| Emotional release, the process of bringing into the present moment a previously unexpressed emotion, is a common but rarely explored phenomenon in massage therapy. This experience is able to access levels of emotion that may not be accessible through traditional psychotherapy. There is a long line of theorists in psychology, including Freud, Reich, Lowen and Perls, that believed that the body and mind are interconnected and that the body holds repressed, unconscious emotions that can only be released through bodywork. This project used a phenomenological method to explore the meaningful structure of participants who have experienced emotional release while being massaged by a licensed massage therapist. Through analyzing the first-hand accounts of participants, this study found that massage therapy evokes emotions that are stored within the body, opening a clearing for these previously unexpressed emotions to be brought into the present. These emotions gradually increase in intensity until giving one the sensation of being completely immersed. After the emotions are present and felt, a release occurs, leaving one with a sense of well-being and the ability to move more freely within themselves. The findings of this study support the efficacy for a more embodied mode of treatment, thus avoiding the problems of dualistic interventions that are not able to access emotions stored within the body. |
