Mission
Massage Therapy Nexus documents the history of the massage therapy profession, investigates the policies and institutions shaping it, and makes reliable information accessible to massage therapists, advocates, educators, researchers, and policymakers. Through independent research, historical preservation, policy analysis, and practical resources, Nexus helps the profession understand where it has been, confront the problems it faces, and make better-informed decisions about its future.
Vision
I envision a massage therapy profession that understands its history, learns from its mistakes, protects its professional identity, and works from shared knowledge rather than fragmented information.
In that future, massage therapists have access to trustworthy resources; professional decisions are transparent and evidence-informed; regulation supports both public protection and legitimate practice; and the profession is better prepared to address healthcare integration, workforce conditions, illicit businesses, education, licensing, and other challenges collectively.
Values
Accuracy
We seek reliable evidence, use primary and authoritative sources whenever possible, and clearly distinguish documented fact, interpretation, opinion, and unanswered questions.
Historical preservation
The profession cannot understand its present—or make sound decisions about its future—without knowing how it arrived here. I (We) preserve documents, stories, timelines, and institutional history that might otherwise be lost.
Independence
Massage Therapy Nexus is not governed by a professional association, credentialing organization, school, insurer, or commercial sponsor. Conclusions are not shaped to protect an institution or promote a product.
Transparency
Professional decisions should be open to examination. We identify our sources, explain our reasoning, disclose uncertainty, correct substantive errors, and encourage organizations to be accountable to the people they represent.
Professional literacy
Massage therapists deserve more than disconnected announcements and simplified talking points. We provide the context needed to understand laws, organizations, credentials, policies, research, and the forces affecting professional practice.
Constructive accountability
We examine systems, decisions, and organizations honestly—even when the findings are uncomfortable. The purpose is not criticism for its own sake, but learning, correction, and improvement.
Collaboration
No single person or organization can resolve the profession’s longstanding problems. We value respectful disagreement, participation across professional roles and viewpoints, and cooperation built around shared evidence.
Public and practitioner protection
Sound policy should protect the public while respecting legitimate massage therapists and their livelihoods. We examine whether laws, enforcement strategies, professional standards, and organizational actions actually accomplish those goals.
Accessibility
Important professional knowledge should not remain buried in archives, legislative records, meeting minutes, or inaccessible databases. We organize and explain information so people can find it, understand it, and use it.