Service Through Touch

Everflowing was founded by Irene Smith, CMT in 2001. Everflowing was born out of Irene’s work with dying persons for over two decades.

Irene Smith, CMT was certified through the Los Angeles School of Massage in 1974 and is a member of International Massage Association. In 1980, on a quest for personal healing, Irene was led to the work of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler Ross, the foremost authority in the field of death and dying. Encouraged by Elisabeth in 1982, Irene began her pioneering work with cancer patients as a massage practitioner with the San Francisco Hospice. Inspired by Elisabeth's spirit and compassion, Irene became a West Coast assistant to Elisabeth for the next 10 years. In 1983, Irene began her pioneering massage service with people with AIDS in the San Francisco General Hospital AIDS Unit 5A.

Seeing the need for compassionate support, Irene trained a team of massage therapists to staff hospital units and residence homes for people with AIDS. This team was called the Service Through Touch (STT).

Growing into an internationally acclaimed non-profit organization, STT became a voice not only for massage in AIDS care, but also for massage as an integral component to health care for other seriously ill populations. STT gave massage a more expansive definition and inspired other massage projects to serve seriously ill persons.

During this pioneering time, Irene developed her private massage practice with geriatric clients in both home and long term care facilities. Seeing a need for educating health care and massage communities in the benefits of touch for the fragile, Irene developed a multi-level training program in skillful touching for the ill and the dying.

In 2001, IEverflowing was founded as an educational outreach program and a forum for her 2 decades of experience working with clients at the end of life.

Through Everflowing, Irene continues to teach, consult and create educational resources that are utilized world-wide by professional and non-professional care givers, massage schools and health care organizations.

Irene has been acknowledged by the media, by the health care community and by the Bodywork Massage Professionals for outstanding contributions to the Somatic Profession. Irene's written contributions include: The Emotional Impact of Working With the Dying, Massage for the Ill in a Home Setting and Chapter 9 in AIDS, the Ultimate Challenge by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler Ross.

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