uk Therapy

A couple of years ago, after working as a massage therapist full time, I noticed I was getting pains in my arms and hands so I decided to approach my work in a different way but didn’t really know how. This was until I saw Gerry Pyves ‘perform’ his No Hands Massage routine at a seminar I attended.

Gerry is the founder of this approach and developed the technique over a span 20 years as a Bodyworker and psychotherapist

Immediately I wanted to massage in that style- with flow, grace, movement, depth and total immersement, almost like a dance! I signed up for 4 courses, including No Hands Reflexology and Chair Massage as well the training on a massage couch. The changes in both my attitude and outcomes of my work have been outstanding, not only am I able to continue to work doing what I love but it has taken me on a course of training that is continuous and life changing.

No Hands Massage is a revolutionary form of oil based massage helping physical and psychological release. It is a deep, powerful and extremely effective technique that utilises the strength of the practitioner’s whole body to induce a state of relaxation in the recipient. The therapist mainly uses his/her forearms to deliver the massage, but other parts of the body are also used, depending on the recipient’s individual needs. A session usually lasts an hour but this can vary as can the outcome of each session as no one treatment or one day is the same!

The treatment has an impact on all bodily systems, leaving the client and their body with the responsibility to heal themselves. Your body can replenish itself and aid self healing, encouraging the opening of the Mind-Body gateway.

Anyone can benefit from this massage, although it may not be suitable for young children or babies as their surface area is smaller and therefore requires a smaller ‘tool’ i.e. the hands.

It does have a different feel to conventional massage where the hands are used. For a start, the couch is set much lower to enable the therapist to use their body weight to a greater advantage and the use of the forearms makes this massage feel very ‘complete’ as one of my clients put it.

Surprisingly you can also work on the feet using this technique. Gerry has worked alongside a team of reflexologists to develop a technique that can replace the use of the hands in reflexology. This was the therapy that hurt my hands the most so I was grateful for that knowledge.

The on-site chair No Hands routine was developed with David Woodhouse who pioneered the use of the chair here in the UK. By his own admittance he got injured by using his hands intensely so No Hands has some fantastic professional advocates!

The fact I am trained in all the ‘traditional’ massage therapies (i.e. Indian Head Massage, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Thai Massage, Sports Therapy, Swedish Massage, Baby Massage) means I can also take the disciplines from these areas to create a treatment which is individual to each client and each mood.

To find a qualified No Hands Practitioner you can look at the website www.nohandsmassage.com or contact me (details below). Look for an advanced practitioner and be safe in the knowledge that all these therapists are trained and qualified in other forms of massage before they are trained in No Hands principles.

Some feedback from existing clients who have received this treatment in place of a ‘traditional’ massage i.e. when the hands only are used.

“Deeper and more thorough”

“Just as effective as the sports massage I usually receive off Julie”

“It feels more complete”

“Like a huge hug!”

“Try it, the tension will seep out of you”

“My muscles felt like they were being rolled out”

Julie Bickerton travels around Herts, Beds and Bucks giving treatments to people in their homes at the time they want it.

She can be contacted on 07790 609657 or by email: julie@nomad.me.uk

www.nomad.me.uk