Each session- the modalities will be picked according to the result the client wants and how Rachel feels she can best meet these needs. When massage is being done, the massage will be adjusted to your specific needs at the beginning of your session. It should always be pleasurable--feel good. It's ok if it "hurts good", but it should never be painful. This is because you need to be relaxed in order for your brain to have beneficial musculature release. Always speak up if it goes over a 7 in discomfort.
Contrary to popular belief that the muscles responds to the literal "beating or kneading" like a dead piece of meat--bodies are a mysterious neurological masterpiece. Massage IS very effective, but it is because of the increased neural stimulation into areas (such as brain awareness coming to areas of pain, or the "good" pain as a trigger point is dug into). The increased neural input causes a big spike in neural impulse, which taken away (the removal of stress) causes a reciprocal reduction in tension in the muscle...
You cause (good) pain, then take it away. The body loves it. This is especially effective with client's pain cycle has a faulty loop. Pain itself is not an indication of how "broken" you are, but how your body perceives the many signals it is getting. This includes how it perceives messages. Working on the pain being less stressful (and that the body has solutions) is very important in breaking faulty pain loops--especially when there is no known reason for the pain to continue. The body is out of danger...