Through touch we realize our interconnected nature. This may seem obvious when feeling the affects that physical human contact has over the body, mind, and energy field, but touch extends far beyond the hands.We are always in contact with some degree of stimulation through the field that intertwines us all. Sight, smell, sound, and even our own thoughts come in contact with the brain to construct our perception of reality and color the world around us, shaping us from the inside out. There is no way to escape this experience, even if you avoid hugs and handshakes. Have you ever felt uncomfortable in the presence of someone else’s touch or picked up on “vibes” that someone wanted more from a hug than you did? Touch begins with our intentions and can be felt by others before you even act on them. So what vibrations do we want to send one another? How do you want to impact people with your presence, your touch?

For better or worse, we are connected to that which we interact with. Constantly bombarded with gross and subtle vibrations, the more we are in contact with an object, idea, feeling, or person, the more we feel as though the thing we are touching is a part of who and what we are. Repeated exposure breeds a level of comfortability and acceptance, even if the waves that are flowing through and around us are harmful. This is why negative expressions of touch are so traumatic for the individual, and why emotional and psychological distress can endure for so long after the contact has been broken.

Many people go years or even a whole lifetime without experiencing the touch of unconditional love and support, especially from a stranger. In therapeutic massage, one has the opportunity to receive the full benefits of human touch without any expectations, judgement, or pain involved. One can start to feel the body, and emotions that are held in the body, while simultaneously developing the feeling of relaxation. This experience opens a door for the individual to receive the support they need without having to explain or even understand it themselves. Old reactions, ideas, and memories surrounding touch can be released as one reprograms themselves to both give and receive touch from a place of unconditional love and mutual compassion. Working with touch in a neutral, safe setting also provides practice in expressing individual needs and boundaries so that one may feel clear and confident in setting boundaries with others in daily life.

Again, repeated exposure breeds acceptance. Over time, receiving therapeutic touch will reprogram the way our society interacts with human contact as a whole. As therapeutic massage becomes an accessible and integral resource for society, individuals will be able approach new people of all colors and genders with the understanding that we are all connected. Just as pain and pleasure are both necessary components to the healing process, you and I are both necessary components to the human process. We hurt and heal as one, and can touch one another with the presence of unconditional love everywhere we go, trusting that we will receive the same in return.