It has recently been known that WHO (World Health Organization) predicted that by 2020 major depression will be next to heart disease as a leading cause of disability all over the world. This will mean that a few more years from now, depression will affect many individuals and will need serious solutions.
Massage has been referred to as one of the oldest forms of treatment for mood elevation. Massage historically has proved to be a form of practice of fundamental humanness For example, when a friend comes to us in grief of depression, we try to comfort them by way of a hug, a pat on the shoulder or a hug. These are expressions of humanness.
In the medical community during mid-century massage was replaced with technology and pharmacology. Prior to this, massage was utilized in sanatoriums and psychiatric hospitals. Today, while massage therapy appears to be gaining popularity, it still has not received the same attention from the scientific community as other forms of treatment. Massage therapy appears as an alternative form of therapy despite its long history as a seemingly simple and intuitive solution to many human ailments.
In general, many of the studies conducted on the effects of massage therapy demonstrate: decrease in depressed moods, anxiety levels and stress hormones Once we understand how this works, it may shed greater light on the interaction between body and mind. While few would doubt the relaxing effect of massage, the research cannot conclusively tell us why.
Why Does Massage Make you Feel Better? Is it physical or psychological? I mean, was it the physical response to being the recipient of touch, or was it the psychological response? Or perhaps it was both? How can a massage change our chemical make-up? We do know that touch is a matter of survival for the human species. But really, why did the massage group feel better?
There is something very basic and fundamental about massage that speaks to our humanness. Touch is a whole other way of communicating beyond the skin.
Human beings need touch – to grow, to develop, to mature, to survive, and to thrive.