Case Studies & Blog

John walked into the treatment room of The Upminster Sanctuary with a mixture of hesitation and suspicion. It was as if the peaceful tranquillity of the stunning gardens surrounding this magical place have not touched him.
For over a month now he was driving his family insane. Being kind and patient people they tried to help him in every way possible but nothing worked, so they sent him to The Upminster Sanctuary and directly asked for my assistance.

So what was wrong with John?

John was stressed beyond reason: he couldn't sleep, had tension in his upper back, neck and shoulders, was constantly tired, short fused, anxious and unhappy.
He had trouble falling asleep and waking up so he drank coffee all day to stay alert. Due to the nature of his business he was forced to be on the phone all day so his daily workload would build up by the evening, meaning he had to stay up late. After hours in front of the computer screen, he could not relax to fall asleep and it was making him anxious. The more he tried the less it worked.

John was a dedicated husband and father so an ever-increasing workload took most of his family time away from him. He was frustrated he couldn't spend time with his boys who were growing up quickly - he had to miss birthday parties, family gatherings, anniversaries and even stopped enjoying football...
He was also genuinely worried: not only did he feel he was getting worse, if he were to continue this lifestyle it would not only affect the people around him but his health too. John tried exercising but it only worked short term.

This is not an unusual scenario and as a Holistic Therapist I come across it every day. In fact, most of us have been there at least once in our lives.

There are a lot of holistic treatments that can improve this condition quickly but there was one catch...

John could not bear to be touched. He hated to be touched. By anyone.

This meant he would rather die than have a massage or reflexology or any other therapy that involves a therapeutic touch. At this point in life he rejected counselling even as a thought.

I have a great compassion for those who are struggling but not giving up.
So, slowly and methodically, we started going through my arsenal of therapies that would help him to relax and let go.

A Massage or Deep Tissue massage that would relax John's tight back and shoulders was out of the question.

An Indian Head massage - a brilliant introduction to the massage including upper back, neck, shoulders, head and face massage in one treatment was still a massage and sounded suspicious to him.

Abdomen massage - a wonderful soothing sequence that not only detoxifies and balances digestion but brings a sensation of relaxation and peace with the use of Marma points and warm oil was a definite NO.

Reflexology or an Ayurvedic Foot Massage - both powerful treatments that have been successfully used for many misalignments including stress was a NO too because at this point John could not possibly imagine anyone touching his feet. It was a pity because the practicality of those amazing treatments was that not only did they produce immediate results, but all one needs to do is to expose his or her feet, making it convenient to blend into a busy schedule.

I did not see the need for Lymphatic Drainage Massage - a very powerful soothing one-of-a kind balancing treatment that moves lymph. John has not been recovering from surgery, had no swelling or Lympho/Lypoedima or any kind of injury and did not need to lose weight (lymph moves fat therefore is a good addition to a weight loss programme).

Surprisingly, a healing Reiki treatment, even though it had no contact and had often been successfully used for overworked and exhausted people or anyone recovering from a disease did not feel right for him either.

Bach remedy - powerful individually-prescribed remedy drops - was a good option for someone like John; all I need is a consultation to prescribe a remedy combination. However John he did not feel it was for him at the moment.

Finally, he said his face is the only part of his body he is prepared to entrust to me.

Looking back, I still think a Face Lift Massage is an interesting and intuitive choice. It can be looked upon by many as purely cosmetic because it gives a noticeable face lift and visibly improves appearance.
If followed by natural skincare, good lifestyle and individually prescribed regular face exercises, it will keep one's face unchanged for years to come but there is much more to it.

Non-surgical Facelift Massage is a powerful combination of balancing reflex points, deep powerful massage to relax face and neck muscles, healing Reiki to balance and regenerate and lymphatic drainage to move the build up of toxins away from the head area.
An example: a traditional Vietnamese face reflex map shows over 500 healing points responsible for the whole body. So, a quality Face Massage is always a win but sometimes you have to experience it to believe it.

As this Face Massage treatment is an hour long, we agreed that if John feels uncomfortable, stressed or upset during the treatment he will immediately let me know by raising his hand and I will stop.

Then the journey to the recovery began...

Needless to say, it was a 100 percent success. John said he had never in his life felt so relaxed as during this face massage. He could not possibly imagine one can get so deeply relaxed but still be awake at the same time. He noticed he looks different: refreshed and rejuvenated.

The best and the most important point for John and many other people who have experienced this particular Natural Facelift Massage was that it gave him a "thinking break" he could not achieve by any other means. This massage had freed his head from thoughts continuously going through his mind and keeping him alert, awake and eventually exhausted.
In his own words John "felt the best of himself ever".
His only complaint was why has he never tried it before?!!

I have worked with John for over the period of several months. He tried most of my treatments but his firm favourites are still Reflexology and Natural Facelift Massage. We adjusted his diet to allow enough nourishment to support his lifestyle and avoid triggering stress anxiety and insomnia.

I'm pleased to report that, since then, John and his family have made enormous progress: "returning to his better self" as he called it, helped John to look at his life in a different light. He still runs a demanding business but managed to bring balance and positivity into it; he embraced a healthier lifestyle and in my opinion developed the most valuable skill - being in touch with himself. This intuition helps him to know in advance whether he needs a break, a treatment, a diet adjustment or more family time.
Taking constructive time off has not affected his business; it helped him to make the most of his work time to free up necessary rest and rejuvenation time for himself.
I still occasionally see John when he feels that one of my treatments will support him in his busy life.

I have the greatest respect to John as I believe the biggest fight is often with yourself. Overcoming the fear of touch, coming from stress and anxiety, to mindfulness and balance in just a few months is something to be proud of. Understanding, processing and sustaining it throughout life takes courage and faith.
On my business card I have a little proverb: "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is what you are". As an Holistic Therapist I want my clients to live their life to the full each and every day and I enjoy helping them to achieve that.

Warmest regards,

Katrina Ray