Lomi Lomi Massage
After you’ve exhausted several attempts to recover from substance abuse, only to end up in a continuous cycle of relapse, it’s easy to become demoralized. However, if you’ve continuously participated in the same type of treatment each time, at some point, you have to know when to cut your losses and move on to something more beneficial.
As mental health and substance abuse treatment research progresses, old treatment models become outdated, and new forms of therapy are ushered in because of their higher success rate. Currently, many rehab facilities are including holistic forms of treatment as a part of their program, and clients are experiencing promising success levels.
Holistic treatment isn’t defined as an outlined or designated set of treatment methods but instead as a group of different proactive approaches that include treating every element of your being in an interconnected way. Techniques like Equine Therapy and Nature Immersion are highly effective for mental health and substance abuse.
Lomi Lomi massage borrows from ancient Hawaiian traditions and is growing in popularity. Keep reading to find out about this form of massage and it use at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, America’s premier holistic rehab facility.
Experience True Healing
Our deeply-caring staff and the surrounding natural beauty offer an unparalleled healing experience.
What is Lomi Lomi Massage?
What is Lomi Lomi massage? This form of healing is an ancient massage practice with roots in Hawaii. It was developed by Dr. George Naumu, who used this technique to treat patients suffering from chronic pain. He noticed that his patients experienced relief after receiving massages using traditional Hawaiian methods.
In traditional Hawaiian medicine, Lomi Lomi massage is performed by combining massage, nut oils, breathing, and dancing. Using Huna’s philosophy, the method reveals how our bodies work and how they heal.
The word “lomilomi” means “to rub gently.” In other words, Lomi Lomi massage involves gentle rubbing movements over specific pressure points. This method aims to provide relaxation and healing properties for the mind and body. Experiencing the mental and physical benefits of Lomi Lomi massage delivers significant advantages for those lucky enough to be on the receiving end.
The following are just a few of the many reasons why Lomi Lomi massage can benefit you:
- Relaxation – Lomi Lomi massage helps reduce stress and anxiety. You’ll feel relaxed and rejuvenated after receiving a session.
- Pain Relief – Lomi Lomi massages help relieve tension and pain in various parts of the body
- Stress Relief – Lomi Lomi massage is an excellent stress reliever, helping you forget about anything that’s been weighing on you mentally.
Throughout the world, Hawaiian tourism has made Lomi Lomi massage famous. Unlike other types of massage, the massage involves dancing around the patient. During a massage, the practitioner uses palms, fingers, knuckles, elbows, knees, and feet to manipulate the muscles.
Every form of massage focuses on different elements of the mind and body to provide other solutions. What should you expect from a Lomi Lomi massage?
What to Expect from a Lomi Lomi Massage
There is a significant difference between Lomi Lomi massage and Swedish-style massages. As a result of its holistic approach, the mind, body, emotion, and spirit are linked together.
It is customary for the massage therapist to place their hands gently on the client of the Lomi Lomi massage and remain still for some time before beginning the massage. Also, you may be asked to relax by taking deep breaths. Traditional Lomi Lomi practitioners may add music and prayer chanting.
In contrast to Thai or deep tissue massages, a Lomi Lomi massage exposes a more significant portion of the body. Rather than working on one part of the body at a time, the massage therapists move with long flowing motions. Massage sheets allow your therapist to expose more areas of your body simultaneously.
Through the use of the forearms and hands, the massage therapist massages the body simultaneously, using a fluid, rhythmic motion. Since the brain is not able to concentrate on two areas at the same time, this assists in the client’s relaxation. Stability and peace can be achieved by not focusing on separate sites in isolation. It is traditionally believed that Abdominal Massage is a vital element of the Lomi Lomi Massage technique since the abdomen is considered a part of a person’s soul or heart.
Hawaiian Healing Traditions and Lomi Lomi
Hawaii is home to many beliefs regarding holistic healing methods and different alternative treatments. Lomi Lomi fits in perfectly with many Hawaiian Islanders’ beliefs and customs. Lomi Lomi is deeply entrenched in many of the most popular healing practices used by alternative medicine practitioners and massage therapists.
The practice of Lomi Lomi dated back to the early Polynesian era and was eventually brought to Hawaii by early Polynesian travelers.
Experience True Healing
Our deeply-caring staff and the surrounding natural beauty offer an unparalleled healing experience.
Hawaiian Origins of Lomi Lomi
It is essential to understand the origins of Lomi Lomi massage before understanding what it is today.
Early Polynesians brought the Lomi Lomi massage to Hawaii during the early Polynesian era. The Hawaiians then created a unique style of massage. Kahuna and Shama are spiritual healers who used to exorcise spirits as part of their healing practice. It evolved in an isolated valley along the island chain for more than a century, utilizing various approaches and techniques as it developed.
Hawaiian lomilomi massage has traditionally been practiced in the following four contexts:
- Native healers use this practice as a way of healing the sick
- For the purpose of aiding digestion, especially among chiefs and other ruling officials
- A relaxing massage that can be used in a family setting as a form of treatment
- The masters of Hawaiian martial art, known as Olohe Lua (masters of the Hawaiian martial art)
As a result of colonial masters seeing massage as a heathen practice, it was banned at the turn of the 19th century (1820). It is important to note that Lomi Lomi Massage is not only popular among native Hawaiians but also among foreign residents of Hawaii as a therapeutic massage. The law was amended and revised in 2001 to enact a policy that only Hawaiian medical board certified practitioners could perform these massages.
Abraham Kawaii and Magaret Machado developed the structured technique used today in Hawaiian Massage. It was requested that Lomi Lomi massage therapists focus on calming each client’s mind and offering nurturing touch instead of chants and prayers. Adaptations such as these have contributed to the popularity of Lomi Lomi Massage worldwide.
Techniques of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi
The treatment is based on the ancient Hawaiian philosophy of Huna, in which the mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected, and as such, it focuses on treating the whole person rather than just the muscles.
- There is no set format or sequence for Lomilomi massage; each massage is unique, just as each client is unique. A therapist works intuitively to meet each patient’s unique needs.
- Family members typically teach lomilomi, so different strands have developed that employ various techniques. Still, they all agree that you must use a slow, meditative approach to put your client at ease.
- It is not enough to use your hands when performing Lomilomi. Even the knees and feet of therapists are used in the treatment process. The technique is gentle yet profound, using long, flowing strokes under and around the body. Clients often feel like they are being washed over by gentle ocean waves when they experience these rhythmic movements.
- According to Hawaiian tradition, both+ blockages in the mind and the muscles can affect energy flow through the body. Since Huna holds that everything is interconnected, if the reason is blocked by stress or your muscles tense, it will negatively impact the entire body.
- The goal is to reduce the tension so you can let go of all your anxieties and troubles.
- Experts believe that there is an even greater state of relaxation when four or more hands work together, as the brain cannot focus on all the hands simultaneously, and the client can completely relax. Many techniques of Lomi Lomi involve two massage therapists on one client.
- Therapists working alone often mimic this by massaging two different body parts at once, for example, one hand working on a shoulder and the other on the opposite hip.
- A therapist can assist the energy flow in a room by miming a hula dance around the table as they work, a technique used to facilitate energy flow.
- Additionally, therapists will usually start a session with a short blessing, known as a “pule,” to ask for healing to take place, along with discussing with clients ways to incorporate things into their everyday life, such as meditation or changing their diet.
What Are the Benefits of Massage In Addiction Treatment?
Besides providing a physically beneficial experience, massages during substance abuse treatment yield many benefits. Consider the following benefits of participating in massage therapy during substance abuse treatment:
- During a massage, the workout experienced by the muscles helps to flush the lactic acid that’s built up inside your muscle tissue. This is a form of waste that builds in muscles, causing poor blood flow. This acid is broken down and dispersed, improving circulation in these trouble spots.
- Massage reduces your level of anxiety and helps eliminate agitation during the withdrawal and detox process.
- Massage increases dopamine and serotonin, helping clients to experience natural feelings of pleasure again without the assistance of chemical substances
- A massage session helps promote better sleep, which is highly beneficial during withdrawal and the period right after detox when it’s the most difficult to obtain any restful sleep. After massage therapy, your chances of enjoying natural rest are much higher, which is critical for your overall health.
Forging Sacred Connections Through Hawaii Rehab
At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, ancient holistic healing and deep-rooted Hawaiian customs are very much a part of our program and who we are. This provides us with one of the primary benefits we can offer clients – authentic Hawaiian tradition in coordination with modern forms of substance abuse therapy.
All the elements of your recovery plan are personalized down to minor details, leading to maximum benefit and increased odds of recovery.
Experience True Healing
Our deeply-caring staff and the surrounding natural beauty offer an unparalleled healing experience.
Experience Relaxation and Recovery at Hawaii Rehab
At Exclusive Hawaii, we have two primary goals when a new client begins treatment. The first is to ensure the most relaxing retreat possible, allowing you to recharge and refuel mentally and physically. The second and most important is to promote your long-term recovery by administering the most appropriate forms of treatment.
By the time you leave, we hope to allow you to re-enter the real world with a newfound confidence in yourself and a rich appreciation for your recovery. However, the work ethic you display in treatment must carry over during aftercare. You must remain proactive in your recovery, constantly maintaining your focus and drive to continue to say “no.”
For more information about how we can get you on the path to recovery, contact a member of our Intake Coordination team today!