As they struggle to make sense of what has happened to them, the majority of individuals who experience severe trauma develop such acute, short-term symptoms as sleep disturbances and physical pain. Others, unfortunately, develop chronic symptoms related to their experience of trauma. The impact of such symptoms has a neurobiological basis and crosses physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries. Such clients present significant challenges to the massage therapist s skills and knowledge in the treatment room. This article examines the signs and symptoms of chronic PTSD and the role of the massage therapist in dealing with them.
Massage therapists can teach clients safe and effective ways of self-soothing and stress management.
People who have been traumatized are no longer at home in their bodies. Talk therapy alone does not always adequately address the fear and mistrust that has been encoded into their bodies. In a multidisciplinary context, massage therapy can help bring clients back into themselves by increasing their ability to feel safety and mastery in the world, to be freely curious without fear, to feel comfortable with their body, and to experience boundaried intimacy with another human being. Many clients have traumatic histories and exhibit the signs and symptoms of PTSD, whether or not the massage therapist is aware. Women were at twice the risk of men in developing PTSD, and those with PTSD were at increased risk of developing other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and mood disorders.