10/04/2025
Deep Pressure and the Nervous System
Not every client benefits from deep pressure. For some, it can be the most counterproductive approach.
We’ve all heard clients say, “You can go as deep as you want, I like it hard.” But here’s what often gets overlooked:
When pressure is applied too deeply, too quickly, or for too long, the body doesn’t relax. It resists. That’s not therapy. That’s trauma with oil.
Instead of calming the nervous system and inviting the body into a restorative state, excessive force triggers a sympathetic response: adrenaline release, guarding, shallow breathing. Muscles don’t soften under this stress. They contract more.
You may feel like you’re “breaking through,” but the client’s nervous system is actually sending an urgent message: “Protect, protect, protect!”
This creates the illusion of progress without true change. The brain never receives the signal to let go, the parasympathetic system never takes over, and healing does not occur.
Deep work should feel safe, not forceful. It should invite the body to release, not invade it.
The most skilled therapists don’t achieve results by pressing harder. They do it by listening deeper. They adapt pressure in response to the nervous system, not to satisfy ego.
Because in the end, effective therapy isn’t about how deep you go. It’s about how deeply the body allows you in.
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