The New Generation Massage Therapist – Details, episodes & analysis
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The New Generation Massage Therapist
Jamie Johnston
Frequency: 1 episode/45d. Total Eps: 44
Moving beyond modalities to build resilience.
Are you tired of the "fixer" trap? Most massage therapists are taught that their value lies solely in their hands—that if they just learn one more modality or take one more certification, they’ll finally have the "magic bullet" for their patients' pain. But this cycle often leads to two things: patients who remain passive and therapists who end up burnt out.
Welcome to The New Generation Massage Therapist Podcast.
Hosted by Jamie Johnston—massage therapist, firefighter, and educator—this show is dedicated to shifting the industry standard from passive "tissue manipulation" to evidence-informed, biopsychosocial care. We challenge industry norms and dive deep into the topics that many in our profession have long avoided: pain science, mental health, and the therapeutic power of movement.
Each week, we explore how to:
- Shift your identity from a "fixer" to a facilitator of change.
- Master human skills like mindful communication and crisis intervention to build a stronger therapeutic alliance.
- Incorporate movement (without needing a gym) to prove to your patients that they aren't "broken."
- Retrain the nervous system to help patients with persistent pain find lasting results.
Whether you are a seasoned RMT/LMT or a student just starting out, this podcast provides the practical, research-backed tools you need to build a more effective practice and a more fulfilling, sustainable career.
It’s time to stop chasing certifications and start building resilience.
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Why Therapeutic Movement Matters More Than Your Favourite Modality
Episode 10
mardi 14 avril 2026 • Duration 07:45
"If you move, your disc will bulge." "Your pelvis is out of alignment."
As massage therapists, we often use language intended to help, but we might actually be planting seeds of fear. This fear of movement, or kinesophobia, is one of the biggest drivers of long-term disability. If you find yourself constantly adding new manual modalities to your toolkit because your persistent pain patients aren't getting better, it’s time to challenge the idea that another technique is the answer.
In this episode, Jamie Johnston explores the shift from passive treatment to active, lasting outcomes through Graded Exposure. Learn how to move beyond "tissue manipulation" and start teaching your patients to trust their bodies again.
Inside this episode, we discuss:
- The Modality Trap: Why unconsciously reinforcing that change only happens through your hands can sabotage patient recovery.
- The Root of Kinesophobia: How the healthcare profession—including massage therapy—has historically created a fear of movement.
- Threat vs. Damage: Understanding the nervous system's role in interpreting movement and how to change that interpretation.
- The Graded Exposure Framework: A practical, step-by-step guide to helping patients perform feared activities without pain.
- Promoting Self-Efficacy: Why our ultimate goal is a patient who doesn't need us anymore.
This Week’s Challenge: Identify one "seed of fear" you might be accidentally planting during your patient education. Try replacing it with a safety signal this week and notice the difference in your patient's confidence.
Why You're Confused About Trauma (And What Actually Matters)
mercredi 1 avril 2026 • Duration 16:03
"How do I treat PTSD differently than childhood abuse?"
If you have ever asked this question in an RMT group, you aren’t alone—but you might be focusing on the wrong thing. In our profession, we’ve been taught to categorize trauma into boxes: combat, medical, sexual, or relational. This categorization often leads to "analysis paralysis," leaving therapists second-guessing every word and touch.
In this episode, Jamie Johnston breaks down why the source of the trauma matters much less than the mechanism in the nervous system. Whether a patient is a combat veteran or a trans person who has experienced discrimination, a dysregulated nervous system has the same core needs.
Inside this episode, we discuss:
- The Nervous System Mechanism: How trauma locks the brain into hyper-precise predictions of danger and "central sensitization."
- Stress vs. Trauma: Why a vacation fixes chronic stress but won't touch trauma—and how to identify which one your patient is dealing with.
- The 5 Universal Needs: The research-backed pillars of safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, and hope.
- The Burnout Connection: Why "empaths" are actually experiencing vicarious trauma and how understanding the nervous system protects you from absorbing patient pain.
- Scope vs. Abandonment: Why listening with curiosity isn't "doing therapy"—it’s providing the standard of care.
Stop trying to "fix" the story and start regulating the system. Special Training Opportunity: Jamie recently delivered a deep-dive presentation on Stress vs. Traumatic Stress for his membership community. If you want access to the full framework for showing up in a way that is both within your scope and genuinely healing, send a DM or reach out on social media.
Episode #28 With Great Educational Power, Comes Great Educational Responsibility
Episode 28
mercredi 28 septembre 2022 • Duration 47:49
Education, education, education.
We constantly promote a better education for Massage Therapists and as those who teach continuing education courses we have a lot of responsibility to keep current with new evidence and research.
And so do our associations. Our associations wield some great power in what can and is offered to their perspective memberships for continuing education. But are they all handling their responsibility well? If not, their members should demand better.
REGISTER HERE
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Episode #27 Myofascial Release And CLB, What Does The Evidence Say?
Episode 27
mardi 23 août 2022 • Duration 43:44
As massage therapists, we often rely on learning new modalities or rely on many of the ones we learned in college as a way to help our patients.
But does it really matter which modality we use? There are so many other factors that contribute to better outcomes when people come to see us, the modality we use while the person receives treatment matters less than we've been lead to believe.
Let's start to worry less about learning new ways to touch people and start focusing on what we can do to get them back to doing the activities that are important to them.
This is one of the things we teach in our upcoming courses in October. If you'd like to learn how to communicate better and incorporate more movement into your treatments you can join us by clicking the link below.
REGISTER HERE
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Referenced paper: Wu Z, Wang Y, Ye X, Chen Z, Zhou R, Ye Z, Huang J, Zhu Y, Chen G, Xu X. Myofascial release for chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in medicine. 2021 Jul 28;8:69798.
Episode #26 The Biopsychosocial 40 Years Later
Episode 26
mardi 2 août 2022 • Duration 46:47
In this episode we discuss some of the advances, changes, and recommendations that have taken place since the biopsychosocial framework was introduced 40 years ago.
This is one of the many things we discuss in our upcoming courses along with therapeutic movement and rehab. These courses can be taken in person, or online so please click the link below and join us in October!
REGISTER HERE
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Referenced paper:
Nicholas, Michael K.. The biopsychosocial model of pain 40 years on: time for a reappraisal?. PAIN: April 19, 2022 - Volume - Issue - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002654
doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002654
Episode #25 Making Sure Your Continuing Education is Evidence Based
dimanche 19 juin 2022 • Duration 51:50
In this episode we discuss the buzzwords circling around our continuing education and how you can interpret and decide whether the course you're taking is evidence based.
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Episode #24 Maintaining Professionalism When Given The Benefit Of The Doubt
mardi 31 mai 2022 • Duration 46:08
In this episode we discuss the updated education requirements from our college in BC. While some take this update to think they don't have to take continuing education anymore, we argue that it is our responsibility as healthcare professionals to do so.
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Episode #23 Challenge Your Bias, But Still Remain Patient Centred
Episode 23
jeudi 5 mai 2022 • Duration 30:29
In this episode we discuss some papers that challenge some of the available pain models of understanding. While there are some good challenges on language, the overall message remains the same; treat the person in front of you.
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Episode #22 Challenging Industry Norms And Incorporating Movement
dimanche 17 avril 2022 • Duration 34:52
In this episode we discuss some papers on therapeutic exercise for the neck as well as the low back.
We also look at challenging industry norms and how others get upset by what you're saying.
And as always, check out our websites.
www.themtdc.com
www.ericpurves.com
and our emails:
jamie@themtdc.com
hello@ericpurves.com
Episode #21 Allowing Research To Challenge Our Beliefs
Episode 21
lundi 28 mars 2022 • Duration 40:50
You ever have one of those moments where you get faced with a piece of research that challenges, something that you've been saying for a long time?
We're going to talk about that today. Because I've been long saying how going for a walk is one of the best things you can do for low back pain. And while it's can still be an effective thing, we've come apart come upon some research that tells us otherwise. So we'll get into that today. But I think before we get into that one, we've got one paper that we're going to look at, it's talking about the superior and middle cluneal nerve entrapment as a cause of low back pain. So we had a quick little discussion about this before we came on. And I think some of the points that you were making right away about the anatomy and things like that are probably a good place to start.
Thank you. We hope you enjoy our podcast. These kinds of topics are what we are all about. If you'd like to learn more, go to our websites, themtdc.com or ericpurves.com. If you know of any other therapists that could benefit from this, please tell them to subscribe.
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