Incorporating massage into any recovery program brings powerful advantages during all of the stages of quitting an addiction, including withdrawal, detox and abstinence. The physical, emotional and spiritual components of recovery can be highly enhanced by the healing power of therapeutic touch. SoBe Well strongly recommends massage therapy for pain, relaxation, inner peace, anxiety and wellbeing.

The Research

• In 1998, the Touch Research Institute published the findings that a regular massage regimen produced long-term results of increased dopamine levels. The fact that massage naturally increases dopamine levels and decreases cortisol levels makes it a perfect addition to a standard detoxification program.

• Numerous studies indicate that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety. It can lower cortisol levels by up to 50% and increase levels of neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.

• A review of more than a dozen studies concluded that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry.

• Researchers at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine reviewed studies that measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53%. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that help reduce depression and anxiety.