Promotion of Safety Is the First Job — Not Your Hands
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Before your technique, before your assessment, before your hands even touch the table — there’s something your patient needs more: to feel safe.
In this episode, Jamie dives into the first of Hobfoll’s Five Elements of trauma intervention: the promotion of safety. Drawing on a vivid story from his time as a firefighter learning rope rescue, Jamie unpacks why so many patients walk into your room with a nervous system that’s still braced for danger — and what you can actually do about it.
You’ll learn:
- Why fear avoidance isn’t weakness — it’s the nervous system doing its job
- How shared decision-making and patient-centered care are actually safety mechanisms
- What graded exposure looks like inside a treatment room (and why you’re probably already using it)
- How to reflect improvement back to your patient in a way that builds self-efficacy — not dependency on you
This episode will change how you think about what you bring into the room — and it has nothing to do with your hands.
*Next episode: Why Changing Your Language Changes Everything — element two, the promotion of calm.*
Founder at The MTDC
As the creator of the site, I hope you like what you're reading. I'm a Registered Massage Therapist in Victoria BC, former Massage college clinical supervisor, First Responder instructor, hockey fan and Firefighter. Come hang out on the facebook page, where we can share some ideas about how to improve the perception of the Massage Therapy industry.
Latest posts by Jamie Johnston (see all)
- What's Wrong With This Person?" — Why That's the Wrong Question | feat. Matt Phillips - October 14, 2026
- The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say to a Patient in Pain - October 7, 2026
- The Treatment That Changed Everything — And It Had Nothing To Do With My Hands - September 30, 2026