The TouchPointe Centre Story

By Naomi H. Hall, MTI, NCTMB

On December 23, 1997 life handed me a gift disguised in the trappings of pain.  My car hydroplaned into a cement wall.  An open fracture to my femur, a punctured lung (the other lung collapsed soon after,) a major laceration to the back of my liver and many broken and cracked ribs were part of the challenges to be dealt with in those first hours at the hospital.  After several code blues and eight days in intensive care, that I blessedly do not remember, I awoke to being told multiple times, “I should not have survived.”  But I did.  It is one of those times in life that begs the question, “Am I doing with my life what it is I am here to do?”  I knew instantly the answer was NO.  Somehow, even though the recovery road would be long and difficult, I instinctively knew my life’s work lay ahead.   Four months after the accident I still had a significant limp and pain with every step.  My orthopedic surgeon told me “this is as good as it gets.”  Too shorten a long story, almost 18 months later, I had resigned my full time job and enrolled in massage therapy school.  After graduation in December 1999, I opened TouchPointe in January 2000.  At this point in my life I was a single mother with a 13 year old daughter, and we were barely surviving, living below the poverty level.  My daughter, Joanna, raked leaves, mowed grass, babysat and did other odd jobs to finance her school clothes and supplies, and she managed to save some money along the way as well.  In fact, it was Joanna who loaned me the initial $1,000 to open TouchPointe.

The beginning days of TouchPointe were spent in a small back room of a nail salon in West Little Rock.  With purpose and passionate belief in the healing power of touch, I set out to consume as many continuing education classes as I could.  To a large degree, I was seeking out bodywork modalities to ease my own pain, and as I journeyed down the road toward my own wholeness I found those same techniques were transferable to my growing list of clients. 

Many of the classes I have taken relate to pain management, special needs, oncology (cancer), and senior adult massage.  My studies have taken me and several of my associates, to places like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, the Scherer Institute in Santa Fe, NM, Oregon Health Science Hospital in Portland, OR, Harrisburg, PA and San Francisco, CA to name a few.

TouchPointe Centre (TPC) was Arkansas’ first massage clinic to specialize in oncology and other special needs massage.  Other specialties of the Centre include wellness and many aspects of medical massage, including lymphatic drainage, myofascial release, orthopedic/pain management, reflexology and a growing list of others.  Most of our therapists have attained the certification of Master Massage Therapist (MMT) or Massage Therapy Instructor (MTI), which is the highest level of massage certification in Arkansas.  With our wide and extensive education, we have the privilege of working with a diverse clientele ranging from infant and children to the senior adult, from the healthy to the seriously ill.  TouchPointe Centre therapists are the most extensively trained oncology massage practitioners in Arkansas and have thousands of hours in hands-on experience.  TouchPointe Centre massage therapy affiliations include Central Arkansas Radiation Treatment Institute (CARTI), University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS) The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Arkansas Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Four business moves later and the addition of multiple other associates, TouchPointe is now located at 212 N. McKinley in Little Rock, AR.  It is a beautiful property with a serene environment located in the mid-town area across the street from the west entrance of Park Plaza Mall.  An outdoor garden labyrinth has been placed in the backyard of the center to offer a quiet, meditative area for those who wish to step away for a few moments from the stress and hurry of life.  We consider the labyrinth a gift to the community.  The labyrinth is open daylight to dark.

Nita Brown, MD, supplies another vital layer of service at the Centre.  She has her private psychotherapy practice office on the premises.  In addition to her psychotherapy sessions, Dr. Brown offers various workshops from time to time.  TouchPointe staff also provides a variety of workshops and continuing education class for Arkansas’ massage therapists and the community.  

TPC is about providing massage and touch therapies as well as other wellness services to people wherever they are on the health continuum. In September of 2007, TouchPointe Wellness Centre (TPWC) was officially granted non-profit status by the IRS.  TPWC is in new stages of development expanding even further the possibilities for providing a wider circle for our services. With the ever increasing awareness of the physical and emotional benefits that massage therapy and other body-mind activities provide, our mission is to offer these services to those who do not have sufficient access or funding.  As a non-profit organization, tax deductible contributions, fund raising events, and grant money provide the support for the TouchPointe Wellness Centre.  While we have already begun to provide some of these sessions for the community there is still so much to accomplish to have a more far reaching impact.  The impact of TPC and TWPC is felt one person at a time.  I believe we are changing the world for the better one session, one person at a time.

Yes, there is still much to be done, but I marvel at what all has been done to this point.  Who would have ever thought that something like a severe, freak automobile accident that almost ended my life would serve as a catapult into finding my life’s work?  There have been many obstacles to overcome, many lessons to learn, as TouchPointe has grown.  But I am amazed that with belief, passion, support and encouragement of family and friends, and let’s not forget hard work: a dream can unfold.  

With profound gratitude and zest for life!

Naomi

P.S.

In September of 2009, TPC began offering services at Chenal Heights Retirement Living Center.  The facility is located at #1 Chenal Heights in west Little Rock and we are located in Suite 128.  We will continue to provide customized massage therapy sessions in this location just as we have in our mid-town one.  While we have the ability to see family members, staff as well as the public our focus here will be the residents.  The Senior Adult population is the fastest growing, most untouched population in our culture.  They already are creating such joy and stories that enrich our lives.

So the journey continues to unfold…