Massage and Depression

Touch is one of the most primal needs of any human being. Massage therapies address the need for human touch, enhances health, and heals the body, mind, and spirit. It helps relieve feelings of isolation, loneliness—key risk factors for depression.

Massage can reduce depression symptoms by lowering stress hormones, improving sleep, relaxing tense muscles, promoting a sense of well-being, reducing cortisol levels, increase oxytocin (the “bonding” hormone), and increasing the mood boosting brain chemicals of serotonin and dopamine (Medical News Today , 2023).