How do you feel? In just minutes, our emotions can shift from elation to misery; or from hope to hopelessness. Moods and emotions are part of who we are as humans. Life would certainly be easier if we lived it without emotions, as Mr. Spock from "Star Trek" and a robot, do. But life would also be less interesting. We feel grief when we lose a friend or family member, joy when we reach a goal, fear when we feel threatened, and contentment when we feel safe. For those times when we feel like pulling out our hair or that the weight of the world is on our shoulders, a massage with hot stones can help to clear our minds and lift our spirits.

Wired for emotions

Understanding what creates our emotions is vital in determining how to improve them. While the heart is often used as a symbol for love, our brain is where emotions begin. It is the control center of our actions. Our nervous system includes our brain, spinal cord and a system of nerves. The nerves branch out from the spinal cord, serving as the "wires" that connect our brain to our body. Nerve vibrations continuously move back and forth between the brain and body, such as when receiving a massage with hot stones.

In our body's system that creates emotions, the brain is the headquarters, or the mainframe computer. Our brains consist of two halves. The left half performs logical analyses of information, while the right side is related more to skills involving seeing and hearing. The cerebral cortex in the brain receives vibrations from the lower part of the brain, and then processes our emotions. It manages our reaction to emotions. The cerebral cortex allows us to deal with the emotions, by interpreting them and linking them to past memories.

Sending the right signals

So, how is all this related to relaxation from massages? Scientific research has proven that therapeutic massages can treat the following problems relating to our minds and emotions:

• anxiety

• creativity deficiency

• depression

• exhaustion

• logical thinking deficiency

• pain

• stress

• tension

When we receive a therapeutic massage, what happens? The nerve endings in our bodies become activated. They then send signals through the "wiring" of nerves, up through the spinal cord, to our brain. Our brains receive this data, and then process the information. The brains conclude, "This is a good thing," and then zip the message back to the nerve endings. If we have had previous massages before, our brains will send an extra message: "This is the same good feeling you experienced in the past." Finally, your brain will send the message, "Relax!" throughout your body.

Relaxation squared

Massages with hot stones add a new twist to our mind-emotion system. Through heat therapy, the skin's surface and the tissues underneath are warmed up. This activates the thermoreceptors, which block the pain signals before they can be e-mailed to the brain. So your brain believes that you feel good, before it learns that you feel pain. The result is that your body is further relieved of stress and pain, further improving your emotions and mood. One key is for the hot rocks to be heated to a maximum of 125 degrees Fahrenheit, before being placed on the skin. Hotter stones could cause our brains to conclude, "Too hot!"

The abilities to feel and show emotions are what separate us from massage stones. When we are feeling hurt physically or emotionally, we can ease the pain through a massage with a hot stone kit. Though pain is indeed "all in the mind," thoughts of relaxation and contentment can also live there.