05/29/2025
Deep Pressure and the Nervous System!!!
Not every client needs deep pressure and sometimes, it’s the worst thing we can do.
A lot of people say, “You can go as deep as you want, I like it hard.”
But here’s what you don’t know and what most therapists forget:
When pressure goes too deep, too fast, for too long... the body doesn’t relax — it fights. That’s not therapy. That’s trauma with oil.
Instead of calming the nervous system and inviting the body into a healing state, you’re triggering the sympathetic response — adrenaline, bracing, guarding, shallow breath. Muscles don’t release. They contract harder.
You might feel like it’s “part of the process” or “breaking through,” but your brain (as the client) is actually screaming:
“Protect, protect, protect!”
This creates the illusion of progress but nothing actually changed.
No signal reached the brain to let go.
No shift into parasympathetic mode.
No healing.
& you probably feel terribly sore days following.
Deep work should feel safe, not forceful. It should invite not invade.
The most skilled therapists don’t push harder. They listen deeper.
They adjust pressure based on the nervous system’s response not their own ego.
It’s not about how deep you go, it’s about how deep the body lets you in.
& this is why you choose Megan at Simply Zen. She listens to your body intuitively, adjusting just the right amount of pressure and easing when she feels your restriction.
Let’s heal ✨