Massage & Bodywork Care for Trauma Survivors
What is Massage & Bodywork therapy?
Massage therapy, the manual manipulation of soft body tissue to promote health and well-being, can provide relief from physical, emotional, and mental stress, and decrease levels of depression, anxiety, irritability, and other symptoms associated with trauma exposure (Collinge, Kahn, & Soltysik, 2012). Massage therapy has also been found to help clients with PTSD-related dissociation to be more in touch with how certain emotions manifest in physical sensation, and experience comfort and safety in their body (Price, 2005).
How can Massage & Bodywork help an individual after trauma?
Massage is particularly relevant to trauma treatment because traumatized individuals often suffer from hyper-arousal and hyper-vigilance. In a state of stress and tension, their muscles may be constricted, and their bodies flooded with cortisol, a stress hormone that can be harmful with long-term exposure. Massage therapy has been shown to decrease cortisol levels while increasing hormones (serotonin and dopamine) associated with elevated mood (Field, Hernandez-Reif, Diego, Schanberg, & Kuhn, 2005). Massage therapy can also help to increase circulation, relieve some physical pain, and relax tensed muscles (Price, 2005). This relaxation can enable traumatized people to let go of their fight or flight stress response and attain a calmer state of being, which can be helpful both in therapy and in navigating daily life (Hatayama, Kitamura, Tamura, Nagano, & Ohnuki, 2008).
The importance of a trauma-informed licensed massage & bodywork therapist.
It is important to find a massage therapist who is trauma-informed and practices consent-based body work, to mitigate the risk of a client feeling out of control of the situation and their body (Frank, 2013). Feeling comfortable while someone is working on your body is important for anyone, and especially for those who have previously been trauma-exposed, and for whom a bad-experience massage could be retraumatizing. Conversely, a good-experience massage can feel nurturing, another potential source of healing.
Massage & bodywork compliments other healing therapies.
Massage’s benefits can support the psychotherapy client’s stability between sessions, as well as their ability to tolerate the trauma work during the therapy session. Furthermore, even after successful trauma healing, some people find that their hyper-arousal symptoms persist, and then massage therapy can be used to promote a new habit of calm and self-regulation.
Resources:
Greenwald, R. (2021, November 3). Massage therapy can support trauma healing. Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.ticti.org/blog/massage-therapy/
FAQs
Who should receive massage & bodywork therapy for trauma?
Anyone having experienced trauma is a good candidate for massage depending on their health history.
When should a client receive massage?
As soon as they are ready to begin treatment sessions following the experienced event. It is highly recommended that a client seeks professional psychotherapy while going through massage and bodywork treatment to support and enhance each of the individual therapies.
How long should they receive massage & bodywork treatment?
It is my personal recommendation that a client has a minimum of 5 weekly session in succession lasting 60-minutes each.
When should a client NOT receive massage?
A client must give personal consent to proceed with treatment, and only then should treatment be given by a trauma-informed licensed massage and bodywork therapist. If a client feels uncomfortable in anyway with the treatment, or the practitioner can not meet the needs of the client through adapting the session or through their professional skill set the client should not receive massage. Other indications like health history are factored in as well.
The NC Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy states in section
.0510 PROVIDING OR TERMINATING SERVICE
(a) Licensees shall have the right to provide therapeutic services to whom they choose. (b) Licensees shall also have the right to refuse treatment, or to terminate a treatment in progress to protect their own safety and well-being, including situations such as:
(1) a client who is abusive; under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any illegal substance; or otherwise impaired; or
(2) A client who has violated the boundaries of the professional relationship by initiating or asking the licensee to engage in sexual activity; or
(3) A client who does not disclose all health issues and information.
What happens at a session?
The client and practitioner will discuss the client's health history and any indications that may rule out massage. The client will be shown the treatment room and the procedures of the massage. They will be told where to place their belongings before the practitioner leaves the room for them to have privacy while getting on the treatment table and prepared for their session. The practitioner will then be cued to come back into the room by the client when they are ready to begin, and the massage and bodywork session will proceed as discussed. Once the treatment is completed the practitioner will step out to allow the client to get dressed and wait until the client exits the treatment room. The client will then be escorted back to the waiting room and given their choice of tea, water, and light refreshments while they relax, enjoy, and integrate the benefits of their treatments.
What about the privacy act?
A licensed massage and bodywork therapist in the state of North Carolina is to maintain and uphold HIPPA compliancy so your privacy is protected. If a client wishes to have their records released to their doctors or other medical professionals a proper release form compliant with HIPPA standards must be signed by the client before any records will be released.
Should a client continue massage & bodywork treatments after the 5 week plan?
It is always recommended that massage & bodywork become a regular part of your self-care routine to promote health and wellbeing as often as it is affordable for your budget.
What happens during the 5-week session? Why and how does it help?
Week 1
60-Minute Lymphatic Massage - Not only can excessive stress severely compromise the lymphatic system, the lymphatic system is also directly innervated by the fight-or-flight, sympathetic nervous system. Unprocessed emotions, particularly fear, also tend to collect in the lymph system. Lymphatic massage technique can help decrease stress hormones stopping the fight-or-flight response, increase circulation, improve metabolism, boost immunity, induce relaxation, promote sleep, and release toxins within the tissues and lymph system. The pressure is light with circular strokes moving along the body promoting lymph flow back towards the heart.
Week 2
30-Minute Foot Reflexology & 30-Minute Reiki Session - In Chinese Medicine all organs are related to emotions and as the organs' reflex points in the feet are stimulated, emotions will be released, which allows patients to heal past trauma in a very gentle and safe way. Many studies revealed that foot reflexology could reduce pain and psychological distress like depression and anxiety. This body work relieves symptoms of depression as it stimulates particular pressure points/nerve endings in the hands and feet. Reflexology may be beneficial in restoring balance and harmony in the body and releasing tension. Practitioners believe that it helps facilitate a deep state of relaxation, calm the emotions, and produce a serene mind. Research studies support many of these benefits.
Reiki is particularly useful for healing trauma, because the energy that is held in that space after a trauma occurs is of low vibration and it is this low vibration that blocks the flow of energy. After the blockages take place in our energy pathways, energy becomes denser and heavier emotionally and psychologically. Helping people make the connection between the event (the trauma) and the symptoms is often the first step in healing. Reiki can support this process by opening the heart space and allowing the person to feel again. Reiki works on four levels; mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
Week 3
60-Minute Deep Tissue Myofascial Release - The myofascial release (MFR) perspective believes that unresolved trauma lies within the intricate matrix of the myofascial, or connective tissue that holds tissue memory, and that the myofascial system is the “record keeper” of memory in the body-mind complex. Myofascial release helps to bring out the tissue memory of the trauma and allows for pain relief and authentic healing to occur as the body becomes more fluid once again.
Week 4
45-Minute Meridian Massage & 15-Minute Reiki Session - According to the Chinese meridian theory, there are 12 primary meridians or channels (also called Principal Meridians) and eight additional meridians, each following a particular directional course along the body. A vital energy known as qi flows through these meridians and participates in the homeostatic regulation of various bodily functions. Along the meridians are approximately 360 points that serve as both pathognomonic signs of disorder and as loci for acupuncture treatments. When the normal flow of energy over a meridian is obstructed, pain or other symptoms result. Chinese medicine proposes that the purpose of acupressure therapy is to normalize energy flow, thereby relieving the symptoms by stimulating specific sites (acupressure points) on the meridians through pressure, tapping, chopping, or cupping. Some advocates of traditional Chinese medicine believe that meridians function as electrical conduits based on observations that the electrical impedance of a current through meridians is lower than other areas of the body.
Week 5
60-Minute Lymphatic Massage - Ending the 5-week sessions with this treatment helps to relax the body once again after all the work that has come before, and flush and release the system. This ends the sessions on a positive note by releasing dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.
Sessions are interchangeable in progression according to where the clients comfort level is and how they feel or respond to treatments. Please feel free to contact Amber with any questions, concerns, or to learn how to set up a series of sessions.
