Body Armoring & Recieving Massage: Not so Easy for Everyone

Doing these canned routines for massage therapy is a great disservice to a client who is shelling out a lot of money for every session. Bodies are not static and changes in technique should mirror changes in the body/mood.

I can essentially do identical techniques and strokes and have varied effects on different individuals. Moreover, I can do an identical technique to the same client in one session and do it again in another session and have a different response.

Hmmm why is this? Mental and emotional fluctuations and complex personal history. There is a concept massage therapists subscribe to called Body Armoring. It is a protective mechanism triggered by the nervous system in response to a threat, physical/mental/emotional trauma and other complex experiences. The "armor" shields off a part of the body/muscle/muscle group or a specific or general area. What is this lady talking about, you may ask? I have two good theoretical cases to help you understand. 1.) client A comes in for a massage and I can barely touch his head or neck. He winces, but he is not in pain. He reveals that as a child he was regularly physically abused by a parent 2.) client B's ankle was crushed in an accident some 10 years ago. His foot is unusually ticklish and he even becomes angry when touched in that area. Both clients have traumatic experiences programmed by the nervous system as protective mechanisms in specific areas of their bodies.

Sometimes massage can feel unpleasant on an area that is armored--like an aggravating sensation that tells the brain "stop touching me!" Or armor causes little pleasure or pain even though the tone of the muscle is clearly stressed and hypotonic. As long as the armor is up, it's difficult to make any progress no matter how much digging I do. More importantly, aggravating an armored area can HURT the person emotionally or degrade their trust in body workers.

The good news is that body armor can be removed even if temporarily if it is done carefully. Massaging is a negotiation between the muscles, nervous system and the therapist. In cases I come across armored areas I use very slow, medium to deep strokes to avoid triggering the nervous system from putting up the shield. I've been able to touch people in places where they are ticklish, sensitive or even "wake-up" the area where little sensation is experienced. The key is to recognize the defense mechanism and then work around it and very slowly and predictably move in. If the body tenses up, I start over. In successful cases I can release muscles and connective tissue and get that area accustomed to being touched, assuring the nervous system that the armoring is no longer needed.

This is why it is so important that I create individualized sessions. People's moods change sometimes moment to moment and issues like trauma, surgery, and injury have to always be kept in mind. I tend to be a very hyper-focused person and massage being one of my favorite things to do, I find myself almost in a meditative trance during a treatment. A therapist's mind that wanders is not going to be able to pick up on the subtleties that the body is trying to communicate. I firmly believe that if a therapist does not approach a client with a strong sense of empathy and sensitivity the client's nervous system WILL PROCESS THIS even before the client knows it consciously.

Trust between client and therapist is not always instant. It can be a big deal for a person to lay vulnerable on a table and allow a stranger to touch them, especially when they've experienced abuse or trauma and have never trusted someone to delve into their history. Eventually people start to relax during the massage and then a few visits later they receive massage so much better. The point is don't give up on the first try. Find someone you have a comfortable chemistry with who is willing to get to know your body and your vulnerabilities without judgment.