Bodywork

Common Types of Bodywork

There are many different modalities within the world of bodywork. Here are a few widely practiced and respected ones:

1. Sound Healing

Sound healing uses specific vibrations and frequencies—often through singing bowls, tuning forks, gongs, or vocal toning—to promote physical, emotional, and energetic balance. Practitioners believe these vibrations can entrain brainwaves, shift stuck energy, and help regulate the nervous system.

“Sound is the medicine of the future,” said Edgar Cayce, one of the earliest proponents of holistic healing in the West.

Scientific studies support its benefits: A 2016 study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine found that sound meditation significantly reduced tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood in participants.

2. Craniosacral Therapy

This gentle, non-invasive technique involves light touch to the skull, spine, and sacrum to support the central nervous system. It’s used to relieve migraines, anxiety, and trauma-related symptoms.

“It’s like meditation for your whole nervous system,” one client describes. “You feel reset from the inside out.”

3. Myofascial Release

Myofascial release targets the fascia, the thin connective tissue that wraps every muscle and organ in your body. This therapy involves sustained pressure to release tension and restore mobility.

A 2019 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that myofascial release was effective in reducing chronic low back pain and improving quality of life.

4. Somatic Experiencing

Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing is not traditional massage—it’s a trauma-healing modality that helps people tune into the physical sensations of their body to process stored trauma and stress.

“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness,” says Levine.