17/07/2026
Did you know that scientists are now using brain scans to explore what happens in the brain during reflexology?
In 2023, Dr. Emeline Descamps—a neuroscientist and certified reflexologist—and colleagues published a groundbreaking study in the journal Scientific Reports. The research was carried out by a neuroscience team at Inserm Unit ToNIC, CNRS, and Toulouse University Hospital (CHU Purpan) in France.
Using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), the researchers scanned the brains of volunteers before and after a reflexology session to investigate how therapeutic foot touch influences brain activity.
Their findings showed measurable changes in brain connectivity within networks involved in:
• Stress regulation
• Pain processing
• Body awareness
• Resting brain activity and wellbeing
The study also found improvements in heart rate, breathing rate and participants’ reported sense of wellbeing following treatment. While similar changes were also seen after a gentle sham foot massage, the research provides compelling evidence that therapeutic touch to the feet measurably influences brain function.
This is an exciting area of neuroscience that is helping us better understand why so many people leave a reflexology session feeling calmer, more relaxed and more connected to their bodies.
Research into the mechanisms of reflexology is continuing, and studies like this are helping bridge traditional practice with modern neuroscience.