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Diversity in Therapeutic Reflexology

The world is focused on racism at the moment, but the good news is that Therapeutic Reflexology is totally non-racial and welcomes diversity.  In today’s post, we’ll consider diversity in Therapeutic Reflexology because Christo Scheepers loves touching lives through touching feet since 2003 and he has provided reflexology to many people from various ethnical backgrounds and finds each pair of feet fascinating.

 

Therapeutic Reflexology is a registered healthcare modality in South Africa formally regulated by the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) and is therefore available to all people regardless of diversity factors like age, culture, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or social status.  Anyone can make use of Therapeutic Reflexology and the Therapeutic Reflexologist will provide quality therapy irrespective of the factors of diversity mentioned above.

 

We all come from different backgrounds and experiences and there may be prejudice when dealing with certain types of people based on our past experiences, but we should face any bias head-on and deal with it to prevent it from hurting other people.  Often, prejudice is rooted in not understanding somebody else, and overcoming the anxiety and fear of differences may be the first step towards overcoming the bias; have the openness to speak to each other and ask questions in order to understand why others are behaving in certain ways.  With understanding comes the ability to at least attempt to put yourself in somebody else’s circumstances (although you will never be able to really do it) which may drastically reduce bias.

 

As a Therapeutic Reflexologist, I never look at any person or patient based on factors of diversity.  It is irrelevant to me what your age, cultural background, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and status is; I merely see you as a person that should receive the best possible Therapeutic Reflexology treatment I am able to offer and if there is any reason I am not able to offer it, I’ll gladly refer you to another professional that may be better equipped to do so.

 

I have always found diversity very interesting and as such have studied sociology as a subject and the more I interact with people from various walks of life, the more fascinated I am with different cultures, ethnicity, genders, and sexual orientation.  In the field of Therapeutic Reflexology, it is always captivating to look at the different feet I’m working with; each ethnic group has different features and within each group, every individual has unique qualities as well; making every pair of feet worth assessing, investigating, treating and valued.

 

Every pair of feet belongs to a specific person that walked through life in a distinctive way.  When presented with the privilege of touching the feet of a patient, that person deserves the best possible treatment available and is treated as the valuable human being they are.  In the interaction with the person, there may be things I do not understand, especially if working with a patient from a different culture or different country or different background, but it is these differences that are worth appreciating instead of using it as a means of building walls between you.  Do not fear differences.  Do not fear change.  Embrace the differences in each other and welcome change.  In Therapeutic Reflexology differences in feet are intriguing.

Having had the privilege of working with a diverse range of patients, their stories always fascinate me; I think it is the combination of sociology in my background linked to Therapeutic Reflexology and the way every pair of feet is different, yet similar.

 

I remember working with a patient that grew up during the years of Apartheid and with black skin colour, he was discriminated against in terrible ways; ways no human being should ever have been treated.  Hearing him speak about the past was one thing, but offering him Therapeutic Reflexology treatment was another; with his feet in my hands I realised what this person went through in his life and having the opportunity to offer him good quality treatment was such a privilege, especially since my skin colour was the same as his perpetrators so many years ago and being entrusted with his feet showed such a deep level of forgiveness.

 

I’m remembering working with a caucasian man that cannot find work in the post-Apartheid years due to affirmative action, employment equity, broad-based black economic empowerment and how his skin colour is used to discriminate against him, but legislation says what he is experiencing is not discrimination, although legislation and his emotions are two separate things.  Having a patient’s feet in your hands as he is telling you how he is struggling to find work, although he has the right qualifications and experience because he has white skin, he cannot find work, makes you realise what a privilege it is being able to assist a patient in the midst of a difficult situation.

 

I’m thinking back of working with a black patient that was raped by a caucasian man and how that impacted her prejudice against all people from that race.  She was justified to have such prejudice due to how she was hurt, but with the bias came tremendous anxiety, fear, and many related problems and emotional turmoil.  Having her feet in my hands during Therapeutic Reflexology treatment and seeing her tears flow over her cheeks as a white man touched her in a healthy way on the slow road to recovery and healing, made me realise how privileged I was to be in a position to do this.  It is in such times that I realise what an honour it is for a patient to allow me to touch them through their fears and prejudice and how I may be part of the solution instead of the problem.

 

Contemplating when I provided Therapeutic Reflexology to a caucasian patient that was raped by a black man and how it devastated her life; she was never racist and loved all people, but the rape resulted in her fearing all men and black men in particular and as a result, she avoided them.  With her feet in my hands, she broke down and told me about her hurt and that it hurt even more that she is avoiding some of her friends due to their race and gender.  When patients confide in you, you realise the privilege you have in being entrusted with the feet of a patient, especially a female patient that was wounded by a male and she entrusts her feet into the hands of a male Therapeutic Reflexologist.

 

Therapeutic Reflexology does not discriminate against people based on who they are or what their backgrounds used to be.  Therapeutic Reflexology welcomes diversity.

 

Christo Scheepers Therapeutic Reflexologist values every person as an individual and not as a member of a specific group of diversity.  When you entrust me with your feet (and other parts of your body), you will always be valued as a person while your diversity is treated with dignity and respect.

Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist

Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]

AHPCSA:  A11945

Pr. No.: 1080000737453

Tel. 072-800 7243

www.christoscheepers.co.za

info@christoscheepers.co.za