types of massage at forest of arden healing arts:

Structural Bodywork (Remedial Massage) is a form of massage that penetrates directly to the moving parts of the body and makes adjustments on both the macro– and microscopic levels. By working with connective tissue, Structural Bodywork helps to heal injuries and dysfunction of muscles, bones, organs and connective tissue itself. Loosening the connective tissue allows muscles more space in which to work and decreases spasms. Aligning the connective tissue cleans up scar tissue and straightens posture. Painful, chemically toxic trigger points (the primary cause of Fibromyalgia) can be flushed out and aligned using Structural Bodywork. This form of massage is a crucial part of the regimen for healing ligament sprains and tendon tears that occur from sports, exercise and work injuries. Further, Structural Bodywork flushes toxins out of every part it touches and results in a profound detoxification of the body. Structural Bodywork has also been used by many people to increase physical and emotional awareness. It works well as an adjunct to mental health services.

Structural Bodywork can be done as single, ninety minute sessions that address the specific needs of the client. It can also be done as a series of ten, ninety minute sessions that work through the whole body in a systematic manner.

Along with the traditional 10 session series, Christian has developed an Arm Session that helps to solve problems arising from carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis, and a Jaw Session that helps to solve problems arising from Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome.

Craniosacral Therapy is like a whisper that enters slowly into the body. It is on this quality that the power of this bodywork is based. It was discovered that most tissues in the body can be stretched and aligned using 5grams of pressure and a lot of patience. This makes Craniosacral Therapy (CST) effective in areas that are traumatized and would be further injured by other modalities. Using this technique, practitioners of CST can free cranial and spinal bones from restrictions and increase the flow of the brain’s circulation of cerebral spinal fluid. CST has been found to be an effective treatment for headaches, auditory and vision problems, muscular tension, arthritis and connective tissue injury. Owing to the subtlety of its pressure CST a bodywork style that can be applied to acute injury. Research has found CST to be an adjunct therapy in the treatment of learning disabilities and autism. Craniosacral Therapy, through its advanced form as SomatoEmotional Release, has also been used in the field of mental health.

Craniosacral Therapy is also indicated for infants. The process of birth may sometimes result in structural imbalances in the cranium or the limbs. These imbalances may lead to excess colic, suckling problems and restlessness. At Forest of Arden Healing Arts we can check your baby for these imbalances and gently encourage structural balance.

CST is done with the client fully dressed; no disrobing is necessary.

As medical research advances, it is discovering a common cause for most illness – stress. The body is an information system. All metabolic processes including those of defence, growth and regeneration are controlled by chemical and electrical information in the body. Stress significantly alters the body’s information and consequently alters the body’s capacity to defend itself against illness, to grow correctly and to regenerate when necessary. When one is feeling stress, one’s body releases a chemical called cortisol. This chemical shuts off the immune system and strips the body of its defence against illness. Since modern life is full of stress this news seems bleak. There is, however, a remedy – relaxation. A relaxation massage reverses the effects of stress, prevents the release of cortisol, and jumpstarts the immune system. From the first touch of this massage the body switches on the nervous system that controls relaxation and reinstates the body’s shield against disease. I can think of no better defence against the ravages of stress than receiving a relaxation massage once a week for life.

The second important effect of this form of massage is to encourage flow of the fluids in the body including blood and lymph. As the therapist slides her hands through the muscles, she pushes standing blood and lymph back into the blood and lymph vessels. This cleanses the body and encourages the excretion of wastes and toxins. It also makes space for fresh healthy blood and lymph to flow into the tissue and nourish it. Good fluid flow is essential to good health.

What’s more is that this massage feels good. Interestingly, modern medical research has something to say about feeling good as well. The experience of pleasure has been found to not only prevent disease but also to change the structure of the brain. Research has found that pleasurable touch stimulates growth in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is known to be the seat of empathy. So, regular relaxation massage will change your personality making you more open to understanding other people’s feelings.

Thai Massage is the practical application of Metta, the Buddhist practice of Loving Kindness or compassion. The practitioner of Thai Massage melds with the client using pressures and stretches. Each touch is a chance for the practitioner to join her energy with the client’s energy. As a meditative practice the goal is the transcendence of duality (client-therapist, sick-healthy, you-me). It is this rigorous practice that allows the Thai Massage practitioner to apply the stretches and strokes in such a way that they profoundly relax and balance the client. This is massage raised to the level of sublime ritual.

Thai Massage unblocks the flow of energy along ten primary energy channels called Sen. Like other meridian-based therapies (Acupuncture, Medical Qi Gong), Thai Massage heals by encouraging energy flow and balancing that flow. This therapy also works as a form of assisted yoga. The client is stretched slowly and deeply at just the right pressure due to the meditative nature of the work. Thai Massage is therefore a perfect therapy for joint and postural problems.

Hot stone massage uses deep heated basalt rocks to warm, relax and detoxify muscles and connective tissue. Stones are placed on or under the body while other stones flow gently over the body in the sweeping motions of a circulatory massage. The heat from the stones penetrates deeply into the body causing a profound and pleasurable relaxation. As layers of tension let go, the heat also causes blood vessels to open and it increases the removal of waste products and the delivery of nutrients. As muscles relax, joints can move more easily and pressure is released, making this an effective treatment for stiffness, headaches and arthritis. The use of many stones creates a feeling of total envelopment in comfort. It feels as if there are many hands on you relaxing all of your muscles at once. Aromatherapy oils be used along with the stones.

Most sensory nerves send their information to distributive centres of the brain that then inform the higher centres. For example, information from the eyes and ears goes to the visual and auditory cortex of the brain to be processed. We can then use our rational mind to work with what we see and hear like the words on this page, or the sound of someone’s voice. The sense of smell however, is not distributed first to the higher centres. Once our olfactory nerve is stimulated by a scent the information travels immediately and firstly to the limbic system in the brain. This is the emotional centre. Before it does anything else, smell triggers emotions. It is in this manner that aromatherapy works. Scented oils can be added to massage oil and lotion or to the water of a Hot Stone Massage that stimulate specific responses in the body. Oil can be used to relax or enliven, heal or concentrate. The essential oil blend stimulates the body’s natural self-healing response. To cite one example, research in neuroimmunology has found that citrus scent stimulates the immune system to fight disease. The essential oil blend used in aromatherapy is customized to the client’s needs.

 

Most of the volume in our body is made up of water. We can be described as a walking, feeling, thinking bag of fluid. In this light, it should be no surprise that the quality of our walking, feeling and thinking is dependent on the condition of those fluids. Lymph is a fluid that carries waste products away from cells and back to the heart to be distributed to the excretory organs. When lymph is sluggish or blocked, waste products build up around cells and become toxic. This toxicity is the basis for many diseases because it creates an environment of wrong information around the cells. Cancer, for example is a process of cell mutation caused by wrong information. Lymph Drainage therapy removes blocks that inhibit the flow of lymph. It manually moves lymph through the body, discouraging stagnation and encouraging elimination. The strokes of Lymphatic Drainage are amongst the most gentle in the world of bodywork. The overall sensation of this session is one of profound relaxation. The work is also effective in treating oedema and acute injury. Lymphatic Drainage can encourage draining of puffy joints or puffy bags under the eyes. This work, in its advanced form is also effective in redirecting lymph in people who have had lymph nodes removed and are susceptible to oedema in limbs.

Once life begins, it moves through cycles of regeneration. All humans regenerate every molecule in their body. The cessation of this regeneration brings the advent of disease and a drive towards death. Regeneration only occurs when there is flow. Uninhibited and continuous flow allows for infinite regeneration which creates the conditions for continuous health up to and including immortality. Disease is a result of flow blockage. Death occurs when this blockage becomes unsolvable.

The goal of energy bodywork is to meld one’s energy with another, locate flow blockages and get rid of them. This allows for unrestricted energy flow through one’s body. The energy bodyworker accomplishes this by the following three steps: 1)freeing up the flow in his/her body, 2) melding his/her flow with that of another and 3) helping the other achieve a state of free flow by removing blocks. Free flow is the meaning and purpose of a healthy life both as a healer and a healee. The energy bodyworker must not only remove the blockages but also seek and participate in the removal of their cause which may lie in the interpersonal or the societal realms.

Energy bodywork can stand alone as its own session. In this form, it is a very subtle, yet potent form of work. Physical massage strokes are replaced by energetic connection in a warm and safe environment. This form of healing is appropriate for people with acute injuries that would be reinjured if touched or for people who have suffered trauma.

Energy can also be added to any other form of massage, transforming it into a slower and deeper experience. Energy bodywork is frequently combined with Craniosacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation, but it can also be a part of a relaxation massage or Structural Bodywork.

Any bodyworker who has spent a few years in her craft can tell you that she has seen some clients become emotional when receiving a massage. The bursting forth of emotion shows that there is a connection between the body and the feelings. It shouldn’t be too controversial to state that all emotions have a physical counterpart. When you cry, your body shakes and shudders. When you get angry, your muscles tighten. What is revolutionary to the field of medicine is the idea that all physical problems have an emotional root to them. This has been shown in the field of psychoneuroimmunology began by the late George Solomon. Christian met Dr. Solomon and studied his 227 research postulates that display the connection between the body and the mind. This research forms the foundation of Forest of Arden Healing Art’s Bodymind Therapy. Problems as wide ranging as low back pain, diabetes and cancer have emotional causal roots. Bodymind Therapy follows the trail into those emotional roots and helps in the healing of these problems. Conversely, Bodymind Therapy looks for physical root causes of psychological complaints. Depression, obsessions and even relationship problems all have a physical component to their root cause. By working with both the body and the mind/feelings, the therapist can provide a comprehensive therapy that addresses all root causes of a person’s problem.

Any of the bodywork styles listed on this website can be used as the physical basis for Bodymind Therapy. The most common one used is Structural Bodywork. Another equally common combination is Craniosacral Therapy with the psychology. The psychology used at Forest of Arden has two theoretical bases. We use Humanistic therapies (Person-Centered, Gestalt) to empathically listen to the client, reflect back his issues and help him explore other ways of being. The goal here is to increase awareness and to create a genuine relationship between the two individuals that heals simply through its connection. We also use system-based therapies (Family Systems Therapy, Radical Therapy) to help the client understand her place in the social systems around her. This therapy both raises awareness about how the individual’s environment can cause physical and psychological problems and offers solutions to remedy these problems. Bodymind Therapy is a powerful therapy that is exponentially more effective that either purely physical therapy or psychological therapy.