Massage Therapy & Aromatherapy
Although massage therapy is primarily designed to be an enjoyable kinesthetic and tactile experience (i.e. touch), other senses can be opened to soothe the savage beast (or at least a stressed out one).
One of the other primary senses which is extremely sensitive and can be easily calmed with the right tools is smell. Smell can elicit powerful responses, particularly through emotions and remembering memories associated with that smell.
In massage therapy, Aromatherapy using essential oils are often employed. Either put into a diffuser to allow the whole room to smell nice or placed directly in the massage oil and applied topically. If it is placed in a massage oil, the massage oil is called the carrier oil. Since essential oils are so strong, typically only a few drops are needed. Sometimes, candles or incense which contain the essential oils are also used.
By far, the most popular essential oil used is Lavender. Other popular ones include Rose oil, Chammomile, and Geranium among others.
It's easy to start using essential oils, most are offered by your local health food store. But with essential oils you really do get what you pay for. Quality and purity counts when picking essential oils.
When it comes to essential oils, a little goes a long way. You will definitely need to do your research first, some oils are not supposed to be placed on your skin even when diluted.
Case in point, I have a friend who put bergamot on her skin and was outside for a prolonged period of time. And it actually created a 3rd degree burn. She never noticed it, since it was a 3rd degree, there was no pain. However, it is now discolored and looks to have left a scar.
So be careful. Do your homework. There are alot of terrific aromatherapy sites and books out there. Heed the warnings, use the oils and you'll begin to experience the powerful and healing results of essential oils and aromatherapy during a massage.
One of the other primary senses which is extremely sensitive and can be easily calmed with the right tools is smell. Smell can elicit powerful responses, particularly through emotions and remembering memories associated with that smell.
In massage therapy, Aromatherapy using essential oils are often employed. Either put into a diffuser to allow the whole room to smell nice or placed directly in the massage oil and applied topically. If it is placed in a massage oil, the massage oil is called the carrier oil. Since essential oils are so strong, typically only a few drops are needed. Sometimes, candles or incense which contain the essential oils are also used.
By far, the most popular essential oil used is Lavender. Other popular ones include Rose oil, Chammomile, and Geranium among others.
It's easy to start using essential oils, most are offered by your local health food store. But with essential oils you really do get what you pay for. Quality and purity counts when picking essential oils.
When it comes to essential oils, a little goes a long way. You will definitely need to do your research first, some oils are not supposed to be placed on your skin even when diluted.
Case in point, I have a friend who put bergamot on her skin and was outside for a prolonged period of time. And it actually created a 3rd degree burn. She never noticed it, since it was a 3rd degree, there was no pain. However, it is now discolored and looks to have left a scar.
So be careful. Do your homework. There are alot of terrific aromatherapy sites and books out there. Heed the warnings, use the oils and you'll begin to experience the powerful and healing results of essential oils and aromatherapy during a massage.
posted by Robert at 5:41 AM
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