During the final module of the 2011 Therapeutic Hand & Foot Professional Reflexology Certification classes, the interns completed two full days of combined foot and hand sessions with the public. One of the recipients asked a question following her session, and it initiated a wonderful discussion amongst the three of us.

As background, the woman who posed the question is an experienced receiver of reflexology and many other forms of bodywork, and is herself a Polarity therapist.

Our guest commented that for her the positive effects of reflexology far outlast those of massage or any other form of bodywork. She was curious as to why.

I recalled how much of our scientific understanding of reflexology is owed to the Brits, who focused much of their scientific research in the late 1880’s on documenting the human reaction to the environment (including touch).

? In 1883 an English physiologist, Marshall Hall, introduced the concept of “reflex action” in the body.

? Scientists conclusively proved the neurological relationship that exists between skin, tissue and internal organs, and charted the reflex action between skin sensitivity and internal disease.

? Sir Charles Sherrington, who with Edgar Adrian earned a Nobel Prize for his work on the physiology of the nervous system, proved that the entire nervous system adjusts to a single stimulus in its effort to coordinate all the activities of the organism.

Back to our guest’s question, I suspect that it is that interconnectedness of the parts of the body, awakened by the stimulation of reflexology points, that provides the longer lasting effects that our guest spoke to. When function and balance are restored within the individual organs and systems, ultimately the whole organism adjusts, not just the musculature. The return to body-wide homeostasis is what creates the long-lasting feeling of wellness.

As we concluded our conversation I was left to marvel – once again – at the incredible drive for wholeness and order that we humans have been gifted.

Have you or your clients been surprised by long-lasting and seemingly unrelated responses to reflexology?

“Relaxology”. That’s what one of my recent classes renamed reflexology after their introduction to the art.  I had to smile – it is a perfect name, isn’t it? It certainly describes one of the primary benefits and one of the main reasons that people seek out reflexology.

Some of you have heard me say before that I believe that relaxation is the basis of health; that health can’t exist outside that internal environment. Because of its effect on the central nervous system – specifically the autonomic branch – reflexology has a unique ability to relax both body and mind, and in turn the damaging effects of stress.

Data from a Princeton University study adds still another reason to reduce stress in our lives:

Led by psychology professor Elizabeth Gould, observations of the brains of primates confirmed that effort and determination play less of a role in brain development than we would like to believe. Prior to Professor Gould’s research, modern neuroscience was predicated on the hypothesis that all brain neurons emerge during prenatal and early postnatal development; that brain cells were thereafter fixed. Her research demonstrated two important findings to the contrary:

1. The primate brain (that includes ours!) is always creating new neurons.

2. The structure of the human brain is largely influenced by its surroundings, not by concerted effort and determination. The research proved that chronic stress halts neurogenesis (the production of brain neurons). This groundbreaking study revealed that the brains of stressed primates literally stopped creating new cells and neural pathways. In addition, evidence showed that existing cells retreated inward. The brains were said to “disfigure.”

Gould’s research carries monumental implications when we consider not only our personal health, but also the health of a society in which stress factors continue to mount.

Fortunately, there is much we can do with reflexology for our clients and ourselves when it comes to combating stress and encouraging brain development. Reflexology is a modality proven to shift the autonomic nervous system from its “flight or fight” response to stressors to the healing state of “rest and repair”.

When people request a stress-reducing session from me, I immediately focus on the reflexes of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord); add in the adrenal reflexes to support those busy glands in their efforts to respond to excess stimulation; and the diaphragm reflex to aid in deep, relaxed breathing and improved oxygen delivery to the brain.

It’s nice to know, isn’t it, that both stress reduction and brain development can result from something as simple as a soothing session of “relaxology”?