HALEY SANDERS
I have lived here in Olympia for 19 years, 14 of which I have spent working as a licensed massage practitioner. I became interested in massage therapy in 1994 when my family and I were involved in a car accident. Because of the injuries I sustained in the crash, I spent about a year in pain and very miserable. I was only 21 at the time, and I had a hard time living with pain; I was depressed and angry about the injury, which made it difficult to take care of my son who was not yet a year old.
After a good deal of trial and error- looking for someone to make me well, and accomplishing nothing with that attitude; I started seeing a chiropractor and receiving deep tissue massage therapy. The combination of chiropractic care and massage therapy helped me greatly, (ok- and also a little bit of psychotherapy) and I started to feel like I could be well again. Before the accident I had been studying to become a sign language interpreter at South Puget Sound, but the program changed and no longer fit into a schedule that would work, so I decided to go to massage school.
So here I am- working as a massage therapist, 14 years later. I enjoy my work. I love the satisfaction of helping someone feel better. Becoming well and staying well is a process, and I am privileged to be part of it. Of course, I still need massage and chiropractic care too. I could probably use more psychotherapy, but these days my therapist looks a little different from most. He has four legs and he doesn’t say much, but on a good day I hear a whiney. I know he understands what I am thinking. As a bonus, he lets me pay him with carrots.