Should Massage Be Painful?

This is precisely why I don't use the heaps of pressure on my clients. Instead, I encourage communication about comfort levels in the moment. Intense discomfort is no good! If you are clenching your jaw, gritting your teeth or gasping for breath; you are receiving too much pressure and your body, your muscles, your nervous system are all going to want to protect you and push back from the "attack". Here is an interesting short article on one person's unfortunate massage experience.
https://academic.oup.com/pai.../article/16/7/1445/1919335...