Back to Basics: The Healing Power of Touch

On a day when I'm feeling particularly stressed, I find it so important to take a step back, reflect, and reconnect with the natural world: no cell phones, no computers, no television, radios or other electronics. Just me and untouched, unspoiled, natural elements. I believe that feeling, finding, and keeping a connection with our Mother Earth grounds the mind, rejuvenates the body and cleanses the soul. Finding that connection is also a reminder that, despite all of our major modern advances, our synthetic creations, processed foods and motorized vehicles, we are still natural beings living, breathing, working and eating in, what is--under all that concrete and below all those skyscrapers--a natural world.


The natural world is simple, yet powerful, and one that, due to our own self-absorbedness, humans (especially those in Western societies) continually overlook. It never ceases to amaze me that, in a day in age where technological advancements are second nature, where new is best, and time is of the essence, the most powerful elements in life continue to be those that are most natural. Case in point: the healing power of touch.


A recent CNN.com article outlines all the ways in which touch--simple skin-to-skin or, in some cases, skin-to-fur contact--make us happy, healthy, and content. For hundreds of years the scientific and medical communities have touted the healing power of massage, which is know to release endorphins, cleanse the body of toxins and invigorate the immune system. The concept of touch as a healing art is one that humans are well aware--we are, after all, social creatures who crave interaction with others. But the fact that something as antiquated as hand holding can reduce stress and lower heart rates shows that no matter how hard we try to separate ourselves from the days of uncultivated civilization, we can never completely remove ourselves from natural elements.


I must give a shout out here to my good friend Nicky Haga and her husband, Ben, who have chosen to live a pre-industrial revolution lifestyle. Like many, I've followed their exploits via their blog, The Habit of Being, and often find myself intrigued by the almost magical romance of a life lived completely in tune with nature. Granted, while full submersion into an all-natural lifestyle may be difficult for many, there certainly are ways to incorporate the natural world into every-day life. It just so happens that touch--and lots of it--is a perfect way to do just that.


Here's to handholding, hugging and a little hot stone therapy.


For more information on massage and its healing benefits, visit:


http://www.massagetherapy.com/


www.massageenvy.com/benefits-of-massage-therapy.aspx


http://www.massageehealththerapy.com/