Emotional Release

It is well known that muscles and other tissues in your body hold tension and patterns from previous experiences. Most people associate this with traumatic physical events like falling from the top of a cheerleading pyramid or perhaps something as simple as twisting the wrong way when reaching to pick up a box. But did you know that there is also a certain amount of emotion held up in those tissues as well? It’s true! Your body, not just your brain, plays a key role in memory and emotional storage.

This can be a bit of a double-edged sword however. As I am sure you have noticed, in times of great emotional stress, you begin to feel physically stressed as well. If left unresolved, the buildup of stress can have long-term effects on your body, lasting long after the emotional stress has faded or been suppressed. Your body moves into a holding pattern that feels safe, even though it may be having a detrimental impact on your health and wellness. So what happens when you go to have the physical stress dealt with?

The term "emotional release" has been around in the massage therapy world for quite some time now. Perhaps you have heard the term but have never thought about what it really means. The fact is, most people have experienced emotional release during or after a massage and have had no idea that this is what they were experiencing. The body-mind connection is very strong. When your body finally tells you it has had enough and you go in for a massage to correct the ailment that is reducing your quality of life, things can get tricky. The therapist begins work on an area and suddenly whatever emotions you though had faded or been sufficiently supressed flood back to you. For some, there comes an image attached to the emotion that you can relate to; for others there is no rhyme or reason to it – you just feel. Whatever the emotion was that was tied into your tissues, it is suddenly being let go and you are left with emotions you didn’t know were there. This can be anything from mad, sad, glad, scared, or even frustrated. It can happen during or even after a treatment. This is called “emotional release”.

So why is it important for you to know what “emotional release” is? First, when emotions come up out of nowhere, you can be assured that it is normal – you are not the only one this has ever happened to and it isn’t something to be afraid of. Second, knowing what emotional release is helps you to process it better when it occurs to you. Third, it is important to know that the massage therapy treatment room is a non-judgemental, safe environment. Most, if not all, RMTs have dealt with some form of emotional release on the table. They know that it happens, and while they cannot counsel you through your emotional trauma, they will sit and be an ear to talk to if that is what you need, and they can help you to regain your focus. Finally, if you need your treatment to stop or change at any time to accommodate dealing with your emotional release, please say so. You have the right to stop or alter your treatment at any time. Some people need the RMT to keep working for them to deal with their emotions, and some need complete hands off time. 

Whichever you need, inform your RMT so it can be done: many times orthopedic conditions are held back from progressing by emotions that have not been dealt with because you didn’t know they were there to begin with – my suggestion would be to embrace it and figure out how you need to deal with your emotions on an individual basis. It is important for your body and mind to embrace emotional releases, however they come up. 

<Photo Credit: http://atelierenews.blogspot.ca>