THE SECRET POWER OF MASSAGE

Not just for a trip to the spa, the healing benefits of massage can also help ease headaches, or anxiety – and even autism, as mum-of-one Giuliana Fenwick explains

Ever since E her son was born, massage specialist Giuliana knew there was something “different” about her baby boy.

“Ollie was slow to speak as a child,” she says. “He didn’t fit in at school. He was tall for his age and clearly very bright. But his lack of social interaction could lead to confusion, isolation and frustration.”

Ollie was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, aged nine, but was fine in regular education until he went to secondary school. Suddenly being in bigger classes at school with a less personal setup didn’t suit him at all.

Giuliana says: “He spiralled to terrifying depths, became suicidal, developed chronic and debilitating OCD and was hearing voices. Friends dropped him like a stone.”

One night Giuliana woke up to hear Ollie sobbing in the bathroom. Instinctively, the mum, who had trained in holistic massage, began to rub his back. “It instantly began to calm him and he slept,” says Giuliana. “From that first time I tried it, his anxiety levels went down.”

Over the next few weeks, Giuliana created her own unique treatment combining different forms of massage.

She says: “I worked on his back, arms, head, neck, shoulders and face. I started off massaging him every day before he went to bed for about six weeks. Then it just became at times he needed it, like during school exams. I’ve also taught him techniques so he can do it on himself when he needs to. “Research shows that massage calms the nervous system and promotes the release of feel-good hormones oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine. After a month, Ollie’s suicidal thoughts disappeared and his OCD has become more manageable.” Now aged 19, Ollie is thriving at university, while Giuliana gives talks, runs workshops and trains parents and teachers at autism centres in the UK and abroad. She’s also worked with organisations such as mental health charity Mind.

She adds: “This treatment massively reduces the issues and challenges children with special needs face on a daily basis.”

‘He was instantly calmer and less anxious’