Touch………… 

     

For many people, touch is far more comforting than a bandage, painkiller, or counselling.  
      
Our sense of  touch is so vital in terms of both its physical functions and the comfort it provides to newborns, therefore it is not surprising that most of us continue to enjoy being touched throughout our lives, providing that it is done appropriately.

Touch is something we have naturally come to associate with comfort. If we are hurt, upset, happy or sad we will typically seek some sort of physical contact. Even when we do not know someone particularly well, we will often reach out and  touch  their arm or hand as a  means of comfort. 

For many people, touch is far more comforting than a bandage, painkiller or a counselling session.This is why people who are terminally ill often turn to holistic therapists in their final weeks.It is the element of touch that is paramount. By stroking or massaging someone who is ill thetherapist can help to ease away some of their discomfort. For some clients, particularly the elderly, a  massage treatment now and again maybe the only physical contact they experience. It is said that gently stroking a premature infant can enhance its chances of living.    It has been argued that we could survive without any one of our five senses – except our sense of touch. In many ways, touch is as vital to our health and happiness as food and water.