As women recover from abuse, they become more aware of their bodies and, along with this awareness, both emotional and physical pain can surface to be released. A coping mechanism for dealing with the pain of abuse usually involves numbing feelings, because to feel is to hurt. The abuses and the feelings become trapped and buried in the body far from everyday consciousness.  In therapy and counseling, as women remember their pasts and begin to heal from them, the discomfort can become overwhelming. Talking and understanding help to sort out the past and release some of the emotional stress, but without addressing the body's armoring, you're only part-way there. 

Women who have been abused need to feel safe before they can allow themselves to be touched and it may take time and patience to learn to relax and even to enjoy being touched in a gentle and nurturing way. 

An experienced and sensitive massage therapist who understands the complex dynamics at play in working with women who have suffered abuse can provide this safe and nurturing touch. The massage session can provide the right environment where women may venture into asking for what they want and need, to feel safe and cared for. It may also provide the environment for them to specify what they are uncomfortable with. For example, it may be too uncomfortable to be touched while lying face down or they may have preferences about accompanying music, scent or lighting.

The massage is a way to focus on pre-set patterns and release the blocked energy being held within old pains. The gentle manipulations of an experienced and caring massage practitioner may allow the release of this tension to be simply relaxing.  However, along with psychotherapy or counseling,  therapeutic massage may reach beyond this to allow a balance of healing both the physical and the emotional pain.

With their increasing awareness of who they are through the process of compassionate touch, and by taking charge of their own bodies, women who've been abused physically or emotionally may discover new freedoms and an ability to nurture themselves and grow in the manner of their own choice.