I once had a boss who never listened to what I was saying. This is not a mere grumble because I feel someone failed to appreciate my ideas, he was so wrapped up in his own world, I could say literally anything and he would just hear what he wanted to hear. Ironically, he used to ask me every morning “How are you today?” to which I could reply “I have become a cactus”, “I have sewed macaroni to my jumper” “I have lost all my toes –twice!” or any other such nonsense without him paying the blindest bit of attention. Even if I said “I am totally NOT ok” he wouldn’t notice. Sadly, although this is an extreme example, it is very easy to be preoccupied with one’s own affairs to the extent that you fail to listen to what others are saying. Alternatively, we do listen, but lack the ability to deal with an answer than deviates from the norm. It is as if the question “Are you ok?” were part of a computer program where no code has been written to cover negative responses. The same often applies to beauty treatments, which can seem like a series of checkboxes rather than a dialogue between therapist and client.
I once went for a manicure; when faced with the selection of colours I opted for a rather neutral pink tone, which the therapist proclaimed was a lackluster "dull, dull, dull!" I felt that I had failed somehow, and, in my desire to conform, ended up with bright red talons which I actually hated, but didn’t have the nerve to say so. That sounds ridiculous, if I was paying for the treatment why didn’t I say anything? An excess of reserve and not wishing to create a fuss. For pretty much the same reasons when questioned at the hairdressers “Is the temperature of the water ok?” I will always answer “fine thanks” even if my head is on fire! Which just goes to show that understanding doesn’t have to be on a verbal level, my body language probably gives some clues (the fact that smoke is issuing from my earholes)
I also remember getting a massage where the focus on my “numerous knots” meant that I was punched and pummeled to within an inch of my life (ok, major exaggeration there, but it did hurt!). I wouldn’t have minded so much, but when originally questioned about what I wanted to achieve from the massage I had said I felt emotionally fragile and needed uplifting support – I hadn’t intended the support to be in the form of a walking stick ; )
Now I can happily say that feeling uncomfortable in my own skin is never something I have experienced with Dr. Hauschka treatments. It may just be because I am incredibly lucky to have found a real gem of an esthetician, but I have a suspicion that anyone who loves the products with enough passion to train in the treatments is going to be a pretty wonderful person. The consultation process is truly a dialogue, not just the presentation of a form by which you must categorize your skin, mood, sleep patterns, dietary habits and allergies. Don’t get me wrong, all those factors are important, but there is just something infinitely nicer about a consultation taking place over a warm sage foot bath (the water temperature honestly is perfect) than being left alone in a corridor with a clipboard and a tick box list. For me the magic of the treatments is that they focus on the whole person, enabling you to regain a wonderful sense of harmony. Both the products (and the lovely people who have trained in them) are gentle, unassuming, and noninvasive, their role is to help the body listen to, and therefore regulate and heal, itself.
