05/30/2025
I saw this in a massage therapy group and thought it was great to share.
Deep Pressure and the Nervous System!!!
Not every client needs deep pressure and sometimes, it’s the worst thing you can do.
We’ve all had clients say, “You can go as deep as you want, I like it hard.” Or “Don’t worry you can hurt me.”
But here’s what they 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/lotion.
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 you’re “breaking through,” but the client’s brain 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.
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.
