A Revolution in Massage: Rethinking Traditional Deep Tissue Techniques

There is a state of relaxation where the brain achieves Delta Wave activity during which the vast majority of our physical, emotional, and nervous system healing takes place, and the bulk of the materials required for cellular growth and repair is produced. This includes much of the production of immune system and cancer fighting proteins and hormones, memory consolidation, emotion balancing processes, almost all growth hormone production, and much more. Massage CAN bring a person into this type of relaxation – even deep massage – as long as it does not activate the client’s defensive system.

Because pain and the anticipation of pain heightens a person's defensiveness, deep tissue techniques that rely on painful pressure are preventing the brain waves from slowing into the delta wave state of relaxation – sometimes for days or longer after the treatment. By inhibiting the Delta stage to cycle into a client’s brain activity, these traditional deep massages are suppressing a long list of vital healing processes that either occur entirely during the delta wave state of relaxation, or are exponentially more prevalent during the delta state. When we understand how these approaches to deep work prevent these NECESSARY healing processes – and I hope to document these proofs in this book to beyond the shadow of a doubt veracity - then the temporary relief from trigger points and contracted tissue that many traditional deep massages might provide cannot possibly be justified as “worth the negative side effects” any longer. The end no longer justifies the means. Especially if there is another massage form available that is just as effective and is not detrimental to the client’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being.