Phenomenal Touch- more than a massage, Part 2

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Take in this image. How does this resonate in your body? Ahhh, I can feel the stretch, the elongation; slowly, gently and fully supported from underneath.

Every body likes to get stretched and moved differently. Finding the unique unfolding of the tissue for every client makes it interesting and fun. It isn’t just the arm that is being stretched; you can see the whole shoulder joint including the clavicle, the neck, almost the whole torso is engaged.

A client described feeling pulled like taffy. It takes warming up the tissue to be able to sink into deeper layers and the image of taffy works beautifully to envision how muscles will soften and stretch. If one tries to bend taffy when cold, it will not budge or be brittle and break. When warmed up it can almost be sculpted like clay.

In the image you can see a quality of surrender in letting the whole body respond to a stretch or move. Surrender only can happen if there is trust and the feeling of safety. One can only feel safe when there is enough support and the move or stretch is at the perfect speed for the muscles to let go. If the speed is too fast, the muscles will want to guard and tighten.  Trust also has to develop over time between client and therapist.  Finding and building that trust and providing the safety for the body to unfold is one of the most important goals in my Phenomenal Touch Sessions.

As the image from Part 1, this image is part of the exhibit “Body as Art”; a collaboration of Antje Roitzsch and Deborah Cautela, both Phenomenal Touch Master Practitioners, Photographer Lisa Elizabeth and 4 models.

This exhibit was inspired by having massaged many different bodies over the years and developed the sense of awe, reverence and honor to meet the person where they are. To work with different bodies and body types, treasuring and celebrating each and every one of them as a creation of art.