Trauma Informed Massage Therapy: How Bodywork Can Support Stress, Anxiety, and Trauma Recovery

As a therapist, I spend a lot of time talking about the connection between our thoughts, emotions, experiences, and nervous system. But sometimes healing involves more than talking. Stress and trauma can affect us emotionally and physically, influencing sleep, muscle tension, pain, our sense of safety, and how comfortable we feel in our own bodies. SAMHSA describes trauma informed care as an approach built around physical and psychological safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, voice, and choice. 

That is why I was intrigued by the idea of trauma informed massage therapy. On September 4, 2026, I tried it for the first time with Callie Willoughby, LMT, at Studio A Body Therapy in Brownsburg, Indiana.

I expected a relaxing massage. What I experienced was something noticeably different.

It was relaxing and restorative, but what stood out most was how respected I felt throughout the experience. Consent was not assumed simply because I had booked a massage. Callie asked for it repeatedly. She checked in. The massage incorporated myofascial techniques and deep stretching, while still making the experience feel collaborative rather than something simply being done to my body.

As a psychotherapist, that distinction immediately caught my attention.

What Is Trauma Informed Massage Therapy?

Trauma informed massage is not psychotherapy, and a massage therapist is not processing traumatic memories with you. Instead, trauma informed principles change how bodywork is provided.

SAMHSA describes a trauma informed approach as one that recognizes how trauma can affect people, responds with that knowledge in mind, and actively works to avoid retraumatization. Central principles include safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, and giving people voice and choice. 

Applied to massage therapy, that can mean:

• Clearly explaining what will happen before and during a session
• Asking permission before touching or moving to another area of the body
• Respecting boundaries without requiring an explanation
• Allowing the client to choose pressure, positioning, techniques, and areas that are off limits
• Checking in rather than assuming silence means consent
• Giving the client permission to change their mind at any point
• Paying attention to signs that the nervous system may be becoming overwhelmed
• Creating an environment centered on safety rather than simply completing a massage routine

Studio A describes its approach similarly, emphasizing clear boundaries, expectations, communication, client centered care, shared decision making, and ongoing consent before moving to new areas of the body. 

That last piece is important: trauma informed massage is not only for people who identify as having trauma.

These are principles that can make bodywork feel safer and more comfortable for almost anyone.

My First Experience With Trauma Informed Massage

I have had massages before, so I had a general idea of what to expect. This experience felt different from the beginning.

Callie Willoughby is a Licensed Massage Therapist at Studio A who specifically practices trauma informed massage. Her background also includes education in mental health counseling and previous work in a therapeutic residential setting for adolescent girls, experiences she says helped shape her understanding of how trauma can affect someone mentally, relationally, spiritually, and physically. 

Throughout my session, consent was an ongoing conversation.

Callie checked whether I was comfortable. She asked before proceeding with different types of touch or bodywork. Rather than assuming that because I had consented to “a massage” everything within a typical massage was automatically acceptable, I continued to have choices throughout the session.

That may sound like a small difference.

It did not feel small.

I felt respected and in control while simultaneously being able to relax.

My session also included myofascial release techniques and deep stretching, which made the experience feel like much more than simply lying on a table while someone worked on tight muscles. Studio A offers massage that can range from relaxation to more therapeutic work and incorporates techniques including myofascial release and stretching. 

For me, the combination was deeply restorative.

Why Consent Can Matter So Much in Bodywork

For someone with a trauma history, touch can be complicated.

A person may intellectually know that they are safe while their body reacts differently. Certain positions, unexpected touch, feeling unable to move, being partially undressed, or not knowing what someone is going to do next can potentially feel uncomfortable or activating.

Trauma informed care attempts to restore something trauma can take away: choice.

Research and clinical frameworks increasingly emphasize this principle. Trauma informed healthcare encourages clinicians to explain procedures, preserve autonomy, collaborate with patients, and continually reinforce safety and choice. 

That translates beautifully into massage therapy.

Instead of:

“This is what happens during a massage.”

the message becomes:

“This is your body. You have choices about what happens to it.”

As a therapist, I find that distinction incredibly meaningful.

Who Might Benefit From Trauma Informed Massage?

You do not need a PTSD diagnosis or a specific trauma history to consider trauma informed bodywork.

It may be particularly appealing to people experiencing:

• Chronic stress or burnout
• Anxiety
• A history of trauma
• PTSD symptoms
• Chronic muscle tension or pain
• Difficulty relaxing
• Discomfort with physical touch
• Medical trauma
• Grief or significant life transitions
• High pressure careers
• College stress
• Athletic training and recovery
• A desire to reconnect with their body in a safe way

It may also be helpful for people already participating in therapy for anxiety, therapy for depression, trauma therapy, online therapy, or virtual therapy who are interested in complementary ways to support their overall wellbeing.

There is emerging research behind the concept. A 2024 systematic review specifically examining massage therapy among survivors of rape and sexual abuse found evidence suggesting benefits for PTSD symptoms, dissociation, chronic pain, and reconnection with the body, although this remains a developing area of research. 

More broadly, systematic reviews of massage therapy have found potential improvements in anxiety and pain in certain populations, although study quality and certainty vary. One meta analysis found massage was associated with reduced anxiety among people experiencing musculoskeletal pain, while a more recent review of cancer populations found improvements in pain, anxiety, and quality of life but rated the overall certainty of evidence as very low. 

In other words, massage can be a useful complement to mental health treatment, but it should not be presented as a treatment or cure for PTSD, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions.

Trauma Therapy Is Not Just About What Happened

One of the reasons I wanted to write about this experience is that trauma therapy sometimes gets reduced to the idea of simply talking about difficult things that happened in the past.

Good trauma treatment is much broader.

We may work on recognizing triggers, understanding patterns, changing beliefs, establishing boundaries, improving relationships, increasing emotional regulation, and learning how to recognize what is happening inside the body.

For some clients, the body is actually one of the hardest pieces.

They may recognize thoughts like:

“I know I am safe, but I do not feel safe.”

That is where complementary practices such as movement, mindfulness, breathing exercises, yoga, massage, and other forms of body based work can sometimes be useful alongside psychotherapy.

The goal is not to force the nervous system to relax. It is to repeatedly provide experiences in which safety, autonomy, and choice are possible.

Trauma Informed Massage Near Indianapolis: My Experience at Studio A Body Therapy

For clients in Central Indiana who are interested in trying trauma informed massage themselves, I had my session with Callie Willoughby, LMT, at Studio A Body Therapy in Brownsburg, on the west side of Indianapolis.

Studio A describes its work as “Bodywork, Education, & Resources To Heal From Stress & Trauma.” Its massage sessions can be designed for relaxation or targeted tension and pain, and Callie currently provides the studio's trauma informed massage sessions. 

Learn more about trauma informed massage at Studio A Body Therapy

Thrive for Life Counseling clients and readers can use promo code RX10 for $10 off their first trauma informed massage.

Studio A Body Therapy 554 Pit Road, Suite 211 Brownsburg, Indiana 46112 | Phone: 463-235-7171

I do not think you necessarily need to have experienced trauma to appreciate this approach. I certainly appreciated the extra communication, collaboration, and consent. It made an already restorative experience feel even safer and more personalized.

Combining Trauma Informed Therapy With Whole Person Wellness

Mental health does not exist separately from physical health.

Sleep, movement, nutrition, relationships, chronic stress, physical pain, medical experiences, and our sense of safety can all influence emotional wellbeing. That is one reason our work at Thrive for Life Counseling frequently looks beyond symptoms alone.

Someone seeking therapy for anxiety may also be struggling with sleep and chronic muscle tension. Someone receiving therapy for depression may be experiencing exhaustion and disconnection from their body. Adults with ADHD may struggle to notice stress building until they are completely overwhelmed. College students and athletes may spend significant amounts of time pushing their bodies while rarely slowing down enough to notice what those bodies need.

Trauma informed massage will not replace psychotherapy. But for the right person, bodywork may be one helpful component of a broader approach to wellbeing.

Therapy Can Be Trauma Informed Too

The things I appreciated about my massage are many of the same principles that matter in a healthy therapeutic relationship: safety, collaboration, communication, respect, boundaries, and choice.

If trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship difficulties, burnout, college stress, or major life changes are affecting you, Thrive for Life Counseling can help.

We provide online therapy and virtual therapy for counseling through 100 percent virtual video or phone appointments. Our therapists offer therapy for anxiety, therapy for depression, ADHD support, trauma informed therapy, couples therapy, couples counseling online, marriage therapy, and affordable online counseling for individuals and couples.

Thrive therapists currently work with clients residing in Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, and New Jersey, including online therapy in Indiana, online therapy in Illinois, online therapy in Florida, counseling in Missouri, and counseling in New Jersey. We accept most major insurance plans.

If you are curious about therapy, reach out to Thrive for Life Counseling to schedule a consultation or appointment. Healing can involve understanding what has happened to us, but it can also involve learning, sometimes little by little, what it feels like to experience safety, choice, connection, and respect again.

References and further reading

The research and clinical guidance discussed above include SAMHSA's current guidance on trauma informed approaches and its principles of safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, voice, and choice; the 2024 systematic review of massage therapy for survivors of rape and sexual abuse; and systematic reviews and meta analyses examining massage therapy, anxiety, pain, and quality of life. 

SAMHSA: Trauma Informed Approaches and Programs

Callie Willoughby, LMT at Studio A Body Therapy Studio A Trauma Informed Massage Therapy