The healing power of contact
At the end of this lockdown that made us change our vision of the world, our daily habits, the scale of our values and made us re-evaluate everything that suddenly was no longer taken for granted, what did we learn? What have we learned to transform and what have we come to touch in our depths?
As a holistic therapist, I spontaneously thought about the importance of CONTACT. What happened within people when one of the man’s basic needs suddenly was lacking: contact, touch, being touched by the other.
To understand the importance of this sense for our development and our physical and mental health, I quote the studies of Ashley Montagu, anatomist and anthropologist, who illuminates us on the language of the skin and on the sense of touch. In fact, according to him, the skin is such an efficient vehicle of communication that not only reflects the state of our physical and mental health, but even contributes to determine it. Nonetheless, mistreating the skin causes suffering; not caressing it, or caressing it inadequately in the first days of a child’s life prevents his/her healthy physical and behavioural development, with more or less serious consequences that will persist even in adulthood.
The skin is our border, it indicates where I end and where you start; therefore it plays a fundamental role in the awareness of ourselves and our identity. On the other hand, it is also a means of knowledge and a meeting place with the others, because it is through it that we can experience bodily sensations.
It is in this field of contact and experience that the CURATIVE POWER OF THE TOUCH of MASSAGE-THERAPY comes into play. The skin is the ground where the treated person and the therapist meet: there is no need for words, as communication takes place through perceptive channels, through inner listening; here we abandon the need of understanding and we focus on perceiving.
A massage session is able to relax the person, relieve stress and help the body to get rid of accumulated toxins.
Each treatment based on the power of touch brings numerous benefits to the person. These positive effects have a prolonged benefits especially if the massage session becomes a routine appointment for our health. The effects can be experienced every day and will help the person to deal with life’s problems with more awareness and clarity, with less anxiety, less stress and much more vital energy.
When can massage therapy be useful? In which cases is it recommended?
- The massage is able to make the person feel a sense of protection. In fact, some special types of massages are recommended for people who have self-esteem problems, and/or emotional problems to help them develop awareness, knowledge and self-confidence.
- Touch relieves pain naturally because thanks to it, the body releases a hormone called oxytocin associated with feelings of love, attachment, safety and well-being that help to release tensions.
- Massage therapy is also useful in cases of depression, chronic fatigue, irritability.
- Touch has a healing power that promotes both physical and emotional healing. Body mediation therapy, in fact, is based on the concept that every cell in our body has a memory; therefore, through the manipulation of some specific areas of the body, we can help to re-emerge memories (conscious or unconscious) and unlock emotional and physical blocks allowing the person’s energy to return to flow. Massage therapy can also be effective in post-traumatic stress situation.
- Through the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, the massage helps to expel the toxins accumulated during our daily life due to bad nutritional habits, sedentary life, stress, dissatisfaction, unhappiness. The goal is always to improve muscle tone and circulation through touch by bringing the person back to an optimal level of energy.
To conclude, touch really has an enormous healing power that we can see in the results of the various types of treatments and massage sessions with numerous people. There are infinite techniques, just as infinitely different are the people who populate this world, but what really matters is what happens when the therapist thanks in her heart the client for the trust and begins to work for his/her good.
