Blackrock Wellness MIND
During my first week of school, they warned us about this. Emotional releases. Transference and countertransference. The human touch response. Was massage really more than just manipulation of soft tissue for physical healing? I had always had my assumptions about it, but those assumptions became reality when I began my certification to become a licensed massage therapist. Suzee said, “…And when you start getting massages, you’re going to start going through emotional changes. You may go home and break down and cry one night.” Headlines in massage therapy magazines read, “Massage Therapy Shown to Reduce Stress, Enhance Well-being,” “Massage Benefits Depressed Pregnant Women,” “Massaging Kids Lowers Parents’ Anxiety,” “Aromatherapy Massage Effects Short-Term Relief of Cancer Patients' Anxiety, Depression.” What? From a back rub? Susan G. Salvo, in her textbook Massage Therapy Principles and Practice, Second Edition, listed multiple benefits of massage. Pages 88 and 89 state, “Reduces stress. Stress is reduced by activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Reduces anxiety. Interestingly, a reduction in anxiety is noted in both the person who received the massage and the person who gave the massage.” Another section states, “Reduces feelings of depression. Both chemical and electrophysiological changes from a negative to a positive mood were noted and may underline the decrease in depression after massage therapy.” So, explained by physiological terms, massage affects the mind in a positive manner. The parasympathetic nervous system is where we want to be. Basically, you have two states of being: sympathetic, which is the stressful “fight or flight” response you get after an accident, when your child hurts himself, or when you can’t sleep because of the problems in your life. The opposite of that is parasympathetic, which is the image of a person in complete repose on the massage table. Relaxed. Peaceful. Calm. Massage increases levels of dopamine, which is linked to stress reduction, and serotonin, which is believed to inhibit noxious signals to the brain and to reduce pain. It also reduces the levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that can hamper the immune system, and epinephrine and norephinephrine, hormones which help put you into that rapid “fight or flight” mode. That’s easy enough to explain. So how does it reduce anxiety in both the recipient and the therapist? During the 1930's, Renee Spitz, a Hungarian born American psychoanalyst studied infant deaths in foundling homes and in long term hospitalizations. His research clearly showed that humans need touch to survive just like we need air to breath. Somewhere between 50 to 100% of children raised in orphanages died during the 19th and early 20th century. Experts believe that the touch received by a baby has a lot to do with healthy stress response patterns later in life. In one study conducted at Simon Fraser University, Professor Elinor Ames compared three groups of a total of 120 Romanian children who had spent at least eight months in orphanages before being adopted by families in British Columbia. Even after living in loving homes, nearly one third of the children showed developmental, social, and behavioral problems. “A Training and Support Programme for caregivers of children with disabilities” was conducted by staff of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Health, Coventry University, West Midlands, England. Eighty-two children and their caregivers, the majority of whom were mothers, participated in the study. The children ranged in age from newborn to 16 and had a wide variety of disabilities, from mild colic to cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy and chromosomal disorders. The training and support program involved parents learning a simple massage routine they could give their kids at home. Parents received one hour of massage instruction per week for eight weeks. One massage therapist worked with each child-caregiver pair throughout the eight-week program. The parents were also provided with a training pack that included a list of contraindications, instructions on techniques, diagrams and photographs. Self-reports from parents showed that their own anxiety levels were significantly lower. The caregivers perceived that their children were eating and sleeping better, were more mobile, had increased bowel movements and body awareness, were more calm and relaxed, and that they found the massage enjoyable. Since serotonin is responsible for sleep, memory, and depression, and dopamine helps regulate emotion, this explains how, by stimulating these hormones, massage can reduce symptoms of depression. In response to the dynamic advantages of massage on the wellbeing of the patient, doctors are prescribing massage to treat depression. Referrals are made to medical massage therapists, and increasing numbers of massage therapy clinics are accepting insurance. Thankfully, a client does not need a doctor’s prescription to see if massage therapy is beneficial to his or her condition. Most certified massage therapists take courses on pathology and conditions which may be helped by massage, and some therapists deal specifically with mental and emotional conditions. But is there a downside to these mental and emotional consequences? Possibly. Transference is defined as the shift of emotions from one person or object to another, especially from a client to a therapist. This is a possibility if you are receiving massage therapy, whether or not you are receiving it to treat a mental or emotional ailment. You’ve been receiving massages for a month or two, when you start to develop feelings for your therapist… he reminds you of an old boyfriend whom you truly loved. The feelings were not perpetuated at all by the therapist, but here they are, and you can neither explain nor dismiss them. By acknowledging the transference, you can easier deal with the phenomena. Remind yourself why you started scheduling your appointments. Speak to someone you trust about your feelings, someone who will neither condemn nor encourage the feelings. Whatever you do, do not act on the feelings. If necessary, switch therapists. While in the certification process, massage therapists learn about transference, and they will often understand if you simply need to find someone else. Is the possibility of transference enough to dissuade you from seeking treatment with massage therapy? It should not be. Seek out a therapist whom you feel you can trust. Investigate his or her credentials. Remain honest with your therapist about your treatment goals. If you are unsure where to find treatment, and desire to find the right therapist to help you, either ask your doctor or find a massage therapist who specializes in “medical massage therapy” or “wellness.” Talk to a few massage therapists before committing to a massage appointment. Ask if the massage therapist has ever dealt with your specific health problem or concern. If you are uncomfortable with the therapist, it is always all right to acknowledge this and seek another therapist; however, realize that it may take a few visits for you to truly be comfortable. Ask as many questions as you need to until you are sure you have found the right therapist for you. Remember, it is your body and your health, so be proactive in seeking the best treatment you can. References: Susan G. Salvo, Massage Therapy Principles and Practice, Second Edition. Copyright 2003, Elsevier; Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Health, Coventry University, West Midlands, England. Authors: Lesley Cullen, Ph.D., and Julie Barlow, Ph.D.