You are not alone
Many people have experienced unsafe and/or traumatic touch, or experience body discomfort. If this is you, know you are not alone. You deserve a space to explore safe & therapeutic touch without judgment.
All clients are given an opportunity to identify areas of the body which may be avoided, or benefit from various application of massage technique.
Our bodies remember
Your experience is valid. Your body is valid.
After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system that has an altered perception of risk and safety. Survival mechanisms, such as fight, flight, freeze and faint, may be over-activated or stuck and working against you. One of the ways the memory of helplessness is stored is as muscle tension or feelings of disintegration in specific body areas.
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Many trauma survivors come to revolve around bracing against and neutralizing unwanted sensory experiences, which can result in feeling numb. When people are chronically experiencing environmental triggers and difficult emotions, constant muscle tension can lead to spasms, back pain, migraine headaches, fatigue, fibromyalgia and other forms of chronic pain.
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Massage activates the parasympathetic nervous response, or relaxation response. This type of therapy, when applied appropriately, can support you in recovering your capacity to experience safety and relaxation. The parasympathetic nervous system helps regulate basic body functions like digestion, wound healing, and sleep/dream cycles. When the nervous system is restored to balance, so is our heart rate and overall wellbeing. Massage therapy after trauma can be a way to gently reintegrate your mind and body.
Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or would like to discuss your unique situation to see if massage therapy is right for you at this time.
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Reference: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
