Body Sense

10 Body Sense 10 Body Sense touch, movement, or energetic work." (Massage Therapy Principles and Practices, 5th edition) From these definitions, we can distill the follow points: 1. Massage is manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body (in other words, direct physical contact). 2. Bodywork can involve manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body; however, it is a broader term than massage, encompassing more types of contact than direct soft-tissue manipulation. THE BODYWORK SMORGASBORD What exactly are these other types of contact? There are well over 250 recognized bodywork modalities, or approaches, that can be utilized to promote therapeutic outcomes. Therapeutic change can result not only from direct manual manipulation of soft tissue, but also from working with a client indirectly. Here are a few examples. Movement Therapy This form of bodywork is based on the idea that over time we learn how to move in a particular way because of habitual, repetitive actions of daily life. These patterns can cause restrictions that often result in discomfort and pain. The aim is to restore function by increasing self-awareness of what you do every day, how you move, and choosing new ways of moving that are healthy. Often a session has little to do with the therapist touching the client, but rather observing and instructing new movement patterns. Examples include Feldenkrais, Alexander technique, and Aston-Patterning. DEFINING FACTORS In order to effectively differentiate the terms massage and bodywork, let's compare and contrast definitions offered by experts in the field. Massage • "A system of structured palpation or movement of the soft tissue of the body." (www.massagetherapy.com) • "The scientific art and system of assessment of and manual application of certain techniques to the superficial soft tissue of the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia and other structures that lie within the superficial tissue." (Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage, 5th edition) • "Manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of establishing and maintaining good health and promoting wellness." (Salvo, Massage Therapy Principles and Practices, 5th edition) Bodywork • "Various forms of touch therapies that may use manipulation, movement, and/ or repatterning to affect structural changes to the body." (www.massagetherapy.com) • "A term that encompasses all the various forms of massage, movement, and other touch therapies." (Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage, 5th edition) • "A generic term used to describe any therapeutic or personal self-development practice that may include massage, healing

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