What is Biodynamic Massage?

Have you got a nagging headache; feeling tension in your body; experiencing problems with your digestion; feeling tired or anxious? Maybe like me you tick more than one box?

There are numerous ways that we can try to relax and restore the balance in our own body heart and mind, with massage therapy assisting with that greatly. Given the right attitude and therapy we have the capacity to heal ourselves. However, looking out at the sea of therapeutic, holistic and deep tissue massage therapies, you may be unsure which to try first. All are fantastic at helping to heal the body and mind, but there’s only one that uses a stethoscope on your abdomen to listen to the sounds of your digestive system played over a speaker! Welcome to Biodynamic Massage.

I recently had a session with the lovely Liza Waller. After completing a health questionnaire together I was invited to lie on the therapy couch. It was totally my decision how much clothing I was comfortable to remove as Biodynamic Massage can be done over clothing. However, I knew that skin to skin would be more beneficial and felt at ease with Liza so therefore de-robed and slipped under the sheet and blanket. I admit that there was some apprehension about listening to my own rumblings (psycho-peristalsis), let alone a stranger hearing them, but it was oddly hypnotic. In fact when we experienced some slight feedback from having to move my leg, the machine was turned off and I found that I missed listening to the reverberations going on inside me. It was really good to focus on the sounds and feel ‘at one’ with my body during the course of the massage.  During the process I was invited to notice feelings and any images or memories that may arise. I couldn’t help smile at the reminder of the noises I heard before my pre-natal Doppler monitor picked up my daughters’ heartbeats.

Initially I was disappointed not to feel or smell the familiar oils used in massage, but it was actually quite nice to not have oil in my hair and sticking to my clothes when I got dressed again. Especially as I was returning to work after my lunchtime treat! Liza would be happy to use oils on the back if this is particularly requested but generally uses a light organic powder instead.

I had my upper back and neck massaged to begin, with the stethoscope placed under my abdomen (on the left, below belly button level) I then turned to have my arms, legs and then my head worked on, again with the stethoscope placed in the same area on my abdomen. Liza doesn’t analyse the sounds, she was however very interested in them, and the differences in sound when different parts of the body are touched and massaged.She says the sounds give her guidance as to what is happening in the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes) As well as food, the gut is digesting, processing emotions, filtrating experiences thoughts & memories, which all carry a level of energy of their own.

After having my body massaged I was encouraged to turn on my left side and Liza left the room to give me a few minutes of relaxation time alone. I didn’t need much encouragement and relished the quiet time to reflect. I was then brought back to reality with a light tap on the door and offered a glass of water and the time to get dressed before Liza returned. We had some time to reflection the experience together and how I felt now.

This massage works on the fact that we’re energetic beings, where good health is possible where there is a free flow of energy within the body. If an energy cycle is stuck or interrupted, this can manifest in pain, illness and negative emotions, this massage can benefit by releasing the stuck or stagnant energy flow. Biodynamtic Massage is a method first used in Norwegian physiotherapy then developed and brought to the U.K. by Gerda Boyesen, psychologist, physiotherapist and analyst. If this sounds like a therapy that can help you, then please give it a try. Tune into your body, listen to your digestion system gurgling mesmerisingly, and relax into a more balanced you.

Please contact the therapist directly for more information or to book a treatment here at The Body Junction
Liza Waller 07813 680 659

Written by Tracey Bartlett