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The role of Medical Massage in stress management, discovery of sexuality, and improvement of sexual satisfaction
By Boris Prilutsky
Many couples cannot find balance and harmony in sexual relations and it’s not because of lack of emotions, love or admiration for each other. According to many experts in clinical psychology, sexual pathology and many other adjacent fields the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry.
According to many surveys nowadays stress is responsible for pandemics of stress related diseases, such as anxiety, tension headaches, essential hypertension, stomach aches, sleep disorders and more. Practically each of us to a certain degree suffers from anxieties, which is a result of higher than normal sympathetic activity.
It is impossible to get maximum satisfaction from intimacy, if not to get satisfaction at all at the time of high level of sympathetic activities. Sexual responses are regulated by the mutual activities of sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of nervous systems, but under domination influence of parasympathetic division as well as involvement of somatic innervations. Even considering the difference in female and male reflex pathways before intimacy, and at the time of sexual activities, the function of autonomic nervous system is similar. That includes blood vessel dilation, which causes penis and clitoris erections, vaginal smooth muscles contractions at the time of orgasm, as well as smooth muscles constrictions at the time of ejaculations.
In addition, activities of parasympathetic division of autonomic nervous system regulate digestive system, pulmonary system, as well as sexual reproductive organs. At the time it is the main inhibitor of over active sympathetic activities. When most of the parasympathetic potentials are directed to neutralize stress related side effects, it is impossible to expect normal parasympathetic function at a time of sexual act. At the same time only normal parasympathetic functioning is necessary for sexual satisfaction as well as for discovery of sexualities. Also it is important to mention that under stress our skeletal muscles demonstrating higher muscular tensions, which in turn limit the range of muscular constrictions. Contractions of the skeletal pelvic muscles are accompanied orgasm in both sexes, and unless these muscles relaxed, it is hard to expect full sexual satisfactions.
As you can see, stress presents number of serious challenges to a quality of sex and sexual satisfaction to its maximum extent. Many people try to manage stress by being sexually very active. Factually it doesn't work and causes trouble in personal relationship because in such a cases and under stress no harmony can be achieved. The good news is… that it is clinically and scientifically proven, that massage can address and eliminate these challenges, but let me first tell you about another serious challenge to sexual relations.
Storage of negative emotion in body parts.
Spending many years in a treatment room, at times I witnessed patients’ seemingly bizarre behavior. While massaging an absolutely healthy, with no signs of pain, part of a body, suddenly, a person starts crying, shaking or complaining about cold in a room with 75 degrees temperature. Often in the aftermath people feel embarrassed and even ask for an apology.
Explanations of these phenomena are negative memories stored in body part that started to come up to the surface. Crying, shaking or complaining of cold – all is expression of emotional release, accompanied by muscular constriction, followed by a relaxation of a part or the entire body.
Many years ago, while in a grad school, I did believe that what the textbook was saying, are rules “written in stone.” But little by little witnessing similar phenomena in the treatment room I realized that the theory of “body cells carrying emotional memory” is a true one. In my book “Simple Approach to Medical Massage” I presented an example of how a heavy weight boxer - a World champion, started to cry during the massage session, releasing emotions connected with events that had happened when he was 8 years old. “body cells carrying emotional memory” to me this is already not a theory but clinically proven phenomena.
Emotions stored in any part of the body, especially in the pelvic floor, if they are not released, will trigger a reaction to a touch such as a constriction of muscles. Harmony as well as top sexual satisfaction will not be achieved under these conditions. Imagine that at a time of a sexual act one of the partners touches a part of a body while this body part carry emotional memory or psychological scar. At the time when this happen a person might pay no attention to such constriction. But will such a person get a complete satisfaction from such an act?
Therefore emotional scars must be eliminated. It is proven scientifically and, most importantly, clinically that massage therapy is the most powerful methodology in stress management as well as it releases emotions stored in body parts.
To obtain results, fifty percent of massage should be spent on kneading. Soon I will release video file that will familiarize you with few easy to perform, various kneading techniques used in Medical Massage. We will alternate and I will teach you combination of different types of easy to perform massage techniques that will include kneading.
I will you how prepare yourself for these emotional releases, how to hold hands on body parts that stores these emotional scars, and more.
In case if you will decide to provide therapy for your partners ,let me give you one important advice. When you perform a massage on your partner try to conduct yourself professionally like therapy giver/provider. Your attraction to each another might compel you to do otherwise. But, it is very important that treatment shouldn’t be interrupted. These 45 to 55 minutes must be dedicated to treatment, and treatment only. During this procedure your partner will get a sense of trust to your touch and for the long run releasing bad memories and healing emotional scars will do wonders to your sex life. Your sexual act in the future will be much more prolonged and you will be able to pick up sexual energy from each other and to bring this to the greatest sensation possible. By managing stress and releasing emotions quality of your life including sexual life will be improved tremendously. No doubts that your clients quality of life including sexual life qualities will be improved due to constantly receiving therapy for stress management. Just educate them to receive on weekly basis full body stress management massage. You are welcome to visit:
Click on self massage free lessons. In theoretical part, in details I am presenting mechanism of stress debilitation on human body as well as explaining why massage therapy is the most powerful methodology in healthcare for stress management.
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Hello Boris,
Interesting post. I must say, though, that I avoid massaging my husband--and my mother, and several other people with whom I would have a dual relationship if I was going to be their massage therapist. You could jump up and down on my husband's back and he wouldn't complain. I can be in the air over his body and he will claim that I am hurting him.
No doubt, though, that stress management will aid your sex life as well as the other facets of your life.
Dear Laura.
I'm glad that you liked my article.Thanks for letting me know. You are not alone.Many of us have difficulties to treat our own people.In general I did propose this information,for massage therapists to consider it when promoting and providing full body stress management massage.and especially to consider and to inform clients about possible storage of negative emotions in skeletal muscular components.and if one will start crying, or shaking just to advice:" let it go, let it out", this emotional releases is one of important goals of our therapy.of course it is also great if one is able to provide therapy for close relatives,spouses est.
Best wishes.
Boris
Laura Allen said:
Hello Boris,
Interesting post. I must say, though, that I avoid massaging my husband--and my mother, and several other people with whom I would have a dual relationship if I was going to be their massage therapist. You could jump up and down on my husband's back and he wouldn't complain. I can be in the air over his body and he will claim that I am hurting him.
No doubt, though, that stress management will aid your sex life as well as the other facets of your life.
"According to many experts in clinical psychology, sexual pathology and many other adjacent fields the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry."
Who, specifically, are the many experts in clinical psychology who say this? Name a few, please.
-CM
Dear Robin.
I'm glad that you liked my article. Actually I believe that we can and should promote our stress management treatments including improvements of sexual live qualities. Primary care physicians, clinical psychologist, gynecologists, urologists all facing many cases as I described in the article, and having difficulties to provide effective care in order to manage stress. Many professional publications mentioning:” antidepressant medications, antianxiety medications besides the side effects not really working in diseases cases related to stress. I have presented scientific data on the subject that no one will deny because it long time known scientific data. The problem is that we have to educate healthcare professionals that massage therapy is a not luxury, feels good, relaxing procedure but real powerful stress management methodology.
Use presented information from my article ,create your own letter or flyer, and visits medical offices, most likely you will start receiving referrals. Contact different organization and initiate lectures on the subject. One thing none of us should forget:” in order to reach results in stress management 50% of time procedure must be spent on kneading /petrissage techniques. Soon I will post a few more articles related to this subject, that will explain why massage therapy is most powerful methodology in stress management.
Best wishes.
Boris
"According to many experts in clinical psychology, sexual pathology and many other adjacent fields the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry."
Who, specifically, are the many experts in clinical psychology who say this? Name a few, please.
-CM
Don't change the subject.
My question is a simple one. You asserted that "according to many experts in clinical psychology... the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry."
Since there are many, it should not be difficult for you to direct us to a few specific clinical psychologists, or documents written by clinical psychologists, that say this.
I'm holding a Psychology textbook (Myers, 9th edition) in my hands right now. It has a 40-page chapter on "Memory" but not a single word about the theory that emotional memory is carried in the cells of the body.
Similarly, a google scholar search of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the premier journal in those subfields, contains not a single mention of "cellular memory":
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=%22cellular+memory%22&nu...
But, you have told us that this concept is endorsed by many clinical psychologists. Can you support that claim with some evidence, please?
-CM
Hi, Boris--
Using the opportunity I would like to ask you provide list of experts who have performed studies showing that stress have no effect on sexual satisfaction and not a main contributor to modern social diseases.
First of all, a minor language thing: in English, "social disease" means a sexually-transmitted disease. It's a euphemism left over from traditional practices where it was considered impolite to directly talk about venereal disease, or sexually-transmitted disease. From your context, I think the phrase you are looking for is "diseases in modern societies".
My second, third, and fourth points are more substantive.
My second point is that I do not think that Chris was saying that stress does not contribute to sexual dysfunction or other diseases--clearly, that would be an absurd argument. But you said it is the top cause; I believe he was asking you how they established that, and who exactly says it is the top cause. I, too, would be interested in seeing those citations; sexual dysfunction being such a complex and multifactorial problem, I would like very much to know who established that stress is the top cause, and how they established that.
My third point is that, as an anatomist myself, I am curious what you mean when you say that "body cells carry emotional memory". Not having a nervous system per se--although certainly they are effected by afferent and efferent innervation of the tissues they are located in--how cells can carry any memory at all, much less something as complex as emotional memory? If you mean that, in our minds we may carry memories of deeply-held emotions, and as a result of that, we may move our bodies in such a way as to favor certain tissues, creating mechanical stressors on them, I would say that's often true. But I think we can cause confusion to our clients and to students about how things work when we shorthand it as "cells carrying memories".
My fourth point is a question: since most of us MTs are not specifically trained in psychology, urology, or any of the other disciplines you mention, what, if anything, do you recommend we should be doing differently in light of your post? Bearing in mind that we are not permitted to diagnose, and there are ethical boundaries around inquiring about our clients' sex lives, what--if anything--do you recommend we should be doing that we are not already doing?
Cheers,
Raven
Boris Prilutsky said:
Christopher.
After our previous discussion at energy work group(apricot
case),for obvious reasons we decided never again to discuss issues related to
massage therapy.Looks like you change your mind.Obviously your interest and maybe expertise is in clinical
psychology and not in clinical massage otherwise you would discuss my article
and not "who of clinical psychologists agree that stress is debilitating on our
life including on our sexual life." looks like you the only one who having doubts on it.
Search Google and you will find a lot of info on the subject, but non mentioning
that clinically and scientifically proven that massage therapy is the most
powerful methodology in stress management, which means our treatment
"unleashing"/ balancing parasympathetic activities which improving quality of
sexual life but not only quality of sexual life.
Using the opportunity I would like to ask you provide list of experts who have performed studies showing that stress have no effect on sexual satisfaction and not a main contributor to modern social diseases.
Regards.
Boris Prilutsky
Christopher A. Moyer said:
"According to many experts in clinical psychology, sexual pathology and many other adjacent fields the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry."
Who, specifically, are the many experts in clinical psychology who say this? Name a few, please.
-CM
Psychology may be the field for stress relationship to sexual satisfaction and performance, but it appears you accept that part of the statement. Do you also accept that massage will reduce stress? As for the theory of cellular memory, you might want to search biochemistry instead.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=cellular+memory&ei=UTF-8&f...
I found these interesting
http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/StudentJournal/volume2...
http://www.aaets.org/article30.htm
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcb.22644/abstract
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/87130.php
However I believe that in relation to the statement it is immaterial whether it is a cell function or brain function. Massage does cause emotional and stress release which Boris relates to sexual function/dysfunction.
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/massage-the...
Don't change the subject.
My question is a simple one. You asserted that "according to many experts in clinical psychology... the main obstacle to couples’ inability to reach top sexual satisfaction, to discover the maximum of what sexual act can offer is stress and emotional memory that body cells carry."
Since there are many, it should not be difficult for you to direct us to a few specific clinical psychologists, or documents written by clinical psychologists, that say this.
I'm holding a Psychology textbook (Myers, 9th edition) in my hands right now. It has a 40-page chapter on "Memory" but not a single word about the theory that emotional memory is carried in the cells of the body.
Similarly, a google scholar search of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the premier journal in those subfields, contains not a single mention of "cellular memory":
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=%22cellular+memory%22&nu...
But, you have told us that this concept is endorsed by many clinical psychologists. Can you support that claim with some evidence, please?
-CM
Dear Raven.
On first point :I meant social medical diseases such as essential hypertension, anxieties, clinical depression, tension headaches est. in case if in English ,social medical diseases means sexual transmitted diseases than my apology I didn't meant it and thank you for correcting me.
On second point. If you will read careful my article you will find out that I particularly didn't talk on sexual dysfunction, but sexual satisfactions, and clearly explained and scientifically how and why stress affecting sympathetic and parasympathetic activities and secondary sexual satisfactions but not limited to sexual life only negative effects.
In regards to your third point. this days I will post my article on the subject where as much as possible I will extend on it. As you know there is a lot of beautiful scientifically sounds theories that clinically cannot be proven therefore they are dying. On the other hand let's keep in mind, there is many clinical observations of different phenomenons such as "body cells carry emotional memory" that we cannot explain but it does work. In such a case we must to accept clinical output. Exactly like in cases of other evidence-based therapy.
On your fourth point. I'm sorry you didn't read careful my article. I didn't proposed to diagnose no one, but did provide some scientifically known data that can be used in promoting our services to medical doctors, and other healthcare professionals. As massage therapists we don't have to be specifically trained in psychology, urology, or any of the other disciplines but massage therapy. Let's keep in mind that now we talking on stress management massage in particular. On this subject training should include information on stress debilitation mechanism on human body , physiological effect of massage in order to know what we are doing, as well hands-on training.
Best wishes.
Boris
PS. You mentioned name Chris. Who is it?
Christopher. It is a waste of time for us to discuss issues related to massage therapy , because you are clinical psychologists who trying to conduct research in fields of massage and to teach other massage therapist and I am clinical massage therapist who spend in treatment room 39 years. We cannot get to understanding because all what you understood from my article is that clinical psychologists have endorsed theory about” body cells carry emotional memory “BTW. I never said it. The difference on our views was clear to me when we discussed videotape where on front of our eyes lady place hands on very sick wolf by name apricot. Was obvious that this animal suffered from terrible pain, additionally his neck was arched and twisted which said to us that he is suffering from difficult neurological disease. After some time holding hands on his neck, we saw significant improvement. Because lady didn't soft tissue mobilizations, I personally agreed that some energy work was done. You did disagree and demanded explanation. As a clinician I knew how difficult to get results in cases like this and to seeing amazing results I didn't need explanation you did. Therefore let's not waste our time. Also in order to have professional discussion, professionals have to share passion and love to massage therapy, in our case it's impossible because you are not massage therapist.
Boris
Christopher. It is a waste of time for us to discuss issues related to massage therapy , because you are clinical psychologists who trying to conduct research in fields of massage and to teach other massage therapist and I am clinical massage therapist who spend in treatment room 39 years. We cannot get to understanding because all what you understood from my article is that clinical psychologists have endorsed theory about” body cells carry emotional memory “BTW. I never said it. The difference on our views was clear to me when we discussed videotape where on front of our eyes lady place hands on very sick wolf by name apricot. Was obvious that this animal suffered from terrible pain, additionally his neck was arched and twisted which said to us that he is suffering from difficult neurological disease. After some time holding hands on his neck, we saw significant improvement. Because lady didn't soft tissue mobilizations, I personally agreed that some energy work was done. You did disagree and demanded explanation. As a clinician I knew how difficult to get results in cases like this and to seeing amazing results I didn't need explanation you did. Therefore let's not waste our time. Also in order to have professional discussion, professionals have to share passion and love to massage therapy, in our case it's impossible because you are not massage therapist.
Boris
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