never been told they have options. They don’t know that comfort can be discussed, adjusted, or personalized. They often assume that whatever happens on the table is simply how massage is done, even if their body is quietly bracing beneath the sheet.

Draping, at its core, isn’t about exposure or concealment; it’s about communication and consent. It’s a conversation that begins before our hands ever touch tissue. When we take the time to educate our clients about what’s possible within our legal and ethical scope, we invite them into their own care and we give them permission to participate rather than endure.

This approach doesn’t take away from professionalism. It deepens it. It allows us to honor the nervous system and recognize that every body arrives carrying their own culture, memory, and lived experience.

As Body Artisans, our role isn’t to defend a single method; it’s to remain curious. To follow the laws that guide us while still listening closely to the human being on our table. When draping becomes a dialogue rather than a directive, trust settles in. Safety becomes felt, not assumed, and the work naturally deepens.

The best time to start was years ago, the next best time is today…
I am not starting the New Year with any resolutions.
I am starting today to take steps in supporting my future self with healthy habits and a lifestyle that gives me the best opportunity for finishing my race well.