A Need for Contact

Everyday I consider that we (in the US) live and operate in a very touch-deprived society. 

My very next thought is both quite humbling and empowering simultaneously; Massage Therapists have the privilege of addressing this depravity with each session.  

There are so many aspects to writing about the importance of touch, volumes of articles in professional journals and entire books dedicated to this subject.  While I cannot cover all aspects, I did want to share some of the ideas and articles I came across that highlight the gravity of the very basic human need to receive compassionate touch and stimulate our sense of well being.  

This excerpt is taken from the September 1999 AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association http://www.amtamassage.org/index.html) Massage Journal article written by Debra Brooks, titled The Hypermobile Client/Therapist.  

In the article Brooks interviews Author, Scientist (medical and psychological), Clinician, and Teacher: Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. 

Borysenko: I think there are actually three important components of massage therapy that complement all forms of healing.

First is actual physical touch. We know a great deal about physical touch, for example, on the immune system. Physical touch releases growth hormones that will help your immune system recover. Without touch, the immune system cannot recharge. Everybody needs to be touched and although most of the massage research literature on touch deals with babies, the need for massage certainly continues throughout life. I do believe we are a touch-deprived culture.

People are afraid of being sued if they touch. You can't even have a teacher any more touch a crying child. What has happened in our society regarding touch is truly pathetic. So going to a place where it is safe to be touched is very, very important. It is effectual at the most basic hormonal, physiological, and immune system level.

The second component is the specificity of the touch. For example, releasing tension in the muscles, causing relaxation, doing trigger-point work, and doing things of that nature. All of this works very well via the work of massage therapy. The effect that massage therapy can have on healing a deeper injury by releasing tension in the muscle is remarkable.

And the third component is the energetic aspect. The research on energy, medicine, and touch that is therapeutic comes down to one very basic thing: when there is a respectful intention to heal, some kind of energy flows from the healer to the one who is being healed. So when a massage therapist has that kind of respectful care in her hands, then more is happening than just at a physical level. Something is happening at an energetic level, as well. 

To read the article in its entirety:  http://www.amtamassage.org/articles/3/MTJ/detail/1829

This next excerpt is taken from an article co-authored by Trish Dryden, M.Ed, R.M.T. and Pamela Fitch, B.A., R.M.T. titled Recovering Body and Soul from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the March 2000 AMTA Massage Journal.  This section highlights the benefits of touch.

Benefits of Touch

There are no specific physical manipulation techniques for working with trauma clients. Swedish massage can be as effective and enlightening to a client as the most advanced fascial mobilization. No matter the technique, massage therapy can inadvertently trigger traumatic memory, which, as massage therapists know, also can be a powerful tool for healing and growth.¹³ For example, there is ample documentation that touch stimulation is essential for babies to thrive. The results of Tiffany Field's research on preterm infants is most compelling, where each was given 15-minute massages three times a day for 10 days while still in incubators.¹⁴ The treated infants gained 47 percent more weight and were hospitalized for 6 days less. They performed better on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale.¹⁵ The babies averaged 12 points higher on the mental scale and 13 points higher on the motor scale than the control group. In another experiment,¹⁶ rat pups were stimulated with tiny wet paintbrushes, a procedure designed to mimic the licking of newborn litters by their mothers. The rat pups which were "licked" with the paintbrushes thrived similarly to those which had received normal care by mothers. Those that received no stimulation became ill, had small growth rates, and failed in many instances to thrive.

To read this article in its entirety: http://www.amtamassage.org/articles/3/MTJ/detail/1817

In the Fall 2004 edition of the AMTA MTJ (Massage Therapy Journal).  Dawn Nelson contributed an article titled The Power Of Human Touch In Alzheimer's Care.

Once again, the demand to embrace our very basic human need for contact is underscored; however, this article focuses on the importance of touch as we venture into our twilight years and particularly for those who are debilitated by Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia.  

In a very thought provoking article Nelson writes,"Throughout the progression of AD, the broad, general benefits of therapeutic massage, when appropriately adapted, are beneficial in improving circulation, softening contracted muscles, relieving minor aches and pains, and promoting relaxation.

Perhaps even more importantly, skilled touch sessions provide significant psychosocial benefits to those with AD in residential facilities, including:

• Focused one-on-one attention;

• Companionship;

• Mental stimulation;

• An opportunity for social interaction;

• Skin-on-skin contact;

• Sensory and tactile stimulation;

• Nonverbal communication;

• Nurturing;

• Pleasure.

Intentional, caring touch helps to:

• Reassure those who are confused;

• Calm those who are agitated;

• Increase body awareness;

• Ground the disoriented person in present time and space;

• Provide a touchstone with physical reality;

• Reinforce verbal communication;

• Redirect energy or shift attention;

• Reduce the need for medication and

physical restraints;

• Alleviate feelings of isolation, loneliness or abandonment."

To read this article in its entirety: 

http://www.amtamassage.org/uploads/cms/documents/powerofhumantouchalzheimers.pdf

This was just a slight glimpse into a broad subject I am in awe of, and I wished to share with you.  Feel free to comment on this blog, especially if you feel that I neglected anything important.
Thanks and stay well!
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