Complementary Therapy Awareness Week (March 22nd 28th) has come around again, just as we therapists tentatively make plans to re-open for business once COVID guidelines allow.
We can freshen-up the environment, review marketing activity and perhaps even re-think our longer-term treatment offering by training in new skills.
To kick-start our return to work, let us remind ourselves and others of the benefits of complementary therapy which range from the ancient art of reflexology and Indian Head Massage to the more modern disciplines of Bowen Technique and sports massage.
The list of complementary therapies is many and varied, but in every case, as the name suggests, they can be used as a ‘complement’ or in addition to, more conventional medical treatment. Often based on centuries of traditional knowledge and practice from around the world, therapies such as acupuncture and aromatherapy are not to be confused with ‘alternative’ therapy which, some would argue, has negative connotations.
It has been well recorded that therapeutic touch can bring comfort and relief in many situations; at its simplest level, we have all missed giving or receiving a hug during the past year of COVID lockdowns. National newspaper pictures of relatives stroking the hand or cheek of an elderly parent in a care home have tugged at the heart… and made us all long for a similar touch.
Even in the absence of a specific health problem a reflexology session, a body massage or a Bowen therapy treatment can leave us with a deep sense of wellbeing.
For myself, I am confident and optimistic that once ‘personal contact’ services are allowed to re-start – all being well from April 12th – we will be celebrating complementary therapy for much longer than just one week! I look forward to welcoming clients and of course, students who have been waiting to resume training. Details of my 2021 training courses can be found elsewhere on this website.
In the interim, please share your lockdown experience, to inspire and encourage others as we emerge from the pandemic and play our part in helping the community back to good physical and mental health.
Helen x
