The human hand is one of the most remarkable creations of nature. It is a miracle of engineering with its strength, softness, sensitivity and dexterity. No other therapeutic agent can be compared with this familiar and perfect tool. The hands are our connection to the world. With our hands we can reach out to grasp what life has to offer, or push back in defense. We can perform gross physical movements or the finest of motor skills. We can make love or make war; hurt or heal. Many say that the hands are what define us as human. Because a rapid and dramatic increase in brain size followed the advent of the opposing thumb, the arrival of this digit is considered a decisive moment in the history of human evolution. Our brain is what sets us apart from other life-forms, and an enormous percentage of neural resources is invested in the hands: one-third of both our sensory and motor cortexes. With the arrival of the thumb and the dramatic expansion of the brain sounds soon evolved into recognizable speech. These concurrent developments easily link our hands with communication. (How many of us actually talk with both our organs of speech and our hands?) The hands are the pre-eminent instrument of the manual therapist. As bodyworkers and massage therapists, it is our charter to develop our hands-on skills into a language of love. Karen Ball, LMT, Certified Reflexologist & Aromatherapist has been working as a manual therapist since 1983. Upon graduation from the Florida School of Massage, she was invited to join the teaching faculty, where she currently teaches reflexology, professional boundaries & ethics, HIV education and therapeutic communication skills. Through the Academy of Ancient Reflexology, Karen offers the 315-hour Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification, and a growing roster of weekend workshops and classes in conventional reflexology, Thai reflexology and allied subjects. Academy of Ancient Reflexology Reflexology Blog
