Stress Reduction Through Bodywork

1. Define the following vocabulary words: abuse, coping, defense mechanism, mental/emotional illness, stress and stressor.
2. Compare and contrast what happens in the body/mind during sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activation.
3. Identify therapeutic actions likely to activate the sympathetic nervous system and actions likely to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
4. List and describe five common defense mechanisms.
5. Identify the appropriate therapeutic actions in relation to probable indications and contraindications for at least five of the common mental/emotional illnesses.
6. Discuss reasons why body-centered therapies are contraindicated for people who are intoxicated.
7. Identify appropriate ways to respond to clients who dissociate and clients who become emotionally upset.
8. Identify the prevalence of sexual abuse in the U.S. and list three possible stages in the recovery process.
9. Identify at least three therapeutic actions that massage therapists and bodyworkers can provide to help their clients’ stress levels.
10. Identify at least three ways to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of massage and bodywork.
11. Recognize recent research findings that support the benefits of massage and bodywork for stress relief.

"The Stress-response process requires many feedback loops and results in changes throughout all systems of the body/mind. These changes are integrated through the hypothalamus and cascade through the autonomic nervous system, which consists of two distinct subsystems: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. Sympathetic nervous system activation provides bursts of energy in response to stress. We often call it the 'fight or flight' response. During sympathetic activation, heart rate and blood pressure increase, blood is directed to the heart, brain and skeletal muscles and away from digestive, urinary and other areas that are not immediately involved in fight or flight. Parasympathetic nervous system activation provides energy conservation, tissue regeneration and repair in response to safely, rest and nurturance. It is equally important to sympathetic activation. Commonly called the 'relaxation response,' parasympathetic activation slows the heartbeat, increases the secretion of most of the glands and increases digestion and elimination (see Illustration 1). Here are the high points of the chemical and mechanical responses to stress. It starts with sensory stimuli, such as touch, movement, temperature, texture, sound, taste, smell, sight, etc., that triggers nerve receptors and causes a message to travel to the spinal cord. From the spinal cord, the message travels into the part of the brain (the hypothalamus) that coordinates the body/mind's adaptation responses. The hypothalamus coordinates three major responses:

• the sympathetic nervous system
• the release of certain hormones from the anterior pituitary gland
• the release of certain hormones from the posterior pituitary gland

The sympathetic nervous system transmits the message to the sweat (exocrine) glands, the peripheral nerve endings and the adrenal medulla. Next, the peripheral nerve endings release norepinephrine and the adrenal medulla releases epinephrine (also called adrenaline). These hormones directly or indirectly influence all of the major organs and blood vessels. (See the sympathetic side of Illustration 1.)" (Stress and the Body/Mind by Sharon Burch, 2006, p. 9-10)

The _______________ is activated during stressful events and provides a burst of energy. It is often called the _______________.

1. sympathetic nervous system; relaxation response
2. sympathetic nervous system; fight or flight response
3. parasympathetic nervous system; relaxation response
4. parasympathetic nervous system; fight or flight response