We Asked: Is energy work an effective component of your massage sessions? Why, or why not?

Here is what you told us...

Any touch creates energy. I find I can work deep into my clients after doing a small amount of energy work on the area in question, without causing any pain. I always start my massage out with energy work on the head and face of my clients. It seems to put them in a much calmer state and allows them to get ready for your touch. I have been practicing for 17 years, and my massage is totally integrated with energy work.
Berni Dream
Port Orchard, Washington

To get clients back in balance, we can release the stress of their muscles, but if we don’t relieve the stress on their energy, the body will be right back to [where it was] before we worked on them. The energy work used during a massage session gets it all in synch.
Lisa Wildin
Marion, Kansas

The human body is made of energy components, which can become sluggish. Energy work relieves these energy blocks and increases the external and internal flow of energy in my clients. Whenever I use energy work on clients they always notice a positive difference and have a better sense of well-being when they leave my office. It enhances the massage, promotes positive feelings and creates clients who return for more of that good feeling.
Sandy Shanks
Fallon, Nevada

I very much believe that energy work is an effective component in my massage. The energy given by the client lets me know where to go, and my own energy helps them heal without even having to understand exactly what is going on.
Amber Rose
Auburn, California

I’ve come to recognize that, in essence, all therapeutic massage resonates as the communication of healing energy. As a [nationally certified massage therapist], level-two reiki practioner and licensed professional counselor, I view energy work as a powerful tool, which, when skillfully applied, can produce a profound impact on the reduction of physical pain; promote insightful mental clarity; and evoke a deep sense of calm. According to client feedback, it produces real results that improve their quality of life.
Carla Saylor
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Energy work is an important feature of my massage sessions. Incorporating energy balancing has brought clients a greater sense of "wholeness." Days after a session, they tell me they enjoy feeling complete and balanced. All new therapists need to know that energy work is just as significant to bodywork as the hard sciences that are now being taught in massage schools.
Jimmy Gialelis
Lehi, Utah

We are energy. Our being, our bodies, our system runs off energy. Energy is what makes the world go around and our muscles move, so having a therapist tap into our energies with energy work is like recharging a battery. It is a much-needed revitalization for muscles and our system. It gets the blood pumping to where it is supposed to go.
Nicole Smith
Castro Valley, California

I believe that all massage therapists transfer energy while working. But when you consciously direct your intention and energy, the body you're working on feels it and responds even more. Our bodies tend to know more about what's good for us than we do. Our bodies are aware of energy even when we consciously are not. Energy is an effective way of boosting the effect of a therapeutic massage, as this is something that the body is heightened to - and grateful for.
Cathy Bollman
Los Angeles, California

Some people don’t respond to heavy manual work. Their bodies need a more subtle form of work to release their patterns and tension. I always use energy work to help "set" the changes that I have introduced to the client’s body. Without balancing their energy it is easy for their body to reset back to the old pattern.
Russell Gorst
Auckland, New Zealand