Acupressure Points for Headaches: Where the Pressure Actually Goes
Most Headaches Are Not Just "In Your Head"
It is tempting to think of a headache as something happening only behind the eyes or across the forehead, which is why people instinctively rub their temples. But a large share of everyday headaches, especially tension-type headaches, are closely linked to tension sitting in the neck, shoulders, and upper back rather than starting in the head at all. Hours of screen time, driving, or hunching forward pulls the head slightly out of alignment with the spine, and the muscles at the base of the skull and across the shoulders end up doing constant low-level work to hold it up. That sustained tightness is what often refers pain upward into a headache.
This is the logic behind acupressure for headaches: instead of only addressing where the pain is felt, the pressure is applied to the areas actually generating the tension.
Where the Pressure Actually Goes
In general acupressure practice, a headache-focused session tends to concentrate on a handful of regions rather than the head itself:
The base of the skull: the suboccipital muscles, where the skull meets the top of the neck, are one of the most common tension sites behind headaches. Sustained forward-head posture keeps these muscles contracted almost constantly during a normal workday.
The upper trapezius and shoulders: the muscle running from the base of the neck out to the shoulder tightens with stress and with any activity that involves shrugging the shoulders toward the ears, which most people do without noticing while concentrating at a desk.
The temples and jaw: less central than the neck and shoulders, but relevant for headaches that come with jaw clenching or eye strain.
The exact combination depends on where an individual actually holds their tension, which is why a proper headache session starts with the practitioner checking where things feel tight, rather than working a fixed script regardless of the person on the table.
How This Plays Out in an Easy Cozy Session
Easy Cozy's headache and migraine sessions are built around this same neck-and-shoulder-first approach. The techniques used include neck and shoulder tension release, cranial relaxation techniques, general stress-relief-focused therapy, and, when appropriate, reflexology, combined with deep-tissue pressure, stretching, and acupressure methods. The emphasis stays on releasing the muscular tension that feeds into the headache rather than just working the head in isolation.
Easy Cozy is explicit that this is a tension-relief approach, not a medical treatment: massage "may help reduce tension that contributes to certain types of headaches, especially tension headaches." It is not positioned as a cure or a substitute for medical care for migraines or other headache conditions with a neurological cause, and anyone with frequent or severe headaches should still be evaluated by a doctor.
What to Expect
For a first headache-focused session, Easy Cozy recommends booking 60 to 90 minutes rather than the shortest 30 minute option, since there needs to be enough time to work through the neck and shoulders properly before addressing the head itself. Expected outcomes are described modestly and specifically: reduced muscle tension, a sense of relaxation and relief, and, over repeated sessions, fewer tension-related headache triggers. That is a realistic bar, not a promise that recurring migraines will disappear after one visit.
Booking a Headache-Focused Session
Sessions can be booked at easycozy.ca/booking or by calling (778) 561-0208. Easy Cozy is located at 6418 Dover Rd, Nanaimo, BC, with free parking at the front entrance, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM. A minimum of 4 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as seeing a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)? No. Easy Cozy's practitioners are NHPC members rather than RMTs. NHPC receipts are provided after each session, but whether they are reimbursable depends on the specifics of a client's insurance plan.
How long until I notice a difference? Easy Cozy frames the benefit as reduced tension and relaxation in the treated area, building toward fewer tension-related triggers with repeated visits, rather than an instant one-session fix.
Is this a substitute for medical treatment? No. For frequent, severe, or unusual headaches, a doctor's evaluation should come first. Acupressure and massage are positioned as tension relief, not diagnosis or treatment of underlying medical causes.
For the full page on headache and migraine-focused massage, visit easycozy.ca/headaches-and-migraines-massage-nanaimo, or see the companion piece on how acupressure works for more on the technique itself.
Easy Cozy Wellness is a Nanaimo-based studio specializing in condition-specific acupressure and therapeutic massage, led by NHPC member practitioner Lillian, applying traditional Chinese bodywork methods within a modern practice.
