Massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies are often complex mixtures of holistic healing practices involving physical, emotional and spiritual components. The definitions that follow provide only brief explanations of many of the techniques currently in practice.
These definitions have been compiled from a wide variety of sources. While some were supplied by the developer of the technique, others were supplied by associations and educational institutions involved with the individual technique. Still others are a blending of information gleaned from several sources.
Massage Modality Index
- Accupressure
- Acrossage and Inversion Therapy
- Active Muscular Relaxation
- Active Release Technique
- Aikido
- Alexander Technique
- Amma Therapy
- Anma
- Applied Kinesiology
- Applied Physiology
- Aromatherapy Massage
- Ahssava (Yemenite) Massage
- Aston-Patterning
- Authentic Movement
- Autogenic Training
- Awareness Oriented Structural Therapy
- Ayurveda Massage
- Benjamin System of Muscle Therapy
- Billwork
- Bioenergetics
- Body Harmony
- Body Logic
- Body-Mind Centering
- Bodywork for the Childbearing Year
- Bonnie Prudden Miotherapy
- Body Logic
- Budzek Medical MT
- Callanetics
- Cayse/Reilly Massage
- Chakra Balancing
- Chi Gong
- Chi Nei Tsang
- Children Massage
- Chinese Massage/Acupressure
- Chua Ka
- Chua Ka Rolling
- Connective Tissue Massage
- Continuum
- Craniosacral Therapy
- Cross-Fiber Friction Massage
- Cross-Tissue Healthwork
- Cryotherapy
- Deep Compression Massage
- Deep Tissue Massage
- Deep Tissue Sculpting
- Do-in
- Dreambody Work
- Egoscue Method
- Electrotherapy
- Energy Balancing
- Esalen style Massage
- Eutony
- Exercise Therapy
- Feldenkrais Method
- Gerda Alexander Eutony
- Gintuina (The Ginton Method)
- Geriatric Massage
- Hakomi Integrative Somatics
- Hakomi Method of Bodymind Therapy
- Hanna Somatic Education
- Hellerwork
- Hippotherapy
- Holotropic Breathwork
- Hoshino Therapy
- Hydrotherapy
- Ideokinesis
- Infant Massage
- Intrgrative Yoga Therapy
- Jin Shin Accutouch
- Jin Shin Do Bodymind Accupressure
- Jin Shin Jyutsu
- Karate
- Kinetic Awareness
- Knapp Points
- Kneipp
- Kripalu Bodywork
- Kurashova Method
- Laban-Bartenieff
- Lomilomi Massage
- Looyenwork
- Macrobiotic Shiatsu
- Magnetic Therapy
- Maharishi Ayur-Veda
- Manual Lymphatic Drainage
- Mariel
- Mariatsu
- Medical Massage
- Mensendieck System
- Multiincarnational Recall and Emotional Body Balancing
- Myofascial Release
- Napropathy
- Naturopathy
- Network Chiropractic
- Neuromuscular Therapy
- Ohashiatsu
- On-Site Massage
- Ortho-Bionomy
- Parasympathetic Massage
- Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy
- Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
- Physical Mind Method
- Pilates Method
- PNF Stretching
- Polarity Therapy
- Postural Integration
- Pranic Healing
- Pregnancy massage
- Process Acupressure
- Qi Gong
- Radiance Technique
- Reflexology
- Reichian Therapy
- Reiki
- Rolfing Structural Integration
- Rolfing Movement Integration
- Rosen Method
- Rubenfeld Synergy Method
- Russian Massage
- Sensory Awareness
- Specific Human Energy Nexus (SHEN) Therapy
- Shiatsu
- Soft-tissue Adjustment
- Soma Neyromuscular Integration
- Somatoemotional Release
- Somatosynthesis
- Spinal Touch
- Sportsmassage
- St John Neuromuschular Therapy
- Strain-Countertrain Therapy
- Structural Integration
- Swedish massage
- T’ai Chi Chuan
- Thai Massage
- Taws Method, The
- Therapeutic Touch
- Touch for Health
- Traditional Thai Massage
- Trager Approach
- Transoma
- Trigger Point Therapy
- Tuina
- Visceral Manipulation
- Water Balancing
- Watsu
- Wetzig Coordination Patterns
- Yoga
- Yumeiho
- Zen Shiatsu
- Zero Balancing