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Principals for Massage and Bodywork

When we ask the question "How does bodywork actually change the condition?" the answer to me is not much. It is the response of the client that truly changes the condition, not the the therapist. The term from latin "VIZ MEDICATIX NATURAE" translates in to "The Healing Power of Nature". It is not the therapist who heals, it is the nature of life to heal. The doctor may set the broken bone and that is a good thing but the body heals the break. The doctor may put the stiches in but the body heals the wound. Don't get me wrong, if I break an arm I want the best bone setter I can find to set the bones but my body heals the break. This same concept may applied to our field of study. As a massage therapist all I am capable of doing is offering a little pressure, a little heat, stimulation of the piezoelectric current and stimulation of the weak electromegnetic field. The client precieves these sensations and responds to the stimuli based on the sum total of their experiences. These sensations give the body the ability to change its relationship to the gravitational field and alter the clients preception of sensation. If any one has any more base principals to add please do so.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason Erickson on July 31, 2010 at 9:48pm

What are the base principles of neurophysiology? Understanding them should be the first step for any therapist that hopes to base their bodywork on neuroscience. I have begun studying Kandell's "Principles of Neuroscience" and it's quite a tome. However, the deeper I go, the better I understand how to incorporate neuro concepts into the way I practice massage and bodywork.

Permalink Reply by Damian Matthews on January 25, 2011 at 2:22pm

I agree..... With out sound principles what are you doing.....

Jason Erickson said:

What are the base principles of neurophysiology? Understanding them should be the first step for any therapist that hopes to base their bodywork on neuroscience. I have begun studying Kandell's "Principles of Neuroscience" and it's quite a tome. However, the deeper I go, the better I understand how to incorporate neuro concepts into the way I practice massage and bodywork.

Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on October 8, 2012 at 2:34pm

Damian, seems to me that while what you say is true, you overlook the necessity of the intervention that makes it possible for the body to heal. Using your bone fracture as an example, the body cannot by itself pull a displaced bone back into alignment-- if the ends of the broken bone are allowed to remain...scattered...perhaps even outside the skin, the bone may knit itself, absent infection, the tissue will form protective scare tissue and the life will continue. But dysfunctional. In pain, probably.

Likewise, a trigger point in, say, an infraspinatus not resolved will not get better on its own. If allowed to exist, more muscles will be drawn in as the body attempts to protect what it deems a serious injury; the trigger point will give birth to colonies of satellite trigger points; the pain level will increase, severely restricting range of motion. The sufferer will either seek therapeutic intervention, or forever after live with the functional incapacity-- being very careful not to extend that arm in a way that awakens the pain.

So, I strongly disagree with your contention that the body alone is capable of curing disorders. Before the development of modern medical treatments the life expectancy was about 30 years old. Massage therapy and bodywork is unlikely to actually extend anyone's lifespan-- but it sure as hell eases the effects of the various pains and emotional stress that plague our lives.

Therefore, the answer to me is that therapeutic massage can greatly change the outcome for the better.