Massage Technique Origins
The origins of massage can be traced back to the second century B.C.
Massage Therapy is a diverse field. There are many different types and techniques of massage therapy.
Massage Technique Origins
We know that the first actual writings on massage techniques came from the father of medicine, Hippocrates. “The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly also in rubbing; for things that have the same name have not always the same effects. For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid … Rubbing can bind and loosen; can make flesh and cause parts to waste.”[See The History of Massage, by Robert Noah Calvert].
There are more than 100 different types of massage techniques. Massage has developed in every continent and in every culture. How did all of these massage techniques develop? I believe that at its most basic level, massage developed out of purely instinctual responses. If you hurt, you rub to make yourself feel better. If your child is hurt, you put your hand where they are hurting.
Origins of Modern Massage Techniques and Bodywork Practices
In Asia, Amma massage was thought to have arisen out of the basic instinctual response to rub cold hands and feet. Robert Noah Calvert suggested that midwives played a very big part in the development of massage. Pregnant women and women in labour share the same pain experiences and instinctively and intuitively know what would help to alleviate some of the discomfort.
Massage and Bodywork Techniques
Judith Aston created the technique, Aston Patterning following a very serious car accident. The technique she developed was part of her own personal healing journey.
Frederick Matthias Alexander was a Shakespearean Orator who who lost his voice while on stage. He developed the Alexander technique following his own journey of self-healing and understanding of habitual body posturing and chronic muscle tension.
Therese C. Pfrimmer, a Canadian nurse and massage therapist discovered a massage technique that she applied to herself. She was suffering from paralysis of her lower extremities. The technique of Pfrimmer Deep Muscle therapy arose out of her own recovery.
Thomas A. Bowen developed the Bowen technique. Although he was untrained, he claimed that he could sense subtle vibrations in the body and performed simple manipulations to help address and alleviate pain. Bowtech is the original Bowen technique that uses gentle "moves" over the muscle and other soft tissue to affect and balance the whole body.
© Copyright, Sylvia Carlson, February 2007. Reproduction without permission prohibited
