Massage, Vibroacoustic Therapy and Your Nervous System

You can be completely exhausted and still feel like your body will not slow down.

Your shoulders are up. Your jaw is tight. Your thoughts are still going. You finally have time to rest, but your body seems to have missed the memo.

Being told to “just relax” usually does not help. Sometimes your body needs the right kind of input—and enough time—to begin settling on its own.

Massage and Vibroacoustic Therapy can both support that process, but they do it in very different ways.

Your Nervous System Is Not an On-and-Off Switch

Your autonomic nervous system helps regulate things you do not have to consciously control, including your heart rate, breathing and digestion.

The sympathetic side helps you respond when you need to be alert or take action. The parasympathetic side is more closely associated with rest, digestion and recovery.

Both are necessary. Stress is not automatically bad, and the goal is not to shut off one part of your nervous system. The problem is when your body has trouble settling after the stressful moment has passed.

Massage and VAT do not force your body into a particular state. They provide different forms of sensory input that may make it easier for your body to move toward a calmer, more settled state.

How Massage Fits In

At The Traveling Sole, massage is performed primarily with my feet while I use overhead bars for balance and control.

Using my feet allows me to apply slow, broad and sustained pressure across a larger area. The work can still be deep, but deep does not have to mean sharp, pokey or painful.

That steady pressure, combined with slower pacing and a quiet environment, can help ease physical tension and reduce the feeling that your body needs to brace or hold on.

Massage is still "hands-on" bodywork. I am working with your muscles, fascia and areas of tension while adjusting the pressure to your comfort, goals and how your body responds that day.

Where Vibroacoustic Therapy Comes In

Vibroacoustic Therapy, or VAT, works differently.

A carefully selected pure-tone program delivers low-frequency sound through transducers mounted beneath the massage table. The sound is converted into gentle vibration that you can physically feel through the table and throughout your body.

During The Vibroacoustic Experience, you remain fully clothed and no massage or hands-on bodywork is performed.

The frequency program is the modality. Optional table heat, blankets, a weighted blanket, an eye covering and noise-canceling headphones are available to make you comfortable while you receive it.

Early research suggests that low-frequency vibroacoustic stimulation may affect heart-rate variability in ways associated with increased parasympathetic activity. Research has also found changes related to arousal, relaxation, perceived stress and mood.

That does not mean VAT flips a switch or guarantees that every person will have the same response. Research is still developing. It does give us a reasonable basis for saying VAT may help support relaxation and the body’s ability to move toward a calmer state.

VAT may be worth considering if you feel overstimulated, have difficulty slowing down, prefer a touch-free option or simply need time away from constant demands and outside input.

Massage, VAT or Both?

Massage and VAT are not interchangeable, and one is not automatically better than the other.

Massage may be the better choice when you want "hands-on" bodywork, broad pressure and attention to muscular tension or specific areas of discomfort.

The Vibroacoustic Experience may be a better fit when you want a fully clothed, touch-free experience or when hands-on work does not sound appealing.

You can also experience both. During a combined experience, the massage or bodywork is performed first. You are then fully redraped, comfortably positioned and warmed before finishing with a Pure Tone VAT program.

Some people experience a noticeable sense of deep relaxation. Others simply notice that their breathing feels easier, their thoughts are quieter or their body feels less guarded. The change may be significant or very subtle. There is no particular sensation you are required to have, and responses will vary.

You do not need to arrive relaxed. You do not need to know how to meditate, clear your mind or make anything happen.

You simply show up as you are, and we choose the experience that makes sense for your goals, comfort and what your body can receive that day.

Massage and Vibroacoustic Therapy are available at The Traveling Sole in East Wenatchee, Washington.