Reconnect with Your Body: How Massage Therapy Can Help
Does it ever feel like your body is more of a stranger than a home—a place you live in but rarely connect with, especially in the middle of an endless stream of responsibilities and "should-dos"?
This world we live in is always pushing us to be on and moving forward, its exhausting! It's normal to disconnect from that uncomfortable feeling in your body. Between deadlines, family responsibilities, and the constant stream of social media, disconnecting from that stress in order to get through the day – even in a fog – can feel worth it.
The trouble comes when we stay in the disconnect and don’t make time to come back into our bodies. A skilled massage therapist can help you begin to reawaken that vital connection. Taking in all of the chaos and finding balance and peace within.
Massage therapy isn’t just about relaxing muscles; it’s about creating a safe space for you to pause, breathe, and tune back into your body. When you're on the massage table, your to-do list can fade into the background, and you’re given permission to simply be present—to feel, to notice, and to reconnect.
How Massage Therapy Can Help
- Gives you space to put the weight on your shoulders down
The heart of a massage therapy clinic is relaxation and rehabilitation. You get to be the one who’s cared for here, instead of being the caregiver. I encourage you to imagine a backpack at the front door. Allow all the worries, nagging thoughts, and task lists to find their way into the safety of that bag. Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere. This way you can give your body time to re-energize and by the time you have to pick that bag back up on the way out, it’s not as heavy.
- Assisted body scans
Physical touch brings your mind to specific areas of your body. How does your back feel right now? How does your arms feel? Legs? Neck? This assisted body scan brings your attention to each part of you. Massage is a “thank-you” to recognize the body for all of the hard work.
- Breath awareness
A great massage therapist will also guide you to your breath, especially if they notice you have stopped breathing. Dealing with anxious thoughts, our bodies can respond in a brace. Having an assist in breaking that pattern can bolster you through the next phase in your day and help give an echoing and compassionate reminder to keep breathing.
To Avoid
- Force over focus
When looking for connection through massage therapy, a therapist that focuses on pain and force to “make muscles relax” will not be the best fit for this goal. We already grind our teeth at night, do we really want to do it during the day as well?
If your favourite practitioner usually works this way, communicate your goals and see if they can adjust their treatment style. If it doesn’t feel right, ask them if they can give any recommendations for who might be a better fit. Don’t be afraid to ask! All therapists have their own style and they don’t fit with every body or their goals. I have had many patients who would see me for connection and relaxation, and a colleague for a sports massage later. Your goals are incredibly important. By sharing your desires for your care, you give your therapist an opportunity to help you build a rounded support team.
- Distractions
Smells, sounds, visibility, temperature. If you feel unable to relax in the treatment room ask the therapist if there is potential for an adjustment. Music can be changed, heating on tables can be turned up or down, windows can be closed, time of appointments can be chosen differently when there isn’t anyone walking overhead. But some things cant be adjusted, like the bakery next door wafting in delicious fresh bread smells, the practitioner next door who’s hosting a comedy show or the gym bro next door who refuses to put weights down gently. This would be the time to find a new location.
- Keeping silent
The best appointments I had occurred when my patients worked with me. A beautiful connection where I talked about what I saw and felt, and the individual on my table let me know what they were feeling in turn. We could work together for that shared goal. This can be tricky to do when we have been disconnecting from our bodies, sometimes we just don’t feel anything. That’s okay. Just notice what you notice. The pressure on your back, the slip of the oil. (I never did like the oil my colleagues used, so I brought my own gel with me – less slippery and I felt less like a turkey ready for the oven at the end of the appointment.) If you notice anxiety because a hand is placed too close to a previous injury site, or it tickles, or it makes you want to kick, bring it up!
This valuable information helps any therapist change course to support your bodies needs. Open and curious communication helps you and your therapist work cohesively on the same team.
Getting a massage is a wonderful opportunity to show your body appreciation and gratitude. It’s a lovely reminder of what it feels like to be connected to your body in a safe space.
This suit we live in is a friend, not an opponent.
If you’re feeling a barrier between you and the life you want to live, this process of reconnection – especially with educated support - could be a powerful tool in your journey toward healing. By incorporating regular massage therapy into your self-care routine, you can start to move through those feelings of disconnection, finding safety and ease in your own skin again.
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Self care
Lets do a little visualization.
Sitting comfortably with your back supported. Set a timer for 10 minutes – longer if you like. Gentle inhales in the nose, and out through the mouth.
Close your eyes and give your body a little scan, what do you notice? Any sensations stand out?
Visualize a backpack at your feet. Any color, shape, texture. Just notice.
Using the inhales, gather a worry or troubling thought. Gather it into your minds eye. Hold it for a moment, say hello. Does it have a color, texture? No judgement here, it Is what it is and we are only acknowledging it. Hello thought, hello worry.
Then you when you are ready, on the exhale, place the thought in the bag. Trusting the bag to hold the thought until you finish this sitting.
Tune into your body and notice how it feels. Has anything changed?
Continue gentle breathing, gathering another thought. Theres no rush, take your time.
Repeat until the time ends.
Turn the timer off, and give yourself one last big breath.
When you are ready, you can pick up the bag.
While standing, notice how your body feels.
Get creative:
The backpack can be across the room and you have to “throw” your worries into the bag, basketball style! Don’t worry, it will be a “swish” every time. If your body doesn’t like the idea of “throwing” try a slide that slips gently into the backpack.
tldr
Don’t have the energy to read the whole thing right now? No worries, I got you.
Do you feel connected to your body right now? No? Here’s how massage therapy can help:
Creates space for you to let go
Someone to help you work through body scans
Bring you back to breathing
Try to avoid:
Therapists that are too aggressive – remember the goal is to bring you back into comfort and appreciate your body
Clinic spaces with too many distractions – sounds, smells, visibility, temperature. You want to find somewhere you are the most comfortable.
Not communicating with your therapist. From the neck pillow being in the wrong position to the itch on your toe, they want to know!
This body is your friend, we are learning to feel comfortable in it again.
Massage therapy in your self-care routine can empower you to move through feelings of disconnection, finding safety and ease in your own skin again.