I've been kneading muscles and channeling my inner Eckhart Tolle for over 15 years, and let me tell you, the magic happens when you mix the two—it's like a cosmic smoothie for your mind, body, and spirit!
According to a 2021 report by The Lancet Neurology, it seems like one in three of us has a brain that's playing its own game, making neurological disorders the top reason for us feeling under the weather and out of action worldwide (Who.int).
Neurological conditions may encompass
Headaches/Migraines,
Strokes,
Brain Injuries,
Peripheral Neuropathy,
Carpel tunnel Syndrome,
Digestive disorders like IBS,
Early signs of Cardiovascular issues,
Autoimmune Disorders ( Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia)
Spinal Cord Injuries
endocrine disorders { diabetes. hypo/hyperthyroidism)
Autism
The nervous system is split into two parts: the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic s
Systems. The Sympathetic Nervous System is all about fight, flight, freeze, and being on the go. On the other hand, the Parasympathetic System is for chilling out and digesting. In our culture of being on the go, our Parasympathetic Nervous System has weakened. When these systems aren't balanced, it can really mess with our health.
Dr. Joe Dispenza says picture a deer sprinting away from a lion (cue the dramatic music for the sympathetic nervous system). In the wild, the lion eventually gets pooped after about 30 minutes, giving the deer a chance to chill out and munch on some grass (enter the parasympathetic system with a gentle harp melody). While the deer is in full run for your life mode, all its energy is going to the muscles, not to the organs, tissues for healing, or even to its social life or happiness. In today's world, our "lion" is actually our thoughts, judgments, stressors, and fears. Dr. Fred Luskin from Stanford says the average person has 60,000 of these little mental lions, and 90% of them are like that one song you can't get out of your head—repetitive. Now, imagine that poor deer running for days, months, or even years with barely any nap time. Maybe that's why neurological dysfunction has increased 18% since 1990 (thanks, Google AI, for that fun fact).
How can you connect into mindfulness through therapeutic touch? It's when the practitioner and client decide to treat the session as a meditative bodywork experience. They focus on being in the moment through breath, touch, body sensations, and the sounds around them. Any random thoughts or images (like mental lions) that pop up are just seen as passing clouds, not something to run from. This helps the practitioner concentrate on the quality of touch and build trust with the client. It allows the client to deeply relax/sleep/ reboot their nervous system, heal the body, and feel revitalized. These meditative bodywork sessions often help clients reconnect with their bodies and feel more in tune with life, letting go of worries and mental images.
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