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Guidelines for
Receiving Deep Tissue Bodywork Sessions
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Be in constant communication
with your practitioner. It is important to tell your practitioner what
you want worked on and then tell them when things hurt, how painful it
feels, where does it radiate to, when to apply more pressure and most importantly,
when to STOP.
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Be willing to express the pain.
Move with the pain or however your body feels like moving. You are not
required to lay motionless during a session. Verbally express the pain;
yelling, moaning, crying, and swearing are all acceptable forms of releasing
the pain. You are allowed to express yourself in any way you feel necessary.
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Focus on what it feels like to be on
the table. Be aware of what every breath feels like.
What muscles are moving, what muscles are contracting and releasing. Is
the air cool, warm, or just right? Does other areas of your body move or
not move? How does your body feel as it lays on the table? Can you
feel the contact in all areas? Do some areas not touch the table?
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Be aware of your breath. Your
breath can assist you in staying with the pain or other feelings that arise.
Breathing into the pain so that area of the body is filled with air and
then exhaling to release the area and any pain or emotion associated with
that area. Can you feel what happens in the rest of your body as you breath?
What muscles contract? What muscles relax? Can you feel the air go into
your lungs and through the passageways? Can you feel it move other
areas of your body like the bones of your skull or the joints of your feet
and ankles? Can you feel the exhalation take away the pain or reduce the
pain?
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Be in constant communication
with your practitioner to inform them as to what you are feeling.
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The practitioner should pause
after working intensely in areas and allow you to feel the changes that
have taken place. How does the area feel? Does it lie differently
on the table? Does it tingle, feel more alive or just ache or throb?
Is it different from the other side?
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Can you tell what direction
the pressure is in and how much pressure is being applied? The practitioner
may ask you to assign a number to the level of pain that you are feeling
( 1-10 with 10 being the highest amount of pain you want to feel). Can
you immediately assign a number to your pain level ? When asked to assign
a number to the level of pain do you hesitate and think about it or do
you immediately know? If you are able to say without hesitation this is
a sign that you are more present in your body and with the pain.
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Make sure you feel balanced
and grounded when you leave the office. Do you feel shaky, nauseas, light
headed or sick in anyway? Report these to your therapist at
once.
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When you are leaving the office
see if you can notice any difference in how you walk? How do you
hold yourself? How does it feel to breathe? How do other people look
to you? Does the world look any different?
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Take care of your self after
a session. Drink as much water as you can to flush the tissues out
and rehydrate them. Take a detox bath in epsom salt, baking soda
and sea salt ( about 1 cup of each). Allow yourself to relax and
feel your body.
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Report any feelings to your
therapist the next day or the next session. Call them if you are
not feeling well in any way.
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