Touch

Touch can be very comforting. We all (almost all?) know that from personal experience.

Touch – with presence and kindness – can not only support healing of emotions and the mind, but also physical healing.

This touch can be from an animal, another human, or even from ourselves in a pinch.

I was reminded the comfort of touch today during my first experience with oral surgery. It was a bit stressful, and I noticed my breath got deeper during the most intense phases. The nurse probably noticed the same, and put her hand on my shoulder during those times. It was very comforting, and my body and breath relaxed. It almost seemed that the body responded on its own, without going much through the conscious mind.

I have experienced and seen the same during TRE (Tension and Trauma Release Exercises) sessions. Here too, the body seems to relax when touched by someone else. Often, it’s just a hold on the shoulder or the feet. And the touch-relaxation connection seems to largely go outside of the conscious mind.

It’s similar with Breema. Here, the touch is deeply nurturing, and allows me – whether I am a practitioner or recipient – to find a deep sense of full, healing wholeness. A wholeness of myself and existence. This touch is guided by Breema’s Nine Principles, which – I assume – is an important reason why it’s so powerful.

Touch conveys our mental and physical state, and the recipient picks this up. That’s another thing I have noticed through Breema. Sometimes, almost any touch can feel welcome. And almost always, I definitely prefer touch that comes from a sense of presence, kindness, and a grounded, relaxed wholeness.

TRE & touch

During shaking, I have noticed how touch can make a big difference. The shaking changes, moves into new areas, there is a sense of a deeper relaxation and freeing up the shaking. I notice this when I support another person in shaking, and also when I shake myself.

It can be a gentle holding of the shoulders, neck or head, or at the ankles or feet, or anywhere else. Before touching, I usually let the client know and ask if it’s OK. If yes, then I most often do what I am drawn to – which usually seems to be just what’s needed, and sometimes ask if the shaker have a sense of where he or she would like to be held.

Sometimes, it helps to be reminded – in a gentle and physical way – that there is another person in the world who wishes you well.

And this is also true when strong/difficult emotions or memories surfaces. Touch can be a great support in opening to the experience, allowing it to pass through, and also in identifying the beliefs behind it and stay with a simple question such as is it true?

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