Why get bodywork? People cite many reasons:

Relieve stress	Mental and emotional health
Loosen tense muscles	Manage illness or pain with less medication
Recover from an injury	Have more energy
Relieve chronic pain or tension	General wellness
Increase range of motion	Improve their mood / relaxation

​These are all so different! What does bodywork actually do that might help with any or all of this?

All bodywork stimulates blood and lymphatic flow, warms and stimulates muscles and other tissues, and promotes balance and wellness in the body, mind and spirit. These all contribute to reducing stress and anxiety, as well as tension and pain. Bodywork also contributes to a healthier immune system and better sleep. Depending on a person's particular issues - whether suffering neck tension from computer work, fatigue and pain due to fibromyalgia, neurological disorders, chronic pain and nausea from cancer, or other injury or disease - different modalities can have specific benefits or contraindications. For example, for arthritis, increased bloodflow and gentle pressure from Swedish massage can relieve pain, as can certain acupressure holds, whereas deep pressure might not be useful. People with depression, dementia, down's syndrome, or autism can experience calming and soothing effects from customized sessions.

Additionally, bodywork can facilitate emotional healing, if desired or needed. The body can 'hold' memories and feelings - some people feel neck tension or pain at intersections after a car wreck in a similar situation. People can experience discomfort at the sight of people or places where traumatic events happened, whether a car wreck or a loss or an instance of abuse. This holding can be touched, and sometimes loosened, through bodywork. Touch can tap into emotional energy and create space for release in the form of feelings, memories, tears, or other reactions. This is normal, welcome and safe. It only happens if and when the client is ready. Again, different modalities will create different responses in clients, and working with your therapist will facilitate the benefits that you seek and need.

Bodywork also moves energy in the body - this energy can be referred to life force, chi, bioelectric impulses, spirit, soul, or any number of words. Our bodies are run by electrical impulses in the heart and the brain, and our nervous system transmits electric impulses that govern how we take in sensory information and move in all our voluntary (like writing or running) and involuntary activities (like breathing). How this energy moves, and how we receive and store it, is explained differently in a number of traditional and medical schools of thought. However one describes it, bodywork can affect this flow, and in certain modalities can specifically target it. Reiki involves support and balance to the chakras (energy centers or nerve plexuses). Acupressure supports and opens energetic connections and the free flow of energy. Craniosacral therapy also supports energetic flow and balance.

Each person receives a different mix of these benefits from each modality, and may experience different benefits on different days! While it is useful to understand overall benefits of bodywork and specific uses of modalities, consulting with your therapist on your specific situation and needs each visit will facilitate the best long-term and short-term benefits for you.