Clinical Massage Therapy

It is a manual approach to the treatment of soft tissue injury by: 

• Enhancing blood and lymph circulation Increasing the removal of cellular and chemical metabolic waste
• Reducing inflammation and edema
• Breaking down fascial adhesions
• Lubricating joints
• Increasing range of motion
• Stimulating hormone production: increasing dopamine, endorphins, enkephalins, oxytocin, serotonin
• Decreasing cortisol, substance P, norepinephrine, stress-hormones
  
• Reducing muscular and fascial tension and pain
• Enhancing somatic awareness with respiration in order to increase one’s ability to focus attention on gross and subtle movements and rhythms, dissipate energy stored as tension, enhance structural flexibility, and increase experience of safety in the body.
• Increasing the parasympathetic state of the nervous system - bringing about ease and relaxation.  

Treatments also aim at recognizing and evaluating common postural distortion patterns and bringing the body back into balance with customized client centered massage therapy sessions. 

(Training provided by Cortiva Institute Massage Therapy School, Seattle)