Holistic Massage Therapy is a form of massage that is designed to help ease muscle tension, manage chronic pain, and help you to recover from the physical, mental, and emotional effects of stress by gently re-educating the mind and body to feel safe enough to let go and return to a state of regulation.

Although massage is seen as a luxury in the UK, it is a routine part of life in many other cultures and in many countries (e.g. Canada), it is part of the medical system as a form of maintenance to support a healthy mind & body.

Each session draws from a wide range of techniques, including Swedish and deep tissue massage, myofascial and soft tissue work, somatic mindfulness, breath awareness, and nervous system regulation practices. These are not applied as a fixed routine, but woven together intuitively to create a massage that is tailored to your needs on the day, informed by our pre-massage consultation and by what your body communicates during the session.

What does ‘Holistic’ massage mean? The term ‘Holistic’ in medicine can be defined in the following way; ‘Holistic medicine attempts to treat the whole person, including mind and body, not just the injury or disease’ (Cambridge Dictionary). This is the basis for our ‘person-centered’ approach, which takes into account up-to-date scientific discoveries about neuroscience & physiology, and is focussed around the understanding that;

1. You have emotional, mental, and physical landscapes that are interconnected, inseparable, and constantly in relation affecting eachother. When we are unable to process them, our emotions can be stored in the body (Van Der Kolk) and can produce adverse physical and mental effects.

2. On a practical, physical level; that aching trapezius or lower back (QL) muscle does not work in isolation. It is a part of a system of muscle and fascia designed to move your bones. Therefore, to ease aching and tension in this area, we need to consider in 3D the systems it is a part of. The bones those muscles lever, and how those muscles work synergystically and antagonistically (with and against eachother) to produce movement. We need to understand not only whether the muscles are tight, but which muscles within the system are too tight, too stretched, too strong or too weak, because this causes imbalances which can lead to pain over time. We also need to consider that the mental and external challenges happening in your life can leave physical imprints that lead to pain and illness. This is another way in which we consider your ‘whole self’.

What makes for an effective massage? Holistic massage is a chance for you to rest and reset, yet rather than something being done to you, it works through a relational process of co-regulation, and this is what makes it more effective than an impersonal treatment which just pokes at your muscles.

Through nurturing, responsive touch and attentive presence, your nervous system is supported to soften its habitual guarding and return toward balance, because on a subconsicous level you feel safe. This is achieved by;

• Explaining the session to you so you feel in control and have your preferences met.

• Working at pressure levels that are satisfying and comfortable for you, checking in to make sure we get these right.

• Giving you the massage that your body really needs by having an initial consultation.

• Taking a moment to connect so that you feel familiar in the therapists’ presence.

• The therapist maintaining presence and attentiveness throughout the massage in order to notice how the tissues are responding and ensure you are displaying signs of feeling safe (deep, slow breaths, warmth) whilst you are zoned into enjoying the massage.

Massage utilises skilful, anatomically informed touch to address muscle tension, adhesions, and restricted fascia, helping the body feel more open, mobile, and at ease. We can work deeply with areas of tension and those familiar ‘knots’. It can feel deeply relieving when a stubborn place in your neck, shoulders, or hips finally softens, or when tired hands receive the attention they’ve been craving.

All the while, your innate capacity to regulate and restore is engaged, supporting a sense of safety, presence, and integration. In many ways, this co-regulation mirrors the way we first learn to feel soothed and regulated in early life. You do not have to understand this to feel the benefits.

Massage can be effective in the treatment of chronic pain conditions. This is because pain does not equal damage, and is instead a mental interpretation of signals from the body (NIH, 2020).

1. Chronic pain can arise from the oversensitisation of an area of the body which is being protected due to a historic injury, persisting long after any damage is present in the tissues. By providing a pleasant stimulus in that area, massage can help to re-educate the mind over time to reduce sensations of pain. This can also help to reconcile the mind and body, because often we come to look negatively on parts of ourselves because they give us pain.

2. In the short term, touch has an analgaesic (pain relieving) effect and massage stimulates the release of hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins which provide relief from pain.

Regular massage can be a powerful form of self-care. It helps release long-held patterns of tension, supports changes in posture and movement habits, and counteracts the effects of chronic stress. You are imbued with an awe-some ability for growth and neuroplasticity, however changing our habitual patterns takes time and attention.

Benefits may include;

• Improved digestion & immune function

• Better sleep

• Reduced fatigue and headaches

• Greater ease in the body

• A quieter, more spacious quality of mind