Healing with the Hands: The Power of Touch

We all have experienced the power of touch. It is a basic necessity of life - from newborn babes to the elderly and everybody in between. In the field of nursing, touch is a tool. Touch bridges gaps. When words are not enough - or when words are too painful - the simple act of touch conveys much. Every human being, without exception, has been affected by touch.

Touch initiates a conversation. It's a conversation without words and, for a skilled professional, can be as interactive and informative as a verbal exchange. This is the field of hands-on healing bodywork, using the hands as tools to affect and create positive change in the body.  It is a therapeutic process of of initiating, receiving and giving information to the body via the hands. It is simple, age-old, and offers pain relief, stress reduction, deep relaxation, structural alignment, and ultimately renewal and healing.

There are many different forms and names for hands-on whole body therapy.   Each form has their tradition or lineage from which they come.   Eastern civilizations of approximately 3000 BCE have the earliest known reference to therapeutic bodywork.  In the western tradition, at about 800BCE the ancient Greek poet Homer describes restorative massage for war heroes in The Odyssey.  In our culture we may see it as therapeutic massage, therapeutic bodywork, somatic bodywork, physical therapy, manual therapy or myofascial release. 

Modern CranioSacral Therapy developed 40 years ago, arising from the osteopathic medical tradition of the early 1900's.  Due to its gentle and non-invasive approach, and most especially because of its positive effect on the body and its functions, it was discovered and shared with a broad variety of healthcare professionals including doctors, dentists, nurses, physical therapists, massage therapists and many others health related fields.

Below are 7 reasons people often seek a hands on practitioner:

1. To help relieve pain from a physical injury or strain that is not healing as quickly as expected.

2. To reduce or eliminate chronic headaches.

3. To ease the stress and tension of daily living.

4. When feeling a lack of balance and wanting to be more grounded and centered.

5. When having overwhelming emotions such as anxiety, depression, grief, including complications associated with PTSD.

6. To help cope with a chronic symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other myofascial issues.

7. To help integrate changes during difficult transitions or life crises, including loss or anticipated loss such as with illness, divorce, death, or when moving into a new stage of life.

In summary, the details of our human life is lived through our body.  It makes good sense to become familiar with our body and its level of health and comfort.  Or discomfort as the case may be.  As we begin to listen to our body, it will respond.  Its first words may be one of pain, but as we accomodate that pain, we have an opportunity to know our body and what it needs.  This opens the door to having more joy and freedom in our bodies and in our life.  Therein lies the purpose and power of human touch as a tool for transformation, health and happiness.