Benny Vaughn: Massage Therapists Should
be Proud of What They Do

The massage-therapy profession is on the cusp of acceptance by medical professionals and the larger public, according to sports-massage expert Benny Vaughn, who gave the keynote address at the annual convention of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association.

"The massage profession has spent countless hours building credibility—which has given even skeptics pause to look, listen and learn about the human spirit," Vaughn told his audience. The topic of his address was "Professional Self-Esteem." The convention was held June 27 through July 1 in Orlando, Florida.

Vaughn has 32 years' experience in sports massage and runs an athletic-therapy office in Ft. Worth, Texas. He is known internationally as an expert in the assessment, treatment and care of sports-related soft-tissue dysfunction.

"Professional self-esteem means looking at what we do with a high regard because what we do makes a difference in people's lives," Vaughn said.

"Our profession, our wonderful profession of massage therapy, is judged by how we educate ourselves and how we conduct ourselves with the public," he added. "Professional self-esteem means never saying, 'I'm only a massage therapist' when asked, 'So what do you do?' Say, 'I am a massage therapist and I have an office in this building.' Look them in the eye, offer them a hand shake and hand them a card."

The massage profession has experienced positive growth over the past several years, Vaughn said. "The field has done a huge amount of work to foster professional credibility … Massage therapists should be proud of what they do."

—Karen Menehan