The Body-Mind Connection
From an early age, we learn habits about how — or how not to — show our emotions. Some emotions such as anger, rage, or even frustration are discouraged. Suppressing emotions may be the difference between being accepted by our parents, friends, and teachers or being punished, criticized, or shamed.
But what happens to suppressed emotions? Where do they go when we’re not allowed by parents or even ourselves to show them?
Our conscious mind has many functions. It directs voluntary movement in our bodies. It determines how we feel about our environment, and it makes choices about most aspects of our lives. Because the conscious mind gets information from our senses and directs our muscles to move, it is fully linked to our nervous system. Our nervous system controls our bodies. Further, our unconscious mind — those things that we think but aren’t aware of — is also part of our nervous system.
When we learn not to show our feelings, they usually go into our bodies. We tense the muscles in our neck instead of frowning, we hold our breath instead of crying, or we clench our jaw instead of yelling. When these patterns are repeated, emotional suppression becomes a habit, the unconscious mind takes over, and the body becomes a storehouse for unexpressed, unconscious feelings.
Bodywork and emotional release.
With an understanding of how emotions are stored in the physical body, we can understand why bodywork helps release them.
Muscle tension is one of the most frequent ways we hold emotion. Many people seek massage to help relieve tension from chronic stress. By relaxing muscles and reducing tension, massage frees the pattern where the unconscious feeling is being held. Once the tension is gone, the unconscious mind loses its grasp and an emotion may emerge.
People who hold excessive tension often have hypersensitive nervous systems. Supportive touch offered by a trained massage therapist can calm the nervous system, which changes the mind-body pattern. This calming effect creates freedom for feelings to come forth and be released in a safe, supportive, nonjudgemental environment.
Some bodywork systems such as Rolfing and Hellerwork actually help to change body posture. These whole body approaches can even help change a general emotional pattern by reorganizing the structural pattern that developed as a result of the initial depression or anxiety.
Benefits of Bodywork Massage
- Increase the blood’s oxygen capacity by 10-15%
- Help loosen contracted, shortened muscles and stimulate weak, flaccid muscles. This muscle “balancing” can even help posture and promote more efficient movement
- Speed recovery from exercise-induced fatigue
- Increase production of gastric juices, saliva and urine
- Increase excretion of nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, and sodium chloride (salt). This suggests that the metabolic rate increases
- Balance the nervous system by soothing or stimulating it, depending on which effect is needed
- Improves function of the oil and sweat glands that lubricate, clean and cool the skin. Though, inflexible skin can become softer and more supple
- Indirectly or directly stimulating nerves the supply internal organs can dilate the organs’ blood vessels, improving blood supply
- Emotional release on many levels if will to engage, aknowledge and move forward.
Tired, sore and stressed out?
Most people would agree a massage makes them feel good. But many probably don’t realise exactly how good a regular massage is for their overall health. How about if they knew massage could improve performance, aid recovery, prevent and eliminate injuries, reduce stress and even enhance metabolism and circulation!
With so many alternative health treatments available it’s little wonder people get confused about where to go when they’re not feeling the best. But, while new health therapies continue to emerge, think about this. the Chinese began using massage to heal the human body as long ago as 5,000BC and it’s still being used today. Now there has to be something to be said for that.
Massage and Sport
Massage plays a part in every form of sport or exercise. Unfortunately, many people believe aches and pains are an inevitable consequence to activity. But massage can actually reduce or eliminate what may appear to be exercise-induced pain.
It can increase endurance, control fatigue and help people feel better when used as part of a regular health program. Massage can also speed muscle recovery rates as it eliminates irritation from waste. By helping reduce fatigue and aid recovery, massage enables more productive training, with longer, more effective workouts. The ultimate spin-offs are better performance with fewer injuries. Exercise changes the way our muscles work. Blood vessels become more intricate as the body demands more oxygen and nutrients and increases waste elimination. This takes time. While the muscles are getting into shape, they can struggle to get enough oxygen and nutrients, so waste collects.
Massage Therapy for Health and Fitness
It may simply look like a lot of pressing and kneading on skin, but massage is actually a scientific process. The reason you feel different after a massage is because it is healing and invigorating tired, aching or injured muscles. Massage increases blood land lymph circulation. Lymph is a fluid that rids body tissues of waste, is dependent on the squeezing effect of muscles. An active person has better lymph flow than an inactive person. However, stimulation from vigorous activity can lead to increased waste, which can negate the benefit.
This is where massage has a huge advantage. Massage can dramatically aid lymph movement, which together with blood, supplies nutrients and oxygen and rids wastes and toxins. It is easy to understand why good circulation is so important to our health and why massage can be so beneficial just for this purpose.
Massage and Injuries
Massage also helps recovery from soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains. Tissue growth and repair is accelerated by efficient circulation and appropriate stimulation. Everybody experiences some form of stress through work, family, the environment and society. Mental tensions, frustrations, and insecurity cause the most damage. Hormones released by stress actually shrink the vessels, inhibiting circulation.
A stressed mind and body means the heart works harder. Breathing becomes rapid and shallow and digestion slows. Nearly every body process is degraded. Studies show stress can cause migraines, hypertension (high blood pressure), depression, some peptic ulcers, etc. In fact, researchers have estimated 80% of disease is stress related. Soothing and relaxing massage therapy can counteract the effects of stress.
What Injuries can Massage Bodywork Treat?
- Reduces anxiety
- Generates confidence and feeling of well being
- Enhances self-image and self-worth
- Satisfies the need for caring and nourishing touch
- Relaxation induces a feeling of physical, mental and emotional well being (reduction of excess stress)
- Provides a soothing and comforting alternative to verbal therapeutic techniques, such as counseling
- Reduces sense of isolation
- Increases awareness of the mind-body connection
- Relieve muscle tension, injuries
