Massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies are often complex mixtures of holistic healing practices involving physical, emotional and spiritual components. The definitions that follow provide only brief explanations of many of the techniques currently in practice.

These definitions have been compiled from a wide variety of sources. While some were supplied by the developer of the technique, others were supplied by associations and educational institutions involved with the individual technique. Still others are a blending of information gleaned from several sources.

(Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Exclusive property of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Reproduction of this content without permission is unlawful. For reprint information, please click here.)

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A

ABHYANGA

Abhyanga, or oil massage, is an ayurvedic external treatment where one, two, or more therapists use massage and aromatic herbal oils to bring balance to the body.

ACROSAGE

This combination of massage, yoga, and acrobatics was developed by Benjamin Marantz. The client is placed in an inverted pose atop the acrosager’s feet, with the head hanging freely. With no pressure on the neck or spine, the client’s upper body can be easily massaged.

ACU-YOGA

Acu-Yoga is a system of exercises integrating the knowledge of two holistic methods of health maintenance—acupressure and yoga. Both relax muscular tension and balance the vital life forces of the body. Yoga does this through controlling the breath while holding the body in certain postures. Acupressure does this by directly manipulating body energy through a system of points and meridians. Each Acu-Yoga posture naturally presses and stretches certain nerves, muscles, and acupressure points, awakening the meridians and releasing the tension in the points so that energy (chi) can circulate freely. This energy is the source of all life, and its flow is the key to radiant health. The process balances the body and stimulates it to heal itself.

ACUPRESSURE

Acupressure is an ancient healing art that uses the fingers to press key points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body’s natural self-curative abilities. When these points are pressed, they release muscular tension and promote the circulation of blood and the body’s life force (sometimes known as qi or chi) to aid healing. Acupuncture and acupressure use the same points, but acupuncture employs needles, while acupressure uses the gentle, but firm pressure of hands and feet. Acupressure, continues to be the most effective method for self-treatment of tension-related ailments by using the power and sensitivity of the human hand. Acupressure can be effective in helping relieve headaches, eye strain, sinus problems, neck pain, backaches, arthritis, muscle aches, tension due to stress, ulcer pain, menstrual cramps, lower backaches, constipation, and indigestion. Self-acupressure can also be used to relieve anxiety and improve sleep. There are also great advantages to using acupressure as a way to balance the body and maintain good health. The healing touch of acupressure reduces tension, increases circulation, and enables the body to relax deeply. By relieving stress, acupressure strengthens resistance to disease and promotes wellness. In acupressure, local symptoms are considered an expression of the condition of the body as a whole. A tension headache, for instance, may be rooted in the shoulder and neck area. Thus, acupressure focuses on relieving pain and discomfort, as well as responding to tension, before it develops into a disease—before the constrictions and imbalances can do further damage. The origins of acupressure are as ancient as the instinctive impulse to hold your forehead or temples when you have a headache. Everyone at one time or another has used their hands spontaneously to hold tense or painful places on the body. More than five thousand years ago, the Chinese discovered that pressing certain points on the body relieved pain where it occurred and also benefited other parts of the body more remote from the pain and the pressure point. Gradually, they found other locations that not only alleviated pain, but also influenced the functioning of certain internal organs. (Definition, in part, from the book Acupressure’s Potent Points, by Michael Reed Gach, director of the Acupressure Institute, Bantam, 1990.) Click here to find an Acupressure practitioner.

ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture is an ancient oriental healing technique based on the Taoist philosophy of balancing energy meridians within the body, thus allowing the body to heal itself. Fine needles are painlessly inserted at key points corresponding to body organs to relieve pain and cure disease and dysfunction. Related techniques include the use of low voltage, electric current (electro acupuncture) or massage at key points (acupressure).

AI CHI (FLOWING AQUATIC ENERGY)

Ai chi is a water exercise and relaxation program, created by Jun Konno, to help aquatic practitioners and students enjoy the water in a flowing, yet powerful progression. Ai chi, created by combining t’ai chi concepts with shiatsu and Watsu techniques, is performed standing in shoulder-depth water using a combination of deep breathing and slow, broad movements of the arms, legs, and torso. The ai chi progression moves from simple breathing to upper extremity movement, to movement of the trunk, and finally to lower extremity movement. Ai chi promotes relaxation, stability, and coordinated breathing. It improves flexibility, mobility, and strength, and it will animate the mind as well as the body.

AIKIDO

This noncompetitive Japanese martial art aims to harmonize energy with that of a partner or opponent in order to achieve both physical and emotional mastery through peaceful resolution. Aikido literally means the path to the coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Aikido is a defensive system of continuous, circular motions, combining many of the fluid, dance-like movements of t’ai chi along with more subtle, stylized techniques. When practiced properly, successful defense is achieved through minimal action. Originally seen as a combination of religion and martial arts, aikido was created by Morehei Ueshiba in the early twentieth century.

ALCHEMICAL SYNERGY

Developed by Kamala Renner, Alchemical Synergy is a process of evolving universal energy patterns and is used as a holistic counseling system that focuses on achieving transformation by utilizing the universal four forces—centripetal, centrifugal, gravitational, and electromagnetical—the consciousness portion of the Big Bang theory relative to the beginning of the universe. Centripetal force controls all inward movement, allowing us to go inside to observe and reconnect with our inner world, which contains knowledge of all that is natural for us as an individual. Centrifugal force controls all outward movement, allowing interaction of the consciousness with the surroundings and other people. Centripetal and centrifugal force are duality and control all activity that depends on yin/yang, negative/positive balance for its existence. Gravity regulates the action of centripetal and centrifugal forces to ensure universal balance and stimulates the ability to step out of duality to observe the effect of its interaction from a neutral space. Electromagnetics is the life force that is a catalyst for reproduction to occur, allowing the evolution of consciousness to continue. Synergy training defines every experience in categories relative to the force from which it originates. (Adapted from Holistic Health Directory.)

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE

The Alexander Technique is movement education in which the student is taught to sit, stand, and move in ways that reduce physical stress on the body. Alexander Technique teachers use gentle manual guidance and verbal cues to improve students’ posture and movement patterns. A lesson or group class typically involves basic movements such as sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching, carrying, and lying down. It may also involve more specialized activities such as playing a musical instrument, working at a computer, etc. The teacher’s manual guidance stresses the adjustment of the head, neck, and torso relationship. In beginning lessons, the teacher closely monitors the student. Later, the student learns to monitor herself, ultimately learning a unique self-management process, an understanding of balance and dynamic postural control. F. M. Alexander, an Australian actor, developed the technique in the late 1800s as a result of attempting to solve his own physical problem of losing his voice on stage. He discovered that misuse of the neuromuscular activity of the head, neck, and spine caused maladaptive functioning and that this movement could be corrected. As he began to teach his technique, he found that his students’ overall health improved and that the technique could be used to address a wide array of problems. Click here to find an Alexander Technique practitioner.

ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE

Known as conventional medicine, allopathy is a medical approach that seeks to cure by producing a condition in the body different than, or opposite to, the condition that exists within the diseased state.

AMMA

Amma (sometimes spelled anma) is the traditional word for massage in the Japanese language. It comes from the Chinese tradition of massage, anmo. This form of bodywork is based on the principles of Chinese medicine and is more than five thousand years old. When anmo was brought to Japan, the technique was further refined into its own therapeutic art form, amma. The amma techniques encompass a myriad of pressing, stroking, stretching, and percussive manipulations with the thumbs, fingers, arms, elbows, knees, and feet on acupressure points along the body’s fourteen major meridians. Amma brings to Western culture the ancient art and wisdom of traditional Japanese massage. Through the structure of kata (choreographed movement), amma teaches the importance of rhythm, pacing, precision, and form in massage. Shiatsu—a style of bodywork popularized after World War II—was developed from the amma tradition. Unlike Western massage, amma utilizes no oils and can be done through clothing with the client either sitting or lying. This makes amma an extremely flexible style of massage suitable to a wide variety of client needs and environments.

ANIMAL MASSAGE

Both pets and performance animals experience soft-tissue damage in their daily lives just as humans do. Therapeutic massage provides significant relief, stimulates healing, and promotes stress reduction and relaxation. Other benefits include enhancing performance by increasing range of motion, maintaining muscle tone and joint flexibility, increasing blood and lymph circulation, increasing oxygen to reduce muscle spasms, flushing toxins from muscles and joints, improving disposition, preventing injuries, stimulating areas affected postoperatively, recovering from skeletal and muscular surgery or injury, relieving muscle pain by releasing endorphins, and relieving discomfort from arthritis, lameness, and hip dysplasia. Animals also can receive pre- and post-event massage for competition. See equine massage.

ANMA

See amma.

APPLIED KINESIOLOGY

Applied Kinesiology is a healing system that evaluates and treats an individual’s structural, chemical, and mental aspects. It employs muscle testing and other standard methods of diagnosis. Applied Kinesiology therapeutically utilizes nutrition, manipulation, diet, acupressure, exercise, and education to help restore balance and harmony in the body and maintain well-being throughout life. (From Alternative Healing, by Hugh Burroughs and Mark Kastner, Halcyon, 1993.) Dr. George Goodheart, a chiropractor in Detroit, Michigan, discovered the technique in 1964 during a patient treatment. After applying a few seconds of deep pressure on the man’s severe muscular dysfunction, he found the problem was eliminated. Dr. John Thie developed a simplified version of Applied Kinesiology called Touch for Health in 1970.

APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY

A muscle monitoring technique, applied physiology allows the body to express what is out of balance and provides information to restore that balance. Muscles are put through a normal range of motion, monitored to determine where the stresses lie. The centerpiece of the technique is using acupoints to ask “questions” about specific physiological and anatomical stresses. The goal of treatment is to let go of the stress within the body by integrating the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of an individual.

AROMATHERAPY

The use of essential oils (extracted from herbs, flowers, resin, woods, and roots) in body and skin care treatments is known as aromatherapy. Used as a healing technique for thousands of years by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, essential oils aid in relaxation, improve circulation, and help the healing of wounds. Aromatherapy diffusers are utilized to fill the massage room with the scent of the oils. Specific essential oils are blended by the aromatherapist and added to a carrier oil, such as almond oil, to be used during the massage. Each oil has its own unique characteristics and benefits. Use of this technique declined as the modern pharmaceutical industry developed. However, the French chemist Gattefossé revived the art by coining the term aromatherapy and by publishing a book on the subject in 1928. Click here to find an Aromatherapy practitioner.

ART THERAPY

Using the media of the arts (sculpture, painting, collage, etc.) to provide release of symbolic expression, art therapy allows the individual an opportunity to confront inner perceptions of the self.

ASHIATSU ORIENTAL BAR THERAPY

This barefoot massage technique uses deep compression effleurage strokes that glide over the body. Gravitational centrifugal and centripetal movements relieve pain symptoms in chronic soft-tissue damage. Correct application will provide deep relaxation while stretching chronic shortened muscles of the body. Bars are used above the head for leverage, and lubricant is essential for its application. [This therapy was developed by massage therapist Ruthie Piper Hardee in 1995 as a result of her own scoliosis and disk pain associated with bending over the table to deliver deep-tissue massage.] Correct application of two-footed strokes near the spine create a “push, pull, pumping” effect on the intervertebral disc space and can relieve irritation on the spinal nerve. No anxiety should result from this application, and client range of comfort is maintained at all times.

ASIAN BODYWORK

Monitoring the flow of the vital life energy (known as chi, ki, prana, or qi) is at the heart of Asian bodywork. Using physical pressure and manipulation, the healer evaluates and modulates this energy flow to attain a state of balance. Popular modalities include shiatsu, amma, Jin Shin Do, Thai massage, and tui na.

ASTON-PATTERNING

Aston-Patterning is an educational process, developed by Judith Aston in 1977, combining movement coaching, bodywork, ergonomics, and fitness training. It can be helpful to individuals seeking relief from acute or chronic pain or for those wishing to improve their posture and increase the efficiency of their movement patterns, either in activities of daily living or complex activities, such as athletics or the performing arts. The movement work, neurokinetics, has two divisions. The first part involves instruction in the most efficient way to perform the simple activities of daily living, and then progresses to complex activities. The second part teaches the client how to use movement to decrease accumulated tension in the body. The bodywork includes Aston massage, myokinetics, and arthrokinetics. The massage is a specialized form based on Swedish massage, utilizing a three-dimensional touch that helps to release functional holding patterns from surface to bone. The bodywork is used to make new movement options available, and the sessions are followed with a movement lesson to assist the client in understanding how the tension had been created and how to maintain the changes achieved. The ergonomic training shows the client how environment affects the body’s alignment, dimensional integrity, and degree of effort required to perform activities, and identifies the role the environment plays in the current complaint. The client is trained to modify or negotiate with less-than-optimal ergonomic situations. Aston Fitness training includes vertical and horizontal loosening, toning, stretching, and cardiovascular fitness. The loosening moves address specific areas of tension that, when released, assist the client in achieving the best alignment and dimensional integrity before working out. Toning teaches the client how to address specific areas that are less toned in comparison to the rest of the body, resulting in an even distribution of muscle tone throughout the body. Stretching is taught in a way that doesn’t borrow dimension from an adjacent body segment while working a specific area. Click here to find an Aston Patterning practitioner.

ASYMMETRIC BODY BALANCING

This is a combination of Paul St. John’s neuromuscular therapy and more traditional Hatha yoga that helps clients diminish and/or alleviate pain or discomfort and find homeostasis and equilibrium in their daily lives.

ATTUNEMENT

Attunement is a non-touch (or light touch) approach to healing, employing spiritual techniques (prayer and meditation) to restore one’s naturally vibrant energetic and physical well-being. Attunement balances the flow of energy through the endocrine glands, organs, bones, and other tissues of the body—establishing alignment between the body, mind, and emotions and harmonizing these elements with the “spirit,” described as the radiant source of life and healing. Sharing attunement with clients invites them to occupy a sacred energetic or vibrational space characterized by stillness and peace, where healing at all levels can occur. This life-giving process is the doorway through which an individual may enhance or recover health of body, mind, and spirit.

AYURVEDA

Ayurveda is the five thousand year-old medical system of India. It is also a philosophy that offers keys for creating harmony and balance in life. The ayurvedic physician studies for five years and is supervised for one year in a hospital. Although there are some spas in the United States that are designed as ayurvedic medical centers, most spas do not focus on the treatment of disease. Instead they adopt elements of ayurveda that focus on positive life choices, general detoxification, relaxation, enhanced spiritual awareness, and gentle exercise. An ayurvedic massage is one part of the traditional detoxification and rejuvenation program of India called panchakarma, in which the entire body is vigorously massaged with large amounts of warm oil and herbs to remove toxins from the system. With the client’s permission, oil is also poured into the ears, between the eyebrows, and at specific chakras, or energy points, during techniques known respectively as karna purana, shirodhara, and marma chikitsa. These treatments have been modified to meet the needs of the West and have been powerful in their effects on the mind and nervous system—calming, balancing, and bringing both a heightened sense of awareness and deep inner peace. The techniques can be done either as stand-alone treatments or in conjunction with the ayurvedic body massage. The basis for effectively performing all of the various ayurvedic massage techniques is a thorough understanding of the primordial energies of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) and of vata, pitta, and kapha—the three basic constitutional types (similar to the ancient Greek method of mind/body classification). This knowledge allows the therapist to determine not only which ayurvedic massage techniques to use, but also how to customize treatments by selecting the proper oils and herbs and the rate and pressure of massage strokes to maximize the benefits for each client.

 

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BACH FLOWER REMEDIES

Developed by Edward Bach in the early 1900s, Bach Flower Remedies is a system of thirty-eight flower essences used in conjunction with herbs, homeopathy, and medications that seeks to correct emotional imbalances by working on the subtle body instead of the physical body. The pattern in the subtle energy fields of the living plant influences the subtle energy fields of the human being. In prescribing flower essences, the practitioner assesses the whole individual, focusing on the disposition or negative emotions of the person, such as fear, impatience, or overconcern. An essence or combination of essences is then chosen to facilitate change and administered orally.

BALINESE MASSAGE

Positioned above the client, the Balinese massage therapist performs a combination of kneading strokes, skin rolling, and foot massage. Treatment is followed by an application of coconut oil infused with spices.

BALNEOTHERAPY

Ancient use of waters to restore and revitalize the body is known as balneotherapy. It has been used to improve circulation, fortify the immune system, relieve pain, and treat stress.

BARBARA BRENNAN HEALING SCIENCE

The Barbara Brennan Healing Science program focuses on clearing blocked energy and balancing the body’s energy field through hands-on work and deep healing techniques. Emphasis is placed on enabling the therapist to discover her own healing process and thus personalize her healing approach. Channeling, the use of spiritual guidance, healing with color and sound, and work with auras are among the techniques used. Through the unblocking and balancing of energy fields, the client has access to healing on all levels of functioning—emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental. Click here to find a Brennan practitioner.

BART (Bonding and Relaxation Techniques)

Based on the parent education program of infant massage by Virnala McClure, BART is a program of stroking for individuals with, or at risk for, developmental delays. Designed to empower parents and instill parental confidence, as well as nourish the bond between parent and child, BART aids in relaxation, normalization of muscle tone, respiratory and gastrointestinal functioning, sensory integration, and behavioral organization.

BELAVI FACELIFT MASSAGE

A series of massage techniques using acupressure points, lymphatic drainage strokes, and facial massage strokes, Belaví Facelift Massage is designed to firm sagging skin, stimulate blood and oxygen, release toxins, and soften lines. The treatment also consists of cleansing, exfoliating, hot towel wraps, and a honeylift massage treatment.

BERRYWORK

A combination of corrective stretches involving the fascia, cartilage, and joints, Berrywork was created by and named for Lauren Berry, a physical therapist.

BINDEGEWEBSMASSAGE

This technique is based on the theory that any disruption or imbalance in any portion of the body affects the entire system, specifically the autonomic, central nervous, and hormonal systems. Any disruption in any of the body systems will affect the entire organism, both physiologically and psychologically. Bindegewebsmassage is a specific, advanced technique intended to assist in the rehabilitation of pathologic conditions. The theory of this technique extends to the belief that certain areas on the body’s surface correlate to specific internal organs manifesting the disruptions with an increased sensitivity of certain skin areas called points. See also connective tissue massage.

BINDI

This bodywork combines marine algae exfoliation, herbal treatment, and light massage.

BIOENERGY

Developed by Polish healer Mietek Wirkus, bioenergy is a form of energy healing. The therapist uses a combination of noninvasive, light physical touch with manipulation and repatterning of the higher energy bodies and chakras using only the hands. The objectives are release of physical symptoms associated with disease and stimulation of the relaxation response to relieve stress and tension.

BIOFEEDBACK

Biofeedback utilizes a system of sensitive instruments that relay information about the physical condition of the body. Used as a primary therapy, or in conjunction with other methods, biofeedback provides deep relaxation and stress management skills to prevent stress-related disorders and illness. These skills, including deep breathing and guided imagery, offer self-regulation and control over mental, emotional, and physical processes. The principles of biofeedback can be traced back to the eighteenth century.

BIOGEOMETRY

BioGeometry is a design language of shape that balances energy fields. Vitality, emotions, and mental activities are energy and can be balanced geometrically. This is the language of the shapes of nature. BioGeometry is the way of reading the energy workings in all fields of life. (Adapted from www.biogeometry.com.)

BIOMAGNETIC TOUCH HEALING

Bio-magnetic touch healing is a light touch complementary healing method that employs the index and middle fingers of each hand to lightly touch specific points on the body. The combination of correct points, light, and butterfly-like touch activates the body’s own inherent healing ability and is subtly motivated.

BIOSONIC REPATTERNING

Developed by John Beaulieu, ND, PhD, BioSonic Repatterning is a natural method of healing and consciousness development using tuning forks and other sound modalities based on the sonic ratios inherent in nature. BioSonics’ tuning forks help the client achieve deep relaxation and mind/body balance; reduce stress and muscular tension, spasms, and pain; increase blood flow and circulation by releasing constriction around targeted organs; and transcend to higher levels of consciousness and access spiritual insights. Each tuning fork is calibrated at a specific frequency to address different areas of healing and development. (Adapted from www.biosonics.com.)

BIOSYNC

Nerve impingement in cross-linked connective tissue is a major cause of chronic and sports-associated pain. Through trauma (injury), compression, tension, free-radical damage, pollution, and more, cross-linking of connective tissue is formed. These threads of connective tissue adhere to adjacent strands, thereby decreasing range of motion, reducing joint space, impinging nerves, and generally shortening the body. The BioSync method releases collagen cross-linking by unwinding these locked and hardened strands, thereby restoring the body’s length, flexibility, and function and allowing regeneration and revitalization of the whole system. The BioSync method, developed by Mark Lamm, NMT, is a sophisticated system of neuromuscular rehabilitation and reeducation and has been successful with a wide range of muscular and trauma-related challenges. It is complementary with existing medical and rehabilitative procedures.

BODY ALIGNMENT

Nerve impingement in cross-linked connective tissue is a major cause of chronic and sports-associated pain. Through trauma (injury), compression, tension, free-radical damage, pollution, and more, cross-linking of connective tissue is formed. These threads of connective tissue adhere to adjacent strands, thereby decreasing range of motion, reducing joint space, impinging nerves, and generally shortening the body. The BioSync method releases collagen cross-linking by unwinding these locked and hardened strands, thereby restoring the body’s length, flexibility, and function and allowing regeneration and revitalization of the whole system. The BioSync method, developed by Mark Lamm, NMT, is a sophisticated system of neuromuscular rehabilitation and reeducation and has been successful with a wide range of muscular and trauma-related challenges. It is complementary with existing medical and rehabilitative procedures.

BODY IMAGING ENHANCEMENT

Based on a balance between body, mind, and feeling, body imaging enhancement proposes that anatomical structural relationships of the body need to be realigned and stabilized from a central line of the body. This line posturally positions the body relationally to the force of gravity. As a result of the correction, the client will experience energy release and perceptible changes in body shape, flexibility, and movement. Working with the neuromuscular and myofascial systems, the therapist uses manual manipulations to stretch and release muscle tissue and fascia to create freedom and flexibility of movement. It was developed by Dr. Mark Hendler and Denise Hendler.

BODY LOGIC

Developed by Yamuna Zake, this is a highly organized system of structural therapy/bodywork. This yoga-based therapy works the joints in every possible position to create length and space.

BODY ROLLING

Practiced on a six to ten inch ball, and following specific routines that imitate the logic of the neuromuscular system, body rolling is a self-care practice that helps maintain the health of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems, and assists controlling and understanding the internal sensory experience.

BODY-MIND CENTERING

Body-Mind Centering is a movement reeducation approach that explores how the body’s systems contribute to movement and self-awareness. Developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, the approach also emphasizes movement patterns that develop during infancy and childhood. Body-Mind Centering incorporates guided movement, exercise, imagery, and hands-on work. The approach can be used with infants, children, and adults to resolve movement problems and facilitate the “body-mind dialogue.” (Adapted from Holistic Health Directory.)

BODY-ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

Body-oriented psychotherapy seeks to enhance the psychotherapeutic process by incorporating a range of massage, bodywork, and movement techniques. Acknowledging the mind-body link, practitioners may use light touch, soft- or deep-tissue manipulation, breathing techniques, movement, exercise, or body-awareness techniques to help address emotional issues. Proper training is critical in this work. (Adapted from Holistic Health Directory.)

BODYTALK

Developed by chiropractor/acupuncturist Dr. John Veltheim, BodyTalk is based on bio-energetic psychology, dynamic systems theory, Chinese medicine, and applied kinesiology. It has been extensively tested and used in clinics and hospitals in the United States, Europe, and Australia. By integrating a series of tapping, breathing, and focusing techniques, BodyTalk does not require diagnosis and therefore is within the scope of practice of LMTs and bodyworkers. Its intent is to help the body synchronize and balance its parts (organs, endocrine, lymph, brain, meridians, etc.) so they communicate effortlessly and heal themselves. It strengthens the body’s innate knowledge of how to repair itself. BodyTalk is used to address a range of health problems including fibromyalgia, infections, parasites, chronic fatigue, allergies, addictions, and cellular damage.

BODYWORK

Various forms of touch therapies that may use manipulation, movement, and/or repatterning to affect structural changes to the body.

BONNIE PRUDDEN MYOTHERAPY

A hands-on, drugless, noninvasive method of relieving muscle-related pain, Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy emphasizes a speedy, cost-effective recovery and active client participation for long-term relief. Myotherapy relaxes muscles, improves circulation, and alleviates pain in all parts of the body while increasing strength, flexibility, coordination, stamina, and energy. It improves posture, gait, sleep patterns, and work and play performance. The first ninety minute session includes an extensive and vital history. Subsequent treatments are one hour and include self-help techniques. Clients are cleared for treatment by a physician, which ensures the pain is not due to anatomical pathology requiring medical attention.

BOWEN TECHNIQUE

Developed by Thomas Ambrose Bowen of Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, this hands-on, light-touch body therapy consists of gentle rolling movements over muscle bellies and tendons to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms. Originally intended to help people suffering from muscular-skeletal problems, Bowen Technique has also been successful with many other conditions, including asthma and respiratory ailments in children and pre-teens. Click here to find an Bowen Technique practitioner.

BRAIN GYM

Created by Paul and Gail Dennison, Brain Gym (or Educational Kinesiology or Edu-K) is a sensorimotor program based on research by educational therapists, developmental optometrists, and other specialists in the fields of movement, education, and child development. Brain Gym consists of twenty-six targeted activities similar to those performed naturally by young children as part of the process of brain development. Brain Gym prepares learners with the physical skills they need to read, write, concentrate, organize, and otherwise function effectively in the classroom or the adult workplace.

BREAST MASSAGE

This technique entails specific kneading, rubbing, and/or squeezing strokes applied to the soft tissue of the breast to increase lymph and blood flow. As poor circulation to this area can produce uncomfortable symptoms, and breast scarring caused by surgery and/or trauma can cause painful syndromes and obstruct blood and lymph flow, breast wellness becomes increasingly important. The practice of breast massage should be in conjunction with (and not a substitute for) regular self-breast exams. If a lump is found in the breast, the area should not be massaged until a physician is consulted.

BREATH THERAPY

Breath therapy, which can ease anxieties and reduce stress, is the use of respiratory exercises to open lung passages, oxygenate the blood, and cleanse the body by eliminating gaseous toxins. The client is encouraged to breathe deeply while the therapist works the appropriate muscles.

BREEMA BODYWORK

The Breema system places particular emphasis on the experience and comfort of the practitioner, teaching that we can best support others by being truly present with them. Its Nine Principles of Harmony are key in this practical approach to self-understanding that nurtures and harmonizes the mind, body, and feelings of the practitioner as well as the recipient. Done with the recipient fully clothed on a padded floor, Breema bodywork uses a wide variety of rhythmic movements, gentle stretches, and fully-supported postures. The system includes Self-Breema exercises that also release physical, mental, and emotional stress.

BUDZEK MEDICAL MASSAGE THERAPY

Developed by Jeffrey Budzeky, RN, Budzek Medical Massage Therapy is designed to relieve acute and chronic pain resulting from muscle, nerve, and joint disorders. This multi-modality therapy is based on the specific sequence of twelve different bodywork techniques and addresses eight different aspects that affect the body simultaneously.

 

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CANCER MASSAGE

See oncology massage.

CATHIODERMI

Cathiodermi is a rejuvenating treatment for the skin that provides deep cleansing and oxygenation of outer tissue layers, removing impurities and stimulating regeneration. The treatment involves the use of galvanic and high-frequency currents from an electric machine to provide electric stimulation in a low-voltage dose.

CHAIR MASSAGE

Known as seated massage, chair massage, or on-site massage, this technique involves the use of a specially designed massage chair in which the client sits comfortably. The modern chair massage was originally developed David Palmer, but the technique is centuries-old, with some Japanese block prints illustrating people having just emerged from a nearby bath, receiving massage while seated on a low stool. Seated massage includes bodywork and somatic techniques, such as shiatsu, amma, and Swedish massage, provided to the fully clothed client in a variety of settings, including businesses, airports, and street fairs. Click here to find a Chair Massage practitioner.

CHAMPISSAGE

Champissage is the modern Indian name for the ayurvedic method of head massage, stimulating the circulation to the scalp and nourishing the hair roots. Originally, the technique only included the head. Today, however, this modality usually includes massage of the shoulders, upper arms and neck, and face and ears. Along with increased blood circulation, it also stimulates the movement of lymph, thus having a cleansing effect, as well as proving to be an invaluable technique for relief of eye strain, headaches, insomnia, lack of concentration, and lethargy. Typically ayurvedic oils are massaged into the scalp, however, this procedure can also be done without any oils or creams.

CHI NEI TSANG

Chi means energy and information, and nei tsang means viscera or internal organs. Chi nei tsang addresses the origin of health problems, including psychosomatic responses, and increases the resilience of the body’s defense system. A chi nei tsang treatment may be self-administered or given by a practitioner. Chi nei tsang practitioners work mainly on the abdomen with deep, soft, and gentle touch to train internal organs to work more efficiently. All the body systems are addressed—digestive, respiratory, lymphatic, nervous, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, etc. Chi nei tsang integrates applied qigong with the art of abdominal massage. This technique was created by a Taoist monk several thousand years ago in the mountain monasteries of China. In order for the monks to be able to learn to perform the highest levels of spiritual practices, they needed to generate a very high level of energy. Today, chi nei tsang is still practiced for this same reason, but people in all walks of life who seek greater health and well-being can also use it.

CHI-GONG

See qigong.

CHINESE MASSAGE

See Tui Na.

CHRISTOPHER METHOD

The Christopher Method Sound-Wave Energy Therapy was introduced in 1995 and is a non-touch therapy that works on the multiple energy fields of the body to reinforce and release energy, thereby contributing to balance and well-being on the emotional, psychological, and physiological levels. It gradually realigns all levels of energy that run through the body. Tiny sound-wave vibrations are passed through the practitioner’s aura to the recipient’s energy field where they resonate through each of the multiple fields of the body to clear blocked energy, restore and reinforce natural polarity, and align and reinforce proper energy flow.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY

A gentle infusion of warm water through the colon is used to cleanse trapped impurities, preventing the recycling of toxins into the blood stream.

COLOR THERAPY

An ancient system using specific color rays to treat the body and mind, color therapy is based on the notion that organs and systems vibrate at certain frequencies. By applying a particular color ray on an area, the correct vibration--bringing with it health--will be restored.

COLORPUNCTURE

A system of holistic acu-light therapy developed by Peter Mandel, colorpuncture applies different frequencies of visible light onto the meridians where needles are typically placed during acupuncture. By using differing colors, energy can be manipulated, either to stimulate or sedate. Gentle, relaxing, and noninvasive, colorpuncture is sometimes used as an alternative to acupuncture for children and adults uncomfortable with the use of needles.

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) incorporates a large group of healthcare practices and treatments that are considered outside of or supplemental to the scope of conventional medicine. May involve either mental or physical techniques, and some therapies may include use of herbs, meditation, and/or massage.

CONNECTIVE TISSUE MASSAGE

Also known as bindegewebsmassage, Connective Tissue Massage (CTM) techniques are designed to specifically affect the connective tissue of the body. CTM was developed in Germany by Elizabeth Dicke. After diagnosis of a serious medical problem, she experimented with different types of massage on herself. She found when she applied light pressure through the skin and connective tissue in one area of the body, there was a related effect at a distant site. From Alternative Healing, by Hugh Burroughs and Mark Kastner, Halcyon, 1993, “The technique consists of the massage therapist subtly hooking her fingers into the skin and superficial connective tissue while performing a dragging or pulling stroke that somewhat stretches the skin. CTM leaves a visible mark that looks somewhat like an abrasion or burn, but which goes away without leaving a scar.” In Germany, it is considered a physical therapy technique; in many parts of Europe, it is considered a medical technique. In the United States, connective tissue massage is taught in many massage schools.

CONSCIOUS BODYWORK

This form of neuromuscular reprogramming and therapy combines massage techniques with muscle testing in order to help people learn how to use their muscles with greater strength and less effort. Conscious bodywork is used to treat persistent joint and muscle pain and to treat restriction of movement caused by injury. (Adapted from Holistic Health Directory.)

CONTINUUM

Founded by Emilie Conrad, continuum is a visionary inquiry into our capacity to innovate and participate with the essential, generative, and biological movement processes of life. Much of continuum explores embryogenesis, allowing each one of us to enter into the great mystery of creation as an existential and spiritual unfolding. Continuum explores the idea that what we call a body or a brain is actually a creative, nonlinear, unfolding event. Movement is something we are, as well as something we do. All aspects of our functioning--thinking, feeling, languaging, and the very shaping of society--are explored as movement. Continuum provides a nonlinear biological basis for movement education, rather than the mechanistic models prevalent in society, and uses the primary perceptions of sensation, breath, sound, and movement to guide us in both subtle and dynamic explorations. (Description reprinted with permission, Continuum Movement 2001 Brochure.)

CORE ENERGETICS

Developed by John Pierrakos, core energetics is the unblocking and releasing of emotion in order to self-heal both physical and mental disorders. According to core energetic theory, combining bodywork, psychotherapy, and the spiritual can activate a greater consciousness and assist clients in getting through the varying layers of energy to be able to reconnect with their core and their innate capacity for love.

CORE STRUCTURAL INTEGRATIVE THERAPY

Originated by George P. Kousaleos, CORE is a myofascial, postural, and structural somatic therapy combining massage techniques with client-assisted movement. Normally lasting ten sessions, there are four phases of CORE body therapy organized according to the level or layer of fascia, muscle, and supporting soft tissues that are manipulated: core massage, core extrinsic, core intrinsic, and core integration.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, noninvasive method of evaluating and enhancing the function of a physiological body arrangement called the craniosacral system. Developed by John E. Upledger, DO, OMM, this manual therapy enhances the body’s natural healing processes and has proven effective in treating a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction. The roots of this therapy are in cranial osteopathy, developed by Dr. William G. Sutherland. The craniosacral system consists of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It extends from the bones of the skull, face, and mouth--which make up the cranium--down to the sacrum or tailbone. Since this system influences the development and function of the brain and spinal cord, any imbalance or dysfunction in the craniosacral system could cause sensory, motor, or neurological disabilities. These problems may include chronic pain, eye difficulties, scoliosis, motor-coordination impairments, learning disabilities, and other dysfunctions of the central nervous system. Craniosacral therapy encourages the body’s natural healing mechanisms to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, dissipate the negative effects of stress, and enhance health and resistance to disease. The craniosacral therapy practitioner uses a light touch to assist the natural movement of fluid within the craniosacral system. Therapists generally use only five grams of pressure, roughly the weight of a nickel, to test for restrictions in various parts of the craniosacral system. It’s often possible for the evaluation alone to remove the restriction and allow the system to correct itself. Click here to find a craniosacral therapy practitioner.

CRANIOSOMATICS

CranioSomatics is a paradigm for understanding relationships between the cranium and its sutures and joints, neuromuscular functions, and meridians throughout the body. The concept that both functions and dysfunctions of the cranial system are reflected in identifiable and predictable musculoskeletal/somatic responses throughout the body and that the converse is also generally true, was developed by G. Dallas Hancock, DC, and Florence Barber-Hancock, LMT, in the 1990s. The application of this concept is CranioSomatic Therapy. Complementary therapies include CranioStructural Integration, developed by Hancock, and Facilitated Pathways Intervention, developed by Barber-Hancock.

CRYOTHERAPY

Also known as ice therapy, this modality uses the application of cold hydrotherapy in the form of ice packs and cold water immersions to alleviate blood flow, swelling, and inflammation with the contraction of blood vessels. Used in conjunction with heat, cryotherapy can increase circulation, and, hence, remove wastes and toxins from an injured area.

CRYSTLEDYNE THERAPY

Utilizing a self-activated crystal stimulator, which creates an electrical stimulus when two crystals inside are forced together, this therapy stimulates acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology points on the body, releasing endorphins from the brain to help block pain receptors in afflicted areas and open circuits of the body.

 

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DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPIES

Dance/movement therapies focus on personal expression to enhance emotional and psychological healing. Using expressive movement as a tool, this modality lends itself to treatment of the physically disabled, as well as clients with histories of abuse and addiction.

DANTIEN

The area of the hara approximately two finger-widths below the navel is called the lower dantien (or tanden). Dan means the medicine of immortality; tien means field. Is is the field of the elixir of life, sometimes also called the “Sea of Qi.” The Ren Chong, kidney, stomach, liver, and spleen channels pass through it. The qi of the organs and meridians of the entire body collect in the lower dantien, like a vast storehouse of power. (Adapted from “Hara,” by Kondañña, Massage & Bodywork, June/July 2001.) See hara.

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE

Techniques that utilize deep-tissue/deep-muscle massage are administered to affect the sub-layer of musculature and fascia. These techniques require advanced training and a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology. The muscles must be relaxed in order to effectively perform deep-tissue massage, otherwise tight surface muscles prevent the practitioner from reaching deeper musculature. It helps with chronic muscular pain and injury rehabilitation and reduces inflammation-related pain caused by arthritis and tendinitis. It is generally integrated with other massage techniques. Click here to find a Deep Tissue Massage practitioner.

DEGRIEFING

Degriefing is the process of recognizing the mental and physical pain that accompanies grief and treating it with a combination of somatic therapies and psychotherapeutic tools. Degriefing can be used to unlock and remove grief from an individual’s body, and thereby heal not only physical symptoms, but mental and emotional wounds as well. It combines effective verbal counseling therapies with individualized physical care. The techniques used in the degriefing process are intended to ease a person’s emotional distress, mental anguish, and physical discomforts. The goal of degriefing is to unlock blockages that have developed in the body and shift them to a more harmonious state.

DO-IN

This is a system of self-massage promoted most recently by Michio Kushi. More than five thousand years ago, Chinese Taoist monks observed it was instinctive for a person to touch or hold an injured or painful body part, a form of self-healing. They developed a system called Tao-Yinn: Tao meaning the way and Yinn meaning a gentle approach. The name has evolved to Do-In, and the technique is used to sustain overall health, as well as treat specific physical problems.

DYNAMIC SPINAL THERAPY

Dynamic spinal therapy was developed by Rolf Ott in Rapperswil, Switzerland, in the 1980s. The technique works with the body’s posture and energetic (acupuncture) system and consists of three parts: The ear reflexology test comes from France and Germany and is a form of ear acupuncture. The ear provides information about the body’s energetic state. A therapy stylus is pressed along specific lines, some of which are more sensitive than others and provide the therapist information. Acupuncture meridian harmonization balances the energetic system. The focus is on chi flow to stimulate the personal healing process. With the therapy stylus, certain meridians are traced on the skin surface. In the second part, the pelvis is checked while being rotated, and specific stretches are applied. Afterward, the client lies face down on the Swiss therapeutic cushion, resting like a person floating in water. This position offers complete relaxation. The body is gently rocked in several different ways, the gentle rhythmic motion prompting relaxation and inducing trust. The just-stretched muscles get reprogrammed, and the rocking moves the joint helping to build them. Finally, the therapy is applied where necessary for joint problems, migraines, arthritis, foot conditions lumbago, herniated disks, spinal nerve irritations, scoliosis, sciatica, psychological problems, stress, and many more. A treatment usually takes between thirty and forty minutes.

 

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EARTH ENERGY HEALING

Similar to reiki, as it is the channeling of energy and entails laying on of the hands.

EMF BALANCING TECHNIQUE

In an hour-long session, clients experience their own electromagnetic field (EMF) and the patterns within it. The practitioner carries out a series of graceful, t’ai chi-like movements, while the client lies on a massage table. During some parts of the session, practitioners will gently place their hands on the body to facilitate the flow of energy.

ENDERMOLOGIE

Endermologie utilizes a computerized machine that massages tissues under suction to improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage, thus speeding the healing process. Use of the machine allows the therapist to cover a larger area more quickly and with less effort. Endermologie is also used as an effective method to treat cellulite, stretching tight tissue bands and stimulating circulation to flush out toxins.

ENERGY FLOW BALANCING

This gentle treatment assists clients in balancing their energy flow. Therapists hold a space for clients to make whatever shifts or changes toward balance they deem necessary. Emphasis is given to the chakras and the joints, leaving clients feeling at peace and at home with themselves, with less pain, increased mobility, and greater range of motion.

EQUINE MASSAGE

The practice of soft-tissue manipulation applied to horses. See animal massage. Click here to find an equine massage practitioner.

ESALEN MASSAGE

Developed in the 1960s at Esalen Institute on the California Coast, this approach melded classic Swedish massage with sensory awareness practice and slow, flowing t'ai chi. The practitioner works with the receiver, rather than on the client. Today the Esalen massage signature flow is punctuated with deep tissue detail, joint mobilizing, stretches, and energy work. Tension melts away and yields to a state of harmony. Click here to find an esalen massage practitioner.

ESOTERIC HEALING

This is a healing through the energy field, which flows through and around us, and chakras, or centers of energy. Each of the seven major centers vitalizes its related endocrine gland(s). It is possible to map and measure this field and to assist in the restoration of good health through working to rebalance the energy field. Therapists have learned to sensitize their hands and inner perception to examine the energy field in detail to find alterations in the flow of energy. The therapist does not touch the client, but works variable distances from the body. The client remains fully clothed.

EUCAPNIC BREATH RETRAINING

A technique of guided breathing exercises and training used by somatic therapists in combination with musculoskeletal therapy to release and normalize the function of the thorax, diaphragm, and other muscles of breathing and to enhance health.

EUTONY

Derived from eu, meaning good, and tonus meaning tone or tension, eutony was developed by Gerda Alexander of Germany during her work in Denmark in the mid-twentieth century. It is based on the theory that there is a constant interaction between muscular tone and psychic activity. Acting on muscle tone can affect the whole being and regulate the breathing, circulation, etc. Clients learn how to adjust their tonus through the observation of sensations in various situations. Clients will explore the body’s perceptions--from the skin to the bones--in movement, in relaxation, during activity, and at rest. Professional training is an individual process lasting four years, the last year being devoted to practicum and exams.

EXERSSAGE

StarFace Exerssage is a facial yoga, slow motion movement, and self-massage technique integrated with breathing to release jaw tension and other tensions from neuromuscular parts of the face, head, and neck. It is comprised of twenty-four cranial facial yoga postures and a series of rhythmic contouring and acupressure pulsing massage movements. Connections are made to the vital organs with sound and intention. It facilitates the release of jaw tension.

 

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FASCIAL MOBILIZATION

The fascial system is one continuous, laminated, connective-tissue sheath that spreads without interruption throughout the entire body in a three-dimensional web. Fascial mobilization allows therapists to locate and address restrictions in the fascial system that are causing asymmetries, postural malalignment, abnormal tensions, and pressures that can lead to pain and dysfunction. The goal of fascial mobilization is to produce a well-balanced, symmetrical, and mobile body within the skeletal, soft-tissue, and craniosacral systems.

FELDENKRAIS METHOD

Developed by Russian-born Israeli educator Moshe Feldenkrais, this method establishes new connections between the brain and body through movement reeducation. One of two formats of instruction is used: awareness through movement and functional integration. In the one-on-one functional integration session, a teacher uses hands-on manipulation to guide the student toward new movement patterns. Awareness through movement classes are group sessions in which the teacher verbally guides students through repatterning. Feldenkrais proposed that nearly our entire spectrum of movement is learned during our first few years of life, but that these movements represent a mere 5 percent of all possibilities available to us. Habituated responses to problem areas in our lives are ingrained in our movement patterns. By retraining the central nervous system through the skeletal system, old patterns are eliminated and replaced with new skills that improve the physical, mental, and emotional functioning of the body. In this way, unconscious movement is brought into conscious awareness where it may be used as a tool for opening the human potential. Click here to find a Feldenkrais practitioner.

FENG SHUI

Feng shui (translated as “wind and water”) is the Chinese system of balancing the energy patterns of the physical environment. A composite of mystical beliefs, astrology, folklore, and common sense, the Chinese concept of feng shui blends ancient wisdom with cultural tradition. The laws of feng shui provide for positioning homes/businesses and designing room and office layouts in ways that promise to enhance the quality of their occupants’ lives and businesses by channeling energy in positive ways. These principles strive for creating balanced, peaceful dwellings by bringing together the external and internal and living in harmony with natural and man-made environments. Good feng shui promises occupants health, happiness, prosperity, and long life--a conscious connection between the outside environment and the world within. These same principles can also be applied to the human body (called min xiang shue) to promote inner character and restore harmony to areas of imbalance. Through meditation and daily exercises, min xiang shue can allow a deeper self-awareness and regeneration.

FIVE-ELEMENT SHIATSU

This technique is based on classical Chinese medicine’s law of the five elements. The five-element system views the human body as a microcosm of the universe with the tides of energy and emotions waxing and waning. These energies and emotions are stored in the visceral organs and move through specific pathways or meridians in the body in a regular and cyclical fashion. When these energies or emotions become blocked, or deficient or excessive through stress, trauma, or disease, the five-element practitioner may use carefully controlled pressure on certain meridian points to help move the energy or emotions. This restores the natural cycle of energy and emotional movement, thus helping the person’s natural ability to heal.

FLOTATION REPATTERNING

This aquatic treatment is performed in water heated to body temperature. The therapist and the client work as a team, following the client’s innate intelligence as her body guides the work. With the water allowing uninhibited movement, the body moves freely to release old holding patterns, blockages, and restrictions and then repatterns into wholeness.

FOOT ZONE THERAPY

Foot zone therapy is based on the premise that energy flows through the body in meridians from the brain to the feet. Every organ and cell has a representative point. On the foot, and when pressure is applied, the brain sends a signal to the corresponding part of the body to facilitate healing and restore balance. Temporary pain, defined also as a blockage of energy flow, is felt on areas of the foot that correspond to the affected organ or body part. When the pain is relieved or reduced, the healing process has begun. Positive and apparent results are felt almost immediately. Foot zone therapy dates back five thousand years and was used in ancient China and India. Egyptian hieroglyphs and paintings also show the use of this method. But not until the twentieth century, when Dr. Erdal of Norway used a form of this therapy to cure himself of paralysis, did foot zone therapy get rediscovered. After more than twenty years of intensive clinical research, Erdal has codified his findings into a medical science widely respected throughout Europe.

FOUR-HAND MASSAGE

This therapy requires two practitioners to simultaneously massage the client’s left and right sides, making sure to mimic the other’s motions and to exert equal pressure for a balanced experience.

 

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GERIATRIC MASSAGE

Geriatric massage, with its focus on the elderly, addresses the psychological and physiological aspects of aging and its associated diseases. Bodywork, often limited to a shorter time span, is often performed in residential care facilities. Click here to find a geriatric massage practitioner.

GRINBERG METHOD

The Grinberg Method is a systematic educational method that teaches people to mobilize their own strength and vitality in pursuit of their well-being. It shows people how they can achieve much more in their lives simply by paying more attention to their bodies.

GUA SHA

Used in China for more than two thousand years, gua sha means to scrape toxins. A method of promoting blood circulation and removing toxic heat, blood, and lymph from the body, gua sha involves scraping the skin with a flat tool to facilitate pain relief. Olive oil and herbs are usually applied to the skin to open pores, increase deep cleansing, and improve circulation.

GUIDED IMAGERY

Also known as visualization, guided imagery is a relaxation system utilizing imagination and thoughts to improve one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Often involving a process of listening to music or a person’s voice, the participant can take hold of imagery, symbols, and deep feelings to stimulate the body’s immune system, fight disease, and improve overall health. Many seriously ill patients use this technique to imagine the destruction of their disease and/or disorder.

GYROTONIC

A system designed to exercise the musculature while mobilizing and articulating the joints. Gyrotonic was conceived regarding key principles of gymnastics, swimming, ballet, and yoga through which major muscle groups are worked interdependently and in an integrated manner. This system is served by a series of specially designed exercise equipment that is built around the human body with all regards to total freedom in movement, no restriction to speed and versatility, and enhancement rather than distraction from coordination, strength, and flexibility. The motion patterns are natural, turbulence-free, and pure, with no interruption, creating a bridge between contraction and extension through the rotating movement of the joints, resulting in a balanced support system for the skeleton. Each exercise is synchronized with a corresponding breathing pattern and is performed with either a rhythm or melodic rhythmical expression, creating a gentle or vigorous cardiovascular-aerobic stimulation, depending on the intensity and speed of the execution. (Adapted from www.gyrotonic.com.)

 

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HAKOMI INTEGRATIVE SOMATICS

Using hands-on bodywork, body awareness, and movement, hakomi integrative somatics enables people to discover the habitual, automatic attitudes (both physical and psychological), by which they generate patterns of experience. Particularly helpful in working with the effects of trauma and abuse, emotional pain, and limiting belief systems, this gentle therapy teaches clients to follow the inherently intelligent processes of the body and mind. Clients are educated in the nuances of inner body sensations and learning to track the ever-changing flow of wordless information that is the language of the body. It is precisely this awareness that becomes a powerful healing tool, as it naturally expands the “somatic sense of self” and heals the various forms of dissociation from the body. Hands-on bodywork is used experimentally to help clients gain awareness of inner experience, specifically inner body sensation and patterns, emotions, images, memories, or thoughts. Unconscious attitudes are brought to consciousness where they can be examined, understood, and changed. By working physically and psychologically, the transformative shift can take root on both levels simultaneously.

HAKOMI THERAPY

A body-centered psychotherapy, hakomi was started in the mid-1970s by American Ron Kurtz. Hakomi uses body tensions and sensations to access information about the limiting beliefs, patterns, and habits of the individual. Hakomi bodywork includes hands-on manipulation to access and change these beliefs. Treatments vary to meet individual needs.

HANNA SOMATIC EDUCATION

This system of sensory-awareness and neuromuscular education makes it possible for a participant to recognize, release, and reverse chronic pain patterns resulting from injury, stress, repetitive motion, or habituated postures. Hands-on methods teach how to relieve tension quickly, lengthen and relax muscles, reduce pain, and regain comfort. Combining the hands-on methods (clinical sessions with a practitioner) with somatic exercises (done by oneself) expands the range of benefits. Click here to find a Hanna Somatic practitioner.

HARA

The source of health, vitality, and power, the hara is the physical center of the body. Bounded by the lower rib cage and the pelvic bowl, the hara includes all the vital organs of the body, with the exception of the heart and lungs--but even these have a reflexive, energetic presence here. The hara is the center of “me”-ness. The first three chakras, which deal with basic survival needs and ego/personality development, coalesce and interact here, culminating in a sense of individuality. It is an emotional center. (Adapted from “Hara,” by Kondañña, Massage & Bodywork, June/July 2001.) See dantien.

HEALING SOUNDS

This practice uses sound to create balance and alignment in the physical body, the energy centers (chakras), and/or the etheric fields. It is a vibration applied by an instrument or the human voice and can be understood as a field of energy medicine. The primary question in this field is: What are the correct resonant frequencies of the body?

HEALING TOUCH

Developed by Janet Mentgen, RN, Healing Touch is an energy-based therapeutic approach to healing. Healing Touch uses touch to influence the energy system, thus affecting physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, as well as healing. The goal of Healing Touch is to restore harmony and balance in the energy system to help the person to self-heal. The quality and impact of the healing is influenced by the relationship between the giver and receiver. Click here to find a Healing Touch practitioner.

HEALING TOUCH FOR ANIMALS

Developed by Carol Komitor and adapted from the Healing Touch program, Healing Touch for Animals (HTA) is an energy-medicine modality combining philosophies, techniques, and applications to promote energy balance and healing of animals. Also called the Komitor Healing Method, HTA works on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels and is used to help treat injuries, illnesses, surgeries, wounds, behavioral problems, and stress-related issues.

HELLERWORK

Movement education and deep-tissue bodywork are the major components of Hellerwork, named for founder Joseph Heller. Emphasizing vertical realignment of the body and release of chronic stress and tension, Hellerwork involves eleven sessions: in each session, one hour is devoted to bodywork and thirty minutes to movement therapy. Additionally, the therapist uses verbal dialogue to explore emotional factors that may be contributing to tension in the client’s physical make-up. As a preventative technique, the goal of Hellerwork is to produce permanent, corrective change in alignment and movement. Click here to find a Hellerwork practitioner.

HEMME APPROACH

Developed by Dave Leflet, HEMME is a soft-tissue therapy designed for practitioners in a clinical setting. It relieves pain by restoring alignment and improving myofascial dysfunction. The acronym HEMME stands for history, evaluation, modalities, manipulation, and exercise. It utilizes physical medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic work, and physical therapy. HEMME is a conglomeration of the most proven techniques found in these approaches and works successfully in treating chronic low back pain and soft-tissue injury.

HOLISTIC MEDICINE

Holistic medicine recognizes that the mind, spirit, lifestyle, environment, and other aspects of a person’s existence, significantly affect the functioning of the physical body. Thus, in evaluating and treating illness and prescribing preventative intervention, this approach treats the whole person, addressing more than just the symptoms or disease. Holistic practitioners may utilize a combination of conventional treatments along with alternative therapies.

HOLOGRAPHIC MEMORY RELEASE

This subtle technique, developed by Charles Daily, DC, allows the Holistic Memory Release (HMR) practitioner to quickly locate specific holographic touch points that are referenced to the individual’s on-going process. As in reflexology, where the entire body is represented on the foot, these touch points correlate to whole-body microsystems. Through very light and specific digital contacts, a piezoelectric effect is created within the crystalline connective tissue memory system for instantaneous memory reframing. This self-assembly process enhances subtle self-observation within the individual. It increases individual somatic awareness and releases self-limiting beliefs and tension patterns that have been stored within the body/mind continuum. A fifteen minute HMR session spontaneously generates coherent waves of cellular resonance in the connective tissue matrix and releases information logjams that can rob the individual of necessary vital capacity.

HOLOGRAPHIC NATURE OF HEALING

The holographic nature of healing is a year-long training program that combines hands-on energy work with verbal process work. The training’s purpose is to add skill to those who are already working energetically and to assist in providing supervised sessions with feedback in a group setting. There are three focus areas: the chakra system, hands-on healing technique, and quantum psychology for process work.

HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK

Developed by Dr. Stanislov Grof, a psychiatrist working with people in uncommon states of consciousness, and by Christina Grof, a transpersonal teacher, this is a simple, yet powerful technique for self-exploration and healing based on combined insights from modern consciousness research, depth psychology, and perennial spiritual practices. The method activates uncommon states of consciousness that mobilize the spontaneous healing potential of the psyche. Sustained effective breathing, evocative music, focused energy work, and mandala drawing are components of this subjective journey. Holotropic means moving toward wholeness. Virtually all ancient and native traditions recognize the psychological and spiritual healing potential of states of consciousness that differ from what we call “ordinary.” Holotropic Breathwork is a powerful method of self-exploration and healing. This work can be useful for artists wishing to facilitate their creativity, persons seeking a deep level of healing, or those seeking to explore their inner self and/or the transpersonal dimensions. It may lead to a spiritual opening and transformation.

HOMEOPATHY

Alternative healing method developed into a system by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700s, and based on a “like cures like” principle--that is, if a substance can cause symptoms in a healthy person, then it can stimulate self-healing of similar symptoms in a sick person. Clients are given minute amounts of natural substances to stimulate the body to cure itself. When these nontoxic substances are properly administered for an individual’s unique symptoms, they can be safely used by infants, children, and adults. There are no known or suspected contraindications or drug interactions between homeopathic and conventional medicines.

HOSHINO THERAPY

Developed by Japanese-born, Argentine immigrant Tomezo Hoshino, Hoshino Therapy was declared an official medical therapy in Argentina in 1952. Hoshino is a nonintrusive massage and movement system to relieve and prevent musculoskeletal pain and restore vitality. Hoshino therapy recognizes two hundred fifty vital acupuncture pressure points directly over the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that relate to the biomechanical functioning of the body. Pressure and body warmth are applied by the first joint of the thumb and with full-hand contact to reverse the hardening of the soft tissues. Therapy is combined with daily exercises called Hoshino Action.

HUMA TRANSPERSONAL BODYWORK

A method of bodywork that integrates subtle, articulate touch and verbal communication by combining the focus of physical and psychological health found in Western body-based tradition with the deeper self, or inner guide, found in Eastern traditions.

HUMAN ENERGY DYNAMICS

This therapy, though similar to reiki, uses the English language instead of symbols. It involves setting up and normalizing polarities, as well as bringing universal energy into structures of the body. It is the mental manipulation of human energy to affect changes in one’s self and in others.

HUNA KANE

This Hawaiian technique espouses that emotions and experiences are trapped in the fibers of each muscle group and organ in the body. Through a rhythmic massage technique where the practitioner “dances” with the forearm softly across their client’s muscles while informing the client of the particular emotion being addressed (i.e., guilt, fear, anger, etc.), Huna Kane allows clients to reexperience that emotion and to clear it from their bodies. From this place of clarity, awareness, balance, peace, and harmony become more accessible. Huna Kane is practiced on fully-clothed individuals lying on a mat on the floor.

HYDROTHERAPY

Although ancient Greece and Rome both adopted the beliefs that water had healing properties, it was the Romans to first integrate hydrotherapy into their social life, building temples and baths near natural springs. Father Sebastian Kneipp from Worshofen, Bavaria, however, was the true father of modern-day hydrotherapy in Germany. Various hydrotherapy massage techniques exist and are generally utilized by massage/bodywork practitioners, physical therapists, physicians, and spa technicians. These include underwater massage, herbal baths, thalassotherapy, Kneipp therapy, Vichy treatments, Scotch hoses, and Swiss showers. Click here to find a Hydrotherapy practitioner.

HYPNOTHERAPY

The use of hypnosis, trance states, suggestion, or altered states of consciousness to facilitate therapeutic goals, including learning and practicing new skills for alleviating symptoms or changing behavior.

 

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INFANT MASSAGE INSTRUCTION

Qualified instructors teach parents how to properly massage their infants. Infant massage is also utilized in hospital neonatal care units. This specialized form of touch is successful, not only in the critical weight gain of premature infants, but also in creating a strong bond between parent and infant and exposing a young child to the benefits and pleasures of touch. Click here to find an Infant Massage Instructor.

INGHAM METHOD

The Ingham Method is a form of zone therapy or reflexology. In the 1930s, Eunice Ingham, a physiotherapist working for a physician, used zone therapy on patients. She mapped the entire body as represented on the feet. At first used to reduce pain, Ingham developed the work into the Ingham Reflex Method of Compression Massage, later known as reflexology. Only the hands are used to apply the pressure to the reflex points on the feet. It is used primarily to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Many practitioners integrate the practice of reflexology with other forms of bodywork. It’s now known as the Original Ingham Method of Reflexology.

INSIGHT BODYWORK

Insight Bodywork, developed by Kondañña (Barry Kapke), is a floor-based energy work that seamlessly integrates massage, movement, and meditation. Earthy, gentle, and spontaneous, its integrative approach to somatic discovery and education facilitates energetic balance and flow, brings awareness to embodied experience, and supports the body to find greater ease and ability. Insight Bodywork utilizes acupressure and myofascial techniques, giving maximum support to the body while mobilizing joints, moving into slow deep stretches, integrating with soothing brushes and holds, and, when appropriate, energizing through shaking, rocking, swinging, or dropping. It is a work that is both playful and sacred in its approach.

INTEGRATED KABBALISTIC HEALING

Integrated Kabbalistic Healing is a system of energy healing, developed by Jason Shulman, based on the traditional Judaic metaphysical path (Kabbalah), object-relations, and advaitic (non-dualistic) perspectives with the understandings of psychology and the power of healing touch. A session is approximately one hour in length and consists of discussion, followed by a hands-on healing based on what has been discussed. The goal is personal transformation by changing the fundamental patterns that are keeping the client from living the life she wants, ultimately affecting change on all levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

INTEGRATED/ECLECTIC MASSAGE

This practice indicates a combination of various massage, bodywork, and somatic therapy techniques utilized by a practitioner in the course of a session. Click here to find an integrated massage practitioner.

INTEGRATIVE MANUAL THERAPY

This therapy recognizes that each person is more than the total components of anatomy, physics, and chemistry and is instead affected by emotions, thoughts, social interactions, mind, spirit, consciousness, soul, and more. Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) combines multiple therapies to locate and alleviate health challenges through individual body systems. Utilizing a combination of structural rehabilitation (a manual therapy process of normalization) and functional rehabilitation (a therapy to restore functional outcome according to the optimal potential of the client), IMT utilizes the expertise of professionals in many fields--physical therapy, osteopathic medicine, homeopathy, audiology, massage therapy, etc. Click here to find an Integrative Manual Therapy practitioner

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Alternative and conventional (allopathic) methodologies are combined to stimulate the person’s natural healing response.

INTERACTIVE GUIDED IMAGERY

An effective set of tools that can be used to mobilize the latent, innate healing abilities of clients to support rehabilitation, recovery, and health. It helps clients facilitate an enhanced awareness of the unconscious imagery they already have, while helping them learn to meaningfully and effectively interact with this process on their behalf.

INTUITIVE WORK

Intuitive work is a way of incorporating the perceived and received information that extends beyond the five senses, transcending what is considered ordinary thinking patterns and reasoning processes. The four main media by which intuitives receive and perceive information are clairsentience; clairvoyance; clairaudience; and knowingness--impression or inspirational thought. The challenge for bodyworkers is how to respectfully incorporate intuition into their work while demonstrating responsibility/respect to the client. While the science aspect of bodywork focuses on the technique of touch (information accessed through the left hemisphere of the brain), the art aspect of bodywork focuses on how to touch with care and sensitivity (information accessed through the right hemisphere of the brain). As obvious tools for listening, hands touch with the intent to hear and see--information accessed through the temporal lobe. These three parts of the neurological system are considered the intuitive network.

IRIDOLOGY

Iridology is a diagnostic science in which the study of markings in specific areas of the iris are used to indicate dysfunction in corresponding organs of the body. Used by physicians, naturopaths, chiropractors, and other healers, iridology is a noninvasive technique that supplies information not clearly delineated by other means regarding the condition of the body. Based on this information, the practitioner can make recommendations for changes in diet or lifestyle as a preventative approach.

ISOMETRIC MUSCLE BALANCING

Developed by Charlotte Vandergrift, Isometric Muscle Balancing is based on the muscle testing positions used in kinesiology. Balancing and strengthening the forty-two major muscles are accomplished by isometric action, producing a feeling of lightness and an increase in energy. A forty-five minute to one hour session also includes instruction in creating and maintaining balance and proper postural habits, as well as attention to diet and attitude.

 

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JAMU MASSAGE

Jamu massage is a Balinese-inspired modality based on Indian, Chinese, and European techniques involving acupressure, rolling motions, long strokes, and percussion-like drumming. Beginning slowly and building to a staccato pace, Jamu massage is designed to energize and increase blood circulation.

JAPANESE RESTORATION THERAPY & OKAZAKI LONG-LIFE MASSAGE

These two practices form an integral part of traditional martial arts training that emphasizes a concern for physical well-being. Restoration therapy has been practiced in Japan for more than fifteen hundred years. It is a combination of amma, shiatsu, osteopathy, herbal medicine, and suggestive healing techniques. To be a successful practitioner of restoration therapy, a thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology is imperative, as well as knowledge of pathology, dietetics, psychology, and herbal medicines.

JIN SHIN DO

Developed by psychotherapist Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, Jin Shin Do combines gentle, yet deep, finger pressure on acu-points with simple body focusing techniques to release physical and emotional tension. The client determines the depth of the pressure. Jin Shin Do promotes a pleasurable, trancelike state during which the recipient can get in touch with the body and access feelings or emotions related to the physical condition. This body/mind approach, performed on the fully-clothed client, is a synthesis of a traditional Japanese acupressure technique, classic Chinese acupuncture theory, Taoist yogic philosophy and breathing methods, and Reichian segmental theory. The client lies on her back on a massage table while the practitioner holds “local points” in tension areas together with related “distal points,” which help the armored places to release more easily and deeply. A typical session is about ninety minutes. Jin Shin Do acupressure is effective in helping relieve tension and fatigue, stress-related headaches and gastro-intestinal problems, back and shoulder pain, eye strain, menstrual and menopausal imbalances, sinus pain, and allergies. (With medical problems, the client is asked to consult a doctor.) Over a period of ten or more sessions, armoring is progressively released in the head, neck, shoulders, chest, diaphragm, abdomen, pelvis, and legs. After sessions, clients typically feel deeply relaxed and may even feel euphoric. If the client is responsive, there will be significantly less tension and pain together with an increased sense of well-being for hours or days. This response will tend to extend after further sessions. In the case of chronic fatigue, initially the client may feel more tired after a session, because the body is demanding rest. It is advisable to schedule sessions with time to rest and relax afterward. On the other hand, Jin Shin Do can be used before athletic events to improve performance, for horses as well as for people.

JIN SHIN JYUTSU

Jin Shin Jyutsu physio-philosophy is an ancient art of harmonizing the life energy in the body. Born of innate wisdom and passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, the art had fallen into relative obscurity when it was revived in the early 1900s by Master Jiro Murai in Japan. After clearing himself of life-threatening illness, Master Murai devoted the rest of his life to the research and development of Jin Shin Jyutsu, gathering insight from a range of experiences and resources including the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Things). The resulting knowledge of Jin Shin Jyutsu was then given to Mary Burmeister who brought it to the United States in the 1950s. Burmeister began teaching the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu to others in the early 1960s and today there are thousands of students and practitioners around the world. Jin Shin Jyutsu brings balance to the body’s energies, which promotes optimal health and well-being and facilitates a profound healing capacity. It is a valuable complement to conventional healing methods, inducing relaxation and reducing the effects of stress. Jin Shin Jyutsu employs twenty-six “safety energy locks” along energy pathways that feed life into our bodies. When one or more of the paths becomes blocked, the resulting stagnation can disrupt the local area and eventually disharmonize the complete path of energy flow. Holding these energy locks in combination can bring balance to mind, body, and spirit. Jin Shin Jyutsu can be applied as self-help and also by a trained practitioner. A Jin Shin Jyutsu session generally lasts about one hour. It does not involve massage, manipulation of muscles, or use of drugs or substances. It is a gentle art, practiced by placing the fingertips (over clothing) on designated safety energy locks, to harmonize and restore the energy flow. This facilitates the reduction of tension and stress that accumulate through normal daily living. Click here to find a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner

 

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KENTRO

Kentro body balance is a technique of gentle centering and balancing movements that stretch, exercise, relax, limber, and strengthen every area of the body. Founded by Angelika Thusius, Kentro is based on her observation of people around the world who move with ease into an advanced age. Kentro movements can be practiced by anyone and are easily integrated into everyday activities for muscular and joint relief.

KINESIOLOGY/APPLIED KINESIOLOGY

Kinesiology is the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy related to human body movement, specifically the action of individual muscles or groups of muscles that perform specific movements. Applied kinesiology involves muscle testing to assess a client’s condition. Click here to find a kinesiologist.

KINETIC AWARENESS

Developed by dancer/choreographer Elaine Summers, kinetic awareness is a system of bodywork that aims to increase knowledge of the human body by understanding tension as a positive and necessary part of movement affecting health, attitude, and emotional well-being. Designed to improve mental image, clients can gain a heightened sensitivity to posture and movement. All parts of the body are encouraged to be free to move in all directions in which it’s possible. A goal of kinetic awareness is to free the body so it is always moving away from pain and toward pleasure. There are five phases of awareness, including attention to breathing, simultaneous movement of body parts, level of tension, speed of movement, and relation to others.

KOREAN MARTIAL THERAPY

This is a deep-tissue modality that includes massage strokes, body movement, stretches, pressure point therapy, yum yang therapy, and Korean energy work. Gentle on the practitioner, Korean Martial Therapy (KMT) may be performed with the client on a table, the floor, or in a chair and may or may not incorporate the use of oils. Derived from Hapkido and traditional Korean medicine, KMT began as self-therapy stretches that were found useful for keeping warriors in top condition and helping them recover quickly from injury.

KRIPALU BODYWORK

The Kripalu bodyworker guides the client into a state of deep relaxation and meditation for the purpose of releasing physical and mental tension. This technique, based on Kripalu yoga, uses specific massage strokes and verbal/nonverbal procedures to aid clients in reconnecting with their body’s own healing wisdom.

KRIYA MASSAGE

Kriya is defined as spontaneous energy movement. Kriya Massage, developed by Kamala Renner in 1970, emphasizes the intuitive aspect by the practitioner in flowing with the “kriya” movement while performing the massage. Kriya Massage is an art form that integrates the universal, life-affirming flow of energy between the practitioner and client, with any classical massage techniques integrated into the dance. Kriya Massage is a bodywork dance with the individual creating her own style in harmony with four universal forces. The strokes and techniques used in Kriya Massage are a combination of energy work, Swedish, neuromuscular, and somato-emotional release work done in a connected smooth pattern. The experience of a Kriya Massage is one of stepping out of time and space as a means of taking inventory of one’s condition, then allowing the subconscious to shift and adjust programmed responses to life. The healing quality of Kriya Massage is accomplished by transforming attitudes. Giving, as well as receiving, a Kriya Massage is a regenerating experience. (Adapted from Holistic Health Directory.)

KUNDALINI ENERGIZATION

This is a form of healing energy in which the objective is to raise the client’s Kundalini energy for the purpose of spiritual enlightenment. First, the chakras and energy bodies are thoroughly cleansed and balanced by undergoing RoHun transformational therapy, a therapy based on Carl Jung and his theory of archetypes, the personal and collective unconscious, and spiritual awareness. The therapist then performs noninvasive, light physical touch and manipulation of the chakras and energy bodies through use of the hands.

 

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LaSTONE THERAPY

Stones of all shapes and sizes and varying temperatures, ranging from zero to 140 degrees, are used during LaStone massage therapy to elicit physical healing, mental relaxation, and a spiritual connection to earth energy. Warm stones encourage the exchange of blood and lymph and provide soothing heat for deep-tissue work. Cold stones aid with inflammation, moving blood out of the area, and balancing male/female energies. Stones are placed in varying positions on the body