Healing Trauma of Domestic Violence with Massage Therapy

Domestic Violence Has Become an Epidemic in America

In the U.S. each year, 10 million women and men are victims of domestic violence, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In an article entitled “Massage Eases Recovery for Domestic Violence Survivors”, author Brandi Schlossberg, an avid bodywork client and full-time journalist, writes:

“The hidden nature of domestic violence may make it hard to fathom that an average of nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S., according to the coalition, which also reports a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the U.S., and one in five women have been the victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”

Key Considerations When Working with Domestic Violence Victims

Key signs that a patient is a potential victim of domestic violence includes the presence of bruises, cuts and lacerations on the face, head and body, or in areas usually covered by clothing, including the back, chest, breasts, abdomen and extremities.

Rebecca J. Razo, author of the article “Understanding Domestic Violence: What Massage Therapists Should Know, writes:

“Soft-tissue injuries, sprains, fractures, eye or ear trauma, complaints of injuries lacking visible evidence, chronic illness, injuries that do not appear to heal over time (suggesting repeated abuse), or injuries that do not coincide with a client's explanation of how the injury occurred, are also key indicators of violence.”

Massage Therapy Techniques for Coping with Domestic Violence Trauma

When it comes to helping victims overcome the trauma associated with domestic violence, Rosa Harper; supportive housing advocate at SafePlace in Austin, Texas; suggests during an interview with Massage Mag:

“I think most people in the healing profession, most bodyworkers, they realize that trauma is stored in the body. The body remembers trauma, and massage is an excellent tool for relieving stored trauma and tension,” she says.