Bodywork Therapy

By: Dr. Suzanne LaCombe, March 30, 2008.

Most body workers have had the experience where a client weeps in in the middle of a session for no apparent reason. It ordinarily happens when emotions get triggered as certain areas of the body are manipulated.

"The body is the place where memories call home." Deepak Chopra

I regularly refer my clients to bodywork therapy because it is an excellent complement to psychotherapy. And, it's my experience that those clients who have bodywork progress at a faster rate than other clients.¹

What happens in the body reverberates almost instantaneously in the brain. For instance, as the bodywork reduces tension in the body, it calms the mind.

I've certainly seen this happen over and over in my work with Self-Regulation Therapy, a body-based approach. What was once an intense, stressful thought becomes less so when the body settles down. (Which explains the popularity of yoga, tai chi and other mind body regimens.)

There is every reason to believe--based on what neuroscience has discovered about the nervous system--that this effect operates in the opposite direction. That is, as we work through emotional roadblocks, the functioning of our body improves. (In fact, there's a growing mountain of evidence to show that indeed, this does occur.)

This suggests bodywork therapy is a tremendous support as we move through our emotional material in psychotherapy.

What is "bodywork"?

Generally speaking, "bodywork" is a term used in complementary and alternative medicine ("CAM") to describe any therapeutic, healing or personal development work involving touch, physical manipulation or energetic work on the human body. It is based on practically-oriented physical and somatic understanding of the body.

"Bodywork" includes all forms of massage techniques, as well as other types of touch and healing therapies that aim to enhance awareness of the "mind-body connection". Any therapy which involves touch or the application of pressure or vibration to tissues of the body can be termed "bodywork".

These body-based practices share some common characteristics, such as the principles that the human body is self-regulating and has the ability to heal itself, and that the parts of the human body are interdependent.

Choosing your Bodyworker

Like counselors and psychotherapists, not all bodyworkers are the same. And, similarly to choosing a psychotherapist, you'll want to find a bodyworker who is "attuned" to you. An "attuned" bodyworker is sensitive to your level of activation. He or she knows how much pressure to place on your body.

For instance, too much pressure applied on individuals with high activation may easily set them up for increased agitation later. Keep in mind that when bodyworkers are working with our body, they are working with our emotions.

It's been my experience that good bodyworkers have busy practices...they typically have years of experience, it's hard to get in to see them (they have a large number of regular clients) and they are well sought after (e.g. waiting lists).

This isn't a hard and fast rule of course. It depends for instance on how much marketing they do and how connected they are with other health practitioners.

Types of Bodywork

Here are some best known forms of bodywork. This list also includes techniques that are sometimes used in conjunction with other types of bodywork (e.g. visceral manipulation, lymphatic drainage technique).

This is by no means an exhaustive list:

Massage Therapy

There are many kinds of massage: Thai, Tuina, Therapeutic, among many others.

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral System Therapy

CranioSacral Therapy from the International Alliance of Healthcare Educators

Bowen Technique

What is Bowen Technique? by Dr. Manon Bolliger

Bowen Technique from the European College of Bowen Studies

Reflexology

Association of Reflexology

Lymphatic Drainage Technique

Lymphatic Drainage Technique

Visceral Manipulation Technique

Visceral Manipulation

Visceral Manipulation

Notes

¹ As far as I know, there's no research in this area being done. Can I say that this is a general conclusion? No. You should understand that my finding is anecdotal evidence only. I haven't even done any exact measurements or testing to verify this. I couldn't even say this effect is due to body work as I generally refer my clients to the same body worker. Her ability to make good connections with her clients and her level of skill is an important contributing factor.

Related Topic

Holistic Therapy Matters to Your Health

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