SCAR TISSUE MOBILIZATION - uses very fine fingertip movements to work scarred areas of skin and underlying connective tissues in order to reduce stickiness and make the scar "more functional.”
SEITAI SHIATSU - This specialized form of Japanese massage was developed over the last four decades by Master Kiyoshi Kato. It is practiced in residential treatment centers in Osaka, Japan and has a distinctly medical emphasis. While “Shiatsu” means “finger pressure,” “Seitai” itself means “whole body.” This form of Shiatsu involves rubbing the entire body. Rubbing is used 80% of the time, and pressure 20% of the time. In a logical sequence, all body areas are treated to stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph, relax the body, mobilize the spine, and enhance organ function. The Seitai form includes ampuku therapy and hara (abdominal) diagnosis.
SHADOW INTEGRATION - This modality is based on Carl Jung's concept of the shadow - those parts of your personality or beliefs that you do not give a conscious place to in your life. The theory is that by putting your fears, anger, joy, hope, etc. in shadow, these emotions will then turn against your family, your clients or yourself resulting in health, financial or ethical problems. Shadow integration involves creating a ritual container in a group setting, in which participants give voice and flesh out the conflicting beliefs and feeling that sabotage their professional and personal lives. This process emphasizes the personal and professional development of health professionals (ethics, communication, therapeutic relationships and body/mind dynamics). It is usually facilitated in groups of 8-20, or in one-on-one sessions.
SHEN THERAPY - SHEN is the acronym for Specific Human Energy Nexus and was developed by American scientist Richard Pavek. A scientifically researched form of energy healing, SHEN aims to release emotions trapped in the body, which we cannot unlock ourselves, leading to freedom from pain and tension. SHEN teaches that most emotions are held in the torso, at four main sites: The heart, the solar plexus, the kath (below the navel) and the root (the perineum). The practitioner places hands in paired positions on the fully-clothed client who's lying on the table. The practitioner ascertains the locations of somatically held emotions and determines an appropriate physio-emotional release plan. A naturally occurring energy flows from the practitioner's hands through the emotional centers of the client's body in a precise way to discharge debilitating emotions.
SHI'ZEN NO-HANDS MASSAGE - An extremely relaxing deep-tissue massage done not with the hands but with the seven surfaces of the forearm, with your chest supported by a pillow. Gerry Pyves - to protect practitioners’ own hands and fingers from RSI, developed it in Halifax. 'Giving eight clients a day a regular Swedish massage destroys your hands,' said a practitioner. The word itself is Japanese for the balance of mind and body.
SHIAT-SURF - This is a hands-and-foot-on therapy system designed to create space and unblock restrictions in the body via gravity. Shiat-Surf works with the body's breathing, pulses and nervous system.
SHIATSU  - Shiatsu is Japanese bodywork, which uses pressure to points on acupuncture meridians. Practice of shiatsu is usually accompanied by study of Chinese five-element theory and meridians, and it involves a way of looking at the body that is completely different from the "muscles, bones and blood" view of Western science, focusing instead on the flow of life energy through meridians. The name "Acupressure" is sometimes used to mean shiatsu, and is sometimes used to describe a finger-pressure technique similar to shiatsu but not identical.
SHINKIKO - A system of healing based on the study of the relationship between the non-physical world (ki, energy and spirit) and the physical world (illness and environment) as experienced through mind, body, spirit, heart and life. By synchronizing your vibration with the healing vibration of ki, learning to keep that vibration present within you and continually heightening the vibration, you can heal yourself and others. Shinkiko is a type of medical qigong that increases levels of energy, intuitive sense and consciousness through meditative-like ki harmonizing, without physical training or exercise.
SOFT TISSUE ACTIVE-ASSISTIVE RELEASE (S.T.A.A.R.) - Developed by Ryan Hoyme of Minnesota. The treatment includes: Passive stretch, Active stretch, PNF, Positional Release Therapy (PRT), Dynamic stretch, Resistive stretch, Reciprocal Inhibition, Strain Counterstrain, Neuromuscular therapy, Trigger point therapy and many others. This form of massage will save the therapists body from injury (Compared to Neuromuscular therapy), because the client is working with you.
SOFT-TISSUE MASSAGE - Soft-tissue massage is a generic term for any modality that is used to treat the soft tissues in the body, including muscle, fascia, and scar tissue. Common modalities used include Swedish, myofascial release, deep-tissue massage, trigger-point therapy ,connective tissue massage.
SOFT TISSUE RELEASE - Soft tissue release (STR) is a powerful injury treatment technique developed in Europe with the world's fastest sprinters. Due to the amazing amounts of prize money and endorsement contracts available to these athletes, faster and more permanent results were warranted. STR was developed to meet this need. Recovery rates once considered impossible by traditional therapists and sports medicine doctors were achieved. These are not new concepts, but are based on European osteopathy techniques, along with insights from quantum physics. In recent years, STR has been given clinical application for chronic low back pain and whiplash injuries. STR deals directly with the reasons for soft tissue dysfunctions and subsequent referred pain and nerve entrapment. In acute conditions, STR affects the insidious way scar tissue is formed, and in chronic conditions STR breaks up the fibrotic and adhered mass of scar tissue to quickly allow the muscle to return to its natural resting length. Once the muscle or muscle group has returned to the original resting length, there is an immediate release from the pain induced by the inflammation response. With STR, the client is placed in a particular position so that the muscle begins to stretch in a very specific direction or plane. The exact location of the injury has been defined and a  determined pressure is applied directly into the affected tissue or along a specific line of injury. At the same time, depending whether passive or active techniques are being used, the client is given a set of instructions that now engage the antagonist of the muscles involved. The muscle is extended from a fixed position in a determined direction under a pinpoint of pressure. Decrease in pain and increase in range of motion are often immediate, offsetting any minor discomfort experienced. STR can be modified so there is no client discomfort at all. The flowing motions of STR and total client control afford new levels of deep tissue work and subsequent pain relief.
SOMA - SOMA is a unique development of the holographic body reading technique. Holographic body reading recognizes that each person has an individual blueprint, allowing for the practitioner to analyze this, personalize its needs, and design the sessions to correspond to those individual needs. The SOMA practitioner works with the fascia and musculature to restore circulation and return the body to its original perfection. See SOMA Neuromuscular Integration.
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING - A naturalistic approach to the healing of trauma, based on the understanding that animals in the wild, though constantly threatened by predators, are rarely traumatized. This approach uses education about and awareness of body sensation as a primary tool. Appropriate, gentle manipulation of the muscles, joints and viscera is employed. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, somatic experiencing offers a safe, gradual way to help trauma survivors develop their own natural ability to eliminate the excess energy caused by overwhelming events.
SOMATIC PSYCHOLOGY - This is a body-based orientation that facilitates the client's therapeutic process. A client session is directed to the body experience that references the body as a resource. The therapist shifts the content of the session to the here and now process of the client, which opens the client's awareness of his own experience of sensation, tension, relaxation, breath, response, and evoked thoughts.
SOMA NEUROMUSCULAR INTEGRATION - Developed in 1978 by Bill Williams, PhD, one of the first students of Ida Rolf, this therapy refined Rolf's work by creating easier, less intrusive ways of working with the fascia and muscles. This ten-session process, which incorporates movement training and awareness tools as well as massage and manipulation, also seeks to promote greater access to the functioning of each hemisphere of the brain.
SOMATO-EMOTIONAL RELEASE - The Somato-Emotional Release approach deals with tissue trauma. It is an integral part of the cranial-sacral system that works with releasing traumatic or emotional experiences that are locked in our bodies. It utilizes therapeutic imagery along with dialogue and physical support techniques to initiate change.
SOMATICS - "Somatic" literally means "of or pertaining to the body." In the context of Somatic Psychology, it refers to the mind-body connection and makes use of techniques to bring awareness of the mind and the body to each other. It is therefore related to the form "Body-Mind" which is described above.
SOTAI HO - considered Japanese physical therapy and bone structure adjustment. It is neuromuscular re-education through breathing and movements, untwisting muscular holding patterns. This balances the nervous and muscular systems. Sotai ho literally means "work (or manipulate) body way (or method)".
SOUND HEALING - Sound healing uses toning, chanting, or vibrations from the voice or instruments to stimulate the body's own ability to heal itself. Sound healing and music boost are known to boost the immune system, regulate respiration, lower blood pressure, alleviate pain, reduce stress, and promote endurance. Practitioners work with the belief that each cell in the body is a sound resonator and has its own pulse, pattern, and cycle. Recently new sound therapies have been developed based upon the theories of acupuncture, where sound is used to stimulate certain points on the body. Sound or music therapy has been used by health professionals in private practice, hospitals, schools, nurseries, birthing centers, hospices, and psychotherapeutic settings. The type of sound and technique varies by training and the practitioner's professional background.
SOUND THERAPY - Using the media of sound (music, tones, vibrations, etc.) as a tool for healing, sound therapy enables the realignment of natural body rhythms. Therapy may include, but is not limited to, the use of Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, acutonic tuning forks, rattles, and drums.
SPA TREATMENTS - Spa, or Health Spa, refers to an establishment that provides rejuvenating treatments in a residential setting (or non-residential at a day spa). Often at a resort and often luxurious in setting, spas aim for relaxation, therapeutic treatments, and beautification treatments. Modalities such as herbal wraps, seaweed wraps, mud baths, loofah scrubs and salt glows are designed to detoxify and refresh the system. Related to spa treatments is Hydrotherapy meaning, "water therapy." It includes treatments like contrast baths (alternating hot and cold water), and wet sheet wraps.
SPINAL RELEASE - Spinal release allows therapists to correct distortions of the central nervous system and restore the body's center of gravity. The therapist works with techniques that address the eight muscle groups of the lower back. Practitioners also focus on the soft-tissue release procedures for the neck and back as they help identify curvatures of the spine and other dysfunctions.
SPIRITUAL MASSAGE HEALING - Spiritual massage healing is a form of divinely inspired and divinely guided religious healing. It consists of prayer, love, anointing with oil, and movements derived from the laying-on of hands. It is the practice of one's religious faith and conscience and it is a mode of worship. Without prayer, there is no spiritual massage healing. However, each practitioner does spiritual massage healing their own way, which may vary from one client to another.
SPORTS MASSAGE - Sports massage is an adaptation of Swedish massage. Its purpose is to prepare athletes for sporting activity and help them recover from the exertion of sporting activity. Sports massage trainings vary widely in length, and there is no standard training length.
ST JOHN NEUROMUSCULAR THERAPY - Paul St. John started teaching others what he called Neuromuscular Therapy in 1978. Since then, many of his students and employees have branched off to teach their own method of NMT. Just about anyone you can find in the United States that is teaching what they call Neuromuscular Therapy will trace back to Paul St. John in some way or another. Milady’s Theory & Practice of Therapeutic Massage, 2nd edition, considers him the modern developer of Neuromuscular Therapy. Massage Magazine also features him as one of the 46 “Stars of the Century” in massage therapy. One of the major differences between St. John NMT and other methods is that St. John NMT is constantly being revised, updated, developed, and researched. Paul still treats up to 50 patients per week while at the same time teaching, researching and developing the St. John Method.
STAR TECH® - Soft Tissue Active Recovery Technique (STAR Tech®) is a treatment method for fast pain relief, healing and soft tissue recovery. It is used by individuals who have a working knowledge of muscles and other soft tissue, and includes Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Fitness Trainers, Coaches and others. STAR Tech is based on an understanding of the body's natural ability to self-heal. STAR Tech works fast because the brain works fast. It is based on the same mind-body connection mechanism that makes Active Isolated Stretching so effective. By using a combination of motion and manual tension, fast and often permanent re-organization of soft tissue is accomplished.
STRAIN/COUNTERSTRAIN - Developed by osteopath Lawrence Jones, this non-invasive treatment helps decrease protective muscle spasms and alleviate somatic dysfunction in the musculoskeletal system. By using palpation and passive positional procedures, the therapist practicing strain/counter strain therapy can help restore pain-free movement. The position that relieves the referred pain is held for 90 seconds. After resuming the original position and pressing the trigger point, the referred pain is gone. Although the client is often asked to bend or twist like a contortionist to secure a comfortable position, for the most part clients report effectiveness of the procedure.
STRUCTURAL ENERGETIC THERAPY - Developed in 1983, Structural Energetic Therapy (SET) is a deep-tissue, body-restructuring therapy that addresses chronic and acute pain and dysfunction. SET integrates cranial/structural techniques, myofascial unwinding, myofascial restructuring, emotional energy release, kinesiology and postural analysis to address client symptoms and problems as they relate to body structure. SET is a client-centered therapy that treats the specific needs unique to each client by addressing their particular injuries and conditions as they relate to the structural distortions. The release of the core distortion pattern, both cranially and structurally, allows a balanced weight-bearing pelvis to support the entire spine, and facilitates the unwinding of all other structural distortions. The goal of SET therapy is to have clients return to life activities pain free.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION - This term was created by American biochemist Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1930s. She maintained that when one part of the body is out of balance or misaligned, the rest of the body attempts to compensate until the entire structure is weakened. Even from birth, the general pressures of life and gravity push our bodies out of alignment. By manipulating the myofascial tissue in a ten session series, each building on the previous one, practitioners assist the body to reorganize, lengthen, and integrate itself into wholeness.
SWEDISH MASSAGE - One of the most commonly taught and well-known massage techniques, Swedish massage is a vigorous system of treatment designed to energize the body by stimulating circulation. Five basic strokes, all flowing toward the heart, are used to manipulate the soft tissues of the body. A sheet covers the disrobed client, with only the area being worked on exposed. Therapists use a combination of kneading, rolling, vibrational, percussive and tapping movements with the application of oil to reduce friction on the skin. The many benefits of Swedish massage may include generalized relaxation, dissolution of scar tissue adhesions, and improved circulation, which may speed healing and reduce swelling from injury.
SYNTROPY INSIGHT BODYWORK - A combination of neuromuscular re-education, hands-on application, qigong, Taoism, and meditation, Syntropy Insight Bodywork acts directly on the nervous system to dissolve chronic patterns of pain and tension. The practitioner helps to access and empower the client's innate healing ability by focusing on what is functioning well in the body and expanding on it. A noninvasive practice, syntropy can be used exclusively or as an adjunct therapy.