“Touch comes before sight, before speech. It is the first language, and the last, and it always tells the truth.”
— Margaret Atwood
Physical Touch as a Basic Human Need
People have always used touch to communicate. A hug to say you care about someone, a pat on the arm to say you understand, a brush of someone’s hair that quietly says, “I love you.” Physical touch is about more than communication or sensation. It also has a well documented physical and emotional impact.
The importance of touch in our daily lives is more significant than ever because of COVID 19 restrictions, which left some of our most vulnerable populations without the ability to touch or be touched. People social distancing by themselves, elderly people in long term care facilities, and those who were sick in hospitals were just a few groups who went days, weeks, or months without skin to skin contact. Electronic connection is helpful, but it does not replace the benefits of physical connection.
The massage therapists and manual osteopath practitioners at Urban Massage and Wellness are well aware of the physical and emotional benefits of touch, as well as the negative health effects of a lack of touch. Below, we explore why touch matters and the science behind it.
What Scientific and Medical Research Says About Touch
Research on the importance of touch began only about 40 years ago. Since then, studies have shown that the amount of human contact in our lives plays a vital role in mental and physical development as infants and in our happiness and energy as adults.
Ways Touch Can Help
- Enhance feelings of wellness
- Help relieve mental stress
- Foster calm thinking and creativity
- Improve awareness of the mind body connection to better monitor stress signals
- Reduce anxiety levels
- Deepen understanding and compassion
“Hands On” Communication
Consider a hands on study conducted at Berkeley. Two strangers had to communicate emotions using only physical touch on someone’s arm. The predicted success rate for correctly guessing each emotion was about 8 percent, yet the study showed 60 percent accuracy, even for complex emotions like gratitude and anger. In some cases, touch distinguished emotion better than vocal or facial cues.
Oxytocin: The “Feel Good Hormone”
Other studies have examined oxytocin in human contact. Oxytocin is sometimes called the love hormone or cuddle hormone because it is often triggered by touch. It relaxes the body quickly, lowers stress levels, and can reduce circulating cortisol.
Proven Physical Effects Linked to Oxytocin
- Lower resting blood pressure
- Improved cardiovascular function
- Better sleep
- Improved immune function
- Enhanced psychological wellbeing
Touch is wired into our brains from the beginning of life, in part due to oxytocin’s role in the mother infant bond. Finally, oxytocin simply feels good, promoting comfort and relaxation.
Massage Therapy and Touch
Manual therapies such as massage and manual osteopathy help meet the basic human need for touch. As therapists, we blend science and art, addressing explicit needs like pain relief alongside subtler needs such as healthy physical connection.
Healing Through Contact
In massage therapy and osteopathy, touch is also diagnostic and therapeutic. We learn to feel tissue quality and movement to locate restrictions. The science comes from anatomy, physiology, and understanding how systems interact.
Using manual skills, we encourage the body to heal itself when possible. In massage, we assess the skeleton and muscular system. In manual osteopathy, we look deeper at the nervous system and the circulation of fluids including blood, lymph, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and other intracellular fluids.
Our aim is to help each client achieve a better standard of health across systems. We work to restore vitality through the healing art of evidence based touch so you can live the extraordinary life you deserve.
The Slow Return to Normalcy
As we emerge from extended social isolation, many people are craving connection, including physical touch. Getting back on the massage table will not only help with stiffness that built up, it can also help you recover from a lack of touch.
We look forward to seeing you in the clinic, with safety measures in place. When you come for your first treatment, notice how even a bit of human to human contact can make a difference.
Ready to schedule your visit? Book your next appointment now.
