What is the 'm' technique®?
Course Description
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Certification
Testimonials USA
Testimonials UK
What is the 'm' technique®?
Touch is one of the basic forms of communications, yet many
of us are afraid to touch those who need it most. The ‘m’ technique
is different from massage and can be learned in 2 days! The
'm' stands for manual to separate it from massage which needs
many more hours of study.
Dr Jane Buckle created the 'm' technique® as a communication
tool for nurses. Her patients were critically ill: many had
breathing tubes and were unable to talk. She wanted to find
a way of communicating with her patients and felt that touch
was the way. She trained in massage, but found that much
of what she learned was inappropriate in a critical care
setting. So, she started experimenting with slow stroking
movements. Gradually a pattern emerged and the
'm' technique® was
born! After Dr Buckle moved to the USA, the 'm'
technique® became
an integral part of her certification program, Aromatherapy
for Health Professionals. This program has been taught in
almost every State in the USA since 1994 and is one of the
most respected trainings in clinical aromatherapy. There
are several certified RJBA instructors who teach the course
now Dr Buckle has returned to the UK. Please see Instructor
bios for list.
Student found the ‘m’ to be a valuable tool.
It was particularly helpful to nurses as it enabled them
to ‘be’ with their patients. Nurses in critical
and palliative care appreciated being able to do something
pleasurable for their patients, or to do something when there
was nothing that conventional medicine could do. Massage
Therapists enjoyed being confident to touch very fragile
clients. The word spread and a separate certification course
was created for those wanting to learn the ‘m’ technique® without
doing the Aromatherapy for Health Professionals course. Click
here for details on the ‘m’ technique certification
program. The word spread to England and in 2004, the first
courses were held in Colchester and Oxford, UK. A 1.5 hour
teaching DVD/video was made for students taking the course
and for others who just wanted to know what it was.
Non-health professionals wanted to learn the
'm' technique® too,
and in 2006 the 'm' technique® course was opened
up (in the UK) to anyone wanting to touch a sick loved one
to relieve pain, anxiety or distress. (Due to licensing laws
in the USA, the course is only available licensed health
professionals in the USA. However, the purchase of the video
is open to all). The 'm' technique® is suitable for all
health professionals, but also caregivers, family members,
or volunteers. Click here for details on the ‘m’ technique DVD/video.
The 'm' technique® is a method of structured stroking.
Each movement and sequence is done a set number of times,
in a set pattern, at a set pressure and set speed that never
changes. This makes it extremely easy to learn. And because
the technique is structured in terms of order, number and
pressure, the technique is almost completely reproducible
and therefore useful in touch research. The 'm'
technique® works
on skin receptors that send signals to the brain. The technique
has been described as physical hypnotherapy and a 'spiritual
dance'. The ‘m’ is also effective through thin
clothing.
In 2005, research was carried out at University of Pennsylvania
using SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
analysis. A radiopharmaceutical was injected intravenously
into subjects who were SPECTed then ‘m’ed and
then SPECTed again. The scans before and after the 'm' technique® were
compared (65 areas of the brain). This research is being
presented at The American Massage Therapy Conference in Cincinnati
September 2007.
The 'm' technique® was registered by the Patent and
Trademark Office of the United States Department of Commerce
in 1997 and approved in March 1998. The ‘m’ technique is protected in USA and UK - worldwide pending. The
'm' technique® is
currently being taught at universities and nursing colleges
in the USA and is part of nursing procedure in several hospitals,
such as Valley Health, Ridgewood, NJ. The 'm'
technique® is
also used in several US and UK hospices such as Scranton
Hospice, PA, USA and St Helena Hospice, Colchester, UK. It
is particularly useful in terminal agitation, fear and chronic
pain.
The Teaching Video accrues CE's for LMT's and RN's in the
USA. Click here to order the video.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement:
Jane Buckle is the director of RJ Buckle Associates LLC which is an continuing education company. RJ Buckle Associates LLC owns the M Technique registration mark and receives monetary compensation for education about the use of the M Technique, including this activity.
Course Description
The 'm' technique® certification course is available
wherever we have an instructor, in the USA and the UK. Many
instructors will travel. There needs to be a minimum of 12
people to make that viable. The cost is $375 in the USA and £200
in the UK.
Due to licensing laws in the USA, the course is only available
to licensed health professionals in the USA where it accrues
14 Contact Hours for nurses or massage therapists. In the UK, anyone
can take the course - no previous experience is required,
although some people may find the intensity of the course
challenging.
This is an experiential, hands-on course. Parts of the body
covered are: head, face, hands, feet, legs, backs of legs,
arms, stomach, back shoulders and neck. Please come with
shorts and short sleeved t-shirts. The ‘m’ can
be given over thin clothing. Please let your instructor know
if you have cultural requirements that would prevent you
from disrobing.
Find a Course
To search for a course, click
here. If you have any questions,
please email rjbinfo@aol.com. We try to respond as quickly
as we can, but we do have full-time jobs as well
Certification
Or if you are a licensed health professional, you can become
a certified 'm' technique® practitioner by completing
the 14 hour course, purchasing the DVD/video, practicing
for at least 20 sessions and completing both the multiple-choice
test and 2 case-studies. The case-study format will be given
to you during the second day of the course.
To become an 'm' technique® instructor, you need to
first become a certified practitioner, then practice for
about a year, and then have your instructor put your name
forward. You will need to document an additional 10 full
body 'm' technique® treatments and complete a one day
instructor training program. Instructor programs are only
held once a year in USA and UK.
Testimonials USA
"The 'm' technique®‚ reflects the very heart
of patient care through gentle and meaningful contact between
patient and caregiver. The 'm' technique®‚ offers
a sound adjunct therapy to enhance the true quality of patient
care".
Dr Linda Scaz PhD
Director, Mercy Hospice, Scranton, PA
"The 'm' technique®‚ is easy and effective
and a superb way to use aromatherapy. It is especially great
for stress; being nearly physical hypnotherapy. I highly
recommend its use by all health care practitioners".
Dr Woodson Merrell MD
Director, Wellness Center
Beth Israel Medical Center, New York
"The 'm' technique®‚ is invaluable for the
assessment of tissue and is extremely relaxing. It can be
used in daily practices by massage therapists and is a very
safe modality. The saying 'first do no harm' really applies
to The 'm' technique®."
Stephen Hagen LMT
Anchorage Massage School, Alaska
"The 'm' technique®‚ allows me to connect
to the human element, and to deliver care that is compassionate
and healing. It is a superb tool to use in Critical Care
nursing, often allowing a patient to achieve a deep relaxation
often not possible by other means."
Lori Mitchell BSN
Critical Care Nurse, Kalispell, Montana
"I use the 'm' technique® on
a fragile octogenarian with increasing dementia and trouble
ambulating. She has severe kyphosis and other spinal problems,
and is in chronic spasm in parts of her back. She is far
too fragile for regular massage therapy. The
'm' technique® helps alleviate her
pain and contribute greatly to her ability to relax. I've
seen her weekly for over 2 years, as her family feels it
helps her enormously. "
Kathy Wood RN LMT, Atlanta
Testimonials UK
"I believe the ‘m’ technique® opens
an alternative communication pathway and acts as a powerful
catalyst – one
that gives my patients a sense of peace, and to some extent
acceptance of the inevitable. I had not been aware that there
was something ‘missing’ in the care they were
receiving, but use of the ‘m’ technique made
an immeasurable difference to the dying process and allowed
me to respond to patients in a way I had not been able to
before."
Elaine Syrett RGN. Hospice Home Nurse. London.
"I feel invigorated and nourished when I use the ‘m’ technique on my clients – it is as though I am moving in a hypnotic
dance – one which allows me to totally concentrate
on body feedback. I feel much more in tune with my client
as I don’t have the distraction of deciding what needs
to be done next."
Fea Templeton. Massage Therapist. London.
"I found the ‘m’ technique to be profoundly
relaxing for my clients – more so with each treatment
as they knew exactly what was going to happen. They said
their general feeling was one of being cocooned within a
safety zone."
Barbara Capener. Volunteer Sue Ryder Hospice. Gloucester.
"I found the effects of the ‘m’ technique quite different to massage when working with a patient with
profound learning disabilities. Usually during massage this
patient fiddles or grabs at herself, or at me. With the ‘m’ technique,
she became relaxed much quicker, smiled and made “happy
sounds”. She also allowed herself to ‘let go’ in
a way I had never witnessed before."
Sue Robinson. Aromatherapist: Exeter, Devon.
"The ‘m’ is much lighter and more soothing
than conventional massage. Muscle tension seems to just melt
away with the rhythmatic stroking and responds better than
with deeper kneading massage. Patients seem to relax quickly
and deeply."
Sara Percival RN. St Helena’s Hospice. Colchester
“As soon as my hands began the ‘m’ on
her legs, she quietened, her breathing deepened, became more
even and she visibly relaxed. I taught her friend now to
do the strokes and we worked side by side, one on each leg.
We continued this routine, which was familiar to her as I
had done it several times before. I am told she did not wake
again, but drifted off and died peacefully later that day.
There is no doubt that the ‘m’ was the answer
to this patient’s peace. But it also gave me peace,
to do something when nothing could be done."
Homecare Hospice Nurse. Cheltenham
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