Beyond any romantic or erotic benefits of couples giving each other massage is the effect that massage has on your nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system deals with stress; the fight-or-flight response. When you have the urge to fight or flee, certain functions of your body are restricted and your bloodstream is flushed with stimulants and other chemicals that are produced in crisis.
Massage Provokes the Parasympathetic Nervous System
The parasympathetic nervous system produces the relaxation response. When you are relaxed and feel safe, your body digests food properly and removes toxins from your tissues and blood; your heart rate slows and your blood pressure eases. When a person can create this response in another human being, the bond that is forged can be substantial.
For massage to work for the couple it is best that one partner focus on the other. The goal of the person giving the massage is to guide their partner into relaxation. The goal of the person receiving the massage is to relax. Relaxation is not easy to achieve, so be patient with each other.
Couples Massage and Conflict in the Relationship
For a massage between couples to work well, any conflicts in the relationship have to be eclipsed by a shared sense of caring. If the person giving the massage is in a bad mood, this will be obvious to the person receiving the massage, and there will be no chance that the person will relax.
The most powerful element in massage is safe touch, which is touch that has no potential to lead to sexual activity. Trust is built on safe touch. Touch is so critical to human beings that infants denied touch fail to thrive. In England in World War II, orphaned babies were fed on schedule and kept clean but they were not held. Many of the babies never saw their first birthdays.
What to Do, What Not to Do
Use a massage table; if you don't own one and want one, tables are available on the Internet from manufacturers, and even Walmart.
Have a comfortable place for the receiver to lie down but not too soft so that there is no risk of hyperextension of the lower back.
The massage should be about the massage and not a precursor to sex. The person receiving the massage will find relaxation more easily if they are not anticipating any stimulation.
Do not drink alcohol before or after the massage. Even one glass of wine provokes a host of chemical reactions in the body. Massaging a person who has been drinking puts him at risk for liver damage.
Use a massage lotion or oil with no petroleum products in it.
Communicate. Check out a book on massage and experiment with what works for each of you. Couples who massage each other often experience a deeper trust and bond.
Article Source:http://www.livestrong.com/article/32203-benefits-couples-giving-other-massage/
~lOVE 2 B lOVED
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