Don’t Stress About Relaxing: Bodywork for Chronic Stress and Anxiety
Sometimes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to feel relaxed. Luckily, we don’t need to be worried about relaxing. Simply noticing that you have trouble unwinding or relaxing is very useful because then you can do something about it. When our nervous system is responding appropriately to the world around us, our bodies are totally capable of relaxing when the time is right. At other times, we need to be alert and engaged because that is what is called for. The distinction between times of vigilance and times of relative safety gets blurred in cases of chronic stress and anxiety. The nervous system becomes primed and ready for action in case of threat and fails to pump the brakes on that threat response once the moment of danger or frightening event has passed. Instead of turning off systems that protect and turning on systems that heal and restore, we exist in a perpetual state of threat response which is really hard on our bodies in the long run.
How can we help recalibrate a nervous system that has a tough time navigating these two states of response? Regaining that balance is a process, and there is no single thing that will get you there. There is a growing body of research that also points to the importance of body-based therapies, movement, and social connection in refining and strengthening our ability to restore calm after averting or managing a situation that activates our fight/flight/freeze systems. Yoga, Pilates, dance and other movement based classes can be incredibly beneficial because they offer both movement and social connection. But simply spending time with friends or going for a walk are also great options. Walking with friends? Even better!. Therapy can help with the mental and emotional aspects of these issues, of course. The list of options is long and it can sometimes feel overwhelming to figure out. This is another reason why massage is a great place to start.
Massage and bodywork is a great way to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and stress. Just as repeated and prolonged stress attunes the body toward states of vigilance and reactivity, regular bodywork can attune the body to the feeling of rest and calm. Massage and bodywork restores and fosters a somatic connection that helps us recognize what is working for us and what is not. Slowing down and shifting your awareness inward helps you gauge which practices and activities positively impact how you feel, and which have the opposite effect. It clears the cobwebs and puts you in closer touch with your body, enabling you to recognize the very palpable difference in states of vigilance and states of relaxation, and refines your nervous system’s ability to navigate between the two with ease.
Winter is Here
By Kate Fruchey, LMT
Winter is here. Massage and bodywork can help.
It’s inevitable. It happens every year whether we like or not. No matter what we do to prepare, it happens too soon. The days get shorter, the wind gets colder, and just like that… it’s winter.
If you’ve lived in Chicago for more than 5 minutes no one has to tell you the impact of winter is real. The tendency to withdraw is strong; lack of light affects our mood at a physiological level. Instinct and intuition beg us to slow down, rest, hibernate; yet the world demands as much (if not more) of our time and energy as it did in those first glorious days of spring and summer. It’s a tough dynamic to balance.
While we may not be able to hibernate for weeks at a time, taking an hour once or twice a month to do exactly as nature intended this time of year can help ease the negative effects of the season. Studies show that regular massages improve mood and reset circadian rhythms, leading to better sleep and more energy.
A bit more energy this time of year can make a big difference. When our energy is too low we might be inclined to cancel that coffee date with a friend, skip pilates or yoga, or put off a phone call to someone we care about. But these types of activities are as important as resting in winter because they keep us connected. Being connected to community and physically active are also powerful tools in maintaining our health and boosting our mood. Finding that balance is tricky and it looks different for everyone. Don’t forget we are here to help!
Massage Early and Often: Don't Wait for Pain
By Kate Fruchey, LMT
It seems to be pretty common knowledge these days that massage is a wonderful and effective tool for addressing tension in our backs, necks, and shoulders. And it is! In fact, getting some bodywork to address general, achy, tension in these areas before it becomes downright painful is one of my favorite self-care tips. That general discomfort is a signal that something is off, an imbalance of some sort is affecting your body’s ability to work efficiently.
Posture, repetitive movement and fatigue are all likely suspects in these cases, and it is important to remember they rarely act alone. Usually it’s a combination of such factors working together that, if left unheeded, gradually become chronic neck and back pain. One of the biggest players in this scenario is often overlooked is stress. Anxiety and stress can lower our ability to modulate pain, potentially allowing minor aches and pains to escalate into major problems. Have you ever noticed your back pain gets worse when work/life gets particularly stressful?
While experiencing stress is inevitable, chronic stress can be a real problem. It’s the type of problem that makes other problems feel worse by disrupting sleep, negatively impacting digestion, dampening our mood and resilience, and triggering physiologic processes that affect our immune system and the health of our tissues. And, as you may have guessed, that is where massage comes in. Research has shown that massage therapy can have a positive influence with the issue of stress and improving quality of life. Taking time out to alleviate stress and address those minor aches and pains just might help prevent some major issues down the road.
Craniosacral Therapy: Moderate Pressure, Meaningful Change.
By Kate Fruchey, LMT
One of the most unique aspects of craniosacral therapy is the use of lighter, more moderate, pressure. “Lighter” in this case should not be confused with superficial. Our bodies are incredibly adept and intelligent when it comes to feeling. Sometimes the use of deep or forceful pressure can trigger a defensive reaction in the muscle, which causes the body to tense in response. This is counter-productive to the goal of most bodywork. The aim is typically to disrupt those very patterns of tension. Applied with intention and skill, a moderate touch can elicit a deeper response because it engages the nervous system in a dialogue that communicates safety and wellbeing.
Most importantly, the gentle stillness of craniosacral therapy allows the recipient a chance to look inward, and fully experience what is happening below the surface of their skin in their body as a whole. Over the course of a session, the nervous system has time to respond to the work, as opposed to react. This is an important distinction, and the smallest shift in this respect can have far reaching impact in our lives. When we habitually exist in a state of heightened vigilance or anxiety we may tend to overreact or give certain stimuli more weight or energy that it actually merits.
Delivered with skill and the intention to listen, the light touch of cranio and more moderate pressure of a Swedish massage do not force the body into further action, but offer the opportunity to find a healthful balance between vigilance and simple awareness, a space of ease. In this space, over time, we are capable of meaningful and lasting change.
This blog post is part of a series on Craniosacral Therapy. For an introduction to the therapy, please read Cultivating Ease with Craniosacral Therapy.
Cultivating Ease with Craniosacral Therapy
By Kate Fruchey, LMT
What is Craniosacral Therapy? This is a question I’m asked often and it’s a question I absolutely love to answer. Given the opportunity I could go on about Craniosacral Therapy (commonly referred to as cranio) and why everyone should consider trying it, but in the end, it is pretty simple.
The textbook definition of cranio varies slightly from source to source, but it usually goes a little like… “Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.” This definition, while very thorough and accurate, doesn’t describe the incredibly restorative and calming quality of Craniosacral Therapy. It doesn’t explain why the soft touch described above is an effective tool in helping manage a wide range of issues from TMJ to PTSD. It may leave you wondering how using a gentler, moderate quality of touch can have a powerful impact on how we feel, physically, mentally and emotionally. But that is a lot of ground to cover, so we’re going to break it down into smaller chunks over the course of a few posts.
Let’s start with the basics.
What to Expect in a Craniosacral Session
After an initial session, one should expect to feel well rested, with a renewed sense of ease, either in the body or the mind, maybe both. As treatments progress, this sense of ease becomes more accessible on the table. As clients grow accustomed to the work, new and changing sensations present themselves as long held patterns of tension begin to unwind, resulting in less pain and discomfort.
As I mentioned before, this type of bodywork is deeply restorative. People not only feel relaxed after a session, many are surprised at the level of relaxation that can be attained in 60 minutes. Supporting and providing a space for deep relaxation is an important aspect of many types of bodywork because when we are in a state of relaxation our bodies have a chance to repair. Our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system quiets and our parasympathetic (rest and digest/repair and restore) nervous system gets a chance to go to work. We rely heavily on the sympathetic nervous system to meet the demands of our lives. Over time this affects our health. It exhausts our ability to manage the internal and external challenges we encounter day to day. The opportunity to reset the balance, engage the parasympathetic nervous system, and experience ease on the massage table can be the first step in cultivating ease in life, whether that means feeling more ease in your neck or back, fewer headaches, or less anxiety.
At Five Point, cranio sessions are performed over clothing, using very gentle to moderate pressure. I love to incorporate acupressure and tui na into craniosacral sessions. Because of its deeply relaxing effect, I always use a bit of cranio in Swedish Massage sessions. My approach to cranio is especially well suited to helping manage the physical and emotional effects of anxiety and stress, chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain, headaches and migraines. I also love working with people who simply need to slow down (or be reminded how to), who are running on empty and have trouble turning off the endless stream of thoughts and worries that tend to fill our heads day in and day out.
Our bodies do their best repair work when we are relaxed and at ease, and many of us are not either of those things most of the time. It sounds simple, but it is not easy. Sometimes we actually forget what it feels like to be relaxed and at ease and craniosacral can help.
In upcoming entries, we’ll circle back to other aspects of cranio that people tend to be curious about and get into some of the details of the craniosacral system mentioned in the definition earlier. Next time we’ll touch on why gentle pressure (5g) can yield dramatic results. Take care.
On Japanese Meridian Therapy and Pulse Diagnosis
By Julia MacGlashan, L.Ac
Acupuncture in Japan was originally a profession for the blind, which is why Japanese Meridian Therapy (JMT) relies primarily on the sense of touch. Subtle differences in your pulses and acupuncture meridians provide a wealth of information about what’s going on in your body. Whether you come to the clinic for prematurely graying hair or toe pain, all symptoms arise from substances in the body (qi, blood, fluids) being either weak or stuck. Ideally everything is supposed to flow like a river. But if you have cold hands and feet, it could mean that the blood in your body is too weak to provide that strong current necessary to fill all the branches, i.e. your fingers and toes. Or, there could be something in the way, blocking the river’s free flow.
In order to determine where substances are weak or stuck, JMT uses a unique pulse diagnostic system. When I feel your pulses, you’ll notice me moving my fingers around a lot, like I’m using your wrists as a piano. I begin by feeling for overall qualities: depth (floating or sunken), strength (deficient or excess), speed (rapid or slow), and quality (slippery, rough, wiry, or tight). Then to get more specific, there’s an individual position in your pulses for each of your 12 main acupuncture meridians and their corresponding organs. Using this pulse information, I can then select acupuncture points to correct the imbalances in your body.
JMT emphasizes treating the root of a problem first, with the understanding that once you correct the root, the rest of the body can work better to regulate itself. This means that a lot of the “superficial gunk” is cleared out of your system, so I can focus on what’s important, and not on fixing what your body can fix on its own. So I start by treating your body’s weakest points, and then voila, things aren’t as stuck anymore. We filled up that river and now it can flow around the boulder, or even wear it down or move it out of the way.
Remembering that Japanese acupuncturists were historically blind, I use palpation to find each acupuncture point, treating points that feel weak or stuck, based on what I felt in the pulses. I often look for divots along the meridians, spots where your finger seems to sink in a little bit. Those spots need to be “filled up”. Areas that are hard or sensitive when I push on them are often a bit “stuck” and need to be redistributed. Acupuncture points are a part of your living body, so they can move and change all the time. The point location might shift slightly from one week to the next, and with treatment they’ll start to improve and feel less weak or stuck.
What I love about using a touch-based system is that because the selected points are so specific to your individual body, JMT can utilize more gentle needling techniques. I don’t need a lot of strong stimulation, because I’ve identified that perfect spot to break open the dam and get things moving. This allows JMT treatments to feel simultaneously simple and powerful. It’s how I prefer to receive acupuncture, so that’s how I prefer to treat others.
You’ll notice that I always feel the pulses at the beginning AND end of a treatment. That’s because the pulses give me instant feedback on how your body responded to a treatment. At the end of your session, your pulses should feel overall more moderate (stronger if they felt weak, softer if they felt wiry, etc). I’m very stubborn and like your pulses to feel nice, so that might mean you receive just one more acupuncture point to finish balancing everything before you walk out the door. Happy pulses, happy human!
I’m available for community and private acupuncture appointments on Mondays and Thursdays. I hope to see you all in the new year!
New Bodyworker
Five Point is excited to introduce our new bodyworker, Kate Fruchey, LMT. Kate completed her massage and bodywork training at McKinnon Body Therapy Center in Oakland, CA. While her practice is rooted in Swedish Massage and Craniosacral therapy, she utilizes a wide range of techniques in her sessions, including Acupressure, Reflexology and Tui Na, in order to best meet her clients’ needs.
As a practitioner, Kate has a deep appreciation for the effect that relaxation and touch have on our health and this informs all of her work, regardless of the techniques she is working with. Her goal is to bring awareness to her clients’ profound capacity for change and help them access their own inherent resources for health.
Kate is available Sundays from 12-6 and Tuesdays from 9-2. She is available for 60 and 90 minute massages beginning Sunday, December 4th. Book an appointment online, or email her at kate@fivepointholistic.com with questions.
