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From Spiritfold, Australian Spiritual Alliance: https://spiritfold.com/Massage

Massage

From Spiritfold
This is the approved revision of this page, as well as being the most recent.

Massage, or massage therapy, is the practice of kneading or otherwise working a person's muscles and other soft tissues to improve their health or wellbeing. It is a form of manual therapy: the therapist holds, moves and presses on muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia (the connective tissue that wraps and supports them).[1] healthdirect classes it as a complementary therapy, meaning one used alongside conventional treatment, not in place of care from a doctor.[2]

Description

Styles of massage

"Massage therapy" is an umbrella term. Its many techniques differ in how touch and pressure are applied and in how intense the treatment is.[1] In Western countries the most common form is Swedish or classical massage, and it forms the core of most massage training.[3] Australian government health sites describe these styles:

  • relaxation massage, aimed at relaxing the muscles and relieving stress[2]
  • Swedish (also called therapeutic or Western) massage, which uses long, soft strokes and is one of the most popular forms in Australia[1][2]
  • remedial massage, the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and biomechanical problems, which may focus on one part of the body and may use deep tissue techniques[1][2]
  • deep tissue massage, which works on deeper layers of muscle with slow strokes and firm finger pressure, and can include trigger point therapy and stretching[1]
  • sports massage, a blend of techniques used for athletes in training, competition and recovery[1][2]
  • lymphatic drainage, a gentle whole-body treatment[1]
  • pregnancy massage[2]
  • massage traditions from Eastern cultures, such as shiatsu, in which finger pressure is applied to acupressure points, and tuina[3][2]

The difference between relaxation and remedial massage matters in Australia, because the two are taught at different levels and lead to different roles (see Training and qualifications below).[4][5]

A session

Before starting, the therapist should talk with the client about their health history (including any medical conditions and medicines), the problems they have come with, and informed consent and what to expect. Massage usually takes place in a quiet, private room and lasts 30 to 60 minutes. Clients can stay dressed or uncover only the area being treated, and any area they don't want exposed can be covered with a towel or drape. Clients should feel safe and comfortable throughout, and should tell the therapist if they don't.[2] Therapists usually use oil or talcum powder so their hands glide over the skin, or sometimes work through a sheet or thin cloth.[1]

How it is thought to work

How massage relieves symptoms is not fully understood. Research shows that it affects nerves near the skin, the spinal cord and the brain, as well as inflammation, heart rate and blood pressure, but how these effects lead to the relief people report is still unclear.[2]

What the evidence says

Massage has been studied for several kinds of pain, including low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, knee osteoarthritis and headaches. For people with cancer, a 2016 evaluation of 19 studies found some evidence that massage might ease pain and anxiety, but the evidence was of very low quality and the findings were inconsistent. A 2014 evaluation found that massage continued for at least five weeks improved pain, anxiety and depression in people with fibromyalgia, but not their sleep.[3] In Australia, the 2015 government review of natural therapies found moderate evidence that massage was effective in the short term for two health conditions.[6] Findings like these describe what studies measured in particular groups of people; they are not a promise of what massage will do for any one person.

Scope

What it includes

  • Manual work on the soft tissues: muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin and fascia[1][2]
  • Relaxation and general health maintenance massage, and remedial massage for soft tissue dysfunction, musculoskeletal imbalance or restricted range of movement[4][5]

What it is not

  • Massage is not a replacement for care from a doctor.[2]
  • Massage is not Spiritualist healing, which Spiritualist bodies treat as a form of mediumship (see Context below).[7]

Traditions and lineage

Massage has been practised throughout human history in most cultures, Eastern and Western, and was among the earliest ways people tried to relieve pain.[3] Better Health names the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and Indians among the peoples who used it for its healing properties.[1]

Context

Within Spiritualism

Massage's main historical link with Spiritualism runs through mesmerism. Franz Anton Mesmer's eighteenth-century healing method included massaging and manipulating what he called the body's "poles", to clear blockages in a supposed universal fluid,[8] and by the mid-nineteenth century the leading mesmerists had been drawn into the Spiritualist movement.[9]

Spiritualist healing today is a different practice from massage. The Spiritualists' National Union (UK) treats it as a form of mediumship that channels divine energy through touch, thought or prayer,[7] and the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (US) tells its healers not to manipulate the recipient's body.[10] This rule shows why the distinction matters: a Spiritualist healer is not meant to be doing bodywork at all. See Spiritual healing.

In Australian Spiritualism

In a Sydney Spiritualist church studied for a 1981 thesis, healers practised "healing by touch", which included touching, stroking, manipulation and passes of the hands near the body; Spiritualists usually distinguish this from faith healing.[11]

Some Australian Spiritualists have also practised massage alongside their church work. A 2024 history of St John's Spiritual Church, Adelaide, records that Rosa Tingey (1889–1966), a minister associated with all of Adelaide's Spiritualist churches, was also a naturopath, chiropodist, masseuse and herbalist.[12] The Brunswick Spiritual Lyceum Church in Melbourne says that one of its long-serving mediums offered hand massages at its church fairs.[13] These were individuals' activities, not church teaching.

A Spiritualist perspective

History ties massage and Spiritualism together more closely than most bodywork, through the mesmerists described above, yet a Spiritualist teacher would still keep the two clearly apart. Massage is a skilled manual therapy with its own training. Spiritualist healing is understood as a form of mediumship: the healer attunes to the spirit world and allows healing to be offered through them, and some Spiritualist bodies ask their healers not to manipulate the body at all.

There is nothing wrong in a Spiritualist also being a trained massage therapist, as some have been. The care lies in being honest about which one you are offering at any moment, and in never letting a massage drift into a "spirit" treatment the person did not ask for. A student can hold to a few simple habits: ask before you touch, respect the person's comfort and modesty, make no promises about their health, and encourage anyone who is unwell to keep seeing their doctor.

Massage in Australia

Training and qualifications

Two national qualifications in the Health Training Package cover massage:

  • HLT42021 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy is for massage therapists who give general health maintenance treatments, and does not cover the role of a remedial massage therapist. It requires at least 80 hours of work in a simulated clinical setting.[4]
  • HLT52021 Diploma of Remedial Massage is for remedial massage therapists who work with clients with soft tissue dysfunction, musculoskeletal imbalance or restricted range of movement. It requires at least 200 hours of work in a simulated clinical setting.[5]

Both include core units on infection prevention and control, work health and safety, and legal and ethical compliance. For both, no occupational licensing or certification requirements applied when they were published.[4][5]

A separate qualification, HLT52115 Diploma of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Remedial Massage, covers remedial massage given within the TCM framework and requires 200 hours of work.[14]

Regulation and associations

No law requires massage therapists in Australia to hold a formal qualification, so anyone can offer massage, trained or not. For that reason healthdirect advises choosing a therapist who is registered with a professional association, so that they are properly trained and insured. It names Massage & Myotherapy Australia, the Association of Massage Therapists, the Australian Natural Therapists Association, the Massage Association of Australia and Myotherapy Association Australia.[2]

Private health insurance and other funding

Medicare doesn't cover massage, but some private health insurance extras policies pay a rebate. The National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Department of Veterans' Affairs may support massage when it is part of a treatment plan from an approved physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor.[2] The Chair of the Natural Therapies Review 2024 noted that massage had kept its eligibility for private health insurance benefits after the 2015 review found moderate evidence of its short-term effectiveness.[6]

Safety and good practice

Massage is usually very safe. It can cause minor pain or soreness during and after treatment, which should last no more than about two days. Very rarely it can damage muscles, joints, blood vessels or nerves, and the risk is higher with an unqualified therapist,[2] which is one reason the choice of a trained, insured therapist matters. NCCIH reports occasional serious harms, among them blood clots, nerve injuries and broken bones; some cases involved vigorous techniques such as deep tissue massage or people at greater risk of injury, such as older people.[3]

When massage may not be suitable

healthdirect says massage may not be suitable for people with heart or kidney failure, blood clots, burns, bruises, infectious skin conditions such as warts or cold sores, osteoporosis or nerve damage, and that it should be avoided by anyone recovering from surgery, having cancer treatment, living with a bleeding disorder, or prone to bleeding or bruising easily. It advises talking to a doctor first when using massage for a health problem, and checking with a doctor or midwife during pregnancy, as not all types of massage are suitable then.[2] Better Health adds that massage may not be recommended, or a doctor's referral should be sought, when skin rashes, cuts or infections are present, when a fracture is suspected, or for people with a life-threatening illness or chronic condition.[1] Massage therapists may need to use lighter pressure on areas made sensitive by cancer or its treatment.[3] These cautions are the reason a good therapist takes a health history before every new client's first treatment.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Massage". Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria. Produced with Massage & Myotherapy Australia; reviewed 21 February 2024 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Massage therapy". healthdirect, Healthdirect Australia. Last reviewed June 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. Last updated May 2019 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "HLT42021 Certificate IV in Massage Therapy". National Training Register, training.gov.au. Current; release 1, 15 December 2022 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "HLT52021 Diploma of Remedial Massage". National Training Register, training.gov.au. Current; release 1, 15 December 2022 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kidd, Michael. Letter to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, 16 February 2025, with Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Report and recommendations. Australian Government Department of Health, published 27 March 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Spiritualists' National Union. "Healing". SNU (accessed 12 October 2026).
  8. ↑ Cox, Robert S. "Mesmerism". Encyclopedia of the New American Nation, reprinted on Encyclopedia.com, updated 11 June 2018 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  9. ↑ "Mesmerism". Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, 5th ed., ed. J. Gordon Melton (Gale, 2001), reprinted on Encyclopedia.com, updated 8 June 2018 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  10. ↑ National Spiritualist Association of Churches. What is Spiritual Healing? (brochure). NSAC, 2024 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  11. ↑ Gillen, Paul. The Spiritualists: Gnosis and Ideology. PhD thesis, School of Behavioural Sciences, Macquarie University, 1981; posted 28 March 2022 (accessed 12 October 2026), p. 44 of PDF.
  12. ↑ Clinch-Jones, Kate. If the Walls Could Talk: A Brief History of the Founders of St Johns Spiritual Church. St John's Spiritual Church Inc, May 2024 (accessed 12 October 2026).
  13. ↑ Brunswick Spiritual Lyceum Church Inc. Home page. Brunswick Spiritual Lyceum Church (accessed 12 October 2026).
  14. ↑ "HLT52115 Diploma of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Remedial Massage". National Training Register, training.gov.au. Current; release 4, 8 April 2022 (accessed 11 October 2026).

Further reading

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