The stock market’s declining. Unemployment is skyrocketing. Your 401(k) is almost assuredly heading south. The only thing showing an upward trend? Stress and the health problems it induces. Now is a good time to fight back: bodywork may be a better investment than most.

Of course, “bodywork” is a bit hard to define.  It’s the Baskin-Robbins of the complementary and alternative medicine world, and comes in at least as many flavors as ice cream.  How to tell the difference without endless sampling? Here are five noteworthy approaches (some with several subsets) that are getting to be common—or at least are no longer obscure.

Rolfing
Also called The Rolf Method of Structural Integration®, this mid-20th century designed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf uses firm physical touch to improve body alignment. It seems that after the body’s internal structure is corrected, the body heals itself. 

In the new world of joint replacements and other surgical repairs, Rolfing can sometimes delay the inevitable by supporting the body as it compensates for a bum knee, hip, or shoulder.  It’s especially good post-surgically, when it can help reduce internal scarring and restrictions on range of motion and thus speed recovery.

The work is with the soft tissues: muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments. Responses to Rolfing vary from “it hurts” to “it’s delicious.”  The practice has become subtler and more refined over the years – and thus not anything more than occasionally uncomfortable – but it still involves direct pressure on connective tissues to release any inappropriate positioning, and can leave soreness for the next day or two.

During your session, the Rolfer™ will often ask you to walk across the room, usually in your undies so he or she can analyze the movement of your legs and pelvis. You’ll also tell your practitioner of your specific aches and pains. Then you’ll lie on the massage table while the practitioner palpates various parts of your frame to see what’s up, then “differentiates,” which means breaking up any fascia that are adhering where they ought not, and finally integrates and rebalances your body.

You’ll get lots of elbow work and strong, broad strokes, aimed at breaking up fascia. At times, it may feel like random poking and prodding, often in areas where you aren’t necessarily having troubles. Rest assured that the practitioners come from a strong knowledge base in physiology and anatomy, and it’s not random at all. Rolfing is about things that can be seen and physically felt by Rolfing practitioners, whose training is rigorous. Sessions are fairly lengthy – usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours – and cost around $100.

After a course of treatment – often ten sessions, aimed at various hunks of your body – you may be noticeably taller. Other possible changes: your shoulders may align; your gait may even out; and previously super-tight muscles may appear more relaxed. But the real benefit, practitioners say, is that Rolfing Structural Integration promotes healthy and lasting change in your posture, and eases chronic pain; it also reduces stress.

At the same time, the changes in the physical body may trigger emotional or psychological changes; it’s no news that the mind and body are linked. Physical well-being along with emotional health? Rolfing offers a two-fer. For more information, or to find a certified Rolfer, contact The Rolf Institute® (Rolf.org) or The Guild For Structural Integration (rolfguild.org).

Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese form of energy work that promotes stress reduction (are we seeing a common theme here?) and relaxation, and as such promotes healing.  It’s a bit of a miracle, in that it can be a no-touch variety of bodywork, and is said to be useful even at long distance. It feels pleasurable in a tingly way, but with no stroking, kneading, or poking – instead just a simple laying on of hands – it’s not much like a massage.  Frequently, the practitioner doesn’t touch the recipient at all, but rather moves his or her hands just above the body in a sweeping motion.  

You’ll simply lie down, fully clothed, on a table somewhat like a massage table, bolstered by pillows, while the practitioner uses his or her hands to direct “life force energy” to you for healing. First, you’ll be asked to verbalize any intentions or concerns that may be uppermost. Then the session begins. The practitioner, they say, isn’t really “doing” anything – he or she is merely the conduit for healing. Because it’s a no-touch or low-touch therapy, it’s absolutely safe. Most people feel calm, satisfied, and secure after a treatment.

Stories abound of healing in conjunction with Reiki, but it doesn’t pay to have specific expectations, other than that you’ll feel good afterward.  Likewise, there’s no protocol for how often you should “get” Reiki. In one sense, it’s always useful; in another, it’s always optional. The cost of a typical session, which could run an hour or so, might be between $50 and $100.

One more thing: practitioners don’t go to a four-year degree program to learn about Reiki, and it’s not about  science in the usual sense. Becoming a beginning Reiki practitioner, ready to work on friends and family, merely involves a weekend’s experience with a master who passes the technique on. To use Reiki professionally, more advanced participation with a master is necessary. Many nurses, therapists, and other health practitioners use Reiki alongside other treatments.
For more information, and to find a Reiki practitioner, visit Reiki.org.

Craniosacral Therapy
Reflexology deals with manipulating the feet to bring overall good health. At the other end of your body, craniosacral therapy focuses on your head – although the spine and sacrum are part of the craniosacral system, as well. In this extremely subtle form of bodywork, the cranial sutures – the junctions of the bones that make up the skull – are palpated and very gently manipulated, as are the back and even the feet, with the goal of steadying the flow of cerebral-spinal fluids that pulse all over the head.

When you’re receiving craniosacral work, you’ll lie comfortably on a table, fully clothed, while the practitioner holds your skull; it will feel like his or her hands are simply cupping your head gently, but a lot’s going on. The practitioner is actually feeling the subtle rhythms of cerebral-spinal fluids moving through your skull. When the rhythms are disturbed or blocked – usually because of injury, misalignment or other issues – his or her gentle pressure on your head can right them. The bones aren’t moved, just the fluids.
It’s especially helpful for hard-to-treat conditions such as migraines, TMJ, neck and back pain, connective tissue disorders, hormonal disorders, anxiety, and tinnitus; many other conditions may also be improved. Expect some change or relief after one session, but depending on the condition, a series may be needed. 

Tibetan Cranial is similar; it’s a 3000-year-old system that was introduced to the United States only 20 years ago by Coloradoan Shar Lee, also a yoga instructor and practitioner of many modalities). For more information, or to locate a practitioner, visit Tibetancranial.org or Craniosacraltherapy.org.

Asian Bodywork
This is a catch-all phrase for many kinds of hands-on therapies that interact with the energy flows of the body. The common thread is that all use a Traditional Chinese Medicine framework for assessing and working with the body and its energy, or qi. When qi is blocked, ill health can develop, so anything that unblocks the energy will lead to better health on the physical level, as well as the mental and spiritual.

Because “Asian Bodywork” has so many subsets, it’s hard to say what to expect in a session. Some basics: you’ll probably experience palpation, touching, pressing or holding of the body along meridians. You might also expect some gentle stretching (not like yoga – in these methods, the practitioner stretches you). Some practitioners may include the external application of medicinal plants, or heat or cold.

Shiatsu may be one of the most familiar forms; in it, points along the meridians are pressed to unblock “stuck” energy. if you’ve tried and enjoyed Shiatsu, you might also like Tui Na, which uses soft tissue manipulation to address energy imbalances.

In acupressure, thumb pressure is applied at specific points along the body’s invisible meridians. Jin Shin Jyutsu is a very gentle system, and is often used in conjunction with allopathic treatments.  All of these can help with the usual symptoms: chronic pain, headaches, menstrual complaints, depression, and many more.

Most of these types of Asian bodywork cost about the same as massage, anywhere from $50 to $200 per session. You’ll stay clothed, but be sure to wear loose, comfortable clothing to allow better movement of your body. For any of these start with one session, and expect to do a series if you’re treating a specific ailment. For more information, or to find a practitioner, visit the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (aobta.org). 

Deep Tissue Massage
If your idea of a massage involves scented candles, flute solos, and a caring, gentle touch, deep tissue massage may come as a surprise. Scents and music, of course, are your choice, but “gentle” might not be the right description. Deep tissue massage involves firm touch to release and realign the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissues, rather than stroking surface muscles and skin, and usually focuses on specific spots of concern.

In your session, you’ll usually strip while the practitioner leaves the room, and lie on a table with a sheet covering your body. You can wear your skivvies if you wish. You can also stay fully clothed, but you may not get the same effect; if you prefer to be worked on by a same-sex practitioner, request one when booking your massage.

During the massage, the practitioner may use oil or lotion, and will work on either the front or back of your body before having you flip to the other side (still under cover of the sheet). Most sessions last around 90 minutes. Prices vary widely mostly on the basis of location – a massage at a resort can easily cost twice what it will in an office setting.

Afterwards, don’t be surprised if you have some temporary muscle soreness. That’s to be expected, since the massage may have broken up muscle adhesions that can block movement or cause pain or inflammation. One session won’t fix all that ails you, but done regularly and combined with exercise, nutrition, good posture and relaxation, it will go a long way. For more information, or to find a practitioner, visit the American Massage Therapy Association (amtamassage.org) or the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals organization (abmp.com).