News-Letter

Given the long study hours, grueling exams and cut-throat competition that induce physical stress at Hopkins, it's a wonder that chiropractors aren't a campus staple. Generally students have no real recourse to relieve such tension. However now there is a group on campus devoted strictly to massage and relaxation: The Stressbusters.

Stressbusters is a group of students who are trained to give professional-grade back rubs to faculty, staff and students alike. Allegra Hamman, a nurse practitioner in the health and wellness center, brought the program to Hopkins, and is keenly aware of the challenges facing a JHU student.

"College can be extremely stressful at JHU and many other schools. It is a period of change in students' lives which can be exciting and rewarding," said Hamman. "But, at the same time, academic demands, social interests and pressures, competition, and financial constraints are just some of the common challenges students face."

In order to counteract such demands, Hamman wanted to find a fun way for students to unwind.

"The purpose of Stressbusters is to reduce stress and enhance health on campus by providing JHU students and staff with ongoing physical and mental relaxation breaks," said Hamman. "The program will emphasize the importance of stress reduction and connect students with relaxation resources on campus.

The group was trained under the supervision of Emily LaBathe, a certified massage therapist who has offered her private services through the Student Health and Wellness Center for two years. LaBathe, a firm believer in the positive effects of physical contact, is a proponent of the group.

"At a campus where there is so much mental activity, it's nice to have some physical activity as well," LaBlathe said.

Stressbusters is not unique to Hopkins, but instead just another addition to what has been a developing trend in multiple Universities.

Corey Friedman, a health education trainer, and the former Director of Health Education at Columbia University, started the program and is overseeing its implementation at Hopkins.

"The reason it was created at Columbia was that students were asking for a more ongoing way that they could relax outside of the traditional workshops and pamphlets," said Friedman who has witnessed firsthand the effectiveness of Stressbusters.

"It was so successful at Columbia that by the time I left, over a period of 8 years there had been 30,000 plus backrubs given by more then 100 different students." Friedman went on to say that, "it was beneficial both to those who received the backrub and those who were trained."

The group is being funded through both the Dean of Student Life and The Student Health and Wellness center, and is managed by Barbara Gwinn, the new Health Education Director at Hopkins.

Gwinn sees the benefit of a massage group not only in its ability to relax, but also to impede the onset of more serious problems that can result from unchecked stress.

"Stressbusters" is a preventative type of measure which tries to deal with stress before depression or even illness occurs," said Gwinn

While Stressbusters is not available for unscheduled individual sessions, the group will be taking requests as to when and where they should implement their services. Their first scheduled meeting will occur at the Fall Festival on October 1, but look for them to appear at various locations, including the library during mid-terms, where tense students can go for a good, relaxing rub-down.

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