How to Relieve PTSD and Stress through Shiatsu – A new book by Thomas Schiffer
BOZEMAN, Mont. – When Steve Olson came to Thomas Schieffer for his first shiatsu treatment, Olson had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia and anger management for 50 years. A 72-year-old Vietnam veteran, Olson (not his real name) was wracked by anxiety. He slept poorly. Acupuncture didn’t work, and neither did anti-anxiety meds.
But 15 minutes into the shiatsu treatment, Olson fell asleep. That night, he had his first good night’s rest in decades. After a year of treatment, his anxiety and anger decreased, he was happier, and he was better able to manage day-to-day life.
Shiatsu, a Japanese massage technique that translates to “finger pressure,” is based on the tenets of traditional Chinese medicine. A Shiatsu practitioner uses his or her own body to stretch and hold a patient’s muscles and joints rhythmically. It can ease tension, stress and pain.
Schieffer has used shiatsu to treat more than 50 war veterans, seeing profound relief of physical and psychological trauma in 40. He’s also used it to help first responders and people who’ve experienced sexual trauma and street violence. His new book, “Bodywork & PTSD – Simple and Effective Shiatsu Techniques,” empowers others to do the same.
“We’re used to stress, and we forget where we really are or what relaxed really is,” Schieffer said. “Shiatsu can set a new baseline for that, allowing your system to reset and relax. And if your system relaxes, it heals.”
The 75-page book includes a brief history and overview of Shiatsu, a handful of case studies, a glossary of terms, and 40-plus pages of color photographs and illustrations. Using descriptive terms like “Old Dog” and “Cat Shiatsu” that come from the method’s Japanese roots, he summarizes basic techniques for beginners and adds specific meridian points for advanced practitioners. He also explains how to create a safe emotional environment for patients.
Schieffer’s own path to shiatsu was deeply personal. A former Blackhawk helicopter mechanic who worked overseas during the Iraq war, he suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress after working in the Middle East, where he witnessed violence, abuse and human trafficking, and was stabbed in the hand by a Russian mobster while off duty in Turkmenistan. Back home in the States, he tried acupuncture, qi gong, herbs and meditation. He spent five years living in Hindu ashrams, meditating, and took a pilgrimage to India. Each of these things helped, but it was Shiatsu—both receiving the treatment, and apprenticing under a master, Shunji Morimoto—that truly helped him find peace.
“I made it my life’s goal to help people in similar situations,” Schieffer said. Through “Bodywork & PTSD,” he aims to make the healing practice accessible to many, regardless of economic status.
Although research has shown that touch therapy in general, and shiatsu specifically, can help relieve psychological distress, none of the studies are specific to PTSD. Schieffer aims to change that, and is working on two yearlong studies, one with a university and another with the Bozeman Veteran’s Court, both aimed at demonstrating shiatsu’s effects on PTSD.
“Shiatsu is designed to help the body’s innate ability to heal, recover and thrive from the stresses of life,” Schieffer writes in the book. “It is especially effective in treating deep-rooted trauma that is held in the body. Shiatsu is simple, but has profound and lasting results.”
Schieffer also recently released a one-hour video teaching the basic methods of the book, “How to treat PTSD through Shiatsu.” Learn more about his practice at thomas-schieffer.com.
Copies of “Bodywork & PTSD” are available at Enso Natural Medicine.
CONTACT: Thomas Schieffer
406.209.7665