Sleeplessness following treatment

[gallop]

Hello everyone!

I'm also new to this site but have been reading lots of previous postings - what a great resource for sharing information! I am currently studying for my AOR exams and spending what seems like every spare moment on case studies and revision! How great to have a forum to discuss our experiences with each other.

Anyway... I have a question regarding one of my case study patients, an 84 year old lady who suffers with arthritis. I have given her 2 treatments to date over 2 consecutive weekends and she has given me some excellent feedback, including the fact that she has not experienced any arthritis pain in her arm since beginning treatments which is very encouraging!
However, she has also said that after both treatments she noticed that it was very difficult to get off to sleep that night, with thoughts going round and round in her head. Up until now I have had the opposite kind of feedback, ie. clients have reported sleeping really well after treatment. Can anyone help with suggestions as to what may be causing this reaction? I'm worried that it's the way I'm treating - possibly overstimulating the solar plexus? (this reflex feels flat and hard on this client)

anyone have any thoughts on this?

thanks!

Kathryn xx

 

[Bazspur6]

Hi Kathryn

Well, a tough one. First off, well done for helping your client with her arthritis. As you know, reflexology affects each client in an individual way and I've found that it's not unusual for treatments to give the client loads of energy. The same client can even have opposite effects in subsequent treatments, cleaning the house at 11pm or in bed by 9 if you know what I mean.

It may be nothing specific that you are doing, just the treatment itself that is having this effect. With an older client a less intense treatment might be better. You could try to adapt by really reducing your pressure at least for a change for a treatment and see what happens.

I dont think that working the solar plexus would overstimulate the brain like that as that usually is a very good de-stressor and relaxer. If the brain is over active then maybe you could adapt by just holding the head/brain reflexes or working them lightly with the intention in your head of calming the thoughts.

Of course, maybe your client is quite happy to be actively thinking about stuff!!

I'm not practicing long enough to give you any more concrete advice than that but didn't want you to think that we weren't thinking about it out here in HP land

Be good

Setanta

 

[qzeoanxt]

Hi,

I have just been searching through some of the old posts in a way of revision and extra learning. I have had excatly teh same response from my 82 year old case study, after 2 treatments she said that she was really feeling very unsettled after treatments and felt very tired following the treatment but that night had great trouble sleeping. I have stopped this case study as i didnt feel that i have enough experience to reassure her that this was normal at this stage in my training. But i do feel that i used to much pressure and kept treatment too long, even though less than usual both on teh pressure and length of treatment.

Is this a normal reaction for elderly clients, I am wondering???

Would love any other advise that can be offered.

Thanks Jess

Hope things are going well for you Kathryn?

 

[KAL]

Hello there!

Well I'm not elderly (not in my book anyway ) and I sometimes have trouble sleeping after I've had a reflexology treatment or massage. Like your ladies my head goes round and round as I lie awake. I had a shocking night with vivid nightmares last night after a lovely treatment - although I wonder if it was to do with the horrible events of this morning as I often pick up on those sorts of energies. Not to mention the full moon...

 

[just me]

Hello, nikaia60 and everyone else

i am a qualified reflexologist of 3yrs
I have just been reading through all the posts about your elderly clients,
As you know by your training reflexology works on the reflexes of the feet, the treatment is a very relaxing and rewarding treatment but like any holistic treatment there is the possiblilty of a contra-action during or after the treatment and being very sleepy or over stimulated is quite normal each individual will react in differents ways,
like others have said it best just to adapt the pressure that you apply, and reduce the time for eg, if you are applying your warm up massage, and zone therapy before the actual reflexlogy, leave out the zone therapy as long as you have warmed up the foot and got the circulation and touch going it will be fine
hope this helps