Contact Therapy is a versatile form of bodywork that is characterised  by the use of long held contacts with the client’s body. In contrast to most manual therapy – which focuses on using active techniques such as massage strokes and joint manipulation or mobilisation to create change in the body – Contact Therapy creates change by making contact with the parts of the body that feel tense, stuck or sore and maintaining that contact for a period of time that can range from 20 seconds up to 20 minutes or more. 

These long contacts are used in order to slowly and gently guide the client’s body – and by extension their mind – toward a state of stillness. This state of stillness is valued as it allows the body’s natural healing processes to activate and the mind to process information easily. 

While this state of stillness is the eventual goal for all Contact Therapy sessions, the road into it is different for everyone. For many people who are used to being constantly on the go, it takes some time and effort to settle in. As such, Contact Therapy sessions can vary greatly, especially for clients new to the approach.

For many clients, sessions begin with conversation and contacts that use greater force to release tight and stuck tissue. This resembles a slightly gentler version of MMT’s signature Solidified Connective Tissue Release in many ways. At some point during a session, as the client relaxes and begins to settle into stillness, the session can switch gears. Contacts that use less force are used and held for longer periods. These encourage the client’s body and mind into stillness where deep healing can occur.

Clients have found Contact Therapy to be of use for a diverse range of challenges. These challenges fall into three general categories:

When clients are seeking help with physical pain or discomfort sessions begin with a thorough assessment of their symptoms and discussion of how best to approach the problem. Sessions often begin by releasing tight and stuck tissue around the area of dysfunction. As the client settles, it can transition to broader contacts around that same area that allow all the related tissue to slowly relax, release and realign.

When clients are seeking help with more emotional or mental health challenges they will often begin by releasing tissue in the areas of the body that hold tension or that feel stuck. Similarly to sessions aimed at physical discomfort, as the session transitions towards stillness gentler contacts can be used around those areas or anywhere else that the client feels contact will be beneficial.

Not only does Contact Therapy take these clients out of the heightened states of stress that they are grappling with, but it also creates a safe space for mental and emotional processing, allowing them to gain insight into the issues that are troubling them so they can resolve them for good.

3. Contact Therapy for the Facilitation of Introspection

This third type of session is for clients that aren’t aiming to solve a specific problem so much as looking for some support in the exploration of their internal world. It is often people with meditation, yoga or other similar practices. They usually involve just one or two points of contact. Holding the head is common. This support aids them to go deeper than they generally can on their own. It is a unique and sometimes profound experience. Clients have experienced strong visuals, interacted with their inner children, been transported to completely different places, taken back to past life experiences and discovered a sense of calm they didn’t know they could experience.