Massage therapy is one of the oldest and most natural forms of healing we know.
Benefits can include reduced stress, increased sense of relaxation, reducing muscle soreness, alleviating chronic pain, improving energy, alertness, and energy levels, improving immune function, and more. Beyond the benefits for specific conditions or diseases, massages are enjoyable because they often produce feelings of caring, comfort and connection.
Touch is important for us as humans, so much so that we've invented the terms "touch-starved" and "skin hunger" to describe our lack of it.
Scientists have found that a system of nerve fibers, called C-tactile afferents, exists to recognize any form of gentle touch. In fact, according to a 2017 study, the ideal touching speed is about 3 centimeters per second. This releases oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” When you feel snowed under or pressured, the body releases the stress hormone cortisol. One of the best things touch can do is reduce such stress, allowing the systems in your body to operate without dysfunctions.
Touch can also calm certain bodily functions, such as your heart rate and blood pressure. It does so by stimulating pressure receptors that transport signals to the vagus nerve. This nerve connects the brain to the rest of the body and uses the signals to slow and soothe the pace of the nervous system.
Touch is crucial for building healthy relationships by stimulating pathways for oxytocin, the natural antidepressant serotonin, and the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine. Plus, it can tackle loneliness - according to another 2017 study, gentle touch can reduce feelings of social exclusion.
The physical benefits of massage can be life-changing. One of my first regular clients was an elderly woman who walked bent forward at the hips, frozen in that position, after decades of her life were spent working as a farmer. Standing up straight resulted in horrible pain that shot down her legs. Traumatized connective tissue had built up in her lower back, limiting her ability to straighten it or rotate her torso. After a year of weekly sessions using Neuromuscular Therapy and deep tissue techniques, she was not only standing tall and straight, but was able to ride a bicycle around her neighborhood with her partner!
Another early client of mine was a woman who came to me complaining of knee pain. I got her on my table and quickly realized she had a slight case of scoliosis, and the kyphosis curve in her spine meant that her left hip was raised higher than her right, so that as she walked, she was putting more pressure on that left knee. Her scoliosis was being caused by her seated posture (sitting with one leg crossed over the other) as well as her sleeping posture (side sleeper), so after a few massages and some lifestyle adjustments, she was able to enjoy a long and pain-free walking tour in France while vacationing with her family.
I could continue to write here about how meaningful a massage can be, but I encourage you to reach out to me so we can discuss exactly how massage could benefit you specifically! You can also check out my testimonials page for quotes on my clients' experiences. I hope to hear from you soon!
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