Eunice Ingham

Mother of Reflexology

HISTORY OF REFLEXOLOGY

The ancient healing art of Reflexology can be dated back to 2330BC with evidence on an Egyptian Tomb Drawing.  This drawing shows four people ~ one person being treated with foot massage and another with hand massage.

It is also believed it’s birth can be credited to the Incas, possibly dating back to 12 000 BC.  Native Americans from the North had been passed down this knowledge from the Incas, and they are still practising this (along with other forms of healing) today.

 

Dr William H. Fitzgerald of America must take the credit for initiating Reflexology from his study of Dr H Bressler’s work on Zone Therapy.  Dr Bressler had researched the link between pressure points on the feet and the internal organs of the body.  He published his findings in a book named “Zone Therapy”.  He also mentioned that foot massage as a form of therapy was practised in the 14th century.

 

Eunice Ingham (known as the Mother of Reflexology), was an assistant working for Dr Joseph Risely.  She is responsible for instigating Reflexology as it is practised today.  Through her dedication and research, Eunice correlated the anatomical structure of the human body with energy zones located on the feet and she discovered that the feet provided a ‘mirror image’ of the entire body.

ZONE THEORY

 

As may be seen in the illustration, the first zone starts from thumb and through the arms go to the middle of the head and down to the big toe through the middle of the body. Similarly, each finger or toe represents a zone.

 

According to zone therapy, all body parts in the same zone are said to be linked through energy flow and if there is any congestion in that part of zone, the whole zone gets affected.

 

ZT was developed into FR by Eunice Ingham. She selected the feet for pressure application. The location of reflexes could be more easily found on the feet, a relatively more compact part of the body and where it was more convenient to work on.

 

As a result of her dedicated and untiring labour she could plot reflexes of all parts of the body on the feet. Her first book “Stories the feet can tell” was published in 1938. Some years later her second book “Stories the feet can told” was published.

 

Since then Foot Reflexology has been spreading fast.

What happens during a reflexology session?

 

The first visit to a reflexologist will generally take about 15 minutes longer than subsequent treatments. The reflexologist will probably ask you about your medical history and about your diet, exercise and general health. The reflexologist will take detailed notes about your lifestyle before looking at your feet; they will then make notes on the colour, look and feel of your feet.

They will then 'work' the entire area of both feet, some reflexologists may work the hands. The young or elderly will generally be given shorter treatments but more often so the body systems are not over stimulated. Sometimes on a first visit the session will be shorter as the reflexologist doesn't want to over stimulate the body and each session after will usually be 30-45 minutes.

During the session you may feel different sensations in your feet, it may feel like a sharp pain or your feet may feel very sensitive. Sensitivity varies from person to person and from treatment to treatment. But generally the session will be calming and comforting; it will not tickle since it is a firm pressure to the feet. The practitioner will adjust the pressure to suit.