Pain as part of healing

The body has an interesting response to injury. Have you ever had a sprained ankle? As soon as the ankle swells with inflammation and pain starts, the muscles all around the injury tighten up. This tightening is called muscle splinting, and it’s the body’s effort to immobilize the injury to prevent more damage. Sometimes the body forgets to relax the muscles and unsplint the area after the injury starts to get better. Unfortunately, this tends to stop the healing process, leaving weakened tissue, trigger points, and energy blocks in the meridians.

Healing techniques can restart the healing process by shifting the energy block and bringing energy into the area. When energy flows, circulation follows. Before you know it, the muscles are relaxing and the old injury is waking up! Although it may feel bad, this is a great sign that healing processes are underway and pain-free function is around the corner. The presence of pain — when no underlying injury is being aggravated and the receiver is in a comfortable position — gives good information about the health and energy flow (or lack thereof) in an area. If everything is physically okay, the pain may be the effects of increased qi (see Chapter 1 for more on qi) into a blocked area. Pain during a session usually decreases as the blocked energy begins to move, and you can continue working as long as the pain isn’t excessive.

If the person you’re treating feels increased pain, has an emotional release, or feels uncomfortable in some way during the session, use this information to direct the session and be more effective. Ask whether she wants less pressure or whether she wants to stop the session, but don’t assume that she wants to stop or that what’s happening is bad. Stay calm and centered and let the energy do its job. By staying calm and centered, you can allow healing space where your receiver can explore the blocks in his or her energy flow and maybe even shift them permanently. Good pain is the pain of healing. Bad pain is the pain of injury.

Telling the difference can be difficult. Usually, good pain has an element of relief to it, and even though you feel sore, it hurts in good way. Good pain usually likes pressure and touch, doesn’t last long, and gets better each day. Bad pain feels like damage is occurring. It may be red, hot, and angry feeling. It doesn’t want to be touched and may get worse before it gets better.

Reaching those difficult places in Acupressure and Reflexology

If you’re treating yourself, you can easily reach all the reflexology points and many of the acupressure points; however, some of the acupressure points require a bit of twisting and stretching; and still others may not be reachable at all! You may wish that you needed acupressure only on the easy points, but most people want to reach the points on the back the most. That’s when a few tools can come in handy. Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Two tennis balls and a sock: The easiest and perhaps best tool you can ever have is simply made up of two tennis balls and a sock. Put the tennis balls in the sock all the way to the toe, and then tie the end of the sock so that the balls are held tightly together. Voilà — an acupressure tool! Simply place this tool of advanced technology between your back and the floor when lying down, or lean against a wall with the sock between your back and the wall (this technique works well when you want less pressure than your full body weight). Experiment by moving, rolling, and pressing to create the pressure you want on the areas you most need.
• Professional acupressure tools for the back: The best type of tool we’ve found for back acupressure points is anything with a knob ending on a curved or S-shaped rod. You can position the curve around your body or over your shoulder to place the knob exactly where you need it. A little leverage is all you need for just the right amount of pressure to feel the ahh of relief.

Of course, feet are pretty easy to reach — you probably need tools only if your thumbs get sore (this applies to both acupressure and reflexology). In that case, you may want to try any of the hand-held acupressure tools with knobby ends. They allow you to apply pressure but still give your thumbs a break. General stimulation on your feet is also good, and you can buy lots of rollers and massage mats for pressure point stimulation of the feet. You can easily find acupressure tools on the Internet — simply perform a search, using Massage Tools or Acupressure Tools as your keywords.

When and where to get or provide a healing session

One of the best things about acupressure and reflexology is that you can use them virtually anywhere at anytime. You don’t need elaborate, time-consuming preparations or a lot of expensive, bulky equipment. If you’re treating yourself, all you really need is a peaceful space and your own two hands (a few tools may help, too). If you’re treating someone else, you still need only your hands and a quiet moment. Of course, the ideal is to have a clean, quiet, comfortable space with no interruptions, but you can certainly help ease a headache by pressing points even when sitting on a busy bus. So don’t hold back; use acupressure and reflexology when you need them!
When to start? The sooner, the better — especially if you’re suffering from any kind of pain or discomfort. For best results, plan your acupressure and reflexology sessions for a time when you can concentrate without distractions. The exact timing often depends on your personality and preferences. Just as some people are night owls who like to conduct important tasks in the wee hours of the night, most people find that they most enjoy sessions at certain times of the day. Many people like to schedule their sessions for right before bed so that they can take advantage of the relaxing nature of these healing sessions. Others find the sessions invigorating, and thus view them as the perfect way to start the day.
The frequency of sessions may also vary depending on your preferences. You may experience a bit of soreness or sensitivity following an intense session. If so, you may want to wait a day or two before your next session. On the other hand, some people treat themselves to numerous mini-sessions several times throughout the day, and this practice isn’t unusual. The important thing is to let your body be your guide and do whatever feels best for you.

Benefits and drawbacks of Acupressure and Reflexology

You can find many benefits of participating in acupressure and reflexology. First and foremost, you probably feel better (possibly a lot better) after just the first session. Many people are pleasantly surprised at the noticeable improvement after their session.
Another benefit, if you perform a healing plan on yourself, is that you become much more in tune with your own body and the effect that healing sessions can have on it. This benefit gives you a boost of confidence in your power over pain and your ability to heal yourself or others. You may be amazed at the new revelations you discover about the connection between pain and its source(s). You may begin to see your body in an entirely new and fascinating way.
Healing sessions have few (if any) drawbacks if they’re conducted properly. Obviously, you should use care and exert only enough pressure to perform the techniques without causing discomfort. Make sure that you’re not using these techniques as a substitute for medical care and treatment. Serious illnesses and injuries need to be addressed by a doctor. Healing therapy should be applied in conjunction with a medical treatment plan, not in place of it.

Acupressure Reflexology Basics

Anyone, at any time, can benefit from the techniques involved in bodywork. These healing strategies — whether self-administered or given to another —can relax and rejuvenate the body, and they’re almost guaranteed to make you feel better, even if you’re not in pain. However, people with pain or discomfort benefit the most from healing therapies. If you have aches, pains, sore muscles, or virtually any other source of physical discomfort, you’re in need of a healing session. A weekend warrior still recovering from Saturday’s football game? A healing session may be exactly what he needs. A busy mom whose back and legs ache from chasing after kids all day? She, too, should treat herself to a session, pronto.
Whether you plan to treat yourself or others, you just need to know the fundamentals of the healing arts. By simply brushing up on the basics of acupressure and reflexology, you can accomplish amazing results. Before you attempt to exert those powers on others, however, take care of the items on this list:

• Do some basic research. This research ensures that you know the essentials of conducting a healing session.
• Make sure that the receiver is ready for the healing plan and able to experience a session safely. In the case of illness or injury, this step may involve consulting with a doctor before embarking on any healing plan.