Depression and the Effects of Massage Therapy

Introduction: Massage Therapy, What Is It?

More than 3000 years ago, Chinese practitioners observed that the human touch was capable of releasing hormones in the body and fill you with a sense of an emotional comfort. They further realized that by using other techniques in touching someone else, they were able to manipulate muscles and soft tissue which enhanced human function and helped one relax. More so, people who were being massaged found themselves calmer, their moods had gotten better, and their physical beings were relieved from strains and aches.

With that, massage therapy was born and exists today more than ever before. With depression being rampant and a clear part of our modern society, people no longer question depression and have begun to treat the illness with the proper respect it deserves, especially since it continues to take people’s lives.

But with massage therapy, it has begun to come to light that those who suffer from depression seem to gain an overall joy and have proven that it certainly does do them good.

Finding The Delicate Connection Between A Massage And Depression

Pain in ones body causes a human to become less flexible and able to physically do what you are normally accustomed to doing. This strain, and discomfort, will limit your movement and cause further stress on your emotional being. However, with massage therapy, you will be able to relieve yourself off of some of that stress by making your body be able to function the way it was meant to function.

Naturally, no matter how great your massage therapist is, and how much pain relief you find yourself experiencing after a proper massage, this type of therapy will not be able to cure your depression but it will certainly help you feel better about yourself.

So though you may still find yourself depressed after a massage, at least you will no longer have back pains, muscle aches, fatigue, sleeping disorders, and by achieving these you will increase your blood flow and this will help you relax.

What Exactly Is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy consists of a few vital parts all incorporated into a single session that when completed gives the customer an overall feeling of relaxation. There are many types of massages and techniques that massuesses use and though they may target different goals, each achieve general well being.

Therapists typically will rub your body with essential oils and stretch your body applying varying degrees of pressure on your joints and muscles. Some types of massages require patients to undress in order for their skin to be able to touch your skin, while others do not have a need to undress you. Other types of massages involve acupuncture needles, stones, as well as twisting techniques.

Here is a list of some of the more common massages used around the United States of America.

Swedish Massage: A Swedish massage consists of rubbing oil on you while applying kneading pressure on your different body parts in order to help relax your muscles.

Chair Massage: This type of massage is a comfortable way for a person to get accustomed to being massaged since first and foremost, there will be no undressing required of you. Also, you simply sit on a special chair, lean forward, and allow your therapist to work on your back.

Deep Tissue Massage: For the deep tissue massage, your therapist will focus on your muscles that are close to your bones as well as their connective tissues. This method is typically utilized when the person has tight muscles brought about by stress.

Shiatsu: With the Shiatsu massage, your therapist will apply pressure on your body through a series of movements. One of the said drawbacks of this massage is that it may leave you feeling somewhat stiff when it is all over. But this stiffness is temporary and the method remains very helpful to the body.

Reflexology: Reflexology is quite interesting as your therapist will be applying pressure to the different areas of your feet as these are believed to contain connections to the rest of your body as well as your internal organs.

Aromatherapy Massage: Scented oils are the key ingredient when administering an aromatherapy massage. These oils, combined with your massage will reduce ones stress levels as well as increase your energy.

Hot Stone Massage: With the flat heated rocks massage, literally heated rocks will be placed in various areas around your body and your therapist will then apply added pressure to the rocks causing your muscles to relax.

What Are The Positive And Negative Effects Of Massage Therapy?

Depression is a complicated disease and all patients require their own special treatment. With regards to massage therapy, a properly trained therapist will able to give depressed patients a relaxing experience with immediate gratification and can help them find some calmness. But those suffering from depression will need to continue their treatment with psychotherapy as well as their medication for canceling these could lead to serious complications even if they continue massage therapy.

That being said, massage therapy does not offer any long term or permanent solutions to depression. Massage therapy remains unable to rid oneself of emotional or chemical imbalances that the body has. But it will most certainly benefit you and assist in your road to wellness.

Do Doctors Agree That Massage Therapy Is Effective In Treating Patients With Depression?

In a word, yes. A doctor of psychiatry was spoken to wherein he agreed that massage therapy does relieve muscle tension and assists in improving physical health. He went on to saying that any contribution to helping one connect their mind to their body would certainly be effective too, and that is one of the benefits that you receive when undergoing massage therapy.

Furthermore, massage therapy will help you control or manage your stress levels by relaxing your body and if you are able to relax your body then you should in turn be able to relax your mind.

Massage Therapy Will Not Totally Cure Depression, But It Will Help You With Managing The Condition

If you are suffering from depression, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to go see a doctor. Massage therapy, even if done daily or twice a day will not help you get out of your funk. You have chemical imbalances in your body that are causing your depression, and because of that you need to be on medication, at least for a specific amount of time.

Massage therapy will help you relax and connect your mind to your body and will do you wonders. It’ll help you manage the symptoms of depression and sleep better. If you’d like to find the perfect massage therapy clinic, you should make sure you find the right certifications from your massage therapist.