Massage and the healing response

The majority of clients I see, leave the treatment room feeling much better than when they entered it, with the remainder probably feeling a little washed out and shell shocked.  What I always tell clients in this state, especially first timers, is that due to the amount of toxins, energy and so forth, that has been moved around the body, they may feel a bit groggy, dizzy or down right crap for a few hours, up to a day or so but not to worry, it will right itself, and can be a normal response to treatment.  Once termed a "healing crisis" (which sounds more shocking than it actually is) the term response tends to receive a less worried reaction.

Responses to treatments vary, and I always make clients aware.  Sometimes, they can be a wave of release, tears of joy, relief as pent up emotions burst free.  Sometimes clients can feel anxious or down hearted.  I sometimes feel, that first time clients, no matter how much you prep them before hand or after a treatment, take a bad healing response as the fault of the therapist (me) and maybe that's why they do not return.

Other responses are physical; going to the loo more often, headache, tiredness, dizziness, again not what you'd expect from a "feel good" treatment, and again can be off putting to first time clients no matter what you tell them about what may happen after treatment when they get home.

Bad responses are not the fault of the therapist, it's the client's body dealing with the effects of the treatment.  Usually they are short lived, a few hours up to 48 hours, and I will always stress this along with after care advice.  The good news is, clients who have a negative response, if they do return, find that each repeat treatment results in a lesser negative healing response, so that after 4-5 visits, this response has vanished.

The exact cause to a healing response is not exactly known, other than the body is cleansing itself, releasing blocked energies & emotions, removing toxins from the physical body.

Although initially perceived by the client to be a negative experience, the healing response is in effect, over the longer term, a hugely positive thing, in terms of physical, emotional and mental release, in cleansing & healing the body, making it stronger and more healthy.