Long-Lasting Health Benefits of Massage

Have you ever intuitively looked at your spouse and known something was wrong? Or have your hair stood on end when someone was following you? ?There are aspects of the mind-body connection that are hard to verbalize, but when you experience it, you know it,? says Judy Stahl, president-elect of the American Massage Therapy Association.

?As research unfolds, it becomes clear that there is a mind-body connection and that appropriate touch heals people mentally and emotionally,? Stahl says. ?Everyone is finally getting it.? Stahl says massage therapy can help clients simultaneously experience the physical health benefits of massage while enjoying its proven anxiety-lowering, pleasure-increasing properties. Our ancient ancestors got ?stressed out? when faced by a saber-toothed tiger or a savage who would kill over a basket of berries.

They either fought or ran away, immediately burning off the adrenaline and cortisol mobilized by the body. Today?s battles may be more benign, but there?s nothing civilized about the body?s unhealthy build-up of hormones when we?re stuck in traffic or meeting a work deadline. Therapeutic massage has been shown to decrease cortisol in the body. This allows the body to enter a rest-and-recovery mode, an effect that lingers long after the massage is over. It?s been said that massage triggers a host of brain chemistry responses that result in lasting feelings of lowered stress and improved mood. We?ve all met people who felt comfortable in their own skin, no matter what their size or shape. But what if you?re not one of them? What if you view your body?s bulges and blemishes as stumbling blocks to selfacceptance? After 21 years professionally in massage therapy, Stahl is convinced that the number one core benefit of massage therapy is its accompanying sense of safety and self-acceptance.

?With appropriate touch comes a sense of personal esteem that people don?t necessarily get anyplace else in their lives,? Stahl says. ?If therapeutic massage therapy is delivered appropriately, you?re going to have a heightened sense of safety in your own skin.? As a result, you may open up and talk to others more. You may walk into the workplace with confidence. Or you may be better positioned to battle eating disorders, depression or other mental health challenges. ?Massage somehow makes you literally feel happier and more accepted,? Stahl says. For further information regarding the Therapeutic Massage Association of Namibia (TMAN), please contact Birgit on 081 429 3991, Anka on 081 256 3663 or Kerstin on 081 239 0180.