RELAXATION AND STRESS RELIEF PLAY A KEY PART IN HEALING

RELAXATION AND STRESS RELIEF ARE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN MASSAGE THERAPY.

As we prepare to move our office a lot of thought is being put into how each massage room is going to look.  Some clients say it doesn't matter because they come for the massage not the decor.  As experienced massage therapists we disagree.  We know it does matter!  We want the rooms to look nice of course but it's more than that.  The sooner a client can relax, the better outcome we get from the massage.  

Relaxation improves massage results. 

Relaxation can be enhanced by appealing to as many of the five senses as possible during massage.  

• Touch.  The massage itself is perfect for that.  
• Smell.  Essential oils are part of each massage session.  
• Auditory.  We use mainly soft music without words during the massage.  
• Visual.  This takes us back to how the room looks.

We are visual creatures.  As we enter a room, whether it's our home or a place of business, we feel something.  Consciously or subconsciously, the way a space is laid out can make us uptight or put us at ease.  To help the body relax, a room should be clean and free of clutter.  Each piece in the room should serve a purpose and be laid out with attention to flow and functionality.   

The massage work itself always contains an element of relaxation.

Although we are a clinically based massage center, and some of the therapeutic techniques are uncomfortable, there is always an element of relaxation in each session.  No one can bear an hour of trigger point work without some "feel good" strokes mixed in.  Swedish massage is best used for relaxation and stress relief.  

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems. Massage stimulates which?

Our bodies can move between two main states of being.  The sympathetic state and the parasympathetic state.  

• The sympathetic nervous system is our "fight or flight" response.
• The parasympathetic nervous system can be called the "rest and digest" response.    

Most people are in some level of sympathetic state just dealing with day to day stresses.  Massage has been shown to help the body shift into the parasympathetic state where the body gets the most benefit.    

The parasympathetic state is where your body can relax and heal. 

While stimulating this parasympathetic state, the body releases "feel good" hormones like serotonin and dopamine.  Blood pressure lowers and rate of respiration slows which is why some people get cold halfway through their massage.  Massage also lowers the stress hormone cortisol and lowers the excitatory hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine. 

If we just look at these chemicals and what their role is in the body, it seems obvious we need to add relaxation into our daily routine.  If there is too much epinephrine or norepinephrine it can lead to feelings of anxiety.  Too little dopamine and serotonin can cause depression and other psychological problems.  If relaxation or massage induced relaxation is a way to fix these, who wouldn't try it?   

Massage lowers the stress hormone cortisol.

With the current overly-scheduled and overly-stimulated epidemic our society faces it's no wonder why 75%-90% of all doctor's office visits are related to stress.  As massage therapists we would be doing our clients a disservice if we treated only the muscle tissue when we have the chance to involve the person as a whole and treat the mind and emotional state too.  Stress relief and relaxation can benefit and aide the body on it's way to healing.  

Come see us at our new location beginning October 10th to see how the massage rooms turned out.