Massage Therapy for Addiction Recovery: How Touch Heals the Mind, Body & Spirit

Addiction affects every aspect of your being. Whether you’re living with drug and alcohol addiction or another substance use disorder, your mind, body, and spirit can disconnect from each other as substance use takes over. For some people, that disconnect impacts physical health.

When you can’t tell how your body feels, you can’t care for it properly. You might ignore issues great and small, from hunger to serious medical symptoms. Or, you might start feeling like drug use is the solution to every problem. But that just isn’t sustainable.

If you choose a rehab program with massage therapy, you can work on rebuilding your mind-body connection during recovery. And when you feel safe inhabiting your own body, it’s much easier to make sense of your thoughts and feelings.

How Does Massage Help With Recovery?

For most people, it’s easy to look forward to this treatment. Most types of massage feel good, both during and after the session. And you might just want to relax and ease stress and anxiety in between talk therapy sessions that may be emotionally taxing. Massage lets you keep moving toward recovery, but feel like you’re taking a break.

More importantly, massage may offer real benefits for people recovering from addiction. Early research suggests massage may ease some alcohol withdrawal symptoms during medical detox.¹

Massage is linked to reduced symptoms of depression, and small studies show it may lower anxiety and the stress hormone cortisol in people with eating disorders.^2,3,4

Body-based therapy may also help reduce dissociation in some trauma survivors.⁵ And it may benefit your physical health, too.

Physical Benefits of Massage for Addiction Recovery

Massage may help relieve muscle tension and offer short-term relief for neck and shoulder pain.^6,7 It may also help with some symptoms of chronic illnesses.⁷

Massage may also improve circulation. In one small study, massage improved how well blood vessels widen to let blood flow through, and the effect lasted up to 72 hours.⁸

Pain Relief

Massage may ease physical pain for a few reasons. It can trigger your body’s relaxation response, which lowers muscle tension, heart rate, and blood pressure.⁶

Massage may also change how your nerves process pain. According to the gate-control theory of pain, gentle touch stimulates large nerve fibers that can block pain signals before they reach your brain. As a result, being touched in a non-painful way may reduce how much pain you feel.⁶

This can be helpful for anyone, but it’s especially important for people with chronic pain. If you’re prescribed opioids for chronic pain, you face a real risk of addiction. Research estimates that 21% to 29% ofpeople prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and 8% to 12% develop an addiction.⁹ Massage can be a part of a comprehensive plan that offers a healthier way to manage your pain.

Withdrawal

When you stop using drugs, you begin the detoxification process and may go through withdrawal.

Depending on your specific health history, you may attend a medical detox program in order to manage withdrawal safely.¹⁰

Medically supervised detox is essential if you’re stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines, because withdrawal from these substances can cause seizures or be life-threatening.¹⁰

In one small study, when used alongside standard medical care, massage helped reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms and lower pulse rates early in detox.¹ It’s no substitute for medical attention, but it can be a valuable aspect of your care plan and may help you relax during detox.

Emotional Benefits of Massage Treatment in Rehab

There’s a fine line between physical and emotional health. In some holistic philosophies, they’re seen as one and the same. Depending on where you go to rehab, you may be able to get a massage designed to treat mental health issues. Some rehabs take a holistic approach to substance abuse treatment, caring for your physical and emotional health together.

Research suggests massage therapy can support your emotional health. A meta-analysis of 37 randomized studies found that a series of massage sessions reduced depression and long-term anxiety.¹¹

Neurochemical Effects

Addiction changes the way your brain’s reward system works.

Drugs cause large spikes in dopamine, a brain chemical that encourages you to repeat pleasurable activities. Over time, your brain adapts to these dopamine surges by producing less dopamine and other brain chemicals naturally or reducing their receptors, making every day rewards feel less satisfying.¹²

Some research suggests massage may increase levels of dopamine and serotonin and lower levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone.^13,14 In one study, a 15-minute massage increased levels of oxytocin.¹⁵

With its apparent influence on brain chemicals, massage may do more than help you feel better during the stress of residential treatment.¹³

Cravings

Massage may help reduce cravings.¹⁷ For example, in one small study, people trying to quit smoking who used self-massage as a self-soothing technique experienced relief from anxiety and actually smoked fewer cigarettes per day by the end of the month.¹⁷ The researchers concluded it may help reduce cravings, too.¹⁷

Early research on laser meridian massage, a noncontact treatment that applies low-power laser to acupuncture points, suggests it may help reduce opioid cravings in people on methadone treatment.¹⁸

Cravings arise both physically in your body and mentally in your mind.¹⁹ Because massage may ease stress and cravings, you may find it a helpful addition to a broader relapse prevention plan.

Self-Awareness Is a Form of Self-Care

Receiving a massage is a deeply personal experience. As the provider draws your attention to your own body, you may notice areas of tension or pain for the first time. And that’s not only a physical process. It can also happen on an emotional level.

Body-oriented therapies may help you tune in to what’s happening inside your body. In a trial of women in substance use disorder treatment, Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) improved interoceptive awareness, or the ability to notice internal body sensations, and mindfulness skills over one year.²⁰

As you become more aware of what’s happening inside your body, you can start learning how to meet your body’s needs in a new, sustainable way. This kind of self-care is hard work, but it can also be both comforting and rewarding.

Trauma-Informed Massage

Trauma and addiction often go hand in hand. In one study, people with PTSD were about 4.5 times more likely to later develop drug abuse dependence, which could be because some people use drugs to self-medicate their symptoms.²¹ These experiences can leave you with both physical and mental health concerns.

Massage may ease some symptoms of trauma. Research suggests it may reduce PTSD symptoms like irritability, anxiety, depression, and tension.²²

Dissociation

When you dissociate, you may feel disconnected from your self, your thoughts, or your surroundings. This survival strategy is often linked to trauma.²³

If it’s not safe to be in your own body, your mind creates a sense of distance. During a traumatic event, this is adaptive. But in response to a trigger, it can range from being inconvenient to putting you in real danger.

Dissociating while you’re watching a movie might be frustrating. But dissociating while you’re driving a car is a serious problem.

In a small study, eight sessions of body therapy reduced dissociation for women in psychotherapy for childhood sexual abuse, and those reductions were linked to better health outcomes.⁵

This treatment may help you reconnect with your body, on your own terms. You can also practice setting boundaries that feel right to you. That skill keeps you safe in your own body, and it empowers you to build healthier relationships.

Interpersonal Skills

Touch is a form of communication. Even if you don’t speak, you’ll communicate with your massage therapist throughout every session. You might tense up if they use too much pressure, or wiggle your fingers if your hand falls asleep. They’ll even notice when the rhythm of your breathing changes. And that will inform how they communicate with you.

Massage teaches you how to connect with another person in a structured way. Treatment is interpersonal, but not social. You’ll learn to describe your boundaries clearly, and answer questions about yourself. And if you forget to say something, you’ll be able to mention it during the massage. There’s plenty of space for you to make mistakes, correct them, and try again in your next session.

Trauma can make you feel like you don’t have control over your own life. When you have an addiction, that might even be true. During rehab, massage can show you how it feels to have authority over your own body. You have the right to set clear boundaries. And in any modality of massage, you can trust that your therapist will respect them, and act in your best interest.

Types of

Massage Therapy

Most cultures have developed their own styles of massage therapy. And many of these are now popular worldwide. But if you’d like to get a certain type of massage during recovery, make sure to ask whether it’s available at your rehab.

Swedish Massage

Swedish massage, also called classical massage, is the most common form of massage therapy in Western countries.²⁴ It follows a general, whole-body approach. Your therapist may use long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration, and tapping.²⁵

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is a more targeted approach. Your therapist works on specific areas of concern, discomfort, or pain.²⁵ If you have pain in a specific area, this approach might be a good fit for you.

Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese style of bodywork. Practitioners use their fingers, thumbs, elbows, knees, and feet to gently stretch and apply pressure to specific points on the body.²⁶

Some research supports the relaxation that some people experience during shiatsu and even suggests it may help to ease anxiety.²⁶ Shiatsu can be worth considering if you’re feeling particularly stressed.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial release focuses on the fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles. Your therapist applies slow, sustained pressure to areas that feel tight or restricted, often holding it for 90 to 120 seconds.²⁷

Thai Massage

Traditional Thai massage usually takes place on a floor mat or low bed. You may change into loose, comfortable clothing.²⁸

Your practitioner applies rhythmic pressure using their thumbs, palms, forearms, or elbows, and may move your body through a series of assisted postures and passive stretches.²⁸ This form of bodywork is more active and you can expect to move around during these sessions.

Thai massage is still intended to be relaxing, but it’s unlikely that you will fall asleep during a session.

Ayurvedic Massage

India’s traditional Ayurvedic medical system includes Abhyanga, the classic Ayurvedic oil massage.²⁹

A comprehensive Ayurvedic approach to treatment may combine massage with other therapies. It is recommended that you talk to your healthcare team before an Ayurvedic massage. It may not be the right treatment for you, depending on your personal health history.

Should You Get a Massage?

Massage is generally low risk, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.²⁴ In rare cases, people have reported serious side effects such as blood clots, nerve injury, or bone fractures, which are more likely after vigorous techniques like deep tissue massage.²⁴

If you have a specific health condition and aren’t sure if massage is safe for you, talk with your primary health care provider or care team first, especially if you are in recovery.²⁴

Massage therapists are expected to check for contraindications before treatment.³⁰ Some contraindications, including the ones listed below, mean you probably shouldn’t get a massage:

• Irritated or damaged skin, including open wounds³¹
• Fever³²
• Blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT)^30,33

It’s your therapist’s job to protect your health and keep you safe. To help them do that, be as open and transparent about your own health as possible. That way, they can make the most appropriate decisions for both you and them.

Massage and Drug Use

Avoid getting a massage if you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Massage therapists are not doctors. If you have a reaction to a substance during the session, they might not know how to help. Your nonverbal communication may be hindered when you are under the influence of drugs and alcohol and this is an essential part of massage.

Alcohol’s pain-relieving effects can hinder your ability to acknowledge if the pressure you’re receiving from the therapist is too strong.³⁴

Tell your massage therapist about any medications you take, including over-the-counter pain relievers.

Discover a Path to Healing

Through massage, you can get to know yourself again. Reconnecting with your body can give you new insight into your own needs that may empower you to build a life you love.

From intensive individual therapy programs to 24/7 structured support to treatment centers that offer massage therapy, the right solution is out there. Explore options for wellness-focused mental health treatment, trauma treatment centers, and more to find a safe space to heal. Find a mental health facility today and begin your journey toward stability and peace.