Benefits of Massage Therapy for PTSD

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition caused by a traumatic event that is experienced by or witnessed by. Symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares about the event, depression, chronic pain and severe anxiety. Symptoms can include all of these and more.

The stress of coping with PTSD, can cause high blood pressure which in turn is hypertension. Learning to cope with hypertension, through yoga or meditation is helpful in decreasing the sympathetic nervous system firing. Adding massage therapy as one of the tools in helping eliminate some of the symptoms of PTSD can aid greatly.

Massage therapy encourages relaxation. When first starting massage therapy, it can be intimidating. New person and new surroundings. Building a relationship with the client will help the client to feel safe and comfortable in the treatment room. During the treatment, tightness and trigger points are addressed which can help alleviate some of the muscle pain. This can aid in more range of motion and flexibility for the client, which can lessen some of the stress and anxiety that the client may be experiencing. More benefits include increasing the circulation and decreasing stress hormones.

The duty of a massage therapist is to provide human touch that is kind and positive experience for the clients. Having a client who lives with PTSD to feel comfortable and safe during the experience, is empowering as those two feelings may be feelings that the client struggles with on a daily basis.

Kenzie