Presented by Melanie Levesque

More Than Muscle Tension explores how abuse and relational trauma can affect the brain, body, and nervous system—and how understanding these physiological effects can help RMTs provide more informed, trauma-responsive care.

Clients affected by abuse and relational trauma may present in massage therapy practice with concerns that appear, at first glance, to be primarily musculoskeletal. This webinar looks beyond muscle tension to explore how trauma can influence the brain, body, nervous system, stress responses, pain, guarding, touch, and a person's capacity to settle or feel safe. Through a trauma-informed lens, RMTs will consider how these physiological effects may shape client presentation and what this means for communication, clinical reasoning, consent, pacing, and treatment within RMT practice

Key Learning Outcomes

• Describe keyways abuse and relational trauma can affect the brain, body, and nervous system.
• Recognize how trauma-related nervous system responses may present in massage therapy practice, including patterns such as guarding, heightened arousal, difficulty relaxing, and altered responses to touch or stress.
• Differentiate between viewing a presentation only through a musculoskeletal lens and considering relevant nervous-system and trauma-related influences.
• Identify trauma-informed considerations for communication, consent, choice, pacing, and the treatment environment.
• Apply a more informed, non-assumptive lens when responding to clients whose presentation may be influenced by trauma, while remaining within the RMT's professional scope.

CMTO Competencies

• Communicate effectively
• Function in a client-centred manner
• Use an evidence-informed approach in your work

About the Presenter, Melanie Lévesque

Melanie Lévesque is a Registered Massage Therapist with more than 20 years of clinical experience, bringing a deep understanding of massage therapy practice, patient care, and the evolving role of RMTs within healthcare. She is a full-time Professor and Program Coordinator in Massage Therapy at Conestoga College, where she teaches and leads curriculum in evidence-informed practice, clinical care, and emerging trends in the profession.

As Founder and Lead Trauma Education Consultant of Voices Unbroken Education, Wellness & Consulting Inc., Melanie brings together her clinical background and specialized education in trauma-informed and somatic approaches, domestic violence and coercive control, nervous-system regulation, and family mediation.

Her work translates complex trauma and nervous-system science into practical education, helping healthcare professionals understand how trauma can influence the body—and how that understanding can support safer, more sensitive, client-centred care.

Notes:

-Registration Deadline: Monday October 26 by 2:30p.m.
-All webinar registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited capacity on total registrations per webinar.
-Webinar will be recorded. All registered participants will receive a link to the webinar recording. Access to the recording will be available for up to 3 months from the webinar date.

Recording Consent Disclaimer for RMTAO Webinars:

This webinar will be recorded. By registering for the event, you are providing your consent to being recorded and the use of your image and voice by the RMTAO in replaying the webinar in the future.