Stress reduction through massage therapy.
Stress. It can be a detrimental to even the healthiest body. Although it?s beneficial in small doses, too much of it can wreak havoc on the body?s nervous system and on a person?s emotional well-being. Learning how to de-stress and bring yourself to a calm state-of-being can be very beneficial to your overall state of health.
You can invite a sense of calmness through yoga moves, soothing music, salt rubs or altered surroundings. Since a lot of stress emanates from within, learning to control it from within is very important. Therapeutic exercises like massages are enormously beneficial for stress.
Tension points in the temples are key areas for relaxing and controlling stress. Head massages are wonderful for relaxing and finding calmness, and if you know how to give a head massage the correct way, you can help a person find the calm state they seek.
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The Relaxing Points
There are many pressure points in the face and neck that are key areas for massaging and relaxing. Some of them include:
– The temporal lobe. This area has a large artery that passes across a thin layer of skin and bone. Pressure on this particular point will induce calmness and tranquility in the person. Gentle massaging and/or warm totals increase the soothing effects and its enjoyment.
– The ears. The area just behind the ears has a recessed area that meets between the jaw and the skull. This pressure point(s) also induce tranquility and aid in relaxing the individual.
The important thing is to learn these key pressure points before attempting to give someone a massage. Although they can be beneficial, the wrong kind or an incorrect application can result in harm or discomfort as you learn how to give a head massage.
The Relaxing Steps
– Induce a massage across the shoulders to help the person relax and loosen up. Lightly massage the shoulders and the neck so that the muscles in that area are loosened. Eventually, as you move to the head, they will already have become somewhat relaxed.
– After massaging the shoulders, move upwards towards the temples and begin massaging them in a circular motion. Be gentle but firm here, applying pressure lightly where needed and gently if necessary. Take queues from the person and apply pressure according to their level of comfort.
– Using the tips of your index and middle fingers, begin massaging the points of the face at the area located at the insides of the eyebrows. As you do this, press in gently in a circular motion. At this point, be sure that you are supporting the person?s head from behind with your palms.
This is a key point as you are learning how to give a head massage because at this point in the massage, the person is completely relaxed and flexible. Not fully supporting their head can be dangerous.
– While you are massaging the area between the eyes, take care to not massage the pressure points for longer than an average of approximately 45 seconds. Pressure along with holding the massage move could provoke a severe muscle spasm in the patient.
– Again using your index and middle fingers, move your fingers along the path of the face from the tips of the eyebrow to their scalp. Apply pressure according to their level of comfort, again holding the massage point(s) for about 45 seconds.
– Massage their hair/head as if you were shampooing their hair. For about three to five minutes, keep the heels of your hands and fingers in contact with the scalp at all times. As you reach the top of the head, slowly and gently lift your fingers off of their head in slow-pressured movements, coming back down and lifting back up again. Move along in that fashion, doing this as you?re concentrating on covering the entire scalp and head area.
End with a Facial?
If you?d like, you can end the head massage with a soothing facial that will continue to completely relax the patient and soothe their muscles. Depending on their state of calmness at this point, this may or may not be good to do. Assess it by either asking before you begin the massage or determining this when you are finished by looking at their state of relaxation.
Are they asleep or just really relaxed? Do you want to wake them by starting a facial? Will it annoy them or further relax them?
Learning how to give a head massage is a relatively easy and relaxing service to give someone. It?s very therapeutic and highly beneficial for individuals and can be a significant source in reducing stress for many.