My name is Carmen Makepeace. I am the owner of Makepeace & Massage, a company dedicated to Massage & Rehabilitation based in Oxfordshire UK.
Beginning:
I started out life in school thinking about what I wanted to be/do, and it was in science, specifically physics, that I got the first real inkling of how I could make a difference - something that is and was really important to me. I figured, if you were going to work all your life, a big success would be to love what you do, whilst supporting yourself and your family. I realise this is a massive privilege, but that was my aim, and I am very grateful for being able to do so.
I followed that first dream for quite a while, working in companies on energy research and trying to find a way to help our planet stop burning fossil fuels, culminating in a PhD studying Nuclear Fusion - the science of putting a small sun/star in a box on earth and trying to help the box-reactor survive long enough to make the whole idea viable. If researchers can make it economically successful, it would only require 1 bathtub of water to power someone's whole electrical needs for their entire lifetime! It also doesn't produce the waste that traditional nuclear energy (fission) does. Pretty neat hey.
During that Phd time I had some fantastic experiences, culminating in competing in Germany in Olympic Weightlifting - with a broken few toes at the time - yes, I wasn't so up to scratch on my recovery back then. I trained as an Olympic weightlifting coach and whilst finishing my PhD, did some group classes teaching people how to lift properly - and loved it.
I finished my PhD (a little) burnt out.
Middle:
During a sabbatical I sat on the sofa with my Mum, who suffers with chronic pain. I've always massaged her hands right back to when I was small, and we sat there talking about MRI scans she'd had recently and what might be going on. Ironically we sat there looking (a little jokingly at how long it takes to become a physio/chiropractor/osteopath) and having spent so much time more recently in education I decided in my downtime to learn what the structures were under my hands and learn a new skill -massage.
I started my first course in massage therapy - initially a level 3. To my surprise I loved it. I loved the experience of treating, the ease and change in the quality of the tissues, I loved helping someone, and I loved sharing that hour and enabling a real change of pace in someones life through relaxation and restoration.
I was hooked, I signed up for more courses and completed my level 5.
I decided to do it and undertook 3 years of schooling on a BTEC level 6 - an equivalent of an undergraduate degree in clinical massage and rehabilitation. During that time I learnt anatomy, physiology and pathology. I learnt orthopaedic testing to figure out whether the issue someone was walking in with was muscular, tendonous, ligamentous, or a pathology of the joint capsule. I learnt how to recognise the symptoms of pathology. I learnt about rehabilitation, exercise selection and how to progress someone from just after surgery to back walking and hey someday running - if that was indeed their goal.
Most importantly I learnt about the nervous system and pain science. I learnt that we have to process pain and help the individual make sense of it. We can explain what's going on in the tissues, we can also explain the process of sensitisation, where an initial injury produces many inflammatory markers (important chemicals for healing to occur). But the process of pain which is initially helpful to guard the limb from further damage, doesn't always update. Movement plays a key role here. Pain initially stops a person moving in order to protect the area. The complexity comes from knowing when that movement can resume and how quickly. If movement ceases and habit takes over, that area can become sensitised long-term. Here, every level of the nervous system from the peripheral sensory system to the spinal nerve root and thence to the brain and down again to the motor system can become chemically sensitised often alongside an adrenal response. Complex processes at both the cellular level, and including memories, experiences and beliefs, play a role in this.
The good news is this process can be reversed and a key part of our training is in creating positive nurturing stimulus that enables new beliefs and behaviours to override sensitisation, helping the individual climb out of chronic pain.
Experience: the truest teacher...
They say experience is the best teacher, and I think to a large extent that's true. What has driven me in recent years is a need to know, to understand and to make sense.
I experienced a head injury (a cracked skull) and shortly thereafter in quick succession a car accident. Alongside all the (fun) words like trauma, whiplash, post concussion syndrome and a myriad of central nervous system symptoms, I had to learn so many lessons.
Unfortunately there is still so much to learn about the body and how it works, traditional biology and medical science has often split all our systems into subsections. And that makes sense right? It helps us learn, but the truth is we are a whole miraculous exceptionally complex interweaving system of systems. When I think about it from a maths/physics point of view, simplifying loses so much.
So when with damage to my brain and a very real head injury I ask, "How long is the recovery time" and I get a shrug and -"Head injuries" as a response, it can be really frustrating and confusing to the person experiencing it - especially when memory is affected.
This experience taught me so many things individually and as a therapist.
It taught me the value of slowing down.
It taught me how to be adaptable.
It taught me the complexity of all the emotions that go alongside a change in identity and a change in health.
It taught me the importance of a multidisciplinary team to help a person out of chronic pain.
It taught me the value of acceptance in overcoming adversity and the difficulty resistance can pose.
It taught me the brilliance of meditation - at first to manage headaches, but after to calm the nervous system, remove pain, find greater balance and homeostasis and thence to all the science around meditation, learning, and brain waves.
It deepened my practice of working with chronic pain.
It deepened the empathy I have for individuals suffering with chronic pain
It made me walk the walk of recovery and rehabilitation.
I discovered tai chi and deepened my yoga practice.
I took up tennis - without knowing at the time it is one of the best ways to help join left and right brains back up to each other. I just found it helped via trial and a lot of error!
It gave me the greatest appreciation and gratitude for those therapists that helped me and taught me how much just being heard meant -when sometimes science doesn't know all the answers yet.
It taught me the complex and multitude of confusing questions and experiences I had, and an empathy to listen without judgement -most of all.
Finally...
It lead me down a road of discovery and greater understanding so that ironically I am now studying Osteopathy on a 5 year course! (Now that is irony and I'm back full circle researching topics on the body).
What you can expect coming in for treatment
To be heard & listened to.
To be treated as a whole person and not a pathology.
Non-judgement - no problem however big or small isn't deserving of care.
To be met by someone who will work alongside you, with you, and help you find that road out of pain/discomfort/stress together.
Someone who is a massive nerd and always happy to discuss, debate and talk about all things health and movement.
Some kick ass hands on manual therapies, with a quality of touch that respects your nervous system and wants to give you the best outcomes.
So whether you are a Mum or Dad looking to keep up with your toddler pain free, or an athlete, I will help you get back to loving your hobbies and movement.
Why not excel at what we love and love the life we live?
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