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What
a Shiatsu Treatment Involves
A session generally lasts an hour although the
first session is an hour and a quarter as the
practitioner has to collect background details
for the purposes of assessment. Follow-up treatments
include some additional data collection and up-dates
but most details will already have been collected.
A course of treatments usually consists of 4 to
8 sessions but depends on various criteria such
as, how long-standing the problem has been and
how severe the symptoms are.
The client is asked to wear loose clothing such
as a track-suit, as Shiatsu massage is done through
clothing rather than on bare skin. It is advisable
not to eat for an hour before the treatment and
not to drink alcohol either.
After collecting information regarding the presenting
problems the client is usually asked to lie on
a futon style mat on the floor and close his/her
eyes, although Shiatsu can be given on a massage
table, if required. (This is sometimes more limiting
because of the width of the table.) The actual
massage part of the treatment usually lasts about
45 to 50 minutes with a few minutes at the end
to refocus and for feedback. As the body learns
to receive the Shiatsu it begins to open and relax
more and more allowing the deeper energies to
move and re-harmonise. A sense of well-being starts
to permeate the bodymind as the connections are
made in a safe, supportive environment and the
client can feel physically heavy like a sleeping
cat, or light and energised with perhaps a slight
feeling of euphoria. When the client is ready
to leave he/she needs to be feeling centred and
able to face the world with a clear head, so a
few minutes are allocated at the end for this.
It is also advisable to drink water after a treatment
as various toxins in the body will have been released
and it is also a good idea not to have to rush
off and do too many things. It is important for
the body to be in a relaxed, integrated state
in order to become whole/healed and if one is
scattered by having to do many things at once
many of the benefits of the session will be lost.
The client is encouraged to participate in the
treatment by bringing his/her awareness to the
areas being treated and during the session the
client can be asked to learn some simple exercises
to support the process. Although the treatment
is specifically angled at the presenting problem
the whole body is acknowledged as the overall
desired result is a fully integrated bodymind.
By using different energetic approaches the practitioner
can treat dis-harmonies of a physical, mental
or emotional nature and this also has a positive
uplift on the spirit. The practitioner will ask
the client to be actively involved in the healing
process. This could mean that the client will
be asked to perform some exercises during the
treatment session either for the purpose of assessment
or to demonstrate techniques to be continued at
home to support the sequence of treatments. Other
forms of self-involvement that are sometimes required
are dietary considerations, breathing exercises,
postural awareness exercises, stretch and release
exercises, oriental herbs or the recommendations
might even be working in conjunction with another
practitioner such as a counsellor while continuing
with treatments.
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