Most people recognize reflexology as an enjoyable way in which to improve physical health. I’d like to relate the experience of one graduate of the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification; an artist and massage therapist who was pleasantly surprised to discover that reflexology delivered much more than physical relief for her. The comments below were submitted as part of her overall feedback of the program (published with her consent).
“As a massage therapist, I am always looking for ways to enrich my client’s therapeutic experience. I knew reflexology would be a valuable addition to my practice since a major roadblock to healing is often a client’s inability to let go of tension. With these ideas in mind, I decided to enroll in Karen Ball’s Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification training. The following paragraphs describe my experience receiving my session from Karen during that training.
I had been under a lot of stress in my life and had been experiencing visual migraines: brilliant, multihued bands of color flashing at my periphery, especially when rotating my head quickly. I wondered how or if reflexology would affect this.
As the session unfolded, the deep relaxation became a portal into an even deeper state approaching the hypnagogic experience. The hypnagogic state is a deep transitional state between sleeping and wakefulness, often accompanied by vivid, dreamlike imagery. For a visual artist, hypnagogic imagery is a rich source of inspiration and a way of communicating with the deepest expressions of the psyche.
My consciousness began to weave into unconsciousness as Karen worked on my left foot. When she moved to my right, I noticed that my toes were especially sensitive. That’s the last thing I remember before dissolving into the psyche’s gallery of liquid imagery. There, I drifted onto that dusky limbic edge where the veils between consciousness and unconsciousness are thinnest.”
In the next couple of paragraphs (omitted here) she described – and later painted! – the visual images she experienced during this session. She concludes with…
“As the session neared completion, my experience was accompanied by a sensation of fizzing, carbonated energy bubbles cleansing the dorsal areas of my feet. This sensation channeled upward through my legs and had an integrating effect on the total body. The level of relaxation was deeply profound. I “awoke” from the session feeling rested and rejuvenated.
The meaning of these images is both profound and illusive to me. They reflect a visual/kinesthetic language that is not easily transcribed into words. An artist doesn’t make these images meaningful, they come imbued with meaning. They have a cellular motility like a vitally morphing liquid screen. When fishing in this deep pond of the psyche, one discovers an experience that is both releasing and inspiring. I discovered that reflexology is one door to this healing experience.
Oh, and no more migraines!”
The 2013 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification begins March 21st.
If you were to ask me what is the question I am most often asked regarding certification in reflexology, I would have to say that my response to that question is sometimes viewed as the biggest obstacle to working as a reflexologist. It needn’t be.
A challenge to anyone traveling by air to a reflexology training is packing a foot tub. Kind of impossible to squeeze a Rubbermaid-like dishpan or enamel pot into one’s luggage! An ingenious Canadian woman arrived at one of my workshops – on a motorcycle – with a wonderful solution to the problem.
I have three Thai Foot Reflexology workshops coming up this spring – with a little treat promised for all who attend. I’ve been tweaking a recipe I have had for awhile for cha yen, the very popular chilled tea that Thais love to drink.