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Therapeutic Massage 5/10/2018 Facilitating the Body’s Natural Healing Ability during Stress, Illness, and Pain Therapeutic Massage 2700 BCE: First known Chinese text ”The Yellow Emperor’s Classic Book of Internal Medicine” Published into English 1949. A staple in massage therapy training as well as acupuncture, acupressure, and herbology. 2500 BCE: Egyptian tomb paintings show massage was part of their medical tradition. 1500 and 500 BCE: First known written massage therapy traditions come from India. The art of healing touch was used in their practice of Ayurvedic (life health) medicine. Ayurveda is regarded as the originating basis of holistic health combining, massage, meditation, relaxation, and flower essence. 1800’s Dr Ling, a Swedish physician, educator, and gymnast, developed a method of movement that became known as the Swedish Movement System which became the foundation for Swedish massage commonly used in the West. Johan Mezger is credited with defining the basic hand strokes used in Swedish Massage. 1 5/10/2018 Therapeutic Massage in Medicine and Nursing Late 1800’s. Hundreds of care givers trained in Swedish Movement and Massage for patients in Sanitariums 1900’s Nursing students trained in basic back, arm, hand, and scalp/head massage. Late 1980’s routine massage included in PM care provided by nurses begins to disappear and is fazed out in the curriculum of Nursing Education 1990’s Medical and Nursing Care move from High Touch to High Tech Benefits of Therapeutic Massage Relieves pain Relaxes painful muscles, tendons, and joints Relieves stress and anxiety Possibly helps to “close the pain gate” by stimulating competing nerve fibers and impeding pain messages to and from the brain. (Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publishing 7/2016) 2 5/10/2018 American Nurse Today, Journal of the American Nurses Association Creates relaxation Aids in lymphatic drainage, improves circulation Reduces stress response Lowers BP Boosts immune response Improves one’s sense of well being Reduces pain Research NIH (National Institute of Health) NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health While there are preliminary or conflicting studies on massage, there is scientific evidence that massage may help with: Back pain Improve the quality of life for people with depression, cancer, and HIV/AIDS Massage Therapy appears to have few risks if it’s used appropriately and provided by a trained massage professional. www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed www.cochranelibrary.com 3 5/10/2018 Considerations Training standards and requirements for massage therapists can vary significantly from state to state as well as counties within a state. CA and most states requires a minimum of 500 hours of training from an accredited training program. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork certifies practitioners who pass a national exam and fulfill other requirements. Choose a therapist who has graduated from an accredited school Ask for referrals from your Health Care Providers, physician,nurse, physical therapist, chiropractor, osteopath, health club, spas, etc.. Ask about their training, types of massage offered, experience, credentials, and references. It is important that YOU feel comfortable with the therapist and the massage. You are the consumer. Immediately give feedback to the therapist if you are uncomfortable, with pressure applied, music being used, temperature of the room, etc. If you are more comfortable with clothes on, then you may opt for a therapist who gives a chair massage or foot (reflexology) massage. Reiki Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction, relaxation and healing. Based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us. Reiki is made of 2 words: REI which means God’s wisdom or higher power and KI which is life force energy, present in all living things. Mikado Usui, created the Reiki system of natural healing in the late 1920’s. Brought to Hawaii in 1937 by Hawayo Takata, a dedicated student of Usui’s. Reiki is activated in the student by a Reiki Master using a ancient ceremony known as attunement. Students learn a simple set of 12 hand positions. Although often considered a spiritual practice, it is not religious. 4 5/10/2018 1. Reiki Level 1: The First Degree Level 1 is a practitioner's initiation into Reiki and is open to anyone. The focus during Level 1 is on opening the energy channels on a physical level, allowing the practitioner to connect to the universal life force energy, which flows from the cosmos through the crown of the head and down to the heart and hands. Many Reiki Masters emphasize self-Reiki as the goal of the Level 1 designation, encouraging students to focus on practicing Reiki on themselves, thereby working through their own obstacles. Many experience physical symptoms of energy in their palms after the first attunement — including Level 1 course also includes an overview of the history of Reiki, hand placements and self and group practice. 2. Reiki Level 2: Second Degree Level 2 is a focus on practicing Reiki on others, and an expanded opening of the energy channels. Students receive the "Reiki symbols" and The Reiki symbols allow the practitioner to connect more deeply to the universal energy, as well as draw on the qualities that the symbols represent: the ability to send healing energy to individuals wherever they may be. These Reiki Symbols may be used to clear energy blockages across time, as well as physical locations. Due to the intensity of the attunement process, some Reiki Masters recommend that at least 21 days to a full three months pass between receiving the Level 1 and Level 2 attunements (Level 1 is required to receive Level 2). Level 2 also includes practice in drawing the symbols, invoking their qualities, as well as distance healing. 5 5/10/2018 3. Reiki Level 3: Third Degree & Reiki Master In many courses, the Third Degree and Reiki Master are the same designation. Some teachers separate Level 3 from Reiki Master, in order to emphasize the difference between receiving the Master attunement, from being trained in attuning new The Reiki Master Level is traditionally considered the teacher's level — a practitioner who has received the energy and knowledge to attune new Reiki practitioners. Reiki is viewed by many as an effective alternative practice in mainstream USA. 1.2 million adults have tried Reiki According to UCLA study (2014) More than 60 US hospitals have adopted Reiki as part of patient services. Reiki education is now offered at over 800 hospitals 6 5/10/2018 Therapeutic Touch Delores Krieger, PhD, RN, professor emeritus of Nursing at New York University, and Dora Kunz, a gifted energy healer, developed and standardized the technique of Therapeutic Touch with in the 1970s. This standardization facilitates research and evaluation of treatment effects while simultaneously creating standard protocols for Therapeutic Touch Practitioners and Instructors A typical session lasts approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Person is seated in a chair or lies down fully clothed. Practitioner begins by discussing your goals for healing. Therapeutic Touch practitioners generally follow these steps during the session: Center themselves in the present moment and bring themselves to a calm, quiet state of consciousness. Use light touch and/or sweeping hand motions above the skin surface to assess and balance the energy in and around the body. Clear and mobilize the client's energy field, direct energy to achieve wholeness, and balance the field. Evaluate and close the treatment. Ask for feedback and answer client questions. 7 5/10/2018 Therapeutic Touch is based on the following assumptions: The human being is an open energy system composed of layers of energy that are in constant interaction with self, others, and the environment. Illness is an imbalance in an individual's energy field. Clearing or balancing the energy field promotes health. All humans have natural abilities to heal and enhance the healing in others. The Therapeutic Touch Response Therapeutic Touch facilitates relaxation and a sense of well-being. Research shows that Therapeutic Touch is effective in: Decreasing anxiety, Mobilizing the individual’s own healing energies to restore balance. Facilitates the body’s natural healing processes :wound healing, mending fractures ,fighting infections. Stress Symptoms are particularly responsive to Therapeutic Touch: Signs of tension release during a treatment, such as perspiration, crying, slowing and deepening of breathing, relaxation or a decrease in heart rate. Therapeutic Touch has been shown to stimulate the body’s immune system, and can decrease the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Response to treatment is individualized. You may notice an immediate change, or it may occur hours or even days later. One treatment can be sufficient. However, it is usually helpful to have regular treatments, especially for chronic problems, as the response can be cumulative. Because Therapeutic Touch facilitates relaxation, it can be useful in health maintenance and is therefore is not limited to treatment of an illness. 8 5/10/2018 Healing Touch Healing Touch is an energy therapy in which practitioners consciously use their hands in a heart centered and intentional way Janet Mentgen, RN, BSN was an energetically sensitive nurse. Her drive was to deepen and expand the connection between nurses and their patients. She saw the positive effect of touch while using various energy techniques and modalities. Janet began using her energy based healing skills in 1980. In 1989, Janet formally created Healing Touch as an energy medicine program, which is down from 30 different healing techniques It began in 1990 as the Healing Touch certificate program sponsored through the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) as well as providing CEU’s for nurses by the Colorado Nurses Association. In 1993, certification of Healing Touch Practitioners began and was administered by AHNA.
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