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.)
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,
cons