Reflexology – more than just a foot massage
World Reflexology Week 2021
It’s World Reflexology Week (20th – 26th September) and I wanted to share my personal experience. Over the past 18 years, reflexology has transformed my life both as a therapist and as a client.
When I signed up to the Natural Health Practitioner’s diploma course at the Raworth International Centre, I didn’t have a clue what reflexology was. I’d gone there to learn about aromatherapy and massage, and reflexology was part of the course. My health was just about recovering after living with symptoms of chronic fatigue for a year. I’d completed a degree in Physiotherapy and I knew I needed to find a more holistic approach.
How can a foot rub help people feel better?
Honestly – my first thought when I found out reflexology was part of the course was “Yuck, I don’t want to touch people’s feet”! Coming from a conventional medical background, I was also skeptical – how could a foot rub help people feel better?
On the course, we learned all kinds of techniques to assess and treat a client. An amazing thing about Raworth was their ‘body box’; local residents would sign up for free treatments with student therapists. This meant I got my hands on clients pretty much straight away.
Even nearly two decades on, I can remember the lightbulb moment. A lovely lady in her sixties had come in for a treatment. I picked up something unusual in her gallbladder area, suggesting that she see her GP if she had any concerns. Sure enough, she returned and told me that her GP had diagnosed gallstones. The story doesn’t end here; energetically, gallstones are considered to be linked to bitter thoughts & experiences. When asked if there was something going on in her life that she felt bitter about, she visibly shrunk. It turned out that earlier that year, her husband had left her for a younger woman.
So now I had the confirmation that the mind and body were inextricably connected. I went on to see how reflexology can help people manage issues as diverse as pain, anxiety, depression, multiple sclerosis and infertility.
How reflexology has helped me
Whilst working in London, I helped many couples conceive the baby they so wished for. So when it came to my own challenges with fertility, I knew where to turn. My issues were complex & although reflexology wasn’t the only factor, I do believe it helped me overcome fibroids, PCOS and 7 years infertility. I also used self-reflexology techniques during labour and didn’t need any other pain relief.
Is reflexology all about the feet?
As well as foot reflexology, I offer hand and facial reflexology in my treatment room between Canterbury, Sandwich and Margate, Kent. Not local? No problem. My hour-long online facial reflexology and yoga nidra workshop can be arranged at a time to suit you and has been described as “utter bliss”!
Can reflexology support you?
Reflexology is an holistic, complementary treatment. That means you can use it alongside any conventional medical treatment – in fact, I worked with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust to provide reflexology for people undergoing cancer treatment. My once skeptical mind now understands that reflexology works because, like other complementary therapy treatments, it activates the parasympathetic nervous response.
In a nutshell, it helps your body and mind to relax, so that you switch from ‘fight or flight’ mode to ‘rest and digest’ mode. Here, your body can un-do the effects of stress and tension – often resulting in better mood, improved sleep, reduced pain levels and an enhanced ability to cope with whatever life throws your way!
Want to know more?
Please feel free to get in touch with any questions – I’d love to hear from you!
Leave A Comment