It's my birthday month! I'm planning a day full of good food and family to celebrate. What's better than a wish made on a cake's candles. It's hard to imagine that the year will soon be over and we'll be in 2006. Make sure you're taking time as we get into the final rush before the end of the year to take time for yourself and to make sure you're getting the rest you need. This is the time of year I start seeing clients come in exhausted from all the commitments of family, school and work.

Enjoy!

- heather wibbels (615.294-6672)

The body hides its secrets well. Underneath the skin, the muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments hold on to memories the mind forgets. As a massage therapist, I see the kinds of memories held within the body, and for a writer, they represent a treasure trove of material.

Massage therapists, bodyworkers and talk therapists all know the same truth: the body remembers and reacts to physical and emotional events. Counselors sometimes refer to the “somato-emotional” effect – the ways the body reacts to events. Under periods of stress or emotional trauma, the body reacts by “armoring” itself. Muscles and tendons tense, creating a physical shield over the bones and internal organs, causing stiff necks, sore lower backs, and backaches. Many times the tension I see is only a physical manifestation of some kind of emotional or mental stress. Those physical responses let people know, even before the mind knows, that something emotional or mental is surfacing.

The term “muscle memory” usually refers to athletes and musicians. Through practice and exercise, the muscles become accustomed to performing specific movements. Over time, the neural pathways become so ingrained that the performer acts without thinking, letting the muscles and the body take over and respond in an efficient and effective manner. Tiger Woods doesn’t have to think about how to swing the golf club to make a good shot. His body knows; he just has to let go and let the body do what he’s trained it to do. In the same way, severe trauma, injury or emotional stress makes its mark on the body.

When I’m working on their bodies, clients often recall stories from decades ago. Work on the foot might evoke a memory of a serious ankle sprain after a fall from a tree. Releasing a knot in the shoulders might bring up a memory of a heated argument with a parent that was never resolved. A stretch to the shoulder reveals an elementary school game that entertained for hours. The body remembers, and sometimes touch is all that is needed to bring those memories to the surface.

Conscious memory may no longer hold memories of specific events, but evoking memory by starting with the body reveals details and scenes you may have forgotten. Touch or sensation to particular parts of the body can evoke vivid memories and details. Use massage therapy or other bodywork to bring the mind back into the memories of the body.

You remember more than you think. Believe me. Your body will surprise you.

More on Massage: Reflexology

Why is a foot massage so relaxing?

Reflexology works on the theory that all parts of the body are reflected in the hands and feet. This means that working specific places on your hands and feet have an effect on other parts of the body. There are ten vertical zones (five on each hand and foot) and within each zone there are reflexes (locations) that correspond to organs or areas of the body. When these reflexes are worked, pressed or massaged, they cause positive change in the area corresponding to the reflex. For example, if a client has sinus issues or allergies, the sinus reflex (tips of the toes) can be worked to relieve some of that congestion.

Some reflexologists maintain that reflexology has been around since the time of the Egyptians. However, the modern roots of reflexology come from the past 100 years. In the early 20th century, zone theory was a new and exciting concept. The idea behind zone theory is that palpation and massage of specific places of the body have an analgesic effect on other parts of the body. Vertical and horizontal zones on the hands and feet seemed to be cause pain relief and healing in other parts of the body. Eunice Ingham, a physical therapist, made a key breakthrough – the reflexes on the feet mirrored the placement and location of organs. This meant that specific places relating to the stomach, lungs, kidneys, liver, etc., could be identified and used in treatment. She traveled the country to demonstrate and teach reflexology to people to treat themselves, thus popularizing reflexology.

How does it work? There are some theories that reflexology works by stimulating nerve endings in the feet and hands that run through or branch out to different parts of the body. Other people compare it to the energy meridians in acupressure. Quite honestly, there hasn’t been a solid scientific explanation that has been agreed upon by reflexologists and the medical community. So, we don’t really know the physiological mechanism through which reflexology works, except through experiential evidence. Massage therapists and reflexologists have found reflexology to be an effective means to treat various illnesses and symptoms in the body. Please give me a call if you'd like to know more about reflexology (615.294-6672)

The following sites contain more information about reflexology:

• International Institute of Reflexology
• International Academy of Advanced Reflexology
• Pacific Institute of Reflexology: Reflexology Research Abstracts