Are you aware of the healing power of the human touch?
There’s a strong connection between physical and mental well-being, and touch. The human touch has a remarkable ability of inducing a release of oxytocin—the love hormone, which creates a sense of stability, belonging, enhanced sociability and trust.
What’s more, oxytocin decreases social anxiety and stress, while increasing self-esteem, empathy and eliminating psychological distress. Oxytocin has even found to improve responsiveness and reduce the triggers of fear in people with PTSD.
Therefore, it doesn’t come as a surprise that human touch is truly fundamental to maintaining emotional stability.
Human Touch Strengthens the Mind-Body Connection
The human touch isn’t simply a soothing, pleasant diversion; it isn’t just mind over matter; there are several real tangible benefits that you can enjoy by embracing the power of touch.
In fact, human touch stimulates the vagus nerve, which slows down the nervous system, consequently bringing down the heart rate, and decreasing stress levels.
And this is exactly the reason why massage therapy has a similar therapeutic effect on your body; after all, it involves an exploration of a range of somatic responses. The therapist listens to your body, focuses on its sensations and investigates the relation between your somatic and emotional states to create a healing experience.
Additionally, people who feel like they’ve lost touch with their body find massage therapy to be especially beneficial in establishing a positive understanding of their physical self. In fact, German researchers claim that body-oriented therapy can help schizophrenic patients develop better awareness of their bodily limits.
Human Touch as a Solution for Stress Reduction
Did you know that stress can seriously impact our psychological and physical health?
One of the chief contributory factors in stress is the elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone that suppresses your immune system, leads to impaired memory, weight gain and increases the risk for mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
Physical touch, on the other hand, induces serotonin and dopamine—the feel-good hormones—that trigger the pleasure centre of your brain and counters feelings of anxiety.
In fact, a study performed on breast cancer patients found that stroking, squeezing and stretching movements performed during massage therapy helped patients relax and improved their serotonin and dopamine levels.
Moreover, massage therapy can help bring your body to hormonal equilibrium by reducing overall cortisol levels. According to a series of studies, cortisol levels were shown to drop by nearly 53% in subjects with stress and depression problems, immediately following a massage therapy.
Embrace The Healing Power Of Human Touch Today!
Needless to say, massage therapy is a great way to incorporate calming human touch into your routine. Your massage therapist will work the tension out of your muscles, relieving aches and pains with gentle, targeted motions, thereby creating a safe space for healing and trust.
So, whenever you’re stressed out and in knead of a friend, give our licensed massage therapists a call! We’ll bring healing and relaxation right to your doorstep.
