Why you carry stress and how massage will help!

Hey guys! Tasha here. I've been thinking about what topic to write about over the last few weeks and Somatic Emotional Releases (SER's) are what kept coming to my mind. So, here we go!

"Soul and body react sympathetically upon each other; a change in the state of the soul produces a change in the shape of the body and conversely, a change in the shape of the body produces a change in the state of the soul." -Aristotle

Have you ever noticed the difference between the way someone who is happy holds their body compared to someone who is sad? or angry? or scared? Emotions and trauma can literally change us. Research by Dr. John Upledger, who developed Cranial Sacral Therapy, discovered that "the body often holds on to emotional energy, triggered by physiological, psychological, emotional or spiritual trauma.  Although a body can initially adapt to the presence of this 'energy cyst', eventually the body weakens or tires of this accommodation and can develop symptoms of pain, dysfunction or emotional stress in response."

"All negative emotional expressions are accompanied by a shortening of flexor muscles. The energy in a chronically flexed body has to work just to hold it up; the body continuously has to add energy to that body to keep it going. Such chronic flexion gives a feeling of tiredness and depression." -Moshe Feldenkrais

As the body changes through massage, it may trigger the body to release these emotions it has been holding onto. In the world of bodywork, we call that a Somatic Emotional Release.  This process requires sensitivity and expertise on the part of the therapist and a positive attitude and trust from the client. The client may experience an SER in the form of crying, laughter, anger, sadness, grief, or any other emotion during or after the session. 

I have been privileged enough to be able to help many of my clients let go of negative emotions and begin to heal. I am committed to creating a safe and comfortable environment in every massage that can allow for this change to happen if needed. Massage Therapy has helped me to be able to let go and heal from emotional pain I didn't even realize I had. It has lifted the stress I was carrying. I hope it can do the same for you.
Have a great day!
Tasha Ouderkirk, LMT

​Another thing that can really help is float therapy. We are big fans of float therapy. If you are interested in trying it out we recommend Body Balance. From our research into floating we can say that they offer the best float available in Utah.