Massage Therapy: What It Is and How It Works is a unique text whose primary purpose is to define and describe the depth, scope and universe of practice of this rapidly expanding profession. The first four chapters of this resource present a new and important discussion, entitled "The Three Paradigms," that explains a continuum of practice beginning at the most basic levels of touch, leading to the most advanced levels of holistic care. These chapters also include sixteen interesting and relevant case histories that showcase, demonstrate, and differentiate practice by first-, second-, and third-paradigm practitioners. Also discussed in these chapters is another new concept that introduces and explores the idea of three levels of competence. Following is a unique model of the breadth of the profession, The Continuum of the Four Massage Therapy and Bodywork Levels. It discusses and demonstrates how the main intention of each of the twenty-six modalities presented primarily treats and affects one of the four layers of the energy/matter continuum of the mind-body complex.