Andrew’s path into massage began on the banks of the Ganges River in India, with an unexpected bit of encouragement.
A wandering sadhu showed Andrew a few massage moves and told him he had a gift. Those words stayed with him, eventually leading to professional training at the National Holistic Institute.
Since then, Andrew has worked in chiropractic offices, spas, and private practice, and provided massage behind the scenes at the San Francisco Opera.
More about Andrew’s path +
Andrew began giving massages spontaneously to friends and family, consistently receiving encouragement and positive feedback. Over the years, he has had the privilege of working with people from all walks of life, including setting up his chair at harm reduction events in the Tenderloin.
One of the most memorable compliments came from a woman who told him she had traveled the world receiving massages—and that this was the best she had ever experienced.
For Andrew, massage is more than a collection of techniques. It is an opportunity to become fully present with another person, set aside the distractions of everyday life, and let the work unfold naturally.
01
The power of encouragement
Andrew had been a massage therapist off and on for years. At the time, he was working as a counselor and managing a Recovery Incentives (Contingency Management) program in San Francisco.
The program used positive reinforcement to help people make meaningful changes in their lives. Participants recovering from stimulant use could earn financial incentives for meeting recovery goals, including providing stimulant-negative drug tests.
As Andrew began working with the program, he became a believer in the approach. He watched people use their incentives to buy school clothes for their children, groceries, tools for work, and other necessities.
One early experience sold him on the legitimacy of the program.
A participant who had recently found a job used her recovery incentives to buy a pair of shoes she needed for work. She explained to Andrew that without her recovery and the incentives she wouldn’t have been able to afford them.
Andrew saw how positive reinforcement could help people make practical changes in their lives. The work also reinforced something he had come to believe through his own experiences: sometimes all people need is a little encouragement, an opportunity, and someone who believes in them
Throughout his work in behavioral health, Andrew kept his massage certification active.
02
Luna’s Dream
Andrew’s friend Luna comes from a family with a remarkable history.
Her parents came from El Salvador, a country that experienced political repression, violence, and eventually a devastating civil war beginning in 1980.
Luna’s father, an intellectual and attorney, made the decision to move his family from El Salvador to the United States while her mother was pregnant with Luna.
Luna is the sixth of thirteen children and the first of her parents’ children born in the United States. Conceived in El Salvador, and born in America.
Her family has land in El Salvador. Her father’s dream was to return to his home country after retirement and live off that land.
He never had the opportunity.
He died unexpectedly of a heart attack.
Luna carries her father’s dream forward.
She envisions transforming the family’s land into a working farm and healing center where people can learn to cultivate the land, reconnect with nature, and experience the agricultural knowledge and traditions of her family’s culture.
She imagines growing crops, raising animals, welcoming visitors, and creating a place where everyday people can experience a different way of living.
For Luna, the farm is connected to her father, her family’s history, and her Salvadoran heritage. It’s a way of honoring where she comes from while creating something for future generations.
Andrew was fascinated by her vision.
And one evening, before giving Luna a massage, they began talking about it.
03
The First Manifest Massage
What would the farm look like?
What crops would they grow?
What animals would live there?
Who would come to the healing center?
How would it feel for Luna to live on the land her father had dreamed of returning to?
As they talked, Andrew was struck by an idea.
He jumped off the couch, grabbed a journal, and exclaimed:
“Oh my God! Luna! Luna! Come on, we’re both going to write down your vision. Your goals!”
They began writing down her vision and talking about what she wanted to create.
Andrew suggested they spend some time imagining the farm and then begin the massage.
Luna could relax and receive while Andrew focused on giving the massage. They would approach the experience with faith in what was possible, without worrying about how everything would happen.
The idea excited them both.
That first evening, Luna added something along the lines of, “Yeah! Let’s make it happen at the cellular level!”
Andrew loved it.
The conversation sparked something in Andrew. Drawing on his experience as a massage therapist and his work as a counselor, he began developing an approach that combined personalized massage with optional intention-setting.
That evening, inspired by Luna’s dream and their conversation, Andrew conceived what he would call Manifest Massage.
Andrew began wondering whether the approach could work for other people.
What if clients could spend a few minutes discussing a goal, dream, or intention before their massage?
What if a massage could do more than relax the body? What if it could sneak a little more belief in what’s possible into our lives?
The idea brought together two parts of Andrew’s professional life: his experience with goals and positive reinforcement in behavioral health, and his years of working as a massage therapist.
04
From an Idea to an Experience
Andrew and Luna went on to share several more Manifest Massage sessions.
Luna continued traveling to El Salvador and working toward her family’s dream. On one trip, she brought Andrew and his children cacao she had made.
Andrew loved that Luna was taking steps toward something that had meant so much to her father.
There’s also a coincidence they both enjoy.
Luna is one of thirteen children, and she and Andrew share a fondness for the number thirteen.
Andrew’s last name, Dertien, means thirteen in Dutch.
Andrew remains grateful to Luna for their friendship and for the evening that inspired Manifest Massage.
He hopes that one day he’ll have the opportunity to visit the farm and see what Luna has created.
And if… no, when Manifest Massage becomes a wild success, with manifestation clinics all over the country, maybe even a franchise, Andrew hopes to be in a position to make a meaningful contribution toward dreams like Luna’s farm in El Salvador.
05
Manifest Meditation — Virtual Sessions
Andrew’s interest in combining intention-setting with relaxation also led him to consider how the experience might be offered without physical massage.
He envisioned a virtual session that combined a conversation about personal goals with a guided body-scan meditation.
Manifest Meditation is a guided experience that combines optional intention-setting with body awareness and meditation.
The session begins with a conversation about something meaningful in your life. It might be a personal goal, a dream you’re working toward, a change you’d like to make, or something you’re trying to understand.
From there, Andrew guides you through a body-scan meditation, inviting you to observe physical sensations and return your attention to the present moment.
The practice draws on Andrew’s experience with meditation and his interest in the relationship between attention, personal goals, and physical relaxation.
Andrew lived at the Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center in Kaufman, Texas, as the kitchen manager. He alternated between sitting and serving the ten-day silent courses. At the end of eighteen months, Andrew traveled to India and sat a thirty-day silent course and had a private audience with Goenka, the founder of the organization.
Sessions can be experienced remotely, without a massage table or physical contact.
Manifest Through Massage is Andrew’s developing approach to combining personalized massage with optional goal-setting and intention-setting.
The idea is to give people an opportunity to acknowledge something meaningful in their lives before receiving a massage.
Some people may come with a specific dream or goal. Others may simply want to relax, relieve tension, or enjoy an hour of bodywork.
Both are welcome.
The experience is personalized, and participation in the intention-setting portion is entirely optional.
07
Your Body. Your Vision. Your Experience.
1. Come As You Are
We begin by discussing your physical needs, areas of tension, injuries, preferences, and what you’d like from your massage.
Your comfort, boundaries, and physical well-being are the priority.
2. Imagine What You Want
If you’d like, we’ll take a few moments to discuss a personal goal, dream, or intention.
It could be about your health, relationships, finances, career, family, creativity, or something else entirely.
You might want to buy a home, start a business, improve a relationship, find a new direction in life, or simply experience more peace.
You can write your intention down, talk about it, or keep it to yourself.
3. Let Go and Receive
Then we begin the massage.
You don’t need to keep thinking about your goals or spend the session trying to visualize a particular outcome.
You’re free to enjoy the massage and relax.
4. Carry It Forward
After your session, you can return to your intention whenever you choose.
Perhaps you’ll feel motivated to take a practical step toward something you’ve been considering. Or perhaps the massage will simply leave you feeling rested.
There is no expectation that a particular outcome will follow.
With your permission, we’ll maintain a confidential client profile that includes your massage preferences, areas of physical concern, and any personal goals or intentions you’d like to revisit.
During future sessions, we can check in on your progress, celebrate milestones, adjust your goals, and explore what’s next.
You’re always in control of what you share.
08
A Vision for the World
Andrew’s hope is to develop Manifest Massage into an experience that can eventually be shared by other massage therapists and offered to people in different communities.
He also envisions expanding the approach through guided meditation, wellness education, and other services that bring together relaxation and personal reflection.
The inspiration for Manifest Massage came during an evening when Andrew and his friend Luna were discussing her dream of carrying forward her father’s vision for a farm and healing center in El Salvador.
That conversation inspired Andrew to develop a new approach to massage, bringing together his experience in bodywork, behavioral health, and personal goal-setting.
Today, he’s building Manifest Massage into a business with a vision of bringing that experience to communities around the world.
Andrew hopes that one day Manifest Massage will become successful enough to help support meaningful dreams like Luna’s farm in El Salvador.
