Oncology Massage
This service is specifically meant for people actively receiving cancer treatment. If you are no longer in active treatment, I would recommend booking a regular massage appointment.
There are specific challenges and benefits associated with receiving bodywork and massage therapy while in active cancer treatment. Depending on where you are in your treatment or recovery, you may feel better or worse. You may be fatigued, experiencing side effects from your treatments and be uncomfortable. Your immune system may be compromised, and your platelets may be low. You may not be able to comfortably stay in one position for an extended period of time. When we work together, we’ll make adjustments around all of these, as needed. We’ll also take time to assess how you’re doing mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and make space for that.
You may well be going through the hardest time in your life, full of uncertainty and fear, with your body medicalized and pathologized at every turn. You may be at odds with your body. And while the medical establishment will do what it can to keep you alive and bring you back to good health, it generally does not excel at helping you feel supported, at ease, and cared for. It’s easy to lose track of your humanity and to get lost in the overwhelm. Wherever you are in your process, however you show up that day, we’ll meet you where you’re at, and go from there.
Receiving bodywork during this time comes with a host of benefits, both physically and emotionally. Because of this, massage therapy can be a powerful auxiliary healing modality, specifically geared towards offering you whole-being support and helping you feel better.
On the physical side, massage therapy can (not limited to):
- Help strengthen muscles and bones
- Reduce symptoms of nausea
- Increase energy/reduce fatigue
- Lead to better sleep
- Help with scar mobilization
- Help with swelling
- Reduce discomfort around treatment and reconstruction areas
- Reduce discomfort from peripheral neuropathy
- Induce deep relaxation
- Support healing both physically and emotionally
In addition, there are emotional, holistic benefits (not limited to):
- Feel seen and held like a whole person, not just a collection of body parts
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Remember that your body can be a source of good sensations
- Remember that your body can be a place of safety
- Welcome affected body parts back into the fold, caring for them, loving them
- Feel truly cared for
- Being able to just be for a little while
- Reduce social isolation
- Reintegrate body, mind, and spirit
- Increase overall wellbeing
How Oncology massage is different
Because there are a good many factors at play that we want to take into account when deciding on the best course of action for any given session, we’ll likely spend more time talking then we might for a regular session, and conversely a little less time on the bodywork part. We’ll probably not get to do a full body massage, rather the goal is to work targeted, within your level of tolerance and energy levels, while working with your nervous system to get you some much needed down regulation.
Questions or wanting to book?
If you have any questions about oncology massage, please reach out! You can text me at (347) 693-9340, or email me at help@woodstockmassageworks.com. I’m happy to schedule a call to talk through how this could help you. And if you know this is the work for you, you can book an appointment.