Category: Education/Training Publisher: Touchpoint Institute of Reflexology and Kinesthetics, Ltd.
ISBN-10: 0973988207
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 85
Copyright: October 1993
In Face To Face Reflexology, many concepts have been synthesized to produce a manual designed to teach a method of stimulation and sedation to different reflexes on the face. Now you can learn an easy, gentle way to give a Face Reflexology session. You will enjoy looking at anyone's face and be able to assess their health, and often their behaviours and emotions. Learn to give a session directed toward relaxation, headache relief,health improvement and pain release. Husbands and wives can develop a special bond that goes way beyond health and relaxation. Nothing compares to a session of Face Reflexology.
As Reflexologists, we “read” all the signals marked on the face in orderto help choose a different diet or improve the functions of different organs. Face Reflexology releases tension in the 91 muscles of theface, neck, skull and shoulders, also working on connective tissue, making it more elastic, enabling the skin to gain back the radiance of youthfulness.
A Face Reflexology session is an excellent way to reduce the army of wrinkles, the perpetual frown and the dreaded bags under the eyes. It tightens the skin and the slackening jaw line, as it improves circulationand energy flow. Learn to rebalance the system with points that comefrom a Reflexology model as well as from acupressure, and meridianenergy flows.
This manual is more than a "how-to" book. it is also a personal journey, helping you to understand more about self and others.Learn to "read"the face, understanding the meaning of arched, angular eyebrows, unibrows, upturned noses, thin or full lips, eyes far apart or close together. Observation will enable you to understand and adapt your behaviour to clients, family and friends.
Excerpt
Benefits of releasing tensions from the Facial Muscles
The face is our primary organ of emotional expression. When we want to see what a person is feeling, we look at their face. Overt trauma or stress sets itself in our facial muscles. Thinking about negative experiences of the past or imagining their recurrence in the future, re-stimulates these same muscular patterns. Even the act of repressing emotions so that other people will not see what we feel, leaves its traces - not only in the stiffness that we use as a mask, but also in the expression that we hoped to hide from the eyes of others.
After a while, we get so used to the patterns of tension, that we no longer notice them. People can go around with the same stress and strain in their face for 20, 30, or even 40 years without being aware of it. When you finally relax the physical and mental tensions because of a Face Reflexology session or even a normal face massage, the difference is unmistakable. Your face glows, the eyes shine, colour returns to the skin and muscles feel smooth and mobile.
By working on the connective tissue that encases the muscles, we create space for the muscles to relax. The muscles get more elastic and tone up. The face achieves a flexible, lively balance, shaping and stretching the skin towards the optimal, harmonious form.
The skin is divided into two layers. The epidermis, the outer layer, is made up of the skin cells themselves. The next layer is the dermis and this is made up of connective tissue. The blood vessels that carry the oxygen as well as the substances that feed the skin cells, are embedded in this connective tissue.
Tension in this connective tissue will tighten the areas around these blood vessels and cut down the flow of blood to the skin cells. Not only are they unable to get the nourishment they need, they are also unable to get rid of the waste products from cellular metabolism. The connective tissue of the skin itself is made up of living cells. These cells secrete collagen fibres, which weave together to form a net-like structure. The cells also secrete the gelatin-like ground substance that fills the space between the fibres.
What we call aging of the skin is primarily a stiffening of the gelatin of the ground substance. The chains of the molecules that make up the ground substance get bound together in long chains. The gelatin becomes hard and stiff. The skin of the face becomes less flexible. Lines and wrinkles become set. Furthermore, the hardening of the connective tissue of the skin can "glue" the skin to the layers below - to those connective tissues surrounding the muscles or the bones.
The special light touch of Reflexology mobilises the body's own resources to release the molecular tension. Suddenly the ground substance becomes fluid again. This restores the vitality and mobility of the face. Layers that had been glued together become unstuck. The skin can slide freely above the deeper layers of muscle and bone. The unique quality of Reflexology is the lasting effect on the connective tissue, which softens the skin, restores mobility to our expression and improves our complexion.
When you first get up in the morning your face probably looks paler, puffer and more creased than usual. You can blame some of the crease on the pillow you slept on, but the lack of colour and tone are the result of a nocturnal slow–down in circulation. When the body is in a deep rest it puts the brakes on the systems that pump blood and lymph around the body. At night, when the lymph drainage of toxins form the tissues slows down, the waste builds up. Puffiness around the face, particularly the eyes, in the morning is just on of the most obvious signs of this; likewise, the relative pallor that follows the nocturnal slow down in blood circulation. It is not only sleep that slows down circulation. During the day, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, shallow breathing and overexposure to pollution – all hazards of modern living –slow the drainage of lymph and flow of blood.
Facial massage jump-starts both. A pinker glow is the obvious testament to improved blood flow. The acceleration of lymph action is less visible. You can assume that if your face is a richer colour the lymph has also been stimulated, since it vessels run closer to the surface of the skin. In the longer term, a fluid lymph system shows in a resilient immune system and a bright complexion. Half of the lymph nodes in the body are in the neck; so unblocking them has an immediate effect on the facial skin.
Pressing or squeezing any part of your body increases circulation to that area. The face responds particularly well to touch as it is packed with small, sensitive muscle and so richly endowed with endings.
Tension, age and habit patterns cause the connective tissue between the layers of the facial skin and the facial muscle to become less supple over time. As a result habitual expressions such as frown lines, rigid jaws, pursed lips and staring eyes tend to become set as part of the fabric of the face.
The gentle pressure of Face Reflexology can loosen up the facial muscle and allow them to learn to slide back into place more readily after being tensed. The cumulative effect is such that with repeated treatment to your face will be looking relaxed and appear younger. Face massage stimulates circulation so your skin will be toned and glowing.
Face muscles are extremely delicate, so massage must be gentle to avoid muscle lengthening and therefore droopy skin. This is important in the older client. The scalp can, however be worked with more zest, and massaging vigorously will affect the face.
Improve the function of the jaw
The jawbone is moved by four major muscles on each side. If these are out of balance, people have tension on the joint, have problems chewing properly and grind their teeth when they sleep. In addition, if these muscles do not function properly in a balanced way, other muscles are used to compensate. Some of these muscles create double chins or unsightly rope-like folds in the skin of the throat.
The hyoid bone, a bone that is not attached to any other bone, acts like a curtain holder, holding the muscles up under the chin. When muscles lose their tensile strength, the hyoid no longer can perform its function, allowing the muscles to droop. Aided by the weight of fat, the double chin is the result.
A variety of set expressions of anger, fear and sadness melt away - leaving your face with a more relaxed, joyful, satisfied expression. Lines, bags, sags and wrinkles diminish. Your face becomes more flexible, responsive and youthful looking. The complexion improves noticeably. The texture of the skin becomes silky, the colour from increased circulation's shines through. The face shows more spontaneous expressions and looks more alive. When your face looks better, automatically, you will feel better.
The American psychologist William James asked the question - "Do we run because we are afraid, or are we afraid because we run?" In other words, is our body language the result of our emotions, or is our physical expression the cause of our feelings and mood? Conventional wisdom now has it that by changing our facial expression, we in fact key in different feelings. As a result of relaxing we have a more pleasant expression, send out different signals. People notice and treat us better accordingly. They react differently to us, and in response, we act differently. The chain of events causes a drastic change in the way we perceive life and the way in which we react to it.
Face Reflexology will improve the breathing and function of the senses. Unnecessary tensions in the muscles around the nose and mouth have a noticeable and limiting effect on the breathing capacity. A smile will increase breathing capacity markedly. Sometimes people tell us that after their sessions, they see, hear and even taste things better. Face Reflexology often brings symptom relief. Headaches, migraines, even those which have been chronic for many years often disappear during the course of a series of sessions. The effects of scar tissue from accidents involving the face, scalp and neck can be minimized. Hard aching shoulders get soft and painless again and the nervous system is rebalanced. Reflexology releases blockages in the body and helps your energies to flow again.
Crisis Management for First Responders is for first responders to be able to help victims of critical incidents as well as their own personnel who are affected by the trauma they witness or experience themselves.
Crisis Management for First Responders is for first responders to be able to help victims of critical incidents as well as their own personnel who are affected by the trauma they witness or experience themselves.
