How can therapeutic massage help me?
Aside from the physical benefits of massage, such as the relief of back pain, muscle soreness and constipation, regular massage can also help to alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve body image and self-esteem.
Sometimes there are physical manifestations of psychological distress that can be most effectively treated through bodywork. For this reason massage is particularly helpful for people who suffer from PTSD, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Therapeutic massage complements psychotherapy because it acts on both the body and the mind and helps to restore a sense of integration and wholeness.
Massage therapy research
Anecdotally, most people feel better after a massage and the reason for that is simple: positive touch stimulates physiological changes in the body that help us to relax, switch off and regenerate. Massage is also an incredibly simple yet powerful way of communicating care non-verbally.
However, in recent times calls for credible scientific evidence to support the use of massage in the treatment of health conditions have increased. If you would like to look into the research about the clinical benefits of massage therapy you can find a selection at the Massage Therapy Research Foundation or at the Miami Touch Research Institute.
In the UK, the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence, the organisation that sets clinical policy for the NHS, has written guidelines that recommend the use of massage therapy in the treatment of back pain.
For further information about the way in which massage therapy can help the symptoms of PTSD, read an article written by our massage therapist, Kimberley Pledger.
