How does reflexology work?

If you’ve ever wondered how reflexology actually works – or why something focused entirely on the feet can leave your whole body feeling calmer and more settled – you’re not alone. It’s a question I’m often asked.

Reflexology is based on the idea that specific points on the feet relate to different areas of the body, reflecting how connected our systems really are. By applying intentional, focused pressure to these points, reflexology aims to support relaxation, circulation and your body’s natural ability to rebalance itself.

Rather than relying on a single explanation, how reflexology works is best understood as involving several layers at once. It’s often this combination – rather than one isolated process – that creates the sense of grounding and whole-body ease you may notice after a session.

So, how does reflexology work in practice?
 
Here are a few of the ways reflexology is often explained, blending anatomy and scientific research with what’s commonly noticed in the treatment room.

Neural pathways

Supporting communication through the nervous system

Each foot contains thousands of nerve endings that feed directly into the central nervous system. Reflexology works by stimulating these nerve-rich areas, sending signals back to the brain and supporting clearer communication within the body’s neural network.

Applying focused pressure on the feet stimulates nerve-rich areas that connect with the nervous system.

Some research describes foot reflexology as a pressure technique applied to the nerve endings in the feet, with the aim of stimulating neural pathways and supporting the body’s internal balance (homeostasis).

This may help explain why reflexology can feel both settling and gently energising – a combination many clients notice during or after a session.

Proprioception

Helping the body reconnect and reorganise

Although the word proprioception is quite a mouthful, the idea itself is quite intuitive. It’s often described as the body’s “sixth sense” – your innate internal awareness of where you are in space, including posture, pressure and movement.

The feet play a particularly important role in this process. Constantly in contact with the ground, they gather rich sensory information and feed it back to the brain to help guide posture, balance and coordination. This is why going barefoot when you can, or choosing more natural footwear, can be so valuable.

The feet play a crucial role in proprioception — helping you subconsciously sense balance, position and movement through contact with the ground

Because the feet form your foundation, they influence how the rest of the body organises itself. The many joints, ligaments and tendons in the feet affect how weight is distributed, how you move, and how forces travel up through the ankles, knees, hips and spine.

Reflexology is thought to support this ongoing feedback loop by offering clear, intentional sensory input through the soles of the feet, which may help the nervous system refine how the body senses, organises and adapts itself.

Calming the nervous system

Shifting out of stress mode

One of the most consistent responses to reflexology is relaxation. Gentle, rhythmic pressure on the feet can encourage your nervous system to move out of a heightened stress response and into a calmer, more restorative state.

Research exploring reflexology highlights its potential effect on anxiety and nervous system regulation, particularly during periods of physical or emotional strain.

For many people, this settling of the nervous system is where everything else begins to soften — physically, mentally and emotionally — bringing a greater sense of grounding and presence in the body.

Although reflexology focuses on the feet, its effects are often felt throughout the body.

Neuromatrix pain theory

How the brain shapes our experience of pain

Neuromatrix pain theory suggests pain isn’t always a direct reflection of tissue damage — it’s shaped by the brain using multiple inputs, including sensory information, emotional state and past experience.

One expert in this field I’ve found well worth exploring is Dr Howard Schubiner. In his interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, he describes how chronic pain can be a learned nervous system response, rather than a sign of ongoing damage.

This perspective is most relevant for chronic or persistent pain (not acute injury pain). As such, reflexology may gently support regulation by offering clear sensory input through the feet — helping the nervous system receive different information when it’s become sensitised over time.

Blood flow and cardiovascular responses

Working with circulation in the feet

Reflexology is thought to work, in part, by supporting circulation. For those who experience cold toes and feet, it’s not uncommon to notice warmth returning as a session progresses — a simple sign that things are beginning to move and respond.
 
Because circulation and the nervous system are closely linked, changes here can sometimes be felt more widely. As the body begins to move out of a stress-driven state, heart rate and blood pressure may also start to settle as part of a broader shift toward relaxation and regulation.
 
Seen this way, reflexology can be understood as working through the feet, with wider responses emerging as the body settles and rebalances in its own time.

Working with lymphatic flow

Supporting the immune system

Reflexology is also thought to support lymphatic movement, an important part of how the body supports immunity and clears waste materials.

While subtle, pressure on the reflexes may help encourage fluid movement alongside your body’s natural detoxification processes. Many clients describe feeling “clearer” or refreshed after a session — an experience that may relate to this gentle support.

Energy channels

Chinese meridians and acupressure points

Reflexology also draws on traditional understandings of the body found in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this system, several meridians — or energy pathways — are understood to begin or end in the feet, highlighting their role in the body’s overall flow and balance.

Traditional Chinese Medicine describes energy pathways, or meridians, many of which begin or end in the feet.

While reflexology is its own system, acupressure points on the feet may be incorporated into a session where appropriate. From this perspective, working with these points is thought to support the smooth movement of energy and help restore balance within the body.
 
For those who resonate with this way of understanding health, reflexology may feel not only physically relaxing, but also rebalancing at an energetic level.

The psychological effect

The power of care and touch

Finally, there’s the human element. Reflexology involves focused, caring touch in a safe, unhurried space. Feeling listened to and supported can have a meaningful impact on your stress levels and overall wellbeing.

Crucially, this isn’t separate from the physical effects — it’s another way those effects are experienced and integrated.

A whole-body experience

In practice, reflexology doesn’t work through just one pathway. It’s the combination – nervous system input, sensory awareness, circulation, energetic balance and genuine human care – that creates the affects you may notice.
 
When clients ask how reflexology works, it’s usually this combined effect that helps make sense of the experience. Rather than acting in isolation, each layer supports the others, creating space for the body to settle, respond and reconnect.
 
Whether you come for relaxation, stress support or simply time to reconnect with yourself, reflexology offers a gentle yet deeply supportive way to do just that — starting from the feet up.

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Author: Toria Macgregor

Toria Macgregor is a reflexologist whose work is centred on calming the nervous system, easing the many physical and emotional effects of stress, and supporting the body in finding its own balance. She is based in Albany, Western Australia, where she runs Barefoot Holistics, and also writes and edits health and wellbeing content.

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