Is Massage A Panacea for Generalized Anxiety and Mental Illness: A Qualitative Research Sampling

The brain of an individual suffering from anxiety; and that too a generalized one, is overtly hyperactive. They may shift their phobias from one stimulus to another. So much so that they can behave hysterically in any amicable situation as well. But when you want a reliable solution, that can support and strengthen the medical therapy and psychological counselling, the role of massage therapy is unquestionable.

What was the outcome of massage on those suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

In the normal massage session, the massage therapists primarily focus to help individuals unwind and relax their senses. But with mental illness patients, especially those with generalized anxiety, the results of specific massage sessions are unquestionable and trust building. In a random experiment done on more than two group of 8 people with anxiety. With both these groups, different massage techniques were used.

In the case of the first group, they were given therapeutic massage room session. In the therapeutic massage room session, the massage therapists use specific relaxing technique. It can be a catalyst to bolster and speed up the progress via specific massage techniques. As a result of the continuous massage, The Hamilton Anxiety Rate Scale measured considerable drop in the anxiety symptoms.

In all of these experiments combined, the role of massage is not primary in treating the anxiety symptoms, but they contribute significantly to alleviate the issues and make the treatment work better with time.

What is the acceptance level of Massage Therapy as a Complementary or Alternative Medication (CAM)?

Talking about the US, the continuous struggle with the “Hire & Fire” corporate culture could pose significant disadvantage towards maintaining a positive mental balance. Most of the fears are triggered with recession, change in the business policies and acceptance of the market towards new reforms. As the burden increases, it will not be surprising to quote that 1 out of 5 Americans are depressed. The state in India, irrespective of the “hire & fire” culture not being present is not any different. In the Indian market, lack of jobs has posed significant challenges for the population. As a result, most of the population is diagnosed with key neurological imbalance.

In all these conditions, that have contributed to worsening the anxiety symptoms in both men and women, the role of Complementary or Alternative Medication has been significant. In all the clinical trials that were conducted on the patients with generalized anxiety, in a large number of patients interviewed, most of them categorically emphasized that having a full body or other form of therapeutic massage sessions significantly mitigated the anxiety attacks in the individuals.

The calming and relaxing ambiance during the massage changed the brain patterns and the individuals felt much more relaxed and with a positive outlook towards life. It was a significant improvement and the role of massage in creating that atmosphere couldn’t be overlooked. Not just for anxiety, even for other psychological conditions, massage has contributed significantly to mitigate the problem.

Sum Up

In the event of medical illness or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), often people rely too much on medication, but bolstering the same with counselling and massage may cut down the medical dosage and stimulate for a better health and faster healing process.