Grief is the natural reaction to loss. Grief is both a universal and a personal experience. When we experience the loss of someone close, we are often processing a combination of emotions from before the onset of the illness to during the medical treatment and care planning process and after the loss of the individual. Grief can be a very complex and hard to understand but there are some ways you can help yourself or a loved one experiencing grief, and one way is through a relaxing massage therapy session.
Often times emotions relating to a recent loss and the stress of the entire experience weigh heavily on our bodies and minds. This can become draining mentally, and also affect us physically. When people are mourning the loss of someone or something significant in their lives, they frequently experience physical symptoms including profound fatigue/lack of sleep, head, neck and back tension, general malaise, digestive issues, loss of appetite, chest pain or breathing difficulties, depression and anxiety. Over time these physical and emotional symptoms can overload the body, mind and spirit making us feel unbalanced. These symptoms are tied to the sympathetic nervous system, the body’s subconscious way of sensing and responding to threats. This response tenses muscles and releases stress hormones. It is important to recognize what physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pain you are experiencing so you can begin to find ways to regain homeostasis. How can massage therapy help our body, mind and spirit to become balanced and regain homeostasis?
Massage therapy has been shown to relieve the most common physical and emotional symptoms related to grief such as head, neck and back pain, fatigue/lack of sleep, chest pain or breathing difficulties, anxiety, depression and more. Massage therapy for those who seek relief from symptoms associated with grief generally will want a more relaxing, and gentle form of massage, as opposed to a rigorous deep tissue massage. The goal of the massage is to relax the part of the nervous system that is overstimulated (sympathetic) through activating the parasympathetic nervous system that facilitates the rest and restore response in the body. When the body and mind are relaxed, the body can begin to re-balance itself and can also begin to process emotions like sadness, anger, loneliness and fear more fully and completely. The goal of the massage for the grieving person is to help them feel nurtured, supported, safe and cared for during a very emotionally intense period of their lives. The massage therapists at My Massage + Wellness have been trained to work with people who have experienced various forms of loss and are here to support and encourage those in need to seek healthy ways to become healthy and whole again.
For more information about My Massage + Wellness please contact Angela Hershey, CMT at 317-954-0977 or at [email protected]. Facebook @mymassageandwellnessllc
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