Quite apart from the benefits and the physiological effects, I believe that the main reason massage works is because of “decompression”.  These are my thoughts on the matter and my experience as a regular massage client myself.

What do I mean by “decompression”?  Literally, decompression means “the act or process of releasing from pressure”, “a state of relief from pressure; a return to normalcy after a stressful period or situation”.  This describes what massage achieves beautifully.

Clients feel unburdened, lighter, taller, freer.  They have more energy, move better, are more positive.

So how does it work?  I think there’s at least 2 things going on.

Firstly, spending time on the table being massaged enables us to reconnect physically with our bodies and notice how we feel.  That’s important, because time after time I notice the relief on peoples’ faces as they realise that they are exhausted.  Sounds odd?  But imagine if you are used to cracking on, being busy, sorting the kids, going to work, being social etc.  Then suddenly you struggle with it all, no motivation, no energy, no get-up-and-go.  It’s easy to imagine something horrible is wrong with you.  Some illness, something medical and sinister.

Then you get off the table and realise that you are simply knackered!  What a relief that is!!  The reason you are not able to keep up is because you are burning the candle at both ends and not replenishing yourself.  Simple solution?  Eat better, sleep more, do less, slow down.  Rest.  What a weight off your shoulders, allowing you to decompress immediately.  Less weight to carry, less of a burden.

Many times I see clients coming back the second and third times already looking so much better simply because they have taken note of this and rested more.

As clients release tension on the table and put less … stuff … back in during their working weeks by resting more, they begin to drop layers of held tension that their bodies have been holding onto.  The history that has accumulated.  Over time they become happier, lighter, freer, more resilient.

The second thing that I think happens is that clients learn to be more self-conscious in the positive sense that they notice better how they are feeling.  This means they see more quickly when they are tired and rest sooner.  They notice things that they used to put up with and speak up to change the situation quickly.  They become more in control of themselves and sometimes their lives head off in interesting and surprising directions.  All notice the benefits not just in their bodies, but their lives too as partners and co-workers comment on how different they are.

Alongside all the well-researched benefits of massage, it’s this decompression which I believe is the more powerful and far-reaching effect of massage.  It’s the main reason I go for regular treatments myself to be honest. What could you do if you felt lighter, freer and had more energy?  How much different would life be if you felt comfortable and got off the pain meds permanently?  Book in and find out …