Having offered gentle touch to people of all ages, from preterm babies to the elderly, in many different settings, I remain constantly amazed and in awe of the effect that pure, simple, gentle touch can have on another person.
For years I have sought to understand why. What is it about touch that can have such a profound impact? What is it ‘saying’ and how is it ‘saying’ it?
Why was it that as I gently massaged an elderly lady’s hands as she sat rocking in her chair, staring at the floor, did she gradually lift her gaze to meet mine, and then, as if a veil had lifted from her eyes, did she whisper, “Am I still alive?”
Why was it that the teenage patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital were much more likely to share their hopes, dreams, fears, and worries with me when I was giving them a hand massage.
How is that a recent study showed that 8 out of 12 emotions can be communicated through touch alone?
And why is it that holding a dying persons hand can feel like the most important thing to do?
Maybe it’s because:
- Touch has its own ‘language’. A language that is uncomplicated, authentic and gets under the skin.
- Touch is the first language we learn. And, if we’re lucky, it’ll say:” I see you and you are worthy of gentle touch and care.” As Psychologist Barboor Fredericks says: “Somewhere in our brains we carry a map of touch, of sitting on our mothers lap, holding hands, a caring embrace and when we are alone just knowing that these are there to hold if we fall gives us a sense of peace.”
- The Hand Chakras are intimately connected to the heart chakra allowing loving energy to be transmitted.
- Touch helps people feel safe and “Humans are born with a “longing not only to feel safe but to feel safe in the arms of another”. Stephen Porges
- Gentle touch causes brain waves to slow down and a cocktail of messenger signals to be released which positively affect all aspects of our biology and physiology.
- A network of dedicated nerve fibres, called CT afferents, found in the skin, specifically detect and emotionally respond to the touch of another person, affirming our relationships, our social connections, and even our sense of self. Not surprisingly these nerve fibres are particularly attuned to three things: a light touch, gentle movement, and around 32 degrees Celsius, (skin temperature). Once stimulated, these nerves send signals to parts of the brain that deal with who we are socially, reassuring us we have a place in the social world of other people. Thus, touch brings us back into contact with ourselves and others.
As the research continues I am sure we will find many more fascinating facts about why gentle touch has the silent ability to say so much and affect us more than words alone can ever do.
“TOUCH HAS A MEMORY“
John Keats
For more information about future training days, events and offerings you can read more in The Gentle Touch Spring Newsletter
words: Helen Prosper
