Education
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 2007.
M.A. in Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 2003.
B.A. in Psychology, Magna cum Laude, Colby-Sawyer College, NH, May 1999.
Profile
I am a psychological scientist who uses a variety of methods (e.g., meta-analysis, clinical trials, psychophysiological and neuroscientific laboratory assessments, survey construction and administration, et al.), combined with and informed by clinical training and experience, to study when, for whom, and by what mechanisms massage therapy, the manual manipulation of soft tissue intended to promote health, wellness, and performance, can be beneficial. In addition to this main focus, I am also interested in studying other modalities, such as meditation, that involve self-regulation, both for their own sake and as a way to broaden my perspective for understanding massage therapy as an intervention.
Publications
Thomason, M. J., & Moyer, C. A. (2012). Massage therapy for Lyme disease symptoms: A prospective case study. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 5(4), 9-14.
Dryden, Trish, and Christopher Moyer, eds. Massage Therapy: Integrating Research And Practice. 1st ed. Human Kinetics, 2012.
Moyer, C. A., Donnelly, M. P. W., Anderson, J. C., Valek, K. C., Huckaby, S. J., Wiederholt, D. A., Doty, R. L., Rehlinger, A. S., & Rice, B. L. (2011). Frontal electroencephelographic asymmetry associated with positive emotion is produced by very brief meditation training. Psychological Science, 22, 1277-1279.
Moyer, C. A., & Seefeldt, L., Mann E. S., & Jackley, L. M. (2011). Does massage therapy reduce cortisol? A comprehensive quantitative review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 15, 3-14.
Moyer, C. A., Dryden T., & Shipwright S. (2009). Directions and dilemmas in massage therapy research: A workshop report from the 2009 North American research conference on complementary and integrative medicine. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 2(2), 15-27.
Moyer, C. A. (2009). Between-groups study designs demand between-groups analyses: A response to Hernandez-Reif, Shor-Posner, Baez, Soto, Mendoza, Castillo, Quintero, Perez, and Zhang. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6, 49-50.
Moyer, C. A. & Rounds, J. (2009). The attitudes toward massage (ATOM) scale: Reliability, validity, and associated findings. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 13, 22-33.
Moyer, C. A. (2008). Affective massage therapy. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 1(2), 3-5.
Moyer, C. A. (2008). Does massage therapy need research? International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 1(1), 7-8.
Beider, S., & Moyer, C. A. (2007). Randomized controlled trials of pediatric massage: A review. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (4), 23-34.
Moyer, C. A., Rounds, J., & Hannum, J. W. (2004). A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 3-18.
