132: Bodywork and Grief (with Ronna Moore)

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of massage therapy, grief, caretaking, and end-of-life. We touch on global palliative care practices, the role of touch in support for those experiencing grief, navigating sensitive conversations, and creating safe spaces for clients. Our guest, Ronna Moore, a massage therapist with over 40 years of experience, specializes in oncology and palliative care, and is pursuing a doctorate in public health focusing on the role of massage therapy in palliative care. Join us to gain insights into shifting therapeutic mindsets and exploring practical resources to support those experiencing loss.

Key Topics

• 01:19 Guest Introduction and Personal Connection
• 02:08 Exploring Grief and Loss in Massage Therapy
• 03:43 Understanding Palliative Care
• 05:22 Palliative Care Practices in Different Countries
• 23:16 The Role of Touch in Therapy
• 35:18 Role-Playing Therapeutic Conversations
• 36:46 Navigating Grief in Therapy
• 37:48 The Importance of Sensitivity
• 38:10 Avoiding Unhelpful Phrases
• 39:12 The Paradox of Comfort
• 40:15 Shifting the Therapist Mindset
• 47:05 Creating a Safe Space
• 50:01 Understanding Grief Models
• 54:46 Resources and Final Thoughts

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ronna's grief recommendations:

  Frank Osteseski’s book The Five Intentions is a really valuable guide/resource for me in palliative care and its ‘aftermath'.

  I also appreciate Ronald Epstein’s book: Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity

  Mary-Frances O’Connor: The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

  Mary-Frances O’Connor: The Grieving Body (to be published in 2025)

  George Bonnano: The Other Side of Sadness AND George Bonnano: The End of Trauma (both of these have a resilience orientation which appeals to me).

  TED talk by Abraham Vergehese emphasising the humanity of care.

  Articles:

  https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-26629-017.    (A polyvagal approach)

  O’Connor, M.-F. (2019). Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81(8), 731–738. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000717

  O’Connor, M.-F., & Seeley, S. H. (2022). Grieving as a form of learning: Insights from neuroscience applied to grief and loss. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 317–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.019

  In Australia, we have a professional body called Grief Australia which is a great resource for PD/education (amongst other things). Perhaps there is something similar in the US.

  https://www.caresearch.com.au/Portals/20/Documents/Health-Professionals/TheRoleOfSkilledCompassionateTouchInGriefSupport_RonnaMoore_ACGBConference2018-1.pdf   

  What's Your Grief (you have already) has some good descriptions of the models of grief I mentioned (Dual Process Model and Growing around Grief), and there are others as well.

  Compassion Cultivation Training: https://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/education/cme/cct.html

  Mindful Self Compassion: https://centerformsc.org

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