Somatic and psychosomatic change takes time
Bodywork treatments are only meaningful when they initiate true changes within you. Self-care is important to manage these changes safely and to make sure you stay resilient and emotionally balanced…
Investing in bodywork therapy will only be effective if it results in physical, emotional, and energetic changes that are meaningful to you. For these changes to be real, they must be tangible and noticeable. If not immediately, you must experience improvements progressively that are relevant to your unique concerns and conditions.
This page offers suggestions on how you can manage these changes best after your treatment.
Why is self-care after your bodywork treatment important?
One characteristic of our bodywork treatments is that they continue to have effect for some time after your session completes. During your treatment, your therapist helps your body initiate adjustments. By leveraging its own healing capabilities your body then gradually responds to these adjustments, at its own pace. You may still feel such responses two or even three days after your treatment. Responses such as the ones listed below should be welcomed. They signify that you are responding as expected and that the treatment therefore resulted in a healing process.
It is important to pay attention to what is happening within you physically and emotionally during the four days that follow that of your treatment. This is especially important when you are still new to our bodywork therapies, mostly because effects will be most profound and noticeable. Over time, as you progress through your treatment programme, you and your body will become more familiar with the treatments, which will then become more subtle.
Things you can do after your bodywork treatment.
The following list is based on the feedback we received from our clients over the years. As you will always respond to our treatments in your own unique ways you may experience only some of the following symptoms, others, or none at all. Also keep in mind that your responses may vary between treatments.
Please do not consider this list complete or conclusive. It will be updated regularly.
Managing dizziness and balance
You can expect to feel dizzy and disoriented after your treatment. As your body adjusts to its authentic posture it is likely to behave differently after your treatment. This usually affects your sense of balance, which is monitored by two small organs that are located behind your ears.
Another common cause is an optimised circulation, which may transport higher concentrations of oxygen throughout your body.
Feeling thirsty
It is normal to feel dehydrated after bodywork treatments. We strongly suggest not to consume caffeine and alcohol for at least two hours after your treatment and to generally avoid so-called energy drinks. Herbal tea and clean drinking water are your best options.
Managing feelings and emotions
Expect some emotional shifts, which may not always be logical or rational. These shifts can occur spontaneously. If you become emotionally unbalanced, remember to stay calm and unattached. Emotional reactions to treatments can be disproportionate to reality and are seldom true reflections of what’s actually going on in your life.
You manage emotional responses to your treatments best by avoiding situations that can trigger and amplify them. If you can, take some time after your treatment to find some solitude and privacy to reflect on your feelings. When necessary, inform others of your need for ‘alone-time’.
Keep in mind that emotional shifts may sometimes continue up to three days after your treatment. They usually lessen in effect over time.
Managing sensitivity
It is normal to feel more sensitive to your environment after your treatment. Some clients experience a heightened sensitivity to touch, light, and sound, and can become therefore less tolerant to their surroundings. If you experience this you are more vulnerable to become rapidly overstimulated. It is therefore best to avoid too many incomings from your environment, certainly those that are likely to cause your emotions to peak.
Clients who experience this usually seek a quiet space. Taking a warm shower or bath can help. Listening to some calming music through headphones is another way to sooth your nervous system.
Managing fatigue
It is normal to feel fatigued after a bodywork treatment. However, what you may be experiencing is not so much fatigue as the effects of relaxation. Tension requires energy, which becomes apparent when you relax.
Rest is the only way to address fatigue. If you are known to feel fatigued after your sessions, include an additional post-treatment hour in your routine to take a nap. Alternatively, you can use this extra hour to simply sit and relax. Allow yourself to feel tired and accept this as an integral aspect of your healing journey.
Managing headaches and migraines
Although it will likely be rare for you to experience headaches at the end of your treatment, they can occur. Some of the main causes for unusual headaches are dehydration, lack of sleep, use of stimulants before the treatment, and persistent stress and tension.
If you experience headaches after your treatment please ensure address these potential causes first. If they persist you may wish to seek medical advice before continuing your treatments.
Managing aches and pains
Although post-treatment aches and pains are undesired they can naturally occur when your body continues to adopt further postural adjustments after the session completes. Aches and pains usually result from the attempts your body makes to realign itself to gravity. It needs to learn to recruit muscles and connective tissues differently which, literally, may require some experimentation.
Post-treatment aches and pains usually lessen as you progress through your bodywork programme. As a rule of thumb they usually cease after the third session and become unnoticeable after the fifth.
It is important to understand the difference between technical and therapeutic pains. Discuss these with your therapist if you want to learn more about each.
Managing fascial releases
Fascial releases occur when connective tissues and muscles let go of tension. Releases typically occur unexpectedly and anywhere in your body, even in locations that have not been treated yet. Although releases are usually painless they can be disconcerting when you are not used to them.
Releases are good. They signal tangibly that your body is releasing tension and that your bodywork treatments are therefore producing the desired effects.
You manage fascial releases (“Twitches”) best by staying unconcerned and relaxed. As you progress through your bodywork session programme you may become better able to predict when and where they may happen. Post-treatment releases are most likely to happen within twelve hours after your session. You can expect these to cease after 36 hours.
Self-care after bodywork matters
Self-care after bodywork is important to keep yourself safe, relaxed, and balanced while somatic and psychosomatic changes continue to unfold.
Continue your healing bodywork journey
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