A hundred moments in autism - Terrence Oblong's feet

I am alone, watching TV after a tough day at work.  Mrs Oblong is out, being hilarious somewhere (she’s a stand-up comic). To help me unfurl, I remove my socks and start to massage the bottom of my feet.   

This has been my main means of de-stressing for as long as I remember. I combine broad sweeps across the foot, with digging my nails into particularly sensitive areas. Sometimes I even scrape the point of nail scissors across the bottom of my foot. I find this highly therapeutic, like acupuncture without the needles. 

Foot massage can provide significant calming sensory input for autists. It reduces anxiety and helps regulate the nervous system. It can even help with sleep and reduce sensory overload. For me, it just releases stress and yes, it does help me sleep. 

A 2019 paper in the Psychoneuroendocrinology Journal found a foot massage evokes oxytocin release and activation of orbitofrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus. This can have a therapeutic benefit in disorders such as autism where basal oxytocin levels are typically reduced.  

Alternatively, it has been claimed that foot massage stimulates acupuncture pressure points.  

I’ll let you decide which is the most credible explanation.