Massage Therapy

» Tulip50 - Massages, more than 'body work"..start to wholeness.

Hello Sylvia,
Thank you for the resources and your insightful response. I do have a massage therapist who is in tune with "energies," is aware of what emotional release is, but really is not trained in any way in that direction. The three things that really came out at me in your response were:

1.This has so much to do with your connection to your therapist, the level of trust..

2. We need someone to help validate our feelings and experiences and often times this person is a therapist, and some times a massage therapist.

3. a massage therapist's job is simply to be present, compassionate and caring and non -judgemental. It isn't an every day occurrence to have someone give you permission to release your emotions, nor is it an everyday occurrence to have someone just be there without having to fix it.

Really, in today's world, there are few "safe places" or places that one does not have to be "on guard" at some degree. For myself, I think that a good therapist provides that space that I lack to let my guard down and that in turn is very healing. People go to psychologists for healing through "talk therapy" but I also see, for me, healing take place through "massage therapy" ....a healing without words, so to speak.

I read something about "energy cysts" and it was very interesting. I do believe that muscles hold memories. For example, there is an area on my shoulder, that everytime it is touched or I brush against it, I recall my son tapping me there and joking with me. The sensation of that muscle being touched automatically goes to that thought. That happens to be a funny, good memory, however, if someone was maybe slapped abusively on that same muscle...maybe a massage therapist working on that muscle would bring out the memories of fear and sadness..negative emotions-causing them to cry. THEY may not consciously recall the incident, but the muscle does and touching it creates the emotion.

I believe there is a whole field out there waiting to evolved that can bridge the gap between muscle memory and conscious memory where massage therapists could specialize in. Like a combination of pyschologist/massage therapist. I can see this field emerging in the future. The body, mind, emotion, and soul are too intertwined...and achieving healthy balance in all four should be the ultimate goal.

Right now, our society is set up with experts on body health, experts on mind health, experts on spiritual health, and experts on emotional health. We are scattered to the wind, yet we have all these components withing ourselves that need balance.

Where can we find mentors who bring all three together? I think massage therapy has potential for at least bringing body health and emotional health together and moving us one step closer to wholeness.

-- posted by Tulip50