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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.
What's Wrong With This Person?" — Why That's the Wrong Question | feat. Matt Phillips
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What if the way you’ve been thinking about difficult patients, challenging colleagues, and people who “don’t respond well” is the wrong frame entirely?
In this episode, Jamie sits down with Matt Phillips — educator, clinician, and founder of mattphillips.education — for a conversation that goes way beyond neurodiversity. It’s about communication, environment, curiosity, and what it actually means to show up for the person in front of you.
Matt is neurodivergent himself and has spent his career helping therapists and students evolve — gently — by walking alongside them rather than telling them they’re wrong. In this episode, he unpacks:
- The social model of disability — and why it changes everything about how we see our patients
- What the “double empathy problem” really means (and why it matters in your treatment room)
- Why about 20% of your patients and colleagues may be neurodivergent — and how small environmental tweaks can make a massive difference
- The “straw that broke the camel’s back” — what burnout and meltdown actually look like, and why they happen
- Practical ways to adapt your clinic environment, your communication, and your follow-up process to serve neurodiverse patients better
- Why the changes you make for neurodivergent patients will actually help everyone
Jamie also opens up about his own ADHD diagnosis and how this conversation hit close to home.
Want a practical starting point for trauma-informed care in your practice? Grab the free Trauma-Confident Therapist Starter Guide:
👉 https://go.themtdc.com/traumaconfident
Find Matt at: mattphillips.education
The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say to a Patient in Pain
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What if one of the most powerful clinical tools you have isn’t a technique — it’s what you say?
In this episode, Jamie closes out the Hobfoll’s Five Essential Elements series with Element 5: the Promotion of Hope. And the focus is on something that’s massively underestimated in our profession — reassurance.
Drawing on a quote from Louis Gifford — *”Effective reassurance is a bloody good painkiller”* — Jamie breaks down the research on what reassurance actually is, how to deliver it well, and the common pitfalls that can make it backfire.
You’ll learn:
The difference between Affective Reassurance and Cognitive Reassurance — and why you need both
What to say (and what NOT to say) to patients dealing with fear, anxiety, and persistent pain
4 clinician themes from the research on why reassurance is a core clinical skill
8 practical strategies you can take into your very next appointment
This one is the finale of the series — and it ties everything together with a callback to the story from Episode 5 that you won’t want to miss.
Want to go deeper on therapeutic movement in your practice? Grab the *Feared to Functional* course for just $37 — the entry point to the Fundamentals of Therapeutic Movement:
👉 https://go.themtdc.com/home-page-fearedtofunctional
References:
- Young A, French SD, Traeger AC, Ayre J, Hancock M, Jenkins HJ. Clinician experiences in providing reassurance for patients with low back pain in primary care: a qualitative study. Journal of Physiotherapy. 2025;71:48-56. doi:10.1016/j.jphys.2024.11.003
- Cheung L, Soundy A. The Impact of Reassurance on Musculoskeletal (MSK) Pain: A Qualitative Review. Behav Sci. 2021;11(11):150. doi:10.3390/bs11110150
- Braeuninger-Weimer K. Consultation-based Reassurance for Patients with Musculoskeletal Lower Back Pain Consulting Orthopaedic Spine Teams [PhD thesis]. Royal Holloway, University of London; 2019.
- Belton J, Birkinshaw H, Pincus T. Patient-centered consultations for persons with musculoskeletal conditions. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2022;30:53. doi:10.1186/s12998-022-00466-w
- Traeger AC, O’Hagan ET, Cashin A, McAuley JH. Reassurance for patients with non-specific conditions – a user’s guide. Braz J Phys Ther. 2017;21(1):1-6. doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2016.12.007
- Wright MA, Wren AA, Somers TJ, et al. Pain Acceptance, Hope, and Optimism: Relationships to Pain and Adjustment in Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. J Pain. 2011;12(11):1155-1162. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.06.002
The Treatment That Changed Everything — And It Had Nothing To Do With My Hands
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What if the most powerful thing you can do for a patient in chronic pain has nothing to do with your hands?
In this episode, Jamie shares a story that changed the way he thinks about practice — a patient who had been living with chronic pain for 30 years, and what actually made the difference in her very first appointment.
From there, Jamie dives into the fourth of Hobfoll’s Five Essential Elements of trauma-informed care: the Promotion of Connectedness — and specifically, the therapeutic relationship.
You’ll learn:
- What patients actually value most in a therapeutic relationship (the answer might surprise you)
- The 8 core components of therapeutic alliance — and which ones matter most according to patients
- 4 habits you can implement starting with your next appointment to build deeper connection and get better outcomes
- Why the “soft skills” aren’t soft at all — and what the research says about their impact on pain, function, and patient satisfaction
This episode is a reminder that showing up, slowing down, and actually being present with the person in front of you is one of the most clinically powerful things you can do.
Want a practical starting point for bringing trauma-informed care into your practice? Grab the free Trauma-Confident Therapist Starter Guide at https://go.themtdc.com/traumaconfident
References:
- Babatunde F, MacDermid J, MacIntyre N. Characteristics of therapeutic alliance in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and occupational therapy practice: a scoping review of the literature. BMC health services research. 2017 Dec;17(1):1-23
- Fuentes J, Armijo-Olivo S, Funabashi M, Miciak M, Dick B, Warren S, Rashiq S, Magee DJ, Gross DP. Enhanced therapeutic alliance modulates pain intensity and muscle pain sensitivity in patients with chronic low back pain: an experimental controlled study. Physical therapy. 2014 Apr 1;94(4):477-89.
- Hush JM, Cameron K, Mackey M. Patient satisfaction with musculoskeletal physical therapy care: a systematic review. Physical therapy. 2011 Jan 1;91(1):25-36.
- Frankel RM, Stein T. Getting the most out of the clinical encounter: the four habits model. Perm J. 1999 Dec 1;3(3):79-88.
The Most Important Thing You Can Give a Patient Isn't a Treatment
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Most of us were trained to fix people. And it feels good when it works — the patient comes in hurting, they leave feeling better, and you did that.
But here’s the question: what happens between appointments? Are they getting better? Or are they just getting better at coming to see you?
In this episode, Jamie dives into Element Three of Hobfoll’s Five — the promotion of self-efficacy — and makes the case that the most powerful thing you can give a patient isn’t a treatment at all. It’s the belief that they can get through this on their own.
You’ll learn:
- What self-efficacy actually means — and why the second part of the definition is the part most clinicians forget
- Why positioning yourself as the fix can actually make persistent pain worse over time
- How to use movement as education — not just technique
- The five conditions that need to be in place for movement education to actually shift something for a patient
- What pain neurotags are and how consistent movement experiences can change them
- Why becoming less dependent on you is the best possible outcome for your patient
*Plus: grab the free Trauma-Confident Therapist Starter Guide — CLICK HERE*
🎙️ Hit follow so you never miss an episode — and if this resonated, a quick review helps more therapists find this content.
Why Changing Your Language Changes Everything
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Most massage therapists think of calm as something they create with their hands. But what if the most powerful thing you brought into the treatment room had nothing to do with technique?
In this episode, Jamie shares the story of a Navy veteran with PTSD whose wife noticed a transformation every time he came home from his appointments — before he noticed it himself. What happened in that room wasn’t about the low back treatment. It was about the space Jamie created for him to be completely himself, without judgment.
From there, Jamie breaks down Element Two of Hobfoll’s Five — the promotion of calm — and why the language you use with your patients is doing more than you think.
You’ll learn:
- Why the tissue-in, pain-out model is incomplete — and what the biopsychosocial model actually changes
- The three ways clinicians misapply the biopsychosocial model (and how to avoid them)
- What enactive care means and why it matters for how you show up in the room
- How to navigate uncertainty, shared decision making, and why no specific intervention works reliably across all people all the time
- Why your lived experience isn’t separate from your clinical skill — in the right context, it *is* your clinical skill
*Plus: grab the free Trauma-Confident Therapist Starter Guide — by clicking HERE*
🎙️ Hit follow so you never miss an episode — and if this resonated, a quick review goes a long way in helping other therapists find this content.