Front Page Feature in the Ohio AMTA Summer Newsletter 2010.

THE ULTIMATE HEAD TRIP

                Written by Laurie English

Indian head massage is quite a journey. You’re immersed in a tantalizing buffet of sensations from “spicy” to soothing and everything in between. The ultimate head trip, Indian head massage techniques activate the body in distinctive ways.

TYPES OF INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE MOVES

What’s a spicy move? It’s hard to describe it exactly, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a dog when it’s scratching intently behind its ear with gusto? You know that it must feel so good but intense too and right on the edge of that blurred pleasure sensation…. That’s what I mean by spicy.  Indian head massage’s friction techniques are spicy.  They unleash latent energy in the body.  They leave you feeling energized and open and fundamentally changed.

Another type of move common to Indian head massage is a sweep.  Sweeps can be done with the thumbs, with the heel of the hand, and also with the whole hand. Fluid and continuous, sweeps remind the body of its fluid connection.  Imparting an oceanic quality to a sweep ensures that you’ll feel no separation from where a move begins and ends.  Activating the body with sweeps helps to unlock a sensation of whole body unity and connection.

Many clients love the squeezing techniques used in Indian head massage.  You know how taffy or Play Doh is what it is, until, with just a little bit of heat from your hands it becomes super pliable and moldable?  The IHM squeezing techniques make muscles taffyesque.  Inherently, these moves are relieving.  People who experience headaches find the squeezing techniques to be inordinately satisfying.  You can hear the sigh of relief when more space is created in the body.  Like releasing the valve on a pressure cooker, the squeezing techniques, when completed, help the body to decompress.

Indian head massage incorporates several moves that are just plain soothing too. Quiet and relaxing, they are the perfect complement to the spicy oceanic squeezing that the body has experienced.  In particular, all of the hand placement techniques balance energy in the body.  They remind me of polarity therapy holds that help instill a neutral or calm feeling.  Often in massage, there can be a lot of focus on doing, moving and acting.  With Indian head massage hand holds, you get a chance to witness, to metaphorically sit on a rock in the middle of a lake to breathe deep and ponder Life. It’s a good thing.  I believe these techniques help lift a client into feelings of clarity, peace and even euphoria that are common during an Indian head massage.

Any one of these buffet moves is quite delectable. Yet, imbibing, absorbing and wallowing in the whole smorgasbord can be life-changing.  After receiving an hour long IHM, one client put it thusly, “That was epic!”

 SESSION LENGTH AND REQUIREMENTS

The versatility of Indian head massage still amazes.  Treatment times vary:  a two minute shot or an hour or more.   A standard treatment which addresses the back, shoulders, arms, neck and head will take 30 minutes, with practice.  Fifteen minute treatments are quite popular too.

How on earth can someone relax sitting up in a chair, and for an hour?  Funny things happen during an Indian head massage treatment: sounds fade, lights dim, past and future thoughts become diffuse.  You undergo a definite journey; elevated internal states can be easily tapped into.  And on a more mundane level, people often fall asleep -- within 15 minutes.  

Indian head massage can be easily incorporated into a table massage routine and would be a stellar adjunct to practitioners of chair massage or mobile massage as well. And best of all, Indian head massage is suitable for everyone to study. There are no prerequisites.  I encourage lay people as well as licensed massage therapists to take a head trip!

Laurie English, LMT, RPP, LCICI, NCBTMB teaches 3-day Champissage^TM: Indian Head Massage courses nationwide including Ohio (bi-annually) and offers one -day Indian Head Massage classes adaptable to the massage table.  A practicing therapist and owner of SpaNomad: International training and traveling spa, you can find her 21 hour NCBTMB CE Champissage class schedule at www.ChampissageUSA.com  Laurie can be contacted at 505-490-0591.

Copyright by Laurie English