Tag Archives: Psychotherapy

Grief and Degrief, Part 4 – Releasing Grief with Somatic Techniques

The use of somatic treatments to address grief is both the unique factor and the integral part of the success of the Degriefing process. Treating the physical body is what differentiates Degriefing from other therapies that rely solely on talk to affect the healing of grief after loss. Grief is the body’s innate reaction toContinue reading “Grief and Degrief, Part 4 – Releasing Grief with Somatic Techniques”

Grief and Degrief, Part 2 – Degriefing the Body & Mind with Psychosomatic Semantics

The language of our culture is full of sentiments acknowledging how we feel after a loss. The term “heartache” and the phrase “I’m so sad, it hurts” immediately come to mind. Grief is the body’s response to loss, and we attempt expression of physical, emotional and mental feeling with words or displays of emotion toContinue reading “Grief and Degrief, Part 2 – Degriefing the Body & Mind with Psychosomatic Semantics”

To the Heart of the Matter – A Massage Experience

All beings want to be happy and secure. All beings want to be free of pain and suffering. But how do we attain this ideal, earthly goal? Massage goes right to the heart of the matter. It can elevate us without alienating us from reality. Through massage, we can reach beyond the affliction of ourContinue reading “To the Heart of the Matter – A Massage Experience”

Touching Heaven – Bodywork and the Realm of the Incredible: A Therapist’s Viewpoint

“There is but one temple in the Universe and that is the human body. Nothing is holier than that high form. We touch heaven, when we lay our hand upon the human body.” — Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher Heaven, according to science, is not demonstrable. But we know, both as givers and receivers of bodywork,Continue reading “Touching Heaven – Bodywork and the Realm of the Incredible: A Therapist’s Viewpoint”

Innate Health – A New Way to Look at Life and Avoid Burnout

Massage therapy and prevention research are both professions assisting others to higher health. Fortunately for us, insights from prevention research–a field that attempts to identify the best ways to prevent negative outcomes related to social, physical, mental health, and safety issues–may also prove extremely beneficial to massage therapy. Its approach to innate health provides aContinue reading “Innate Health – A New Way to Look at Life and Avoid Burnout”

Your Body Remembers – Childhood Issues Affect Adult Bodies

When your massage therapist sees you for the first time, it is likely that he or she may take a medical history. Over time, as you become more familiar with your massage therapist, there may be issues affecting your body that are not covered by the medical history or cannot be identified until your therapistContinue reading “Your Body Remembers – Childhood Issues Affect Adult Bodies”

Getting the Most from Your Massage – And Making the Most of Your Time

Initially, a stiff neck or an even stiffer schedule may have sent you to a massage therapist. But chances are your repeated returns will be a result of the overall sense of well-being you experience from this healing bodywork. At first, your therapist may seem to be doing all the real labor. But clients soonContinue reading “Getting the Most from Your Massage – And Making the Most of Your Time”

The Missing Piece – Bodywork for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

It has only been within the past few decades that victims of childhood sexual abuse have gained recognition, validation, and appropriate treatment, but the process has been somewhat of a roller-coaster ride. From the mid-1970s into the 1980s, there was a rapid increase of identification of abuse victims, along with development of support programs andContinue reading “The Missing Piece – Bodywork for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse”

What am I Feeling? – The Healing Benefits of Massage

Touch. We come into this world being touched, and we hopefully can leave being touched. Whatever our experiences in this life, touch is usually involved in some form. Each time we are touched, the emotions related to that touch are stored in our mind and in our body’s tissues. We not only store the emotionsContinue reading “What am I Feeling? – The Healing Benefits of Massage”

The Breath Within the Stone – Understanding the Healing Power of Rock, Part 1

Some of the most progressive healers in the world have begun using stones in their massage work — not to replace healing hands, but as an adjunct to traditional massage, facials and healing treatments of all kinds. Stone massage is an ancient, enduring form of therapeutic bodywork using heated and cooled stones as extensions ofContinue reading “The Breath Within the Stone – Understanding the Healing Power of Rock, Part 1”