I experienced my first Reflexology treatment thirty-five years ago, while I was on a search for something, anything, that would help bring down my stress levels, I came across this wonderful therapy.
Reflexology is one of the ancient arts thought to date back 5000 years. It is believed to have originated in China, India, and parts of the Orient. When the tomb of Ankhmahor was discovered – who was a famous Egyptian physician, pictorial evidence of foot treatments and other complementary treatments are depicted on the walls of the tomb, confirming for us how ancient our treatments are.
Reflexology is a foot treatment whereby points on the feet that relate to organs or systems in the body when contacted with alternate pressure, encourage those organs or systems to operate more efficiently. The most important benefit is probably that it reduces stress, which in today’s busy world with 85% of all illnesses having their origin in stress, is a real deal breaker. It encourages restful sleep, improves circulation which in turn improves elimination, excellent during pregnancy and labour too. It allows the body to return to internal homeostasis – releasing it to do its all-important work of healing itself.
Following the receipt of several successful treatments, I decided to study Reflexology and became a practitioner and later a tutor, with a history of lots of very successful clients treated and students trained to the highest standard. Thirty years later I am currently working from Tallaght, in South Dublin – busy practice and still teaching therapists and community ways of improving health and well-being, using Reflexology and other complementary therapy modalities.
I remember one of the first clients I treated. She was in her mid-thirties and in college herself studying for a diploma in retail management and working full time as well. When she came to me she was suffering very badly from sinus infections and recurring colds, coughs, and chest infections. She appeared pale-faced with dark circles under her eyes and a much-stooped posture, exhausted and low-spirited. When we first met, she agreed to commit to six treatments, which is advisable when one has not had treatment before to allow the body to re-balance and heal itself. I treated her weekly and during our treatments, she talked quite a lot about her life.
She received traditional Reflexology treatments; was quite stressed and found it difficult to ‘switch off’. As the weeks went by, she reported to me that the pain she was experiencing between her eyes which had been debilitating at times was beginning to subside, leaving her with renewed energy to enjoy her life rather than use it up coping with pain. By the end of the course of treatments, she was pain-free, sleeping better, and feeling a lot more contented with her life.
All these years later, she continues to still have a monthly treatment for health maintenance. The interesting thing about this treatment though, not only did it treat the sinus problem that she came with, but also settled a digestive issue that she had as well as a recurring shoulder pain. So she got great value for money!! Probably most importantly she began to change her thinking about her health and changed a lot of her habits that led to the poor condition that she presented with. This is a very important aspect of healing, and the therapist would encourage the client to take responsibility for their health improvements.
Reflexology is indeed a magical treatment I cannot recommend it highly enough.
