Treating Stress with Massage

Treating stress with massage helps to relieve the pain caused by muscle tension, as the soothing touch also promotes a feeling of well-being and calm.

After a massage, many people are often surprised at how much better they feel. Their body feels relaxed and the earlier feelings of stress seem to have melted away. As the massage therapist kneads the skin and the underlying muscles and soft tissue, the movements simulate the central nervous system to release certain hormones. These hormones are often referred to as feel good hormones and include serotonin and dopamine. The result of the chemical reaction is the overall good feeling that envelopes your body after a massage. This reaction is called the relaxation response and is a state of mind that boosts the immune system and minimizes the effects of stress.

In addition to the actual massage itself, the general setting of most massage areas helps to relieve stress and promote a relaxed feeling. From the gentle touch of the masseuse as you lay on the warm table to the soothing music and calming scents that fill the area, a massage is an enjoyable method of treating stress.

There are more than 80 different methods and techniques of massage and many of those are used to treat stress. The following are a few of the more commonly used types of massage.

One of the more common types of massage, the Swedish massage is generally the method used in most spas and gyms. The massage therapist usually puts oil or lotion on your skin or his hands before beginning the massage. The massage strokes are long and are done in a sweeping or gliding motion mixed with kneading strokes. The therapist may also shake, tap or move various muscle areas and joints to further reduce the tension in the muscles and relieve the built up stress.

There are many benefits of a heated stone massage including relieving stress, reducing pain and calming the mind. A hot stone massage also relaxes the body’s tissues and deep muscles and improves circulation. In preparing for a hot stone massage, the therapist heats smooth black basalt stones in water heated to 120-150 degrees Fahrenheit. He then holds a heated stone in each hand and using traditional Swedish massage movements rubs the stones over your body. He may place additional stones between your toes, in the palms of your hands or on your spine. The purpose of these stones are to open and improve the body’s energy flow.

In deep tissue massage the therapist uses strokes done in patterns combined with deep finger pressure where the muscles are very tight. The pain and stress felt from the tight knotted muscles, located in muscle layers deep below the skin’s surface, is relieved by this type of massage.

A type of massage that is quickly gaining popularity due to our busy lifestyles and stressful days is the chair massage. This relatively new massage phenomenon is cropping up in shopping malls, flea markets and workplaces across the country. The next time you see a massage therapist standing next to his massage chair, take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and indulge yourself in a 15- to 20-minute upper back and neck massage. You will feel rejuvenated as you feel the stress and tension of the day being released from your body.

• Lomi Lomi massage
• Shiatsu massage
• Craniosacral massage
• Reflexology
• Thai massage

Massage is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment known. Paintings found on Egyptian tombs show people being massaged, proving that as long ago as the Egyptians, people used this simple treatment to relieve stress and pain. Through the centuries treating stress with massage has survived the test of time.

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