The Importance of Touch
Touch is one of our first means of information to the world around us. As we age our relationship to touch changes based on our interactions to it. If we were had easy access to touch: being picked up when we cried or fell down, constant hugs or holding of hands, high-fives, wrestling, leaning, or simply just being near a person, then our relationship to touch might be one of familiarity and enjoyment. If we had the opposite interaction with touch, of being left to self-soothe, pick ourselves back up off the ground, and solitude, then our relationship to touch might be more hesitant. In another relationship, touch equated a threat or a fear. It was painful and came without a warning. Our relationship would then be more of an aversion to touch. With this knowledge of how different individuals perceive touch, we are then able to better understand the benefits massage might have on a body. As important for the therapist to know how to interact and provide the best possible expe...