Healing | the power of touch

​Throughout a lifetime we experience loss in many different forms, whether it is a relationship breakdown, the loss of health through disease or illness to the death of a pet or loved one. I think we’ve all experienced at least one of these losses and it is tough.

So talking about loss or death can be really difficult, especially when it is recent and raw, and what makes it even more difficult is that our Western culture is uneasy with this. It makes others uncomfortable when we are in the depths of our grief and because of this discomfort; we are often nudged to “move on” before we feel emotionally ready. Grief and sadness have their own timetable and people need time to reach a place of peace and acceptance, it can’t be rushed. This is something that I experienced when going through a particularly significant loss and it was crushing. I decided that I needed to hold it in so that I didn’t upset other people. I was mired in a surreal fog and didn’t know what to do or where to go as is often the case when we are depressed or deeply hurt. However, what I now know is this;

I have found through working with clients who are experiencing grief that touch is a very valuable healing tool. Both through reiki or massage I have had clients who have found our sessions together to be profoundly beneficial and I am deeply honoured to be permitted to accompany them a little way on their healing journey.

REIKI - In a compassionate environment with an empathetic reiki practitioner, a peaceful space is created where grief or sadness can be released as needed – without words or explanation if preferred. The healing energy of reiki offers a caring and balancing approach to people in need of emotional support. It is a means to gently guide them back to the body and return to wholeness using a calming and soothing touch which is aimed at providing comfort and easing tension in the body, heart and mind.

MASSAGE – Loss of appetite, fatigue, physical tension and lack of sleep can be experienced when people are grieving the loss of someone or something significant from their lives. Our sympathetic nervous system can respond to acute stress by releasing stress hormones through the fight or flight reflex and over time this causes tension to build in the muscles which really hinders the healing process. So what can you do?
By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system with massage the body can rest and re-balance as muscles release tension and anti-stress hormones are released. Because people in grief often get stuck trying to come to grips with their losses through their heads or their hearts, massage also encourages them to reconnect with their bodies, to get in touch with what they are physically feeling.
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Massage often works well in partnership with counselling for a balanced and holistic approach to healing and recovering from loss and grief.

Disclaimer – The information presented in this blog is not intended to take the place of your physician’s advice. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice. Before acting on information from this blog, please get appropriate medical/psychological advice. The following are contacts for crisis assistance in Australia.

Lifeline – 13 11 14
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636