The Importance of Touch
/in Uncategorized /by adminHumans are hard wired to be touched. It s vital on a mental, emotional and physical level. Touch is the mother of all senses, touch, the first instinctual thing a mother does holding the child after giving birth, or when comforting a loved one in pain or suffering, even just the joy of greeting a friend with a hug, a business associate with a handshake, and of course sensual touch when we are with our beloved.
There are baby cradlers in children s hospitals ( yes, it s a job ) to comfort the little ones and with their human touch contribute to their healing. Caregivers gently work on elders that have been widowed or without relatives in retirement homes, even a pad on the back has a positive effect and can be powerful.
After over a year of isolating lockdowns during the Covid 19 pandemic, the world is globally touch deprived. We couldn’t see our families or come physically close, no hospital visits to someone fallen sick and people affected by a family death couldn’t comfort loved ones in their grief and suffering. And even in normal circumstances the lack of touch can have serious long-lasting effects on our health.
Tactile hunger is powerful, we have nerve fibers that recognize touch, sending signals to the vagus nerve, the longest of our cranial nerves connecting the brain to the body. When experiencing touch we release oxytocin, the connection or love hormone & neurotransmitter, we produce serotonin and dopamine the natural anti-depressants. Heart rate lowers, blood pressure and stress hormones decrease to allow optimal bodily functions. When we are touch deprived the body reacts with a stress response releasing cortisol and adrenalin which wreaks havoc on our nervous system resulting in anxiety and depression.
Touch is crucial to our health. Get in “touch”, book a massage, hug a pet, practice self massage on the body, scalp or feet, cradle a stuffed animal, dry brush, sleep under a weighted blanket.
My Massage and Ayurveda practice is safely open and I am fully vaccinated. I look forward to welcoming you there for treatments. My offerings are listed on the service page in the menu. Hope to see you soon.