Touch and Massage

Human touch is among the most powerful forces we have available to heal. Massage therapy uses the power of touch to aid with rehabilitation, rejuvenation, and relaxation.

Touch is not everybody’s thing. But when touch is welcomed, it can help the body function better. Blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion can all be positively impacted.

When we are touched, information is relayed from our skin to our brain. There it is interpreted and a response is signaled by the brain. Relaxation and pleasing feelings are signaled though the parasympathetic nervous system. The feelings are generally comfortable and calming.

However, if we feel touch as a threat or a pain, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in. The resulting feelings are anything but calming. This reaction may be triggered by the person touching in a painful way or by the person being touched, often based on a previous experience with the touch happening or the person touching.

Massage therapy requires engagement with the parasympathetic nervous system. Here touch in the form of compression in motion is likely to trigger lower blood pressure, improved digestion, slower breathing, and relaxation.

By contrast, the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for “fight or flight.” Pain at a reasonably high level (8/10, for example) often triggers a sympathetic response. It is difficult to relax because the body is preparing to defend itself. Blood is shifting from digestion to the heart and lungs and breathing is more rapid.

A very basic requirement of massage therapy intended to relax muscle tissue is to avoid pain. Pressure that is briefly painful may be appropriate to release some muscle tightness (“trigger point,” for example), but too much “deep pressure” that causes prolonged pain will prevent a full body from relaxing.

When choosing a massage therapist, it is important to consider how our body responds to a therapist’s touch. We may ask for more or less pressure during a massage, but our skin, fascia, and muscles should always feel comfortable in the therapist’s hands.

I am one of our country’s 11 percent of licensed massage therapists who are men. A popular notion is that men give stronger massages. This is not my experience. I work alongside women who are equally strong and consistently apply more pressure than I do. We are all capable of “deep tissue” massage to reach and relax trouble spots. But this is not the same as using deep pressure throughout a full-body massage.

Moderate pressure is where I and many massage therapists start a session. The amount of pressure we receive during a full-body massage is largely within our control. Massage should not be a painful experience. Pressure that causes sustained discomfort does not relax our bodies!