As a practicing Holistic Therapist and Teacher I thoroughly understand and appreciate the immense value and need of the ‘Human Touch’. The human touch is very powerful indeed.
Many people do not realise that our skin is our largest organ and it is very responsive and sensitive. Human touch is extremely important to our mental, physical and spiritual well-being as it offers us the opportunity to feel love, care, affection, warmth, kindness and compassion from others. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of holding hands, a soft cheek against your own or the power of a warm embrace.
Human touch can offer us reassurance when we feel lost and confused and it can be healing when we are experiencing mental or physical pain. The touch between humans is something so powerful and it can help in a variety of situations.
Of course like everything the power of human touch can also be abused, but in this article I am only talking about the power of the healing, loving human touch.
The need for human touch does not fade as we grow older. Babies and the elderly really appreciate human touch, as does everyone in between these age groups. By simply holding someone’s hand, putting your arm around their shoulders or cuddling, you can give the gift of love and nurturing. People who are given cuddles, hugs and kisses on a regular basis feel reassured and comfortable. They tend to be more at ease and feel as though things will be okay.
In my therapy practice I almost always give my clients a hug either when they arrive or when they leave. I started this many years ago after I had a female client whom had not had any human contact or hugs for over 3 years! She had never been married and all her family had passed away. She had no friends as she was very shy and timid and lacked any self love or confidence due to her upbringing and circumstances she had been brought up in. I cried with her that day. I hugged her tightly as she cried her tears from years of sadness, loneliness and suffering. It was the simply hug and human touch that started her long journey to healing. She is doing well now and loving herself better, she has over the years learnt and practices Reiki, has a few good friends and a long term relationship, and helps others a great deal. I learnt a lot from her that day!
Human touch helps us to relax and helps to relieve stress. Anyone who has ever had a massage knows this. If you’ve had a hard day at work, asking your partner to rub your shoulders will make you feel better. You can literally feel the stress and tension melting away. Reflexology and Reiki are also fantastic for helping to reduce stress and healing you to relax. The gentle non invasive touch of these holistic therapies is extremely comforting.
A well trained and experienced holistic therapist healer will also know when it is appropriate to touch and sometimes there are times during an intensive deep healing session when touch would not be appropriate at that moment in time. Some believe that if someone is deeply sad or crying and in a healing crisis you shouldn’t touch as it would hold them in the victim mode, or make them feel even sorrier for themselves. Whilst that maybe true in some circumstances, a compassionate and competent, well trained healer would know when it would or would not be appropriate.
When someone touches you in an affectionate way, it makes you feel good about yourself. A pat on the back for a job well done lets you know that someone’s proud of you. A lover’s embrace means someone finds you attractive. Human touch builds confidence.
Some people are not good at expressing how they feel about someone. They can’t say they love them, but they can use human touch to show them. Whether it’s holding hands, kissing or making love, human touch is a way to physically express love without having to talk about it. If someone has been brought up in a home where affection is never shown, it would be hard for them to suddenly become touchy and affectionate. However a genuine loving touch for them would mean a lot and would help to build their confidence in themselves and in expressing their emotions and love.
In these high technology days of emails, texting, face-booking, twittering etc, where human contact and lack of respect and social interaction with each other is fast becoming an outdated way of communication, more and more people are missing the physical contact and real life relationships. Don’t become one of them. Remember your children and loved ones and yourself included need human touch love and care. A cyberspace hug and kiss is not the same as a real life hug and kiss.
Human touch promotes healing. It increases the number of immune cells in the body which promotes the healing of various physical and mental ailments. Human touch also improves behavior.
Human touch is something that everyone needs. It has phenomenal healing properties and can deeply affect an individual’s experience of life in a positive way. When in doubt, reach out and touch someone you love.
Step into Action
• Do not be afraid to ask for a hug or for a hand to hold if you need reassurance
• Hug yourself daily
• Hug your loved ones daily. Especially your children and partners
• Do not be afraid to take hold of someone’s hand to reassure them if you know they are in distress and need some kindness.
• Remember a cyber hug is good for long distance relationships , but never replaces the real thing
Love yourself, you are worth it
