Sonas (pronounced SUN-us) is an Irish word for happiness. bliss, prosperity, and well-being.
Happiness, to me, is living intentionally, fully engaged with life.
That is easier said than done.
Our bodies, as beautiful and magnificent as they are, were never meant for the modern lives we live. They are not equipped to deal with the physical problems of prolonged sitting and repetitive movements required by so many 21st century jobs. Our nervous system is not designed to handle the constant onslaught of stresses and over-stimulation from traffic, crowds, technology, constant distractions, competitive work environments, or just simply juggling too many things at once.
Persistent stress, over-stimulation, lack of movement, and/or pain, if left unchecked, will eventually put many people into a chronic state of fight or flight. This puts into motion a cascade of health problems including sleep disturbances, a weakened immune system, anxiety, and more muscle pain.
This state and the accompanying stress hormones also impact brain function, letting the more primitive part of the brain take over functions best left to the more evolved, rational areas of the brain. The result? You are unable to properly regulate your body and emotions or intentionally engage with life.
But the good news is that our bodies are smart, resilient, and capable of healing when given the right support. Massage therapy addresses spasms, adhesions, soreness, and other common issues affecting the soft tissues. It counterbalances the modern-day bio-mechanical problems that cause pain while recalibrating the nervous system so it can let go of past stresses and handle new ones more easily.
Massage helps you experience movement without pain and enjoy a healthy nervous system and brain. This puts you back in control of your life, able to make the best choices for yourself, follow through on them, and joyfully engage in each moment.
My Approach to Massage
Hey! My name is Heather McClure. I’m a licensed massage therapist in Bentonville, AR (Arkansas License #8329). I specialize in gentle massage therapy for people with stress, anxiety, and chronic pain related to sitting and office work. I take an integrative, customized approach to massage, using traditional Swedish massage combined with other massage and bodywork techniques as they are needed.
My priority is you and providing a custom but gentle massage experience that addresses your needs and without discomfort or pain.
I have evolved into using more gentle massage as I’ve dived deeper into learning how the nervous system is involved in pain, anxiety, mental health, and stress. A calming, pain-free massage will activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” portion of the autonomic nervous system. Parasympathetic activation is necessary for tense muscles to release or for the body to heal in any meaningful way. That’s why I am conscious of making the whole massage session as relaxing as possible, utilizing calming strokes and techniques even while giving attention to specific pain issues.
Novel, pleasurable sensory input is also a great tool for counter-acting most types of chronic pain. Once the actual cause of pain has resolved or reduced, such as an injury, the nervous system is often on high-alert and over-reactive. It continues signaling to the brain that there is pain in the tissues, even when there is nothing there to cause pain. It’s like any bad habit that has become too ingrained and hard to break.
That’s where massage comes in. The positive, pain-free sensory experience communicates to your nervous system that pain isn’t there. This weakens the nervous system’s bad habit of communicating threat and pain.
In addition, pain due to any cause will always be impacted by stress and anxiety. Lowering stress and anxiety will make pain more manageable. Calming massage has been shown in studies to lower stress and anxiety immediately and the effects can last days or weeks in some cases.
That’s why using very deep or hard massage that causes pain or communicates a threat to the nervous system can be counterproductive. Firm, pleasurable pressure is great, but painful pressure or forcefully pushing into muscles that are too defensive to release is not my thing. If you prefer the “no pain, no gain” approach to massage, I’m probably not the best therapist for you.
However, if you’d prefer a calming, peaceful, and pain-free experience to help with stress, mental health, chronic pain, or just want a much needed break from your everyday life, I’d love the opportunity to work with you! I have evening and weekend hours to accommodate most schedules and online booking so you can view all available openings at any time. Check out current specials for new clients or read my frequently asked questions to learn more.
