What is the difference between a standard massage and a Holistic Massage?

Unlike a standard massage that is often a set routine focussed on the physical body, a holistic massage is an individual treatment specifically tailored to you. A holistic approach treats the body as a whole and an MTI practitioner takes into account your emotional and spiritual well-being as well as your physical body.

Holistic massage is a nurturing process of touch and response. Treatments are adapted to each client’s unique needs, physical characteristics and personality. The therapist massages the person not just the body, working "with" you rather than doing it "to" you. This contrasts with other massage approaches, which may seek to "sort out" the client, regarding symptoms as problems to be "fixed". Such a reductionist approach treats the body not the person.

The skilful holistic massage therapist will understand the body’s structure, function and malfunction, know how to assess the effects on a particular client and the consequent links to massage technique. The holistic approach to massage therapy can touch an individual’s whole being - physical, mental and emotional.

· Sensitive communication through the medium of touch

· Empathy and sensitivity towards a client’s needs – a high level of self awareness   from the practitioner

· Individual treatment using a wide range of massage skills working on physical,   emotional and spiritual levels

· Sense of connectedness – core of all healing and sense of well-being and   wholeness

· Works on many levels; physical, emotional, spiritual.

As a client looking for a “holistic massage”, how can you be sure that you will receive the massage that you want and need, both in terms of the quality of the experience and the range of techniques used?

Massage in essence is about sensitive communication through the medium of touch. When the therapist touches your body, they are literally in touch with your feelings, and in touch not only with who you are now but also with all your personal history up to that moment. So it is important that you have a sensitive therapist who puts you at ease and who you feel you can trust. Holistic massage training is based on the principles of sensitivity, awareness, knowledge and professionalism.

Treatments are always tailored to clients’ needs, for which practitioners need to have developed special skills. For example; non-verbal communication, body language, deep listening and observation skills. For a holistic practitioner a massage can never be a set routine. A wide range of techniques must be mastered but flexibility in applying them is paramount since their appropriateness needs to be assessed in the light of the overall healing process of the client.

Benefits of a Holistic Massage treatment

· A sensitive, developed practitioner who instils trust and puts you at ease

· An individual treatment appropriate to your personal physical and emotional   history/journey

· Physical improvements such as relaxing tight muscles, improvements to   circulation, nervous function and joint mobility; this can ease many short and
  long term ailments, such as back pain, arthritis and insomnia

· Reducing stress, one of the main causes of disease in Western society. As well as   addressing stress factors, holistic massage can facilitate the switch between   sympathetic and autonomic nervous systems, hence allowing both body and mind   valuable recuperation time

· Emotionally, massage can provide caring non-intrusive touch; this can soothe the   busy mind, reduce stress and enhance self-esteem.

· At a deeper level still, massage can release the personal history stored in body   tissues; this can lead to powerful changes in our energy and provide a vital and   chemical ingredient in each person’s process of growth.