The role of a massage therapist in treating chronic pain and emotional stress.

As a highly experienced counselor and deep tissue massage therapist with 20 years of working with many different types of people with many differing issues, I wanted to share some of my points of view, experience and knowledge on the role of massage and muscular health.

There are a lot of great Bodyworkers out there doing beautiful work, and there are a lot of many different methods and styles for people to choose from, which has its good points and it's bad. The positives in having lots of choice are the potential to find some really innovative and creative body workers that can facilitate a mind blowing experience. The down side is you can have a crap massage and waste your hard earned cash and time and still be full of tension! One things for sure, a great massage treatment takes two people being present! The giver and the receiver.

The receiver must be willing to relinquish control and surrender one’s self to the massage experience. They need to be open to feeling and fully experiencing any muscular pain because the pain in essence, is an opportunity to go deeper into the spirit and to see yourself differently. The body or muscular system can be a vehicle to an altered state of consciousness. When this is achieved, a real and deep change in one’s psyche can occur.

The giver, (the masage therapist) must be fully present and conscious of the client’s needs. The therapist must be able and willing to push the client in an appropriate way beyond their threshold and balance the fine line between pain and pleasure. This can then open up the possibility for the client to release old emotional hurts and to have a more inward, deeper and rewarding experience.

I realized long ago that people with ongoing pain, stress and tension have trouble letting go! And I know from professional experience and my own personal journey, that fear lives in the body and the muscles retain memories of unresolved hurts and trauma from childhood and beyond! So surely an important role as a therapist is to understand that the client has an unconscious need for us to take control of there body, so they have an opportunity to let go!

Some things I think are very important in giving a massage treatment.

Once you begin the massage don't talk too much. You are not getting paid to chat. Don't let the client talk either. Talking wastes precious energy and can be an avoidance method. The client must be encouraged to breathe deeply through the mouth. Breathing in this way has a few important benefits: it gives the client a point of focus; it benefits in pain management; builds energy which promotes relaxation; and most importantly, exerts inward pressure on muscular tension to aid in the releasing of any blocked emotions.

Also you may find it useful energetically to have your client lay with their head facing east and feet west. This promotes atmospheric streaming and unblocked and uninterrupted energy flow.

Listening to the client is also vital. Their need is more important than what you learned in massage school. Most people in pain don't really care if you know all the names of the muscles. Remember some rules where meant to be broken, so ultimately trust your hands and your own inner voice.

In closing, with all this choice and the multitude of people’s needs, I guess it's fair to say that no one has the Holy Grail of therapies. I would even venture to say that therapists who claim that they can fix your physical and emotional issues in 1 or 2 treatments are a little misguided and naive. I would say that in around 5% of cases this may be true.

The truth is, any healing of mind, body and spirit takes time and is an experiential process. It's about taking risks, facing fears, being honest with yourself and feeling opposites on a deeper than normal level.

If anyone would like to contact me? Tony Andrews------- The en-orgone method.