Blog Post

The benefits of reflexology for children

Jul 01, 2021

Reflexology isn't just for adults!

Whenever I tell people about what I do, they are often surprised when I say that reflexology isn’t just for adults. A lot of my clients are children. In fact a big part of the reason I decided to train as a reflexologist was because I saw the benefits it had on my own daughters: one who struggled to get to sleep and the other who suffered with hypersensitivity.

These days our children are under increasing pressure to achieve well at school, be part of various clubs, cope with peer pressure and deal with social media. Their pace of life is much faster than when we were children. Our children’s physical, mental and emotional health are put under tremendous strain on a daily basis and these pressures have only increased during this strange year in lockdown. The stress that these pressures cause can lead to various problems like:

· anxiety,

· depression,

· hormone imbalances,

· lack of concentration,

· low self-esteem,

· sleep problems,

· digestive issues,

· headaches,

· skin problems,

· physical and vocal ticks,

· anger problems

Katie Carlin

Reflexologist

Meet Katie →

What physically happens to our children when they are stressed?

The physical and mental stresses of day to day life cause imbalances in our children’s bodies and minds. When our children are stressed their adrenal glands produce stress related hormones. These stress hormones put your child’s body into fight of flight mode. For short bursts of time that would be fine but we are not designed to sustain long periods of stress.

In fight of flight mode your body just focuses on getting blood and oxygen to the vital organs like the heart (increased heart rate and blood pressure), lungs (rapid breathing), brain (thoughts racing) and the muscles for flight. This in turn means that the non-essential systems like the digestive system (metabolism), endocrine system (hormones & sleep), reproductive system and immune systems can become imbalanced and stop functioning properly.

When children are flooded with stress hormones on a daily basis they can start to feel anxious which can in turn make them feel irritable, tired, suffer with headaches, lack concentration, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, low self-esteem and confidence.

How can reflexology help children to cope with these pressures?

Reflexology is clinically proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Reflexology is so much more than just a relaxing foot rub! Most of my clients are surprised at how specific the treatment is. This is because the different areas of the feet reflect corresponding areas of your body, these are called reflex points. Reflexology involves massaging these reflex points to encourage the rebalancing of your mind and body.

Through a series of ‘mindful reflexology’ sessions, the sympathetic system (fight or flight mode) can be calmed, reducing your child’s stress and anxiety levels, and the parasympathetic system (rest and digest, immune system, hormones etc) can be boosted and start to function properly again. This will restore your child’s balance and can help to relieve the associated ailments that go with living the very busy lives our children lead.

One of my clients recently said to me that every time I give a child a reflexology session, I am in fact treating two people at once, as the parent also benefits from seeing the positive changes in their child and in turn their own stress levels are reduced.

As a parent of two young daughters I know how distressing it can be for mums and dads to see their children struggling, it is therefore lovely to receive feedback from parents who can see how reflexology benefits their children.

Recently a mum wrote to me to say she could see “definite improvement in mood from before to after. She seems more content and calmer. Her anxiety has improved and she really enjoys the chance to properly relax.” She also told me that she can’t stop taking pictures of her daughter now, as her eyes are much brighter and she has regained colour in her cheeks since having regular treatments.

Another parent commented on how reflexology had helped more than just one aspect of her daughter’s life:

“We started to notice that she was falling asleep much earlier and was able to switch off more easily. Her night time waking improved too and she generally seemed to be more relaxed and at ease. Aside from sleep, we have noticed that she is generally calmer and able to rationalise things better.
We are very grateful to Katie for helping us. In this busy world our children are bombarded at times from all directions, this time out each week was immensely helpful and has had a really positive impact for her at home and at school.”

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What happens during a treatment?

Before the first appointment I will call you to go through a medical questionnaire to gain insight into your child’s lifestyle and any worries you have. As a parent you will need to be present during each treatment and lots of parents enjoy having time to relax and read a book or just close their eyes too!

Each appointment lasts up to 45 minutes. Once your child is settled in my reflexology chair and tucked up with fluffy blankets and pillows, I start the session with a few deep breathing exercises which encourages their mind and body to release any tension they are holding. They decide what they would like to listen to during the treatment. Some choose music (their own or mine), others like to listen to an imaginative meditation.

I always do a full treatment on both feet as it is important to balance the body as a whole, but I am guided by each child as to how long to make the treatment last. Some children close their eyes and go to sleep, others become chatty and animated. The most important thing is that they know that it is their time.

It’s not often that our children get 45 mins of complete peace to themselves. 45 minutes of undivided attention that they know is all about their wellbeing so they can completely switch off or off load any worries they have.

After the year we have all had, I was very relieved when reflexology treatments could resume. I have spoken to many parents who have said that this year has had a negative impact on their children’s and their own wellbeing. It is therefore wonderful to be able to start all reflexology treatments again to help relieve the stress and anxiety so many children and adults have been feeling recently.

If you would like to talk to me about how some rebalancing reflexology sessions could benefit your child or you (I also have lots of lovely adult clients!) please do get in touch and look out for my parent and child packages on my website.

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