The Power Of Touch
Massage goes further than skin-deep, deeper even than muscles and bones--a
good massage penetrates right to the depth of your being. The power of this
touch creates symmetry through one continuous sequence in which the strokes
flow rhythmically from one to another. The healing that occurs during a
session can be powerful and transforming.
During times of stress and illness there is a sheer need to be touched.
Massage is the best healing tool and has been for thousands of
years. The most basic need is to feel connected and safe. Massage therapy is
a powerful healing tool and the results can make a world of difference.
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Infant massage
 Massage releases both oxytocin and endorphins and therefore can assist in
relieving discomfort from teething, congestion, colic and emotional stress.
Some infants sleep for longer periods following massage and appear to have
longer periods of deep sleep. This seems to please most parents and is often
the reason they seek an infant massage course. As with many other situations
involving infants, a course of action that is effective with one infant does
not apply to the next. There are cases where the problematic sleep pattern of
infants is not affected by massage. The Swedish massage technique for "breaking
up" the congestion of mucous in the chest involves a form of tapotement.
This technique, when learnt and practiced properly, can "break up"
the mucous in the lungs making it easier for infants to eliminate the excess
mucous. IMIS defines colic as painful gas causing a distended, firm abdomen,
which takes an infant a long period of time to eliminate without assistance.
Repeating a small series of strokes on the abdomen has been used to relieve
colic. In addition to this the stoking helps the infant to relax so that
tension does not escalate their discomfort.
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Massage for Cancer Patients
 Massage therapy for
cancer patients results in many benefits. It reduces stress and
relaxes patients. It bolsters the immune system and helps remove
toxins from the body. It helps with circulation and restores energy.
It reduces pain and minimizes the effects of radiation and
chemotherapy treatments. It enhances a patients body awareness and
allows them to direct energy toward healing. And in cancer patients
who will die from the disease, it can help ease their final days. Even
the American Cancer Society views massage as an important
complementary therapy for cancer patients.
The researchers assessed
the effects of massage and aromatherapy on 103 cancer patients in a
palliative care setting. The patients were randomly allocated to receive
massage using a carrier oil (massage) or massage using a carrier oil
plus the Roman chamomile essential oil (aromatherapy massage). The
results revealed that there was a statistically significant reduction in
anxiety after each massage and the patients who received aromatherapy
massage also also noted improvements in their disposition, physical
comfort and their quality of life.
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Trauma
 Trauma- An event or situation that deeply changes how you feel about
being in this world for the negative. This brings pain to you in
both your heart and your body, and changes everything you think and
feel. Examples of this are physical or emotional abuse, an accident
or a loss. Trauma Massage is a slow, gentle technique that works
with earned trust and compassion. The outcome is relative to what
the client wants; anything from comfort, to overcoming the fear of
touch.
Traumatic events, such as fire,
earthquake, bombing, and hurricane, occur daily. Such devastating
circumstances often cause an acute reaction of fear and terror for
individuals who experience them. It occurs when traumatized
individuals cannot safely assign to the past what has happened in
their life. The experience of trauma undermines one's expectations
of safety and security in the world. .
As they struggle to make sense of
what has happened to them, the majority of individuals who
experience severe trauma develop such acute, short-term symptoms as
sleep disturbances and physical pain. Others, unfortunately, develop
chronic symptoms related to their experience of trauma. These
symptoms, when they occur together, are indicative of Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The impact of such symptoms has a
neurobiological basis and crosses physical, emotional, and spiritual
boundaies.
The overall goal in the massage
treatment of PTSD is to help the client to become safely
"embodied within the self." Massage therapists can teach
clients safe and effective ways of self-soothing and stress
management. People who have been traumatized are no longer at home
in their bodies. Talk therapy alone does not always adequately
address the fear and mistrust that has been encoded into their
bodies. In a multidisciplinary context, massage therapy can help
bring clients back into themselves by increasing their ability to
feel safety and mastery in the world, to be freely curious without
fear, to feel comfortable with their body, and to experience
boundaried intimacy with another human being.
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Energy Balancing
 In addition to our physical anatomy there exists a
"subtle" or psychic anatomy that is unseen.
This "subtle" anatomy encompasses the aura that surrounds
the physical body, and the major centers of psychic, or vital
energy known as chakras. (http://www.parascience.org/chakras.htm)
(http://ryse.com/mission.htm)
 In massage the energy modalities are best described as
those interventions that employ the directional use of energy via
intention in order to bring about changes in the whole person,
body/mind and spirit. Healing can take place on many different
levels, and this holistic method has beneficial effects on the
body, mind and spirit. It stimulates the client's self-healing
energies and enables the body, mind and spirit to work in unison,
contributing to a sense of well-being. The aim
is to help the client to get in closer touch with the infinite
wisdom of their body mind and to make best use of the vast
resources available for healing from within.
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