When Healers Are in Pain: The Hidden Struggles of Massage Therapists and Healthcare Workers

When healthcare workers and healers are supported, everyone benefits. They are the first line of defense for the well-being of society.

Massage therapists, much like other healthcare professionals, commit themselves every day to enhancing the well-being of others. People turn to us for relief, healing, and care. But what happens when those who provide healing are the ones experiencing despair?

The CDC reports that in 2021, female massage therapists experienced one of the highest suicide rates among specific occupations, with 25.8 deaths per 100,000 women. This placed our profession among the top four highest for female suicide rates nationwide. These numbers are more than statistics. They represent real people in our community who carried heavy emotional, physical, and financial burdens while continuing to care for others, often quietly and without support.

This struggle is not unique to massage therapists. Many healthcare workers carry similar emotional and physical burdens every day. In 2021, more than 7,000 healthcare workers in the United States died by suicide, a number higher than the national average for working adults. Behind those numbers are real people who spent their lives caring for others while often struggling in silence. Long hours, financial strain, limited benefits, and constant exposure to stress and trauma can slowly wear a person down. These statistics are a reminder that those who give so much of themselves also need care, compassion, and support.

There are many reasons behind these struggles, and I want to be transparent because understanding the context helps us support one another as healthcare workers and as a global community. I wrestled with whether to publish this piece because of how heavy the topic feels, but now I believe it is necessary. I write this partly in memory of those who no longer have a voice and partly to advocate for my fellow massage therapists and healthcare workers. Perhaps someday someone who needs reassurance will find these words.

When the shutdowns hit, our massage businesses closed overnight. I remember it well. On March 20, 2020, I watched through my security cameras as the city of Dalworthington Gardens placed notices on the doors of offices deemed non-essential, instructing them to close immediately. Thriving practices built over years vanished in an instant. Many therapists never reopened, and those who did returned to a world filled with fear and division. From mid-2020 into late 2023, I saw firsthand how long that fear lingered. Some businesses were harassed or reported to the state for reopening. Clients worried about touch, masks, and contamination, and even with assurances, fear lingered. Some therapists were unfairly accused of making people sick. Early in the pandemic, tensions among massage therapists over who chose to remain open added to the strain, spilling over onto social media and into real life. I shut down much of my online presence and even a popular networking group to protect myself.

On top of everything else, virtual signaling added fuel to the fire. I watched seasoned massage therapists behaved as though they were above others. The judgment, the insults, and the constant comparisons were exhausting. I saw colleagues turn on one another over personal and medical choices during the pandemic, and the divisiveness was upsetting. That is why I decided to separate myself from many online massage therapy groups and focus on protecting my own energy.

From my personal experience, I also watched social media explode into a kind of narcissistic virtue-signaling frenzy. For months, it was an endless parade of “you’re going to kill my grandmother” posts, which felt manipulative and shaming. The “follow the science” slogans were thrown around like weapons, and now, years later, we are starting to see how much of the truth about COVID, vaccinations, and their impacts has only slowly begun to surface. The truth always comes out, but during that time it created a culture of blame, division, and fear that only deepened the wounds in our profession.

Adding to all of this, divisiveness and overreach from the government played a major role in creating these pressures. Policies and mandates, often implemented without clear communication or consideration for individual circumstances, fueled fear and frustration.

Propaganda from both sides of the aisle exploited the uncertainty, driving wedges between communities and even among healthcare professionals. This is the old, classic technique of “us versus them” and divide and conquer, used to weaken cohesion and control populations. The result was not only real healthcare risks and lives lost, but also deeper divisions within our society, making it even harder for people to support one another during a time when unity and understanding were desperately needed.

Vaccinations brought another layer of division. For me, with an autoimmune condition and allergies to certain components of the shots, the risk outweighed the benefit. What should have been a private decision became a weapon used against me. Healthcare workers who chose not to vaccinate were judged harshly, while those who did were also criticized. It felt like an “us versus them” situation, and rightly so.

Some of the pressures that led to these struggles are financial, personal, and systemic. Many healthcare workers, including massage therapists, lack strong support systems, healthcare, pensions, or family networks. Some, like me, faced serious illness or personal crises largely alone. We endure financial and emotional stress from losing clients to illness, relocation, or death. Watching people we care for go through their final days can take a heavy toll.

Massage therapy is my calling, my passion, and my way of serving, but to continue this work I have had to learn self-preservation and boundary-setting like never before.

There are also challenges we rarely discuss, which I can only describe as spiritual warfare or energetic pressure. I sense how stress, fear, trauma, and unseen forces have intensified.

These pressures affect not only massage therapists but also nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers. They can manifest as burnout, illness, or physical exhaustion. Massage therapy often attracts empaths and neurodivergent individuals, who are highly sensitive and often carry both physical and emotional burdens for others. Without firm boundaries and practices to protect our energy, the burden can become too heavy, and it can feel as if unseen forces are actively testing our resilience.

The situation extends beyond personal experience. Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in the health and stability of our communities, yet policies, mandates, and cultural divisions have eroded support for those who care for others. Breaking down our healers and healthcare workers weakens society itself. Political instability, rising cost of living, and systemic pressures further strain healthcare workers, affecting communities on a wide scale.

As healthcare workers, we often give and give even when we are struggling ourselves. During my own healing crisis, many still reached out, seeking free time and energy. My energy is my time, and it deserves to be honored. Without boundaries, burnout is inevitable, and burnout is everywhere in our field right now.

When you put it all together—the deaths of clients, lingering fear, mandates and policies that hurt small businesses, financial strain, stigma, exhaustion, and spiritual pressure. It is no wonder the suicide rate among massage therapists spiked in 2021. The CDC numbers simply confirmed what many of us already knew: too many healthcare workers were carrying more than they could handle.

I share this to help those outside our profession understand what we have been through and why supporting caregivers matters. The past five years have been incredibly difficult, but I hold onto hope. I hope statistics begin to decline. I hope businesses thrive again. I hope communities recognize the value of healthcare workers and healers and choose to support them. Healing is not just physical; it is emotional, spiritual, and communal. By honoring one another’s energy, setting healthy boundaries, and building each other up, we can heal and grow into a stronger, more compassionate world community.

Supporting our caretakers, educators, healers, and healthcare workers can take many forms. Show appreciation for their time and expertise. Respect boundaries and understand the emotional labor involved in their work. Advocate for safe working conditions and fair treatment. Encourage self-care and wellness, recognizing that those who give so much need replenishment too. By actively valuing and supporting these professionals, we help ensure that the people responsible for our well-being can continue to provide care sustainably.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. In the U.S., dial 988 to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project is available via phone, chat, or text. Trans Lifeline also offers support in both the U.S. and Canada.

When healthcare workers and healers are supported, everyone benefits. They are the first line of defense for the well-being of society. Protect your healers, honor their work, and strengthen the first line of defense because the health of our communities depends on them.

Thank you for listening and your support,

Suzan (Susan) Walker LMT

Massage therapy is not a substitution for medical treatment. The massage therapist cannot diagnose, treat or prevent disease. The therapist can only recommend products and services. Please consult a medical physician for further treatment.​

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