Massage & Emotional Wellness, Healthy Shoulders, Importance of Health Intake

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 19:08:10 +0000

From PTSD to Depression, Hands-On Work Offers Relief

By Ruth Werner

Massage therapy offers a myriad of physical benefits, but we sometimes forget everything hands-on treatments can do for our emotional well-being. Let’s take a quick look at the importance of touch and some of the specific ways it can help our mental and emotional health.

TOUCH HUNGER

From the earliest days of humankind, when one person reached out to soothe another, we have known that welcomed physical contact is good for us. The loving touch that occurs between infants and their caregivers helps create a sense of safety in the world that follows us for a lifetime. Touch that occurs between humans helps us build our foundational relationships, supports social interaction, enables emotional sharing, and provides many other benefits.

By contrast, research shows us that prolonged touch deprivation experienced by infants and young children is connected with failure to thrive and the inability to create social attachments,
and with shorter lifespans and more illness in isolated elders.

The need for healthy touch is so important, and the consequences of touch deprivation are so dire, that groundbreaking anthropologist Ashley Montagu gave our drive for this form of human-to-human interaction a name: touch hunger.

We know that touch is a basic human need, but we live in a society with few appropriate venues for physical contact. Where does healthy touch (outside of sexual activity) occur between non-related adults in our culture? We only see it in the context of greetings and leave-takings, sports, professional grooming, or health care. Massage therapy is an intervention that bridges those last two; in some settings it could be considered part of grooming, and in others it is offered as health care.

MASSAGE AND ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PTSD

For mental and emotional well-being, massage therapy has a surprisingly robust body of evidence showing benefits for people with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mood-related challenges. Much of this research has been done in settings where…(To read “the rest of the story”, please click here BSFall2020)

Your Peace of Mind, Lower Blood Pressure

Tom Saulnier — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:55:14 +0000

IN THIS ISSUE: * Which Bodywork Style Suits you? Advice for Newcomers * Emotional Reactions on the Massage Table: Your Peace of Mind * Massage May Reduce Blood Pressure –

Which Bodywork Style Suits You? Advice for Beginners – By Cindy Williams

It’s been a long, intense week. You have strict deadlines at work, you need to help with your daughter’s science project, and your spouse is out of town on a business trip. Frazzled and near your wits’ end, a friend suggests you get a massage. She knows a great massage therapist and will even babysit for a couple of hours, so you can give it a try. But you’re a newcomer to bodywork, so you may be thinking: “How will I know what kind of massage to get? What if I don’t feel comfortable? Do I have to remove my clothing? What if I just can’t relax?”

These are common questions for those new to massage, but there’s no need to worry. Let’s begin by outlining the most common types of massage, and the benefits of each, so you can feel more confident choosing the best option for you.

WESTERN MASSAGE STYLES

Swedish Massage

Dating back to the 1800s, Swedish massage is the most widely known style of Western massage. If in doubt about what massage to choose, Swedish is a great place to start.

Massage practitioners use a combination of strokes: friction, gliding, kneading, squeezing, tapotement, vibration, and wringing. The pace may be fast or slow; for example, if deep calming of the mind is desired, a slower pace is used than in a massage where the goal is stimulating circulation. Practitioners generally use light to moderate pressure, but deeper pressure can be used if necessary or if you prefer it. … Click here for full Publication BodySense-Winter 2015

Hand & Hand Mobile Massage |

Massage & Emotional Wellness, Healthy Shoulders, Importance of Health Intake

Your Peace of Mind, Lower Blood Pressure