Today we’d like to introduce you to Iris Mack.
Iris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had been working at a job that was very repetitive and did not challenge me in any way. I prayed, asking what it was that God wanted me to do for him with my life. After praying that prayer, I started having car accidents. These led me to being treated by a massage therapist. I asked her what she was doing and I told her what I experiencing internally. I thought everyone could sense this as they were worked on by a therapist. She told me I had a gift and should consider becoming a therapist. I was intrigued but resisted the idea and did not pursue it. The deciding factor was being in an 18 wheeler tractor trailer accident that involved 26 cars. My car was the first one and as I saw the truck coming, I prayed “Lord if you spare me, I’ll quit being hard headed and go to school.” I also prayed that no one would be killed or lose limbs. Praise God, we all survived. As I was recovering from my injuries, I enrolled in massage school and where my instructors, who had been my therapists and mentors, were happy to see that I had finally started school. The owner of the school came to my first class and said, “You finally made it after 2 ½ years. Glad to see you!”
Upon God’s prompting once I graduated, I started off working in a specific spa that I felt called to. The clients that came to me at that location were people who had prayed for help with certain areas of their bodies; God used me to bless them with better health. My body still needed help from the major accident I had been in and the chiropractor that I saw asked me to work in his office. Years later when I left the spa, a therapist that I knew invited me to share a space with her. That started my own business. When she decided to move, I chose to stay. When the effects of the recession trickled down, I closed that office in 2010. I then moved to the two spaces I currently have in Roswell and in Marietta.
My specialty of working with myofascial release therapy started in Massage Therapy School when I was the “demo” for the myofascial class. After graduating, I saw my instructor while taking a continuing education class. He told me about a myofascial release certification and when I took it, I realized that I had been applying that style of massage to the therapy work I had been doing. Since that time, I feel God has guided me in my therapy practice and provided opportunities in continuing education classes to mature my style.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Success is following the dreams and goals that were placed in each of us to do by God. Success is a journey that is never ending. One destination gives way to the next (when one goal is accomplished, you go on to accomplish the next). When God called me on this journey, he called me to heal, to teach others what I’ve learned and to share through writing and speaking.
When I first started out, I was called to be a healer, not an office manager. Office work, paper work and computers were my main challenge. I realized that no woman is an island unto herself. I had to learn that I needed assistance in the areas that I was weak in. So I found an assistant to help in these areas. I also got an accountant for taxes and quarterly reports and then someone to help with advertising and marketing.
Please tell us about Healing Touch of the Dove Therapeutic Center.
The name “Healing Touch of the Dove Therapeutic Center” describes the mission of my business. Through myofascial release therapy, I am able to provide relief from a large number of bodily challenges. I work on people who have had surgery because the fascia is affected. This is important because the fascia is a connective tissue that covers all the organs and muscles in the entire body. When it is affected by injury or surgery, it causes problems in other areas.
The most common areas of the body that I work with have been the jaw (TMJ), the neck, the rotator cuff, the hip, and/or knee pain. I also work with people who have chronic pain.
I enjoy my work because I see the physical improvements and I have the opportunity to educate people on what the fascia is, the challenges that the fascia present to the body and the benefits of myofascial release. We also discuss how diet, surgery, and injury among others affect the fascia.
When I’m working on a person, I explain what is being done and how it will be experienced. Myofascial release therapy allows the fascia which surrounds every muscle, organ, nerve and blood vessel to relax from being bunched up and wrapped too tightly around certain areas. As it relaxes, the circulation is restored allowing oxygen to reach the area improving its function. Most of my clients tell me that they can actually feel the movement of the fascia releasing through their bodies, allowing muscles to elongate and the warmth of improved circulation. People often find that they get results that they have never experienced before. I look for the cause of the pain and work on that rather than just working where the referring points create pain.
My business mission is to help people restore their bodies and learn how to help themselves have full functional bodies. True success for my business will be reaching the masses to educate them about fascia being the connecting tissue that connects the body from head to toe, interwoven between the muscles, covering ligaments, organs and all the tissues of the body. Most pain can be traced to the fascia locking down where it cuts off blood flow limiting oxygen to that part of the body causing pain.
My business mission is to help people restore their bodies and learn how to help themselves have full functional bodies. True success for my business will be reaching the masses to educate them about fascia being the connecting tissue that connects the body from head to toe, interwoven between the muscles, covering ligaments, organs and all the tissues of the body. Most pain can be traced to the fascia locking down where it cuts off blood flow limiting oxygen to that part of the body causing pain.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When I was five years old, I used to go to church with my parents, grandparents or my uncle. I would come home and have a service with my dolls. First I would be the choir director with the dolls and then I would preach the entire sermon to my dolls and stuffed animals. I had a pastor at that time, Reverend George, whom I loved. I really understood what he was talking about. I wanted to join the church and be baptized. I asked my mother if I could go forward, and she said “next Sunday”. She then asked me about my understanding of Jesus and salvation. The next week in church I tugged on her arm at the invitation and she walked me forward. Reverend George asked me all the same questions and I was baptized shortly after that.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1020 Woodstock Rd, Suite 2108, Roswell, GA 30075
3901 Roswell Rd, Suite 208, Marietta, GA 30062 - Website: www.healingtouchofthedove.net
- Facebook: Healing Touch of the Dove Therapeutic Center
