Since depression is supposedly a mental disease, you must be wondering how it could be alleviated through massage therapy. For a fact, it is one of the oldest methods to treat depression and anxiety. Despite the evolving field of Psychology, massage therapy remains one of the best non-meditative treatments. We will tell you all about it. Let’s first understand what depression is.

Understanding Depression

We tend to use this term haphazardly without comprehending the level of complexity behind the disease. It’s human nature to feel upset for a while as we go through a lot of life experiences. But we can’t call it depression until it doesn’t stop bothering us. Depression is the melancholy and hopelessness that persists with no solid reason. Sometimes it’s even hard to detect because the affected person only seems to lead a normal life.

How Can Massage Therapy Effectively Combat Depression 1

How to Tell If Someone Has Depression?

Other than sadness, there are tell-tell signs that indicate one may be suffering from depression.

Lack of motivation to do the things one used to enjoy.
Sudden loss of appetite.
Insomnia or not being able to get out of bed.
Being forgetful and unfocused.
Anxiousness or feeling restless.
Feeling of not being good enough.

Mind-Body Connection

Our mind and body are inextricably intertwined. Anything that happens to one, effects sensations within the framework of the other. When we get a physical wound, our brain perceives the message as ‘pain’. Similarly, when someone is going through some mental illness, its effects are brought down to the body as well. Patients with depression tend to complain of pain in their muscles, joints, neck, chest, and also migraine attacks. Psychiatrists may prescribe medications. But there are other alternatives too. For such patients, full-body massage therapy techniques would give most sufferers amazing calmness and relief.

How Is Message Therapy Beneficial?

As the most social species on earth, being touched and close-knit is an imperative aspect of our existence. Touch can also be healing for us. There are several massage therapy benefits related to touch.

It promotes emotional well-being.
Calms down the anxious mind by regulating stress hormones and neurotransmitters.
Enhances flexibility of joints.
Treats wounded muscles and tissues.
Improves functioning of organs.

Types of Massage Therapy for Depression and Anxiety

There hasn’t been any solid research on the effectiveness of therapeutic massages yet. But years of practice on a variation of massages on several groups of people shed some light on the biological pattern. As to which types of massage therapy proved to be effective for depression and anxiety. Below we have listed several.

Swedish Massage: It is a common type and mostly for beginners. The strokes are soft. It involves long kneading and tapping through the whole body without applying much pressure. It releases a lot of tension from muscles, giving a relaxing experience to the receiver.

Reflexology: Also called zone therapy. It directs towards stimulating certain pressure points on the feet, hands, and ears to improve blood circulation and release tension. It also removes the accumulation of lactic acid in muscles, which causes pain. It has proved to relieve anxiety when the stimulation was done on points corresponding to hormone-secreting glands like thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, and so on.

Deep Tissue Massage: It is similar to Swedish massage except that, the pressure applied is much more intense to focus on deep healing of muscle groups and connective tissues. It will remove the stiffness from joints, treats chronic pain, and improves blood circulation. Overall, it gives a relaxing sensation and helps combat depression.

Aroma Therapy: The whole idea of it is to promote well-being and cause holistic healing. It involves using essential oils and herbs during the massage. A peaceful ambiance is created with soft light, fragrance, and music to cause mind relaxation. It is a full-body massage with soft strokes. It is best used for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and high blood pressure.

Shiatsu: A Japanese traditional massage that involves acupuncture techniques using fingers on pressure points. It is one of the oldest types of massage therapy that improves emotional well-being along with relieving muscle pain.

Conclusion

Depression is unique for every suffering individual. Hence it should have multiple alternative treatments. Massage therapy takes the mind-body approach to heal a person both mentally and physically.

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LMT Guy Siverson

Owner at Graceful Touch

Guy is a dedicated vegan, who prefers natural remedies to treat root causes of physiological problems, instead of turning to medication to merely treat symptoms. When he learned in December 2017 he was suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension), he turned to massage as a potential answer for his problem. Rather than engage massage as a client, Guy chose to become a massage practitioner and enrolled in the Black Hills School of Massage in Hermosa, SD. He is now licensed to provide Swedish, Deep Tissue and Trigger Point massage among other modalities. He, and his wife Irene who is also a massage practitioner, have joined forces with the Fountain of Youth Waterstore in Rapid City where they provide clients with comforting relief from body aches and pains. Be sure to ask Guy what happened with his blood pressure when you see him for your initial treatment session.