Creating Embodied Safety
Through moderate, thoughtful touch, your nervous system shifts into a restorative state. Breathing slows, heart rate steadies, digestion calms—this is the Vagal effect, where parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity increases. A review of the literature, including studies with real human moderate-pressure massage, showed that moderate pressure significantly raises vagal tone, lowers cortisol, heart rate, and increases oxytocin—supporting deep relaxation and systemic balance (click here to see study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25172313/ ).
Importantly, touch must feel pleasant and safe. If it feels jarring, causes grimacing, or if someone winces under the pressure——that’s a red flag. Tolerating pain in a session may seem fine short-term, but bruised tissue can hinder function, slow recovery, and cloud what’s truly happening beneath the surface. That means touch can feel deeply therapeutic—not because it hurts, but because it’s delivered with presence and calibration to your comfort.
Touch Activates Pain‑Relief Pathways
When we apply compression or stretch to the skin and underlying tissues, it triggers pain-relieving mechanisms like gate control theory—pressure signals travel through larger fibers to “close the gate” on pain. Clinical trials show massage can help relieve chronic low back pain and improve function, especially when paired with movement and education (click here to see study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1876616/ ). Additional neuroscience affirms that deliberate sensory input to the skin can modulate the brain’s pain interpretation—even if tissue damage and pain perception don’t always match (click here to see study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28340086/ ).
Touch as Placebo & Teaching Tool
Your belief and expectation aren’t just mental—they shape how your body responds. Placebo mechanisms have been shown to engage endogenous opioids and brain networks that alter pain perception, even when people knowingly receive a placebo. One recent experimental study found that individuals using massage (as a body‑mind practice) exhibited changes in pain perception linked to affective expectation (not just cognition) highlighting how meaningful touch, belief, and safety can amplify healing potential (click here to see study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11001249/ ). If you believe something is happening during our session, then great—this is your body’s way of working with what I’m offering. The mind and body are deeply connected, and sometimes the belief in the possibility of healing is enough to move the body toward it. But, a true practitioner will never claim to “heal” you with their hands.As for techniques like the “crack” or “pop” you sometimes hear in joint work—that’s called cavitation. It’s the release of gas from a joint, and while it’s often accompanied by a stretch or touch, it’s essentially a way to temporarily reduce the perception of pain.
But remember: this is not a fix. The ache in your neck or the stiffness in your lower back likely didn’t appear overnight, and it’s not going away overnight either. These pains and aches often serve as a signal from your body—whether it’s too much stress, a bad sleep, or a muscle strain. The trick is to listen to your body, figure out why it’s happening, and stop doing what caused it in the first place. Massage isn’t a “quick fix,” but rather a delivery of rest—without any medication. True healing comes when your body feels safe enough to rest and heal on its own. Also, if you’re stressed, your body won’t be able to heal itself. This is why part of the work I do is about creating a safe environment for you to find rest, and from there, we can work together on the movement protocols that will help you feel better.
Massage (manual therapy) isn’t magic—it’s supportive, rest-creating touch combined with mindful care and compassionate presence.
My role as a wellness guide is not to fix or heal you with hands, but to offer a space where your body can feel safe enough to tap into its own ability to restore.