When it comes to sorting through the various types of bodywork, massage therapy services, and other alternative treatments, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you through the process.
- Decide what your goals are. Some people want to enhance their immunity, others want to improve their flexibility or reduce stress, and
others are looking for a good, old-fashioned rub. - Familiarize yourself with different approaches. Read, talk to those in the know, interview prospective therapists.
- Trust your intuition. If something really resonates with you, try it. If something works for your best friend but you’re not drawn to it, pay attention to that, too.
- Experiment. Research and intuition will narrow the field, but ultimately you’ve got to give different methods a shot. Bodywork is so individual. You’ll know soon enough if something is right for you. The body doesn’t lie.
Evaluating your progress
What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Nor are all massage therapists – or any type of bodywork, for that matter – created equal. The success of bodywork often depends on where someone is in their life and whether they’re ready to make changes. Still, there are ways to determine if an approach is working for you:
- Set goals with your therapist at the outset, including the number of sessions needed to achieve them. Good practitioners should be clear about what they’re offering and what the limits are.
- Don’t bail prematurely. Stick to your plan – unless otherwise the technique or the therapist makes you uncomfortable. It’s easy to jump from one thing to the next without experiencing any one bodywork method very deeply.
- Don’t stay too long. Once you’ve give the practice a fair shot, assess your progress. If you see improvement, you may want to continue. But it’s not worth anything if it’s not doing something positive and you’re not feeling better.
- Trust your judgment. Only you can really know if a treatment is working. If you start to feel resistance toward a previously helpful technique or practitioner, bring it up. A body therapy can have a limited shelf life.
We also encourage our clients to make the decision that feels right for them when choosing a practitioner at In Balance to work with. The nuances of all types of bodywork, and each individual bodyworker, are worth paying attention to. In fact, if you don’t go with your gut, you may end up going in a direction you never intended to go.
Learn about the healing massage and bodywork services offered at our center.
