Thai Massage Dissected

Natasha de Grunwald

• Publisher: Handspring Publishing
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781913426125
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

Written by the UK's leading teacher and practitioner Natasha de Grunwald, a pioneer of Thai massage and bodywork for 30 years.

Thai Massage Dissected is a book aimed at massage therapists, yoga teachers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and all manual therapists who want to expand their therapeutic approach and are curious to learn about the body from a Thai anatomy and dissection perspective.

Therapeutic Thai massage and bodywork is a rich and diverse modality, so much more than the stretching and deep tissue work for which it is known. The book provides a richly curated combination of tools, techniques and protocols that will enhance all practitioners' skill sets.Natasha discusses the roots of this modality as Buddhist medicine, the five element system, the use of therapeutic herbs and Thai anatomy, whilst also writing about concepts such as proprioception and interoception. There is an additional chapter looking at traditional healthcare practices for women, informed by her time spent with village midwives on the Thai/Burmese border.

Natasha de Grunwald uses imagery from many hours spent in a cadaver lab to describe anatomical, textural layers and structures, bringing human form to life.

She consolidates this with a therapeutic perspective on Thai medical theory and how Thai massage and bodywork can be carried out in a clinical setting. This comes from her extensive research, studies and knowledge spanning over three decades.

PART 1

The Experience

1	The Somatic Experience

When it comes to healing therapies, there really is nothing better than therapeutic Thai bodywork.

My observations of what happens during a Thai massage are where this book begins. Thai bodywork is not like any other modality – or more precisely, it is like many modalities all rolled into one and then seen through a completely different lens. Its effects and the experience are profound. This is not superficial bodywork by any stretch of the imagination; it has a long history of incredible efficacy.

People often inaccurately believe that giving Thai massage must be really hard work or at least fairly tiring. This could not be further from the truth, but it comes from the experience of the client who is lying on a floor mat being massaged, often with their eyes closed, and stems from the fact that the pressure, stretches, and range of techniques feel strangely different and deeply effective; they really do hit that “sweet spot.” And to be honest, it is very different to other modalities. The Thai practitioner is not actually working hard at all, but uses gravity, movement, and leaning, which, if applied correctly and with enough practice, are deceptively easy on the therapist’s own body. This is bodywork for practitioners who care deeply about giving transformative treatments, but without exhausting themselves in the process.

Thai massage is unusual, in that it is powerful and fulfilling for both participants. Many other styles of manual therapy leave the practitioner exhausted or heading for burn-out. Repetitive strain injuries are commonplace. Yet Thai bodywork leaves both practitioner and recipient in a state of heightened awareness, openness, and relaxation. The practitioner is simultaneously giving and receiving.

The recipient is participating in the treatment by noticing themselves, often at a deep level, their proprioception dial turned up (see Chapter 2 for more on this term). The provider is also taking note of their own body with heightened awareness and attention to how it is interacting with the recipient’s body; there is a strong symbiotic relationship formed in the shared experience.

Practitioners use a broader perspective when giving Thai massage. They are not concentrating on the muscle and soft tissue layer, but are intentionally treating deeper layers, and the physiology of the body.

For recipients, this leads to a deepening of their internal viewpoint, and creates a much more profound experience and awakeness (it wakes people up to themselves).

The Thai practitioner effortlessly performs techniques that encourage the soft tissue structure to adjust, allowing them to go deeper into the body and stimulate the Sên. Sên is the collective term for all pathways of movement in the body: the neuro-vascular bundles, lymphatic system, tendons, and ligaments (see Chapter 10 for more on this).

The adjustment to the soft tissue stimulates a change in the general function of the body and can be seen moving through the body-wide chain of joints or muscles. The soft tissue layer is nerve-rich. With the practitioner consistently applying manual therapy techniques to the fascia and deeper Sên, it directly impacts all other systems in the body as Wind element (movement) is activated along the pathways.

Side note: Wind is the element that is synonymous with movement (more about this later in Chapter 3). But for now, if you read “Wind,” know that it means movement.

Directly stimulating the channels in the body creates a whole-body, physiological change as the Sên that lie beneath them become less obstructed. For example, the nerves can move more easily in their fascial casing, resulting in an increase in communication along neural pathways. The implication of a nerve no longer being pressed on by the surrounding tissue has an impact that ranges from the physical to the emotional. If this tiny neural structure has greater freedom to enjoy being unrestricted, the soul is eventually allowed to express itself.

In Thai bodywork the therapist systematically addresses the layers of the body, making sure that each one is taken care of before the next is worked on. This is a gentle, safe, and effective way of accessing the deeper layers of the body, in such a way that the body does not resist the touch or find it painful in a non-therapeutic or unpleasant way. When cared for properly, each layer softens so that the practitioner’s touch can sink in deeper without force. There are times when only the skin and second layer can be worked on, when tissue is so bound up that it needs time to soften and become more fluid. Rushing this phase of a treatment is not productive or effective, and is likely to inhibit the powerful therapeutic response.

“Speed is the enemy of sensitivity; move at or below the rate of tissue melting.”

Thomas Myers, 2009

The Recipient’s Experience

The direct application of touch to the skin stimulates the somatosensory system (which is part of the sensory nervous system) and sends impulses to the brain via the spinal cord. A light touch can travel very quickly along the nerve tree (Fig. 1.1) in the body, the branches of which are far-reaching.

Fig. 1.1

Nerve tree.

Side note: I like the term “nerve tree” because of the imagery it promotes as a whole-body structure. In Thai medicine, though, all nerves are Sên but not all Sên are nerves.

Techniques such as rubbing, performed to warm the skin layer, can be vigorous yet soothing, and the whole body responds as reassuring waves of warmth ripple through it. Techniques that address the second layer (soft tissue, muscles, and fascia) encourage the fibers to release some of their tension and held memory. The soul softens, the tissues hydrate. The touch itself generates a deepened sensory experience of the perception of oneself. Fluids are replenished and there is an exchange of nutrients.

The applied stretches stimulate Wind element, from the physical movement of that limb to the stimulation of underlying nerves embedded in the tissue, causing many proprioceptive awakenings. Vibration, traction, and range of motion are applied to the bone layer, which influence the fascia and chain of joints that stack above and below, from feet to head. Lymph nodes are massaged, which has a direct impact on lymphatic flow, encouraging a cleansing of waste and toxins from the body. The viscera and internal organs are massaged to promote their optimum function, and the breath deepens. The tentorium cerebelli, a membrane in the cerebellum of the brain, moves as the limbs are moved.

Massage techniques such as “plucking” around the neck at the sternocleidomastoid stimulate the vagus nerve that meanders down through the body to the internal organs, directly influencing them and the parasympathetic nervous system (while the enteric nervous system is influencing the vagus nerve in a reciprocal arrangement). While massaging this area, the therapist gains an awareness of the connections and fascial continuities that reach up to the cranium (galea aponeurotica) and down to the front of the hips (anterior superior iliac spine), covering the distance between and beyond. Applying touch to the anterior neck area can help to relieve hip pain or assist a deeper breath to the diaphragm or belly.

Often, after receiving Thai massage, clients have a look of childlike wonder on their face, as if they have just been part of an incredible magic show. What they seem to be experiencing is encountering their body in a whole new and different way. Their perception of themselves has altered. They have been taken through a sequence of movements that they may never have thought possible of their own body. They have experienced profound and therapeutic touch that has awakened deeper aspects of themselves. They have had a treatment that not only works on the muscle layer of the body but has focused on physiology: nerves have been stimulated, the lymphatic system has been worked on, the viscera have been massaged, and joints have been mobilized.

When the physical body and the soul feel relief from pain, tension, and stress, a general sense of wellbeing, self-connection, and restored equilibrium is created. Thai massage makes the client relaxed but energized, an unusual combination. Recipients may also mention a feeling of electricity and warmth running through them, which is due to improved blood circulation and hydration, along with a stronger body awareness as the nerves wake up. Other effects that are frequently reported are a feeling of greater freedom in the body, as well as postural improvements, injury rehabilitation, reduced pain, greater vitality, and a better connection to an interoceptive experience.

As the body releases deep-held tension, it is common for emotions to come to the surface and also to be released. This is a clear example of how working on the physical body (Earth and Water) dispels stagnation. As Wind element moves through the body and mind, it affects the internal chemistry, so often there is a wave of heat (Fire element) that rushes through the system before the emotional release. Crying is the body’s intelligent and effective way of freeing stress chemicals, literally flushing them out through tears. These tears can clear the way for clearer thought patterns and help the recipient feel much better.

The Practitioner’s Experience

Performing acts of kindness, demonstrating compassion, creating connection, and simply touching another person (one of the most primal ways of communicating) are all reasons why the practitioner will truly benefit from giving the massage.

When you are working as a practitioner, there may be times that you get into discussions with clients about their lives, private thoughts, experiences, and views on the world. This can come into the consultation or the treatment: as people relax, they often want to talk; or if the session is painful, talking can be a good distraction. The narrative, and having a safe space for communication, are essential aspects of therapeutic work.

Massage takes a focus and attention to detail that requires you to be very aware in the moment of exactly what is happening. Every touch or tool is applied accurately with detailed and tailored work. The benefits are huge for the giver. When the mind is kept focused on one thing alone, the process resembles a meditation, which has a positive effect on mood, happiness, and pain levels.

“It appears people who are better able to control their attention are also better able to control their pain.”

Todd Hargrove, 2014

During the session, kinetic energy (the energy of movement) is engaged when the stretches, range of motion, beating, traction, and vibration are performed. These movements are either fluid or dynamic, and the practitioner constantly moves into a variety of postures while carrying them out. This movement is beneficial, keeping the practitioner agile and flexible in their own body.

The practitioner pays attention to the sensation of touch that they are receiving while giving the massage because this is a two-way street: in applying touch, there is immediate and vital feedback.

There are times when the practitioner applies techniques that are long holds; there is no movement at all, and at these points there is intense awareness, similar to a meditative practice with heighte...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the Author
• Foreword by Gil Hedley
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part 1: The Experience
• Part 2: The Body
• Part 3: The Practice
• Glossary
• References
• Resources
• Permissions
• Index