Since I’ve shifted my practice to focus more on women with anxiety and depression, I thought it might be worthwhile to explain what I incorporate in a massage to support people with these conditions.
How Can Swedish Massage Be Helpful For Anxiety, Depression?
Massage can be very helpful in many ways. It can ease muscle soreness, create a feeling of well-being, make tight muscles less tight, help insomnia, and promote relaxation. But when someone is depressed or anxious and they want to feel more relaxed and at peace, I incorporate more of certain types of strokes.
Soothing Massage Strokes
Effleurage is one of the strokes in Swedish massage. These are long strokes – for example, a whole leg or arm. When I slow down the stroke, it can feel even more soothing. I incorporate these strokes because they are relaxing and tend to bring the body out of “fight or flight” mode.
Pressure is important when working with people who have anxiety or depression. And everyone is different. Some people find deeper work more relaxing and some find light to medium pressure more relaxing. While I don’t do a full hour of deep tissue massage, I can incorporate some deeper techniques for pain relief.
Petrissage is another Swedish massage stroke. This is the compression stroke. Squeezing the tissue can promote relaxation, so I incorporate this stroke, too.
Another foundation of Swedish massage is vibration. It takes many forms, but when I’m doing a relaxing Swedish massage, I incorporate rocking, which is a type of vibration. At the end of a very relaxing massage, I will rock the body from side to side. I find this a nice way to end a massage because it is really soothing.
I hope this answers your question about how massage can help those with anxiety and depression feel better. (And if you don’t have either of those conditions, you can still make an appointment. This is just one niche that I specialize in.)
Scheduling A Massage
New client? Please contact me directly at 972.813.9083 via text and I’ll get you scheduled. Established clients, click here to schedule (or you can also text me).