Egyptian Influence on Reflexology
Egyptian, American and European History of Reflexology
Aug 27, 2008
The popular practice of modern day reflexology is thought to have emerged, in its earliest beginnings, thousand of years ago. The Chinese practiced the therapies of acupressure and acupuncture, both similar practices to reflexology; primitive Native American and African tribes were also believed to be practicing some form of reflexology. In the 1500s, several European doctors worked on pressure therapy theories which may have led to the later development of reflexology.
However, the earliest known recording of the practice of reflexology is to be found in Saqqara, Egypt on the tomb of Ankhmahor; this has been dated as 2330 BC. Pictures etched on the walls show drawings of a person holding the foot of another person and applying massage to the sole of the foot. These early pictures are now famous throughout the reflexology world.
The American Contribution to Reflexology
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr William Fitzgerald, an American ear, nose and throat specialist developed an approach that came to be known as zone therapy, the predecessor to reflexology as we know it today. Through a series of tests and experiments, he found a energy 'link' between corresponding parts of the body to the feet and hands, each within a series of longitudinal 'zones'.
He established that energy flows within these zones were linked to a part of the body within the same zone; blockages occurring in a certain part of the body could be cleared by applying pressure to the same zone to which it was situated in. Initially, skepticism surrounded Dr Fitzgerald's theory but later in time Dr Edwin Bower and Dr Joe and Elizabeth Riley developed his work further.
Eunice Ingham was perhaps one of Dr Riley's most famous students, bringing reflexology to mainstream attention in the 1930s. She further developed the theory of zone therapy and wrote two of the now most well known books related to reflexology – Stories the Feet Can Tell and Stories the Feet Have Told.
The European Development of Reflexology
In the 1960s after a trip to America, Doreen Bayly, a student of Eunice Ingham, returned to the UK with knowledge she had learned about reflexology; she eventually opened the Bayly school of reflexology which is still in existence today. She was accredited with instructing many across Europe in the art of reflexology, even in her later years.
Hanne Marquardt, a German practitioner who was also a student of Eunice Ingham, introduced the final set of zones now used in reflexology. She developed the idea of transverse zones, that is across the body rather than down the body, as with longitudinal zones.
Longitudinal zones divided the body into ten zones, from head to toe, relating to the natural divisions from the toes or fingers; transverse zones divided the body into three zones – the shoulder girdle; the waist and the pelvic floor. This made it easier to pinpoint the exact reflexology points which are in use today.
References:
Hall, Nicola 1988 Reflexology A Way to Better Health Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd
For Further Reading:Using Reflexology
