Healing Massage Techniques Vary According To Type and Purpose

Massage Therapy is designed to do one thing and that is help you and if necessary with your physical healing process. Practitioners may also utilize the various techniques of therapeutic massage to ease troubles of the mind, emotions and spirit. Healing massage techniques, therefore, will vary according to the type of massage and the purpose.

There are two basic types of healing massage techniques, ‘hands on’ and ‘hands off.’ The former requires actual manipulation of the flesh. A practitioner must touch the body of the individual. In hands-off healing massage, the therapist does not come into physical contact with the client. He or she hovers their hands some 2 to 6 inches away from the physical body.

Hands-on Healing Massage Therapy

The basic techniques of ‘Hands-On Healing Massage Therapy‘ are of two origins. There are basic hand techniques from Western forms of therapeutic massage. The practitioner may also use forms of hand movements originating in the Oriental, Asian or Eastern tradition. Some modern or contemporary types of healing massage therapy utilize both Western and Eastern healing massage therapy techniques.

Western techniques of healing massage therapy have their origins in Classic or Swedish Massage. This practice dates back to the 1800s. It is the product of the work of Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839) from Sweden and Dr. Johann Georg Mezger (1839-1901) from Holland. The terminology and systemization of the techniques owes much, if not all, to Dr. Mezger, not Ling. Mezger provides the French names describing the basic techniques of this and successive healing massage practices.

Swedish Massage Therapy

Swedish Massage Therapy occurs on a massage table. The body is nude. A towel or cloth covers all but the specific part requiring work. It is a full-body massage. Its intent is to relax and the help the body heal. To do so, the practitioner employs 5 basic hand techniques. These are Effleurage, Pétrissage, Frictions, Tapotement and Vibrations. Each method addresses a certain physical problem. All intend to heal the body by stimulating circulation, relaxing muscles and increasing the range of mobility.

Although Swedish Massage is typically a full body massage therapy, some types restrict their techniques to focus on one specific aspect or part of the body. In Sports Massage Therapy, the practitioner works on the specific muscles the athlete uses in his or her sport. In Rolfing, the healing techniques are all about realigning the fascia or connecting tissue. In both Rolfing and Sports Massage Therapy, the Healing Massage Techniques are almost identical to those employed in Swedish Massage.

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy also focuses on specific areas to help in the healing process. The technique in this form of healing massage therapy includes slow, strong strokes against or with the grain of the muscles, tendons or fascia.

Eastern forms of massage therapy approach the healing process in a different way, to many schools of traditional massage therapy, healing massage is all about balancing the energy, creating harmony among all the parts of the body. The healing process is not simply about a healthy body. It is also about a healthy mind and the emotional well-being of the individual. Spiritual Healing may also be an integral part of the process.

To accomplish this, the practitioner uses different techniques. They involve placing the hands on the body. It may be fully clothed, but there is direct contact between the practitioner and the client on the physical plane. The basic technique of Asian Healing Therapy is acupressure. This involves the use of fingers, knees, hands, elbows and even feet. A practitioner may use any body part to gently or firmly apply pressure to a specific body part. In Acupressure the technique requires the touching of one or more of some 365 acupoints. In Reflexology, acupressure restricts itself to the specific points of the map of the foot. In An-Mo The therapist taps, vibrates, rubs and kneads specific points. The same is true for Tui-Na.

There are also variations of pressure point work in Western Massage Therapy. In Bowen Therapy, the practitioner pulls away the skin on both the back and the neck away from the muscles. This technique allows the therapist to apply pressure gently to the tendon or muscle for several minutes.

In Non-touch Healing Massage Therapy, the technique rests as much on the mind as it does in the hands. Therapeutic Touch (TT) and Reiki rely on energy from the client and from the practitioner to help in the healing process. The techniques involve more than an awareness of the physical body. It requires the ability of the practitioner to focus and ground. In TT, the therapist must center themselves before attempting to mobilize the client’s own inner forces for healing. In both Reiki and TT, the practitioner is a vehicle for the healing process. For certain types of non-touching healing massage therapies, the therapist is themselves an integral part of both the technique and the cure.

What Are Holistic Massage Therapy Techniques?

In massage therapy, the terms holistic may refer to those types of massage that address the problems of the entire person. They plan to create a balanced body, mind, emotions and even spiritual balance. Holistic Massage Therapy Techniques reflect this philosophy.

Some classic forms of massage are not holistic in nature. Swedish Massage focuses on the physical body. A sense of overall well-being is not the intended product. It is a by-product. Other forms of western massage therapy reflect this adherence to a scientific approach to physical problems.

Deep Tissue Massage and Sports Massage Therapy concentrate on freeing the body of any physical discomfort by working on specific parts of the flesh, tissues, muscles and ligaments. These are not inherently holistic forms of Holistic Massage Therapy.

More conducive to a holistic approach to massage therapy are the traditional and non-traditional forms of Asian, Oriental or Eastern Massage Therapies. The focus of this type of therapeutic massage is on a balancing of the diverse components of a human. The believe is by creating a balance of all the parts, you will have a body in harmony. All parts will be well – mind, body, emotions and spirit will be in-synch and as a result, the body will be healthy.

To reach this ideal homeostasis or balance, a practitioner needs to understand certain basic notions of body physiology. Therapists also need to understand the principle of a universal life force. He or she must comprehend a non-western philosophy of healing and anatomy. Only then can a practitioner implement the techniques of healing.

Modern and traditional forms of holistic massage therapy base their techniques on the concept of Chi/Qi (Chinese), Ki (Japanese) or Prada (India). There is a belief that an ill person (body, mind, emotions or spirit) suffers from a blocked energy force. The clogged channels do not permit the flow of energy to all parts of the body. As a result, the person becomes unbalanced. They are anxious, stressed out, physically or mentally ill. The practitioner must use his or her skills to unblock the channel and free the flow.

The Many Holistic Massage Therapy Techniques

Aromatherapy is one. Therapists practicing this form use the essential oils from the various parts of plants to help heal the person. The techniques involve lighting the oils in forms of incense or applying them directly to the skin using massage. The therapist may use a number of heavy or light techniques. Pressure points may come into play. It all depends upon the purpose of the visit.

Inhaled or absorbed by the skin the oils of Aromatherapy benefit both the body and the spirits. It helps remove anxiety, thus calming the mind. The massage techniques also help improve circulation. This is the physical aspect. Yet, aromatherapy also helps raise the spirits. This makes it truly a form of holistic massage therapy.

Various forms of acupressure are also types of holistic massage therapy. Reiki, for example, utilizes the concept of energy and channels to provide techniques focusing on the balance and amplification of energy on all the planes of existence. Reiki tries to promote healing of the individual by balancing the energy of their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. Preferring a non-touch technique, Reiki works on fully clothed clients. The practitioner channels the energy of the client as well as his or her own energy in the process. By exchanging energy, the client and practitioner create a balance. This is one reason why it is necessary for a Reiki therapist to be completely grounded and focused before they proceed to do energy work.

Holistic Massage Therapy includes Reflexology, Thai Massage, Tui Na and Am-no among its typologies. In these three forms, there is no emphasis on the physical. All techniques illustrate the need to work with the Universal Life Force to create balance and harmony. In reflexology, the various aspects of the body find their center in the foot. The foot is a microcosm of the body. A practitioner uses acupressure techniques to correct the imbalances. Fingers and hands apply the appropriate pressure for the set amount of time to achieve the harmonic effects.

To consider any type of massage therapy to be holistic in character, it must reflect deeper concerns than healing the physical body. Holistic Massage Therapy recognizes the importance of the physical. Yet, to practitioners of Holistic Therapeutic Massage, the physical is but one portion of the whole. To truly heal the body, you need to address its other components. These include the emotions and the mind. A healthy person can only exist if the various parts of being come into balance or rest in easy harmony. A Holistic Massage Therapist uses various techniques to reach this specific goal.

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