Reflexology just for pleasure

[Reiki Pixie]

Hi

Just read Gaia's, Ava's and LV's posts.

The term "reflexology" is pants. For many years I disliked calling myself a reflexologist. I'm a therapist not a ologist! A better term that describes this system could be Reflex Therapy or something similar like Reflex Healing as Gaia has just mentioned.

Like LV, I have integrated additional massage techniques into a reflex routine, and clients feedback is that they prefer it. But just like LV, if you promote it as a form of foot massage then it puts people off. There seems to be a value system for reflexology over foot massage.

As for reflexology being a massage therapy or not is highly debatable. It does after all use massage techniques. Thumb walking for example is a type of massage, and in fact one of Eunice Inghams early names for her techniques was "compression massage". If you use the term bodywork, then I would include reflexology as a bodywork micro-system. If reflexology is considered a form of energy healing, then it's a energy healing micro-system.

Interesting small scale piece of research conducted a few years ago about reflexology and the treatment of menopause by Exeter University. It used foot massage as a control against foot reflexology. The research didn't show foot reflexology being not that much more effective than foot massage.

May be foot massage performed properly, with a caring pair of hands and a good therapeutic relationship between client and therapist can do wonders! After all doesn't energy follow thoughts?

RP

[barefootamy]

Originally Posted by Reiki Pixie

Interesting small scale piece of research conducted a few years ago about reflexology and the treatment of menopause by Exeter University. It used foot massage as a control against foot reflexology. The research didn't show foot reflexology being not that much more effective than foot massage.

I heard that study is grossly flawed because they used the same therapists to apply both the Foot Reflexology and Foot Massage portions of the study. I'm a Reflexologist and I wouldn't know how to massage a foot to save my life! Fine, if you're trained in both modalities and they intermingle and mesh together in a session...call it a 'holistic' massage or something.

As to the original poster - many authors recommend a monthly "tune up" for healthy folks just to combat the day to day stressors of life: pollution, workplace stress, home/family stress, the occasional "junk food" meal, etc... Why not have another tool to conquer the big, and little, stress monsters in life!?