Never Underestimate The Power of Touch
Trauma can negatively influence our physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as having a significant and long-lasting effect on our lives.
However, there is hope for rehabilitation and healing, and the power of touch is a potent instrument in this process.
This article takes you on a journey into the world of somatic healing, where the simple act of touch becomes a transformative force, guiding us toward healing, resilience, and a renewed sense of self.
Research has revealed that healing trauma through the power of touch may significantly affect both our physical and emotional well-being. Touch is a basic human need.
Our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone linked to sentiments of love and trust, when we get loving and caring contact. This can lessen tension and anxiety, while increasing emotions of comfort and safety.
This has certainly been my case after having surgery recently. All sorts of emotions and memories have come flooding back to me from twenty years ago when I had a similar surgery. All the trauma that my body was still holding from back then resurfaced.
Obviously I have cleared the trauma from the past, as it has appeared over the years, but there were still cells that were holding memories in the scar tissue from all the way back then. This shows the importance of clearing trauma as it surfaces.
And, if it does resurface, then you know that there is still trauma being held and more healing is required.
Don’t beat yourself up, thinking you have done it all before and that maybe you didn’t do it right, just accept that your body needs more love, understanding, and acceptance to completely heal the wound.
This is where touch plays such a huge role.
Wherever you still hold the trauma (for me it’s where my surgery was), place your hands there and imagine unconditional love, understanding, and acceptance pouring through your hands to the wound beneath.
Listen to the emotions and memories that are surfacing, and allow those feelings to wash over you. Only then can you truly understand what it is your body requires of you to heal the wound and release it once and for all.
THE LANGUAGE OF TOUCH
A gateway to healing. Touch is a universal language that communicates beyond words.
From the gentle stroke of a hand to the grounding pressure of a hug, touch has an incredible capacity to soothe, comfort, and heal. Somatic therapy recognises that trauma resides not just in our minds, but in the very cells of our bodies. Through purposeful touch, we create a safe space for emotions to surface, be acknowledged, and, ultimately, be released.
Unlocking the Body’s Wisdom. Whether large or small, trauma leaves imprints in our bodies.
These imprints can manifest as chronic pain, tension, or even emotional numbness. The power of touch lies in its ability to awaken the body’s innate wisdom. Somatic practices, such as craniosacral therapy, massage, and yoga therapy, gently encourage the body to release stored trauma, allowing us to rewrite our cellular memory and rewrite our narrative.
Trust in the healing process. One of the cornerstones of healing through touch is the establishment of a safe and supportive environment. Practitioners skilled in somatic healing create spaces that honour each individual’s journey, fostering a sense of trust and collaboration. In this cocoon of safety, you’re free to explore the sensations, emotions, and memories that arise, guided by practitioners who understand that healing is a personal and unique voyage.
Embarking on a Journey of Reclamation. While somatic healing with the guidance of a skilled practitioner is invaluable, self-care also plays a pivotal role in somatic healing. Practices like self-massage, grounding techniques, and mindful movement allow you to become an active participant in your healing journey. As you listen to your body’s whispers, and respond with nurturing touch, you reclaim the territory that trauma once claimed.
Touch can be beneficial to our physical health, in addition to the emotional benefits. For instance, massage treatment has been demonstrated to enhance circulation, lessen pain and stiffness in the muscles, and enhance sleep.
SAFE HAVEN IN CONNECTION
Theta healing is another modality that can be used with Somatic healing, and is used around the world to heal physical pain, release emotional trauma, break negative beliefs and patterns, and much more.
The Theta state is a deep state of relaxation, with slower brain waves. An example would be the moments before you fall asleep. In a session, the ThetaHealer will bring the client to a Theta state through a quick meditation. While in this state, your subconscious truths will emerge more easily, so the practitioner can identify your limiting belief programs and clear them.
The Theta state is where we connect with the creator, the divine, the energy of pure love. The ThetaHealer does not actually do the healing. They have the important role of facilitating the session and witnessing the creator's energy do the healing. ThetaHealers will ask you questions while also listening for any messages from the creator.
The ThetaHealing process, which is what makes ThetaHealing's results lasting and effective, is a process called Digging. If you come in with one issue, the ThetaHealer will ask you a series of questions to get to the root of that issue. If only the surface belief is healed, the root issue is still there, and the negative belief might even return.
What's interesting is that the surface issue and the root issue may not logically seem related to each other, and only through digging do we uncover how they are.
The ThetaHealer is trained to know what questions to ask to get to the bottom belief. Sometimes, they won't need to ask many questions because they also receive insights from the creator.
PLAYFULNESS AND CREATIVITY
Celebrating your progress within the healing journey is profound, but it doesn’t have to be solemn. Incorporating playfulness and creativity into your somatic healing practice can be wonderfully liberating. Engaging in expressive arts, dance, or even laughter yoga can provide an avenue for exploring and releasing emotions that words alone cannot convey.
Touch, in the form of bodywork massages done by a trauma-informed practitioner, has the potential to be an effective therapy for trauma recovery. Massage treatment, or other types of bodywork (like my go to, ZEN THAI SHIATSU), can assist to relieve the stress that many individuals who have suffered trauma carry in their bodies, and encourage relaxation. Instilling a sense of safety and trust via touch can be beneficial for those who have suffered trauma.
Mindfulness and the healing power of touch.
Meditation and other mindfulness techniques can assist people in focusing on the here and now, and finding inner peace.
People who have experienced trauma may find this helpful, since it can help them stay in the current moment rather than dwelling on their previous suffering.
Additionally, mindfulness exercises can assist with increasing emotions of inner calm and well-being, while lowering stress and anxiety.
To create a comprehensive therapeutic experience during a session, integrate embodiment, self-touch, and mindfulness. This can involve bodywork techniques, like energy and soul mastery, reiki, yoga, and meditation, which together with massage treatment work so incredibly.
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