Meet Laura
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Laura finally experienced positive touch again after childhood abuse.
Laura first began seeing a massage therapist over 20 years ago to address physical symptoms she was still experiencing from childhood abuse. She viewed massage therapy as an opportunity to release the trauma she was carrying in her body.
“It helped me reconnect to my body and begin to experience positive touch for the first time.”
When she first began seeing her RMT, she was terrified by touch and embarrassed by her body. Her massage therapist would check in frequently, only proceeding if and when Laura felt comfortable. Although she eventually learned to accept touch as a positive thing, it was a difficult adjustment.
“There were times massage would unlock a very painful memory in my body and I would need to have a good cry, and often times I would just shake because of the pain,” Laura explained. “I was blessed to have a massage therapist who was very caring and supportive at those times.”
During this initial phase of her treatment, Laura also worked closely with her psychotherapist, and was able to change the relationship she had with her body.
“It was a time of discovering many painful memories in my body, releasing them and letting them go”, she said. “I have a comfort and ease with my body now that I never had before.”
Massage therapy has also helped Laura from a purely physical level, helping her to feel relaxed and free up the tightness she feels she holds in her body.
“I love the freedom it has given me back in my body to move and loosen up,” Laura said.
Massage therapy has helped her move more freely and painless as well as develop a true appreciation for what it feels like when her muscles are relaxed.
“I learned that I have carried so much tightness and pain in my body, I had no idea what it feels like to relax,” she said. “Massage has given me a really good awareness of my body.”
In addition to the reduction in pain, Laura noticed that the treatments also helped her to complete her daily activities more easily.
“I remember there were times that running a vacuum around was painful for my back and after having a massage I was able to do so with a lot more ease,” she said.
Her massage therapist was also able to help her with chronic migraines and constant pain in her neck, back and shoulders. Massage therapy was one of the only things she tried that helped her find immediate relief for her migraines.
“I would arrive with a headache and leave without one,” Laura said.
Laura also enjoyed the overall positive experience and atmosphere that massage therapy provided.
She added, “I love the quiet, calmness that massages can be, and the wonderful sense of peace I would feel after my body was worked on.”
Once she began receiving massage therapy treatments, Laura began to understand the importance of regular massage therapy treatments for her overall health and wellness.
“If you have never tried it – try it,” she says. “You may feel uncomfortable at first, but the relief you feel in your body is worth it.”
Laura hopes to continue with massage therapy as a form of maintenance for her body and as a way to help her relax and manage her chronic pain.