I'm presently working with a FM client using Traditional Thai Massage and she is getting a lot of relief from it. Thai does use deep pressures, and it is very rare to find someone who has a light touch. So you are more likely to find those deep pressures you are looking for.
Though Thai massage usually doesn't use lotion, there is no need to undress, because it is done through clothing it is more a pressure massage rather than long strokes. Really, I'm not sure what therapeutic massage style would maintain contact and use quantities of lotion and long strokes, other than temple style lomi lomi, but that moves energy and lymph more than muscles.
Ace has decided that not breaking contact, more than a little lotion and long strokes are the indicators of a good massage, anything else is not up to scratch, and considering many advanced techniques do break contact, use little lotion and don't use long strokes, he's virtually saying use of any such techniques make it a bad massage. With those requirements in a massage, there are probably going to be challenges finding a therapist that can deliver what all that Ace wants.
I recently have had 2 or 3 ninety minute massages (I have fibromyalgia). I'm trying to find a new therapist.
Hello Ace,
While I'm not commenting on the topic of this thread, this person was freed from fibromyalgia: [url]'I could be healed'[/url]
Love and peace,
Judy
If Reiki didnt "work" for you- then perhaps its not the treatment that resonates with your higher self right now. Thats okay- keep putting the intention out there to find the right healer and the right healing treatment for you and Im sure you will
Good Luck!
Though Thai massage usually doesn't use lotion, there is no need to undress, because it is done through clothing it is more a pressure massage rather than long strokes. Really, I'm not sure what therapeutic massage style would maintain contact and use quantities of lotion and long strokes, other than temple style lomi lomi, but that moves energy and lymph more than muscles.
Ace has decided that not breaking contact, more than a little lotion and long strokes are the indicators of a good massage, anything else is not up to scratch, and considering many advanced techniques do break contact, use little lotion and don't use long strokes, he's virtually saying use of any such techniques make it a bad massage. With those requirements in a massage, there are probably going to be challenges finding a therapist that can deliver what all that Ace wants.
Breaking contact here and there is fine and acceptable. Breaking contact every five seconds to get more lotion, walk around the table, adjust the music, adjust the sheets....it's just amazing that my last two therapists could do so little in 90 minutes. Maybe I should just ask for a sports massage or Swedish, thought I thought I did ask for a combo of Swedish/therapeutic. As for Thai massage, I've had it done and thought it is different, that's really good for my fibromyalgia. But I also like to relax as well and get some therpeutic massage work. As for lotion, it may just be the type of lotion. Some times you can use a lotion or oil where you don't have to use a lot but it glides. Others are rough and make it feel like your skin is being grabbed at...
As for having good therapists and me appreciating the work, I've already had good 90 minute massages, but the one therapist got pregant and the other one is too far away...
I apologize for calling reiki "fraud". That was a bit strong. For me personally, I just don't believe it has any beneficial effects...I don't know what I think about this whole "if you don't believe in it it won't work." I just think therapists shouldn't incorporate it into a Swedish massage.
Just as an aside to the suggestions others have made, it sounds to me like the hands being held still over the sheet is to do with introductory holds, rather than any 'healing' techniques. Some people are taught in their training to perform simple holding moves before moving on to work on the body as a way of calming the client and introducing them to the touch of the therapist. It's really nice and effective, ^if^ it's used properly and not for large chunks of the massage! And I agree, that the kind of breaking contact you refer to sounds like sloppy practice to me.
I hope you find a therapist you click with better - and don't forget, it's ok to give feedback during the massage, if you feel you need more work in a particular area, or lighter or deeper pressure.
Though Thai massage usually doesn't use lotion, there is no need to undress, because it is done through clothing it is more a pressure massage rather than long strokes. Really, I'm not sure what therapeutic massage style would maintain contact and use quantities of lotion and long strokes, other than temple style lomi lomi, but that moves energy and lymph more than muscles.
Ace has decided that not breaking contact, more than a little lotion and long strokes are the indicators of a good massage, anything else is not up to scratch, and considering many advanced techniques do break contact, use little lotion and don't use long strokes, he's virtually saying use of any such techniques make it a bad massage. With those requirements in a massage, there are probably going to be challenges finding a therapist that can deliver what all that Ace wants.
I didn't say the therapist can't break contact. You are overexaggerating here. I have had a therapist who constantly adjusted the sheet, walked around the table, adjusted the radio, talked, and spend a lot of time NOT massaging. What I can't stand is when I say in the intial conversation that I don't like reiki, yet during the massage at certain points the therapist will just lay her hands on me, for minutes at a time, without any movement. Maybe some with emotional problems or some other problem like this, but for me, it makes me uncomfortable and I feel like massage time is being wasted. Maybe that is not reiki, but what is it then when a therapist lays her hands on you through a sheet for minutes at a time, just listening to you breathe? Maybe it works for some, for me it is uncomfortable and a waste of time - I get nothing out of it.
Maybe that is not reiki, but what is it then when a therapist lays her hands on you through a sheet for minutes at a time, just listening to you breathe? Maybe it works for some, for me it is uncomfortable and a waste of time - I get nothing out of it.
Ok, I think in the heat of conversation you seemingly have contradicted yourself (I don't mean that offensively, just an observation) because you made it sound in your first post that all the breaking of contact and time spent not massaging was time spent hovering their hands over you (at least how I read it ... and again words can be misinterpreted).
Now, as the thread progressed, we find out the majority of the stopping had nothing to do with possible "reiki" being done and more to do with the therapist being a disorganised mess. Now there could be explanations (not acceptable, but at least reasons), for example, if you have a hairy back, then you would require more lotion and the therapist can't really judge that until they have done a few strokes - and they can't very well drench you in oil or lotion just in the offchance you are a client that has a body that absorbs all the product (just giving 1 reason as to a therapist needing to get more and more lotion).
Sounds like this therapist could be a "newbie" or the workplace s/he is working from is new so s/he isn't quite comfortable with their technique, how much oil to begin with or the music they are playing-perhaps they didn't anticipate a sudden crescendo and heavy drumming in their newly purchased "Relax" cd and tried to adjust the volume so that you would remain relaxed and undisturbed. As for holding hands over you listening to your breathing...my physiotherapist did that to me only a few days ago, he had me sitting on the edge of the bed, my back to him and he hovered his hands just inside my scapulae for what felt like ages but was surely no more than 30-40 secs, why did he do this? To listen to my breathing, and he found out through that, that my right side was working slower than my left, and overall, my breathing was incredibly slow (he wondered if my husband ever woke me up in a panic, afraid I was dead! :D) ANYWAY, that is besides the point, this is a technique I hadn't had done before or learnt (I am a sports massage therapist, and do swedish, indian, chair and prenatal) and being an overthinker, I just sat there wondering what in blazes he was doing and being a little skeptical of this new "hippy dippy" healing physio I had before me (or behind me :D) but he was then able to palpate certain areas that reacted strongly and lightened my breathing and allowed me to take deeper breaths.
I have rambled on quite a bit but to sum up:
*Sports Massage is one of many massages that DO break contact (Although I was taught even in SM contact breaking should be minimal as client reassurance and trust is built through touch and ... "if in doubt, stroke it out" 😀 ie. in between those advanced techniques, stroke and effleurage your way to the next site; switching side? keep one hand always on the client) but obviously it is a little more understandable that SM is not something you are going for to get pure blissful relaxation from (unless bruising, elbows in your back and nausea to the stomach is your idea of relaxation 😉
*Swedish massage is a lighter touch ... but you can always request they go deeper
*I am curious ... did the therapist not ask you how your massage was after? Did they not ask you how the pressure was throughout?
*Did you ask them to increase the pressure? "You can go deeper, that's a little light-I can tolerate a little more I think" "Oh, see my right side, it is quite achey, do you mind using lighter pressure there, but on the left I can handle it if you really dig in!"
*Did you ask them to not talk (you can do this in a jokey way by giving them a hint "sorry if I'm not responding or talking much today myself, I'm a bit tired and not feeling in a talkative mood/I have a sore head" - most therapists should know to not ramble on but if not, maybe you could mention massagenerd.com 😀
Essentially it is your own fault (not in a bad way) that you aren't receiving what you want (to a certain degree) because, essentially, by paying the therapist and not giving them feedback they can't know you were unsatisfied ... how can someone fix something if they didn't know it was broken to begin with - same principle, if you want your therapies to go better, you need to tell them what you liked, and what you didn't like. I would be gutted if a client left unhappy and I certainly wouldn't have wanted them to pay. That is why I actually offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee (cheesy I know) so that if you are not happy, you don't pay (as of yet no-one has availed but they have done so of my next clause) if you are not satisfied please give me as much feedback as possible and allow me to schedule a make-up massage with you in order to rectify anything that you felt was not to your liking. There is a saying in the consumer industry: A happy customer tells one friend, an unhappy customer tells everybody, pretty sure your therapist would be mortified knowing they caused this reaction in you 🙁
(sorrrrrrrry for writing such a long post, it's late, I'm tired ... thus, I ramble ... A LOT 😀 I haven't proof read that long wall of text so my apologies for spelling/punctuation & spelling grammar as well as it being ... rambley :S )
*Gina*
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991519
Looks like reiki is fraud, at least for fibromyalgia, according to this study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991519
Well, according to this, Reiki is fraud at least when it comes to help fibromyalgia.
Judging by the people I know who have fibromyalgia and who put their faith in their GPs, conventional medicine isn't any better at helping it.
I think you need to ask your therapist about what she was doing. Tell HER your concerns then maybe she can answer your queries, If you went for a massage you should NOT have been given reiki unless you asked. The therapist would need to agree with you the intention for the reiki. Maybe you need to find a different therapist.
As a reiki master I am of course going to defend reiki against the idea that it i (and by extension people who give reiki) is a fraud. If she did give you reiki without your consent she ins't a fraud - but her actions are very unethical
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991519
Well, according to this, Reiki is fraud at least when it comes to help fibromyalgia.
No - this one trial - which may have design flaws - seems to show no benefit. To be honest some drug trials for fibrolmyalgia could show equally under whelming results. Doesn't mean the drugs are not active... Reiki is NOT a fraud. I have seen some amazing results with pain in the hospice where I work.
Seems a lot of fuss about nothing since what happened to Ace88 could well have had nothing to do with Reiki.
Unless, of course, it's all been an excuse to post the words "Reiki" and "fraud" in the same sentence - why else put it into the Massage forum?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991519
Looks like reiki is fraud, at least for fibromyalgia, according to this study.
I can't see anything there that indicates Reiki is fraudulent.
It's a clinical trial which, as Sally indicated, can have design flaws, and is limited in it's results by the 'measurements' which a) seem to be subjective rather than objective from what is described, and b) seem to only have been taken 3 months after the treatment.
I'm sure if you gave someone with fibromyalgia some painkillers or other medication, and then asked them 3 months later if the pain was better you'd get the same results... that doesn't mean the painkillers or medication are fraudulent, and likewise it doesn't mean that Reiki is fraudulent.
It would seem that, based on the fact that you've come back to report on this again after all this time, you have a personal bias against Reiki.
At least the conclusion of the study was honest... "Energy medicine modalities such as Reiki should be rigorously studied before being recommended to patients with chronic pain symptoms", indicating that their study is not conclusive.
All Love and Reiki Hugs
No - this one trial - which may have design flaws - seems to show no benefit. To be honest some drug trials for fibrolmyalgia could show equally under whelming results. Doesn't mean the drugs are not active... Reiki is NOT a fraud. I have seen some amazing results with pain in the hospice where I work.
Me too, I think that in fibromyalgia there is a different kind of pain to that from say an injury or arthritis which usually responds really well to reiki treatments.
I also think that for many people who have a diagnosis of fibro that the medics have not explored all the avenues possible and many are suffering from other undiagnosed conditions. Fibro seems such a blanket title, rule out major things then if still there call it fibro?