Professional association of reflexologists Belgium
Reflexology
Reflexology is a holistic healing method, originally known as reflex zone therapy, which works by applying pressure on and massaging the hands and feet.
The Van Dale dictionary defines “reflex” as: “re-flex de; m -and unconscious reaction to a stimulus”. However, within reflexology, reflex is used in the sense of “reflection” or mirror image. These reflections or reflex zones are located in the soles of the feet, on the palms of the hands, on the ears, on the face... which act as small mirrors of the entire organism.
a little history...
The origin is sometimes sought in Egypt. The reason is a relief in an Egyptian tomb from 2330 B.C. The image depicts four people. One is treated with foot massage and one with hand massage.
Others attribute the discovery to the Incas, one of the older Peruvian peoples, with a history of possibly 12,000 years. It has been claimed that they bequeathed their knowledge of solar therapy to North American Indians, who still use this form of treatment today.
It is certain that sun therapy was already used in the 16th century. Cellini (1500-1571), the famous Florentine sculptor, used firm pressure on his hands and toes to relieve pain in his body and this apparently had results. During the 16th century, several books on solar therapy were published in Europe. One such book was written by Dr Adamus and Dr Atatis. A little later, a similar book was published by Dr Ball from Leipzig.
So the origins of reflexology are not really known. In his book “Zone Therapy”, Dr William Fitzgerald states the following: “A form of treatment using pressure points was known 5000 years ago in India and China. However, this knowledge has been lost. Perhaps it was supplanted by acupuncture, which emerged as the stronger shoot from the same tribe.” Credit for establishing reflexology as we know it today belongs to Dr William Fitzgerald.
Dr william fitzgerald
In 1895, he graduated in medicine from the University of Vermont (USA) at the age of 23. After working in hospitals in Vienna, Paris and London, he specialised as an ear, nose and throat specialist and settled in Connecticut. While working in Vienna, he studied the works of the. H. Bresslar, who had investigated the relationship between pressure points in the foot and the organs, and whose findings had been published in a book, “Sun Therapy”. Interestingly, Dr Bresslar reported that therapeutic foot massage had been used as early as the 14th century.
Dr Fitzgerald began applying solar therapy to his patients. To apply pressure, he used straps, clamps and probes made of rubber.
He discovered that if pressure was applied to certain parts of the foot, certain parts of the body became numb. The results of his research enabled him to divide the body into 10 longitudinal energy zones - five for the right half of the body and five for the left - by drawing an imaginary line from the top of the head through the centre of the body. These ten energy zones end at the soles of the feet and palms of the hands.
In 1916, Dr Edwin Bowers, a colleague of Dr Fitzgerald, described the treatment as proposed by Dr Fitzgerald and called it “zone therapy”.
A year later, their joint work was published in a book called Zone Therapy. It contained treatments and recommendations for doctors, dentists, gynaecologists, throat - , nose - and ear doctors and chiropractors. The first edition contained diagrams showing the reflexes on the hands and feet and the related ten zones of the body.
Dr Fitzgerald soon began lecturing on his therapy. These theories were received with moderate enthusiasm by the medical establishment. One doctor, Joseph Shelby Riley, was so impressed that he and his wife, who was also a doctor, decided to delve further into solar therapy to apply it in their own practice. An assistant to Joseph Riley, Eunice Ingham (1879-1974), took the initiative to come up with what we now call reflexology.
Eunice Ingham
Thanks to her dedication and research, Eunice Ingham was able to make the connection between the anatomy of the body and the feet. She discovered that the feet mirror the state of the whole body. She also found that the great sensitivity of the feet enhanced the treatment. This explains why reflexology treatments generally focus more on the feet than on the hands.
Eunice Ingham spent many years travelling among kindred therapists, sharing her knowledge with masseurs, osteopaths and natural healers.
During her lifetime, she wrote two books: Stories the Feet Can Tell and Stories the Feet Told.
In 1960, one of her students, Doreen Bayly, introduced reflexology to England. She started training in England and gave courses in Europe. One of her students, Hanne Marquardt further developed Eunice Ingham's techniques in her own way. She too made a great contribution in spreading the knowledge and skills in Europe.
Dwight Byers
Eunice Ingham's knowledge was taken even further by her cousins, Dwight Byers and Eusebia B. Messenger. As knowledge of anatomy and physiology increased, reflexology took on an increasingly scientific background. This has greatly enhanced its acceptance among the orthodox medical establishment.
Reflexologie groeit wereldwijd uit tot een volwaardige complementaire therapie. In steeds meer landen worden reflexologieverenigingen officieel erkend en ook in België wint onze sector snel aan zichtbaarheid en vertrouwen. Steeds meer cliënten vinden de weg naar reflexologen en steeds meer zorgprofessionals verwijzen door.
Wist je dat voetreflexologie in België een eigen officiële NACE‑code heeft?
👉 86.961 – Alternatieve therapeutische diensten
Dat betekent dat reflexologie als activiteit geregistreerd kan worden binnen de Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen.
Voor jou als zelfstandig reflexoloog is dat een belangrijk voordeel: je toont dat je professioneel werkt, correct geregistreerd bent en binnen een duidelijke beroepscategorie valt.
- Start je een praktijk? Dan kun je je officieel inschrijven onder de reflexologie‑code.
- Werk je al als zelfstandige? Dan kun je deze code eenvoudig laten toevoegen aan je bestaande activiteiten.
- Wil je samenwerken met andere zorgverleners? Een correcte NACE‑registratie versterkt je geloofwaardigheid.
Kortom: reflexologie staat sterker dan ooit en als professional is het belangrijk dat je zichtbaar bent binnen deze groeiende sector.