Touch is Essential to Health

Touch is essential to health of body and mind. My work involves touch. Specifically, manual therapies to bring structure and function of the body into balance. What I have learned in 30+ years of touching bodies is that you cannot separate the mind from the body. The techniques I employ and practices I engage with, have proven to me that the mind is the totality of the communications within the body. Humans have an organ called the brain. Additionally, we have little brains in each and every cell called the nucleus.  

“The nucleus is like the remote control center of the cell. It acts as the cell's brain by telling it what to do, how to grow, and when to reproduce. The nucleus is home to the cell's genes. A membrane, a thin layer that allows chemicals to pass in and out to the rest of the cell, surrounds the nucleus.” American Museum of Natural History

Touch is associated with the sense of proprioception. Proprioception gives the mind information about space and time. In other words, proprioception will bring our mind present to the here and now, to the present moment. Touching another activates proprioception, input into muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints also activate proprioception. Even walking and simple movement activate proprioception in the skin and registers air and temperature information to the cells and brain. I have become deeply passionate about working with proprioceptive mechanisms in body systems.

Skillful use and applications of touch brings corrective actions to the mind and the body and can return function to optimal conditions. Basic touch, simple hugs, holding a hand, supporting another with healing intent and kindness of heart is essential to life itself. Dr. Tiffany Field pioneered early touch research in the 1980s at the University of Miami, specifically massage applied to premature infants. In brief summary from a NYTimes article from 1988:

Dr. Field found that a light massage of the babies' backs, legs and necks and gentle movement of their arms and legs proved to have a tonic effect, immediately soothing them and eventually speeding their growth. Dr. Field had decided to try massages because of findings by Saul Schanberg of the department of pharmacology at Duke University. The strongest evidence (of touch effects as a Beta-Endorphin Inhibiter) is from studies of other mammals, but it seems to apply to humans. Dr. Schanberg's studies of infant laboratory rats showed that a particular pattern of touch by the mother rat - particularly licking - inhibited the infant rat's production of beta-endorphin, a chemical that affects the levels of insulin and growth hormone.

We may be, or know someone who is, in need of touch, evidenced by moods and attitudes.  Perhaps you know someone who craves touch and perhaps even engages in risky behavior to acquire it from another. Others are touch averse, for various reasons including but not limited to trauma, ptsd, emotional turmoil, betrayal experiences that reduce capacity during triggering moments, touch input can feel overwhelming and yet, it is the greatest teacher of self-regulation skills. Touch is foundational to self-regulation emotionally and physically. 

When we lack touch our neurological and sensory systems are adversely affected. I find the yogic mind philosophy which describes desire and aversion, helps me understand an aspect of mind at play and potential roots. Alas, another blog page for that!  

As an example I can share how I work with touch In my often touch averse autistic clients. We focus nearly exclusively on proprioceptive work to bring balance to touch aversion and physical self-regulating skills. As the body balances, work can continue into breath-work to regulate emotions. The skillful use of breathing training is the basis of emotional self-regulation. This leads to mindfulness through felt-sense work whereby skills are learned to identify the sensation that is experienced related to emotion states or stress reactivity levels. Each body is unique and I train these folks into knowing how to read themselves, then how to describe to oneself their associations, followed by calming meditation-induction skills. It all starts with touch. 

During these heightened times of stress and uncertainty, stressors can become daily provocateurs. I recommend you consider how touch or lack of touch shows in your internal feelings, sense of self, confidence or state of wholeness perception. 

During the pandemic, many went untouched. Social distancing has become a norm and for good reason. However, touch is detrimental to not just surviving but thriving.  It is pervasive to question how close to get to another human much less allow touch. In a time of “me too,” and appropriate questions around consent to touch. We must balance our human and neurological need for touch with our considerations socially and with regard to others. Implied consent is not even “a thing” in my line of work as a manual therapist. Nor should ones own need for touch be motivated toward imposing ones will upon another.  A heartfelt “may I touch your hand or give you a hug” is a respectful entry to understand anyones comfort with you touching them. 

As you engage your own self-help/self-care you will certainly come to appreciate the benefit of a centered, present moment mind, improved immune function, reduced pain and enhanced experience of the self contained within the home of the body. It all starts with touch.