Articles in English

"Emotional Release Reflexology" (Psychosomatic Reflexology) 
 for addressing the emotional stress



The emotions have an impact on our body and our physical problems affect our mood. If a person is scared not to get a job, his whole body is blocked, the shoulders are down, the expression on his face is more intense, perhaps he sweats more. If we have a headache but we still have a lot to do we’re probably in a bad mood, we speak louder and we would just like to be alone. Theoretically you can treat emotional and physical problems in isolation but in reality a person is compounded from emotional and physical part and as so is also seen by Emotional-Release-Reflexology (Psychosomatic Reflexology).



The Greek word "Psyche" means soul (emotions, thoughts) and "Soma" means body, psychosomatic is therefore linking body and soul. A strong link between soul and body is a fact that is getting its rightful place in the traditional Western medicine. In medicine psychosomatic is a science that accepts that the mental state, emotions, unpleasant events, unresolved disputes and interpersonal relations induce physical problems and diseases. We’re all aware of the impact of excessive and prolonged stress or strong emotion on the stomach (stomach problems, ulcers, etc..), long-term stress can also cause hormonal disturbances, etc.. It’s interesting that link between emotions and body can be found in many folk proverbs. An awkward situation is perhaps "lying in the stomach", we are perhaps so angry at someone that it’s "affecting our liver", all the problems are "on his shoulders"- these are few examples that show well-known influence of emotion on our body.**


The Emotional-Release-Reflexology (Psychosomatic Reflexology) developed Mrs. Helga Dittmann, German reflexologist and healer, who found that with this technique, with treatment of reflex zones on the feet, we can 'access' the psyche and address the emotional tensions. Mrs. Helga Dittmann’s own experience convinced her that the access to the soul is more effective through bodily sensations in conjunction with verbal expression, rather than just the interviews and verbal techniques.


In Emotional-Release-Reflexology (Psychosomatic Reflexology) the treatment of reflex zones acts as 'amplifier'. Through the treatment of painful or sensitive reflex zone, that is painful or sensitive because of the emotional reason, a client can relatively quickly re-live the emotional pain. Let’s see an example. During treatment of a reflex zone the client feels the pressure on the chest, as a heavy object is preventing him from breathing normally. His breath become harder and uneven and the accumulated stress released in tears. Gradually by using the question technique the reason for the tension become clear. In the background there was sadness because he worked so hard but it was never good enough. The feeling was correlated with childhood and his father's wish for him to be best in everything. After Emotional-Release-Reflexology treatment the client felt like his body was light, he was calm and pleasantly tired.



The Emotional-Release Reflexology is effective as it has effects on two levels:

- At first level it addresses the connection between soul and body- it connects bodily sensations with emotional causes.

- At second level it access body through reflexology and this ‘reinforces' the link between the physical and the mental world.


All of us, that use this technique, found out again and again that suppressed events are literally 'written' in the body, tissues, muscles, and of course in the reflex zones on the feet. Time and again we get confirmation of the positive effects of reflexology that is combined with questions about bodily sensations. The treatment of the sensitive reflex zones and trusting relationship between the therapist and the client are elements that allow us to penetrate to the suppressed events and the mechanism of suppression.


As with any therapeutic techniques there must be a wish and courage in the client to change the current situation and to boldly focus on the event that lays down deep within us. All with one single purpose- to feel better and to become a person we would like to be.



From: http://reflexologie-entspannung.blogspot.com/p/psr-in-slowenia.html