Experiencing your Body Universe through EMO and Massage

Working as a massage therapist I meet a lot of people complaining about tension in their bodies. What most people tend to ask for is a “hard massage” and to “get rid of” the tensions and pains in their muscles.

When I work with them, what I often notice is that they have a hard time relaxing while receiving the massage. Their breath is constricted and they do not seem to be in contact with their bodies. It’s like they let their body lie there on the massage bench like a heap of muscles and bones, while they keep on their normal thinking, planning and worrying, leaving it up to me to knead their knots out.

Sometimes I even have the feeling that being in contact with the body would be too painful for them. They have been neglecting both their physical, emotional and spiritual well being for such a long time that it would hurt to get down there and really notice it. The only way for them to get in contact at all with the body is through pain. I think that is why so many people ask for a “hard massage” and think that the golden rule for a good massage is “no pain, no gain”.

Being trained as a massage therapist in healing massage as well as being an EMO Trainer, I have a quite different view of things. I have experimented with combining EMO and massage with very good results.

Instead of working hard with painful trigger points, in my experience, working with the emotions and underlying physical sensations of discomfort (such as tightness in the stomach, a lump in the throat, the worry or anxiety they experience) and letting that energy flow through the body and out (without needing to go into detail about what caused it and when and so on) is a much more effective, satisfying and long lasting experience of relaxation for the client. Not to mention how much better and healthier it is for the masseur, who otherwise has a very physically challenging job.

Massage works best when it is a cooperation between client and therapist. I am not there to fix the client, but to help them getting in contact with themselves. They have to feel it is their body and that they have the responsibility for it, and then I can be there to help them release what has been blocked and stiff.

To me, the first and foremost aim with a massage, is to make people feel whole and in contact with themselves, beloved and seen. This can only be done if the masseur is reflecting this in her touch. Showing the client that their body is beloved and perfect, through loving strokes and just the right pressure, not too hard, not too soft.

Giving room for the underlying energetic tensions to soften and flow in order to get in contact with the physical body in a new way. Making a connection between body, emotions energy, heart and soul. Relaxing into being. A good massage makes you get in contact with well being and not just pain. A good massage leaves you feeling yourself deeply from both inside and outside, filling your body with your energy, making you feel good,

I would like to share a story, to show how EMO can be used in combination with massage.

A client came to me, especially complaining about her stiff and sore neck, but also wanting a whole body massage. I started out massaging her neck while she was lying on her back, but it didn’t really seem to want to soften very much. I continued with her legs, and then came to her back, noticing that she still, after about 30 minutes of massage, had not moved down into a relaxed state, but seemed to be somewhere outside her body. I asked her about this, and she confirmed that my feeling was right, she was still worrying and could not really receive the massage.

She also said she had suffered from a panic-attack during that day, and she was still feeling anxiety in her stomach, and that this drew her attention away from the massage.

I asked her if she wanted to let that sensation of anxiety out and she said yes. As I held my hand on her back, helping her to soften and flow the energy with my intention and soft strokes, and telling her to have the same intention of softening and flowing, it started to soften up and move up her chest.

Then it came to a blockage in her throat and after some attention also softened and flowed out of her mouth with the outbreath. We went through many layers of tension in her stomach, and got in contact with different emotions. Most of the energy flowed up and out through the mouth, while some wanted to flow down her legs and out through her feet. When she got very emotional, I again reminded her it is only an energy, and we can allow it to soften and flow out now.

During the process she got the insight that this old blockage in her stomach and throat had to do with her inability to express herself clearly. She works as a therapist, and is more used to and comfortable with expressing her understanding and compassionate qualities. Being in her power, expressing herself clearly, straightforward and sharply, expressing anger and irritation had always seemed more scary to her.

After having released all this energy, she now felt much more clear and relaxed, in contact with her power and safe to express it.

When the energy work felt finished, I continued the massage, and finished of with her neck. We could both feel, her from the inside and myself from the outside, that the muscles of her neck were much more relaxed now. It was very significant that as the energetic blockage in her throat had softened, the muscles had also been able to relax and soften.

She also felt at peace in her body now and had finally been able to let go of the anxiety. Now it was safe to be in her body again.

A very interesting side effect of the session was that it also had an impact on my expression. Obviously EMO must have been running on auto pilot inside of me as well while I was helping my client, because the day after I made a phone call that I had been putting of for a long time.

I finally managed to tell that person some things about his behaviour that had been affecting me negatively for some time, and was able to do this without excusing myself or accusing him, but just clearly expressing how this had affected me.

So every client is an opportunity for getting more energy flow in your own system, once EMO has become a habit!

I hope this short story will inspire you to go out there and try EMO in combination with different body therapies.

EMO is a great tool to experience the universe inside of you and to let yourself be amazed by your unique Body Universe!

Susann Forsberg

EMO Trainer and Massage Therapist based in Sweden and Denmark. For trainings and consultations, please contact;

Website: www.EMO.se