Reflexology for Depression
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, please consult a doctor or connect with a trusted person immediately. The following practice of healing, reflexology, can be offered as a means of complementary therapy alongside other treatment modalities, oftentimes seen in the form of conventional medicine.
Reflexology works best in offering relief from anxious-tendencies, sleep disturbances, and other depressive symptoms when practiced in tandem with other methods.
The basis of reflexology exists in tune with the Chinese medicine idea of qi, pronounced “chee.” When qi is imbalanced, stagnant, or blocked, depressive symptoms, among other symptoms and illnesses, might appear.
Reflexology considers meridian lines, invisible energetic channels, and their connection to specific regions of the body when approaching a treatment plan. Through the application of gentle pressure, subtle pulling, tracing, and other movements, a reflexologist uses their hands to shift qi around. The sensation can be felt physically and subtly through the energetic body.
Symptoms of Depression
You might be experiencing depression if one or more of the following symptoms occurs over an extended period of time or begins to occur rather suddenly:
- Low mood
- Low energy
- Fatigue
- Loss of interest in what was once interesting
- Sleep disturbances
- Difficulty concentrating
- Agitation or general moodiness
- Appetite changes
If you meet with a reflexologist, they will likely want to hear more about you beyond the symptoms related to depression. With a thorough background on your history, as well as some additional details concerning your present state, your reflexologist can treat you appropriately. Partly, it is this careful consideration of all angles and sensations which allow for reflexology to heal as well as it does.
Benefits of Reflexology
In relation to depression, reflexology might offer the following benefits, though results vary depending upon the individual.
- Balanced sleep schedule
- Lessened stress
- Enhanced mood
- Increased energy
- General detoxification of the physical body
- Stimulation of the central nervous system
- Balanced digestive tract (can aid in bringing appetite back into balance)
The Main Points in Treating Depression
Tops of Toes
By massaging the top points of each toe for at least thirty seconds and no longer than a minute, a connection to the brain occurs. It seems as if the stimulation of the tops of the toes with a gentle circular motion leads to a brightened mood. For best results, repeat a few times in one sitting and maintain the practice over the course of a few days.
Heavenly Gate
Located in the upper shell of your ear, massaging this point, where there is a hollow dip, seems to relieve anxiety, stress, and combat insomnia. It might be able to balance any sleep disturbances related to depression.
Scientific Support
A study from Inje University in Korea, led by Yun Mi Lee, looked into the efficiency and benefits of foot reflexology on middle-aged women experience depression. The women also expressed that they all had increased stress responses and shared details on the functions of their immune systems.
The results were statistically significant and supported the use of reflexology as a means of complementary therapy for depression, stress response, and in strengthening the immune system. All of the results relate specifically to middle-aged women, but they show how vastly beneficial reflexology can be.
Another study, this one focusing on women experiencing postpartum depression with notable fatigue and stress, was conducted by Mi Son Choi and Eun Ja Lee out of Gachon University’s nursing departments.
Published in 2015, a decade after the studied by Yun Mi Lee, the results were promising, again. Foot-reflexology was “an effective nursing intervention” to offer relief from fatigue, stress, and depression in the postpartum women who participated.