What can Shiatsu Do?
Some people turn to shiatsu for support for a specific symptom or condition. Others choose choose shiatsu to help maintain good health, as a preventive measure, to improve their general sense of wellbeing, or simply to treat themselves to some relaxing bodywork. Because shiatsu aims to treat the whole person rather than specific symptoms, it can be effective in a range of conditions.
Because we treat the person, not just a specific condition, each patient’s treatment plan will be different, and is likely to vary with each session. You can always ask your practitioner about other clients’ experiences, to give you an idea of what to expect.
Shiatsu is a holistic therapy,which means that it treats the body, mind, emotions and spirit as a unified whole, rather than a collection of separate parts. This helps the receiver to become more aware of how the different aspects of their lives interact, and how they can better support their own physical and emotional health. The strength of the oriental approach to medicine is its ability to identify patterns, not just in relation to physical conditions but also in relation to a person's lifestyle and mental/emotional patterns. Although patterns over time are explored, the focus of any individual session is what is going on for the receiver at that moment. This focus on the receiver's present is the "Zen" in "Zen shiatsu". Outside the treatment sessions, many clients benefit from using oriental theory as a tool for self-understanding and self-support.
You can get more information on current scientific research into the effectiveness of shiatsu by visiting www.shiatsusociety.org or by speaking to a qualified practitioner.
The Shiatsu Society
The Shiatsu Society is the national regulatory body which maintains the standards set up to ensure that professional shiatsu therapists are fully qualified to practice and to teach.
Practitioners undergo a minimum of 3 years of training, followed by theoretical and practical assessment and certification by the Society before being accepted as a professional member of the register of the Shiatsu Society. The Society also trains and recognises fully qualified shiatsu teachers (T), teacher trainers (TT) and probationary teachers (t).
For more information about the Shiatsu Society, contact:
The Shiatsu Society (UK), 20-22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU
Tel. +44 (0) 204 5512147
website: The Shiatsu Society (UK)
