In 2025 we are celebrating NMT Center’s 35th year of providing multi-disciplinary continuing education for manual therapists. Our seminars and school program continue to evolve while technology constantly changes and world circumstances impact our lives and direct our decisions. Each time that I write an update for you, I am humbled to realize how many profound changes have occurred since the last one and how those have altered our work. Now I am delighted to share the details of our plans for NMT American version for the upcoming year as well as my personal plan for an exciting transition.

In 2019, I took time off from the road for “The Gap Year”, a full year spent revising all training manuals, handouts, and PPT presentations. We moved into blended learning, using voice-over PPT movies viewed at home, prior to class. This allowed us to walk in the door “all on the same page” regarding foundational material at each of our classes. I was able to add significant content, including videos of the techniques, which participants access post-event to ingrain the hands-on protocols at no additional cost. We made plans for 2020 to be a training year for new seminar instructors and for the schools using our program to inherit the revised materials. Like you, we had no idea what was coming!

In an instant, our world – the entire world – was altered as the pandemic uprooted every aspect of life – not just mine and yours, but for everyone we knew and beyond. My refreshed vision for NMT was frozen in time — our seminars were postponed indefinitely and the massage schools in our program were closed, some of which never recovered. After 15 months of seminar delay, we cautiously gathered in the classroom. I chose to teach only in St Petersburg and never returned to dragging the bags in the road show that had been my life for more than three decades.

It was a difficult time, like nothing we had seen before. And yet, from those deep, dark trenches of the pandemic, there emerged a few bright rays of light for NMT. I expanded our collection of voice-over PPT videos to incorporate some base training, such as how to use a pressure bar, protocols to restore healthy breathing, and the magic of locomotion. A few live-steam events led to our first live-streamed NMT certification seminar via Zoom, featuring my lectures and demo streamed from Florida to a classroom in Arizona (Rachel Carroll’s NMT Studio), where staff member Jason Sarkissian conducted the hands-on trade and coached the techniques. No travel, no jet lag, and no loss of quality – our team on site in the classroom 2,000 miles away assured the same high standards as our classic seminar training. Since then, the certification exam has also been successfully administered (via Zoom and Google Classroom) for a number of people who no longer needed the hassles of travel just to take a test. Exploring new ways to incorporate technology to make training easier and more valuable has sprouted new ideas for what is yet to come. What I appreciate most is that your ideas and feedback have been a big part of the foundation of our success. Thank you for inspiring these changes.

In August 2024, I sold my home (and office) of 30 years and reduced to a space that is 1/3 the size. This demanded that everything be simplified and much to be discarded. Now the home office staff is just one person – me – for both the seminars and school program. Life is a little more relaxed, with time for drawing, painting, stitching, and self-care. It is my plan to continue teaching, to develop and endorse new instructors, and to provide for the needs of schools that use our program. However, it is my dream to relocate soon, most likely to Italy. I love of Italian food, study Italian language every day, and appreciate the history, museums and architecture of the region. These fill my life with joy every day so, naturally, emersion into the culture is the next step, with an immersion language trip planned later this year that will help direct my future.

Wherever I reside, I still plan to teach through live-stream events and to return here for seminars, as needed. I will teach 2-4 live events per year, with limited seating. I have already started training new instructors; they are the future of NMT American version. They will carry the torch and continue to pass on the skills long after I am gone. In the meantime, I am excited to announce two seminar dates with me in 2025.

Our 20-hour in-person St. Petersburg NMT classes are limited to 30 people per event. Reserve your seat by registering with a $100 deposit or payment in full. If a class must be cancelled or postponed (extremely rare), your funds will be transferred to another event or fully refunded, your choice. Your funds are also transferable to another event if you are unable to attend the class and give us notice at least two weeks prior to the start of class. If you have money in our escrow account, you can direct those funds into any class with an available seats simply by sending an email to registrations@nmtcenter.com to tell me which class you want to take. If there is a seat, I will confirm that you are in it.

Register now to assure that you get the class you need before it fills. Pass this information on to your study buddies so they can plan to attend with you. Check our website for updates and let me know if you have any questions by emailing registrations@nmtcenter.com.

May you and your family be blessed with good health and great adventures!

Sincerely, with highest regards,

Judith DeLany
Director, NMT Center