THE HEALING TOUCH

“The work of Christ in cleansing the leper

from his terrible disease is an illustration of
His work in cleansing the soul from sin. The
man who came to Jesus was “full of leprosy”.
Its deadly poison permeated his whole body.
The disciples sought to prevent their Master
from touching him; for he who touched a
leper became himself unclean. But in laying
His hand upon the leper, Jesus received no
defilement. His touch imparted life-
giving power.”
Desire of Ages p266
Massage is a systematic
manual or technical
manipulations of the soft
tissues of the body using
different strokes.
 Improves circulation – dilates blood vessels
 Mechanical cleanser – hasten elimination of
wastes
 Relaxes muscles and relieves tension
 Increases blood supply to the muscles
 Compensates for lack of exercise
 Has sedative, stimulating or exhausting
effect
 Reduces edema
 Makes you feel good.
 Stress and tension
 Fatigue – mental and physical
 Pain- shoulders, back, neck, joints
 Sore muscle
 Headache and eyestrain
 Insomnia
 Mental strain
 MILD hypertension
 Paralysis – done after applying hydrotherapy
 Edema
 SEVERE hypertension
 Shock
 Acute pneumonia
 Toxemia during pregnancy
 CANCER – it may spread
 Intoxication
 ENDANGERED SITES:
 Kidneys in lower back
 Spinal column
 Neck area
 Groin area
 Fever
 Infectious diseases
 Inflammation “…itis” Inflamed joints
 Osteoporosis, scoliosis
 Varicose veins
 Phlebitis – inflammation of veins
 Hematoma
 Chronic fatigue
 Frail elderly
 Open wounds, skin problems
 Severe asthma, diabetes (ask the physician)
 Touch
 light or deep
 Effleurage – gliding movements
 Petrissage – kneading movements
 Friction
 Percussion or tapotement
 Joint movements
 The massage subject should remove all
extra clothing such as jacket, sweater or
tie.
 Seat them where they can be
comfortable, preferably in a chair where
the head and upper back are in easy
access.
 Both feet should be flat on the floor.
 If possible, head should be supported by
some kind of face rest.
 PRAYwith your subject (the one you’re going
to massage)

 POSTERIOREFFLEURAGE OF THE ENTIRE

BACK FIVE TIMES
 Stand behind your subject, placing your
hands on their shoulders.
 Lean your body forward and press firmly,
yet gently, gliding your hands over the
entire back.
 SHOULDERAND NECK PETRISSAGE
(KNEADING) like kneading dough

 Puteach hand on each shoulder

and knead the
 Nape of the neck
 Shoulders

 Back
 PALM FRICTION
 Using the heel of your hand, move
in a circular motion alongside the
spine from the bottom to the top
 Work on one side first, then the
other
 DIGITAL FRICTION
 With your thumb on one side of the
neck and your index and middle
fingers on the other, rub the neck
muscles with a circular motion
(friction).
 Rub from the base of the skull to
the base of the neck
 POSTERIOR PERCUSSION (TAPOTEMENT)
 Usethe sides of your hands and
with fingers extended and
together, hack to the back on
either side of the spine, and on the
shoulders and neck.
 NERVE STROKE
 Endwith effleurage on the
back, with your fingertips
 POSTERIOR EFFLEURAGE OF THE ENTIRE
BACK FIVE TIMES
 SHOULDER AND NECK PETRISSAGE (KNEADING)
like kneading dough
 PALM FRICTION
 DIGITAL FRICTION
 POSTERIOR PERCUSSION (TAPOTEMENT)
 NERVE STROKE
 Be cautious with the CONTRAINDICATIONS
 Once you touch the person, do not remove
your hands until the massage is complete.
 In all massage strokes, maintain equal
rhythm and pressure.
 Be friendly and sociable, but be careful not
to over talk.
 Be attentive to the body language of the
person.
 Ask the individual several times throughout
the massage if the level of pressure is
comfortable
 Massage movements should be directed
upward along the limbs and lower parts of
the body and downward from the head
 Maintain a proper body mechanics
 Butterfly stroke  Forearm stroke
 Skin roll  Wringing
 Erector compression  Sacral heel press
 Racking intercostals  Fan Strokes
 Petrissage  Tapotement
 Scapula release  Nerve strokes
 Skin Roll: Pick up the skin between the
thumbs and fingers and roll forward slowly,
lightly applying pressure between the thumbs
and fingers.
 “V” Stroke: Long Effleurage strokes with
hands on medial and lateral aspects of leg
using palms of the hands shaped in a “V”
formation.
 Petrissage: Knead the hamstring and
gastrocnemius areas.
 AchillesRub: Firmly compress achilles
tendon between thumb and fingers,
following up and down the entire tendon. It
is helpful to bend the leg up and apply
stretches to the tendon during this stroke.
 Ankle ROM: With knee in bent position, and
firm hold of foot with one hand, and just
above ankle with other hand, fully rotate the
ankle three times in each direction. Be
careful to not go beyond the point of
resistance.
 Quad Stretch: Flex lower leg toward
buttocks in smooth gentle motion till you
meet resistance, then go a little beyond, and
hold for 10 seconds. Be sure to communicate
with client during stretches to avoid pain or
injuries. Release the stretch slowly.
 “V” Stroke: Long Effleurage strokes with
hands on medial and lateral aspects of leg
using palms of the hands shaped in a “V”
formation.
 Friction: Using fingers, locate the
piriformis muscle. Then apply circular
friction with palm of hand, or elbow.

 Tapotement: May use hacking or cupping.

 Petrissage: Knead the bottom of the foot.
 Fist Roll: With one hand lifting up on dorsal
of foot, use front flat part of fist to firmly
effleurage up and down the sole of the foot.
Apply pressure by leaning into fist, instead of
using forearm muscles.
 Skin Roll
 “V” Stroke
 Petrissage
 Quad Stretch
 “V” Stroke
GLUTES (Optional):
 Friction:
 Tapotement
FEET – PLANTAR SURFACE:
 Petrissage
 Fist Roll