Deborah Forbes of Tierra Verde Salon & Spa in Tierra Verde, FL.

Dim lighting. Soothing wall color. The smell of lavender lingering in the air. Warm bed sheets. And most important of all, a massage therapist, like a healer from the mythic past, using skillful hand movements to revitalize a motionless body.

Sound good? Massage therapy can provide a peaceful oasis isolated from the stress of modern society.

“Our current lifestyles have us in a fight-or-flight pattern for much of the day,” said Deborah Forbes, a massage therapist and the owner of Tierra Verde Salon & Spa in Tierra Verde, FL. Forbes noted that in a fight-or-flight stage the body releases adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are vital when fighting for survival; however, excessive quantities and prolonged presence of adrenalin and cortisol may be poisonous and negatively affect a person’s emotional and physical states. 

“As we continue to create stress on a daily basis, we feel the need to slow things down,” Forbes said. “Massage pulls the mind and body back into one entity, instead of being disassociated.”

An Ancient Art

Massage is one the oldest forms of medicine, and its traditions are found all around the globe. 

In 2100 BC in the Sumer Empire, a healer inscribed a remedy on a clay tablet advising that a diseased body part be healed by “rubbing” it.  The Huangdi Neijing, or Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, was written in 200 BC in China and is considered the first book of traditional medicine; it recommends massage for certain ailments. The traditional Indian medicine system Ayurveda, the practice of which reaches back as far as the fifth century BC, also prescribes massage to treat numerous illnesses. The ancient Greeks and Romans would not pass on a chance to get a soothing and relaxing massage. Alexander the Great, who otherwise was busy conquering the world, had his personal triptai or massage specialist, who would help the great warrior to relax with massage and calming baths.

Paul Myer, Campus President, Cortiva Institute Chicago

The list of massage therapy benefits is a long one: it helps to enhance immune system; increases blood circulation, thus helping to heal wounds faster; eliminates toxins from the body; improves nutrition distribution to the tissues; has both stimulating and sedative effects on the nervous system; and many others.

For the last couple of decades, massage therapy has experienced a renaissance in the Western world.  “It is a growing industry based on increased consumer requests,” said Paul Myer, president of the massage therapy school the Cortiva Institute in Chicago. “Once consumers experience massage, they incorporate it into their routine to improve their quality of life,”

Robert King, Educational Consultant, Cortiva Institute

Increased interest in a wellness philosophy and alternative medicines has renewed interest in massage therapy. “Western medicine frequently addresses just symptoms of the illness, but not its causes,” said Robert King, author of numerous publications and cofounder and past president of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy. “For example, instead of taking aspirin for headache, people may consider taking a massage, especially if they really have a tight neck, scalp, or upper back muscles, all of which could be a causal factor for the headache.” King serves as an educational consultant for the Cortiva Institute and conducts advanced myofascial training (soft tissue therapy) throughout the country.

In the U.S., people have increasingly become interested in massage therapy as the level of stress in society has increased. “Stress exacerbates every disease,” King said. “If a person has a wound, illness, or psychological disorder, then excessive stress makes the condition worse. Alleviating stress is a very powerful component that helps the person’s health overall.”

Captives of a Stressful Routine

The human body’s response to environmental triggers shifts between two stages: “fight-or-flight” or “rest-and-digest.” When we feel threatened, body systems shift to fight-or-flight mode and prepare to fight for survival. This mode shuts down blood supply to the muscles, and increases blood pressure as well as heart and breathing rates. When there is no potential danger, the nervous system shifts to rest-and-digest mode: the body restores energy, maintains blood pressure at low rate, and ensures proper functioning of the digestive systems.

Bobbe Bermann, Director of Education, Cortiva Institute

During a massage session, the nerve endings in the skin send signals to the brain to relax and release tension. The body increases production of serotonin, a natural mood enhancing chemical, and endorphins, natural pain killers. “Endorphins combat the cortisol that is released in the body due to stress. If the body is less stressed, then its systems are able to work better and an individual experiences a sense of well being,” said Bobbe Bermann, director of education at the Cortiva Institute.

A study done by the American Massage Therapy Association’s Immediate Past- President M.K. Brennan indicates that chair massage reduces stress perception.   “Even the way we view things as being stressful can be changed,” Brennan said. Although more studies need to be done, recent findings indicate that massages enhances stress perception skills, Brennan noted.

M.K. Brennan, Past President, American Massage Therapy Association

“One of the benefits of the massage is taking time for oneself in a quiet environment, where you do not have to do anything and just be,” Brennan said.

Even entering a massage room and just lying with closed eyes, listening to soothing music, and being where everything is designed to be relaxing, sensual, and peaceful helps to calm the nervous system. General relaxation has been proven to help those who feel depressed, anxious, or angry.

Releasing Suppressed Emotions

A good massage therapist may help to release emotions and traumatic memories carried in the body for a long time. The late Austrian-American psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, M.D., stated that the human body, by suppressing negative emotions or defending itself from outside stressors, starts building “neuromuscular armor.”  This “armoring” process can start as early as in childhood.

“Unexpressed anger often causes tension in the muscles of the back and arms that would have been used to strike out,” wrote Patricia J. Benjamin, Ph.D., in explaining Reich’s theories in Tappan’s Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques, based on earlier work by Frances M. Tappan, Ed.D. “Or, unexpressed grief may result in shallow breathing and stiffening of muscles used in crying.”

“Sometimes a trauma lingers in the body for years and people are not even conscious of it,” King explained. “When a massage therapist works on the area which was tight or tense for decades, the area begins to be freed-up and emotions and feelings may be released.”

Miraculous Healing Powers of Touch

It is not surprising that masterly manipulation, rubbing, stroking, and caressing of the skin have always been part of traditional healing methods, since a touch in itself is invaluable to every human being. “In the absence of touching and being touched, people of all ages can sicken and grow touch-starved,” writes naturalist Diane Ackerman, Ph.D., in her book A Natural History of the Senses. “In fetuses, touch is the first sense to develop, and in newborns it’s automatic before the eyes open or the baby begins to make sense of the world. Soon after we’re born, though we can’t see or speak, we instinctively begin touching,”

Numerous studies indicate that babies who are in consistent physical contact with their mothers or caregivers grow and develop faster, their emotions are more controllable, and they are calmer.

“People do not lose the need to be touched when they grow older,” Bermann explained. “A compassionate touch gives a body a sense of belonging, a sense of well-being, and more self-awareness.”

However, hectic daily routines, isolated hours spent in a car stuck in a traffic, friendships created in cyberspace, and rules and regulations defining the amount of touch allowed in a public and/or work environment often push a friendly, caring human touch into peripheral field of human communication. “I feel in this computer age, the interaction we have with other people is cerebral, which makes the human need for touch even more important,” said Forbes.

To benefit most from a massage it is important to have a trusting working relationship with a massage therapist, otherwise the whole potentially healing and relaxing experience may become irritating and stressful. Bermann and Paul Myer of Cortiva suggested verifying a massage therapist’s credentials–see if he or she has a license and liability insurance, belongs to a professional organization, and continues to obtain national certification.

“It is also important to talk to your friends and network to find out whom they would recommend,” Myer said. 

Since every human being is unique and every body responds to massage techniques differently, also it is important to discuss with the massage therapist one’s troublesome body areas and expectations, the Cortiva experts concluded.

–Gabija Steponenaite 

Resources:

• Dr. Diane Ackerman: http://dianeackerman.com
• American Massage Therapy Association: http://www.amtamassage.org/
• Benjamin, Patricia J.. Tappan’s Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques: Classic, Holistic, and Emerging Methods. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2009.
• Cortiva Institute: http://www.cortiva.com
• Deborah Forbes, Tierra Verde Salon & Spa: http://www.tierraverdesalon.com                                
• Tim Noonan: http://www.timnoonan.com.au/maspap98.htm