by Paula Stone
Acute sustained stress erodes the very fabric of our being, while acute trauma can tear it. Whether prolonged or sudden, traumatic life experiences wound a person in body, emotions, mind, and soul, and can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that affects more than 5.2 million Americans every year. Compassionate bodywork, including reflexology, can help heal the body and the person.
Everyday life can create sustained stress. An unstable economy can affect our ability to provide necessities, such as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Physical stress (inadequate nutrition, pollution, sleep, and so forth), emotional stress (how one feels about what is happening), and mental stress affect all aspects of our lives. Daily, sustained stress undeniably disrupts physiological and energetic processes at the cellular level, creating stress patterns that have devastating short- and long-term effects.
The primary difference between a person experiencing the everyday stresses of living and one experiencing PTSD is that the person suffering from PTSD has been exposed to extreme trauma…
Read the full article in Massage and Bodywork Magazine, the March/April 2013 issue.