|
About Massage
Back
to List of Excerpts
 Massage
is as old as civilisation. The Greeks, Romans, Africans, Indians, Chinese
and Japanese have developed systems of touch that are Continually resurfacing
in the field of healing. In the last 25 years a great deal of research
has been done to prove its effectiveness. A large body of work has emanated
from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) in Miami, Florida. Massage has
been shown to have positive effects on reducing pain, depression and
posttraumatic stress. Work led by Dr. Tiffany Field at TRI has also
investigated massage on children. A study showed that massage therapy
stimulated growth in premature babies and as a result they were discharged
from the hospital earlier.(Scafidi et al., 1990).
Think
of the health care costs we could save just by simply massaging our
babies. As more and more research has been done to prove the effectiveness
of massaging children, the more acceptable it has become in the mainstream
of health care. Many hospitals have programs that teach new mothers
how to massage their new babies. I went to an exercise class at the
physiotherapy department of the hospital where I gave birth to my children.
The babies sat in bean bag chairs and watched their mothers bounce up
and down trying to get back into shape. At the end of the class we would
lay the babies out and give them a massage.
The aim
of GENTLE HANDS Massage is to help create a safe, loving environment
where you can bond with your children. With infants it is a time to
gently uncoil their bodies, to smooth out their movements and introduce
them to the safety and gentleness of touch. When they start crawling
and walking it can be a time of easing the frustration that comes with
learning so many new things, establishing a more interactive relationship
by making massage a time of games to learn about the body. When they
start going to school, it can be a time to reconnect with them after
a day apart, to find out about their friends, teachers, homework and
sports. As they get older it can be a wonderful time to find out what
is troubling them, what brings them joy, what they think, what their
aspirations are. If we build that foundation with our children from
the time they are little, then they know what healthy, loving touch
is, and can use that as a guide in their lives. It is my dream to provide
families with deep and meaningful connections that last a lifetime.
Through teaching people how to touch each other in healthy, loving ways
this dream will become a reality. Back
to List of Excerpts |
