Things You'll Need:
- Physician
- Nutritionist
- Therapist
- Massage therapist
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Step 1
Discuss pursuing massage therapy to treat your anorexia with your physician, and request a referral to a trained massage therapist. Your physician's referral is useful in identifying a massage therapist with a specialty in treating symptoms associated with eating disorders. It may also be required should you choose to file a claim for payment with your health insurance provider.
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Step 2
Use traditional Swedish full-body massage techniques as part of your treatment for anorexia. These techniques have been shown to reduce levels of stress and increase hormones that reduce feelings of depression such as serotonin and dopamine.
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Step 3
Ask your massage therapist to refrain from talking during your massage therapy session. By eliminating outside distractions, you will be able to focus more carefully on allowing your whole body to relax during your massage session.
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Step 4
Realize that your massage therapist may also ask you to refrain from speaking during your therapy session. However, it is important to communicate any pain or discomfort you may feel during your session so that your therapist may adjust the massage accordingly.
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Step 5
Start to feel better. Most patients with anorexia who have undergone massage therapy as part of their overall treatment for this disease have also experienced an increased level of satisfaction with their body image.
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Step 6
Talk to your doctor and your massage therapist about the potential links between massage and increased weight gain in anorexia patients. You may be able to use massage therapy as a means of increasing your desire to eat by raising levels of hormones that stimulate the appetite.
