It’s All in a Hug by Maria Macsay

After being sick for a couple weeks, losing a lot of weight, and becoming extremely weak, I was really hesitant about getting back into contact improvisation. The first day back I took it really easy, and had some short and slow dances with a couple of people that stayed on the ground for the most part. During my dances I was so relaxed and comfortable and each time a dance would end I would feel a huge sense of relief, not because it was over, but from having that physical contact with another person. By the end of class I noticed how much better I felt from the little amount of contact improvisation I participated in. I think that I was more sensitive to and appreciative of physical contact with others after being restrained to my apartment for almost a whole month. As I observed how I felt and the reaction I had to this physical touch, I became really interested in the importance of touch and the benefits from it.

From the moment we are born we communicate with the world through our skin. When babies are born they are not fully developed, they cannot see clearly and cannot differentiate sounds, so the way they function and begin to understand the world is through their skin. For babies that are born premature, touch therapy is now an intervention strategy to increase their health. Even though these premature babies do not receive more food than others, Dr. Benjamin states that, “they grow faster, gain more weight, and leave the hospital earlier than their untouched counterparts” (Benjamin). Not only does touch improve our health from a young age, but it also shapes our perception of safety and that have an effect on us for the rest of our lives (Benjamin).

I think many people have the idea that as we get older and become adults the need for physical, non-sexual touch diminishes, however, this idea is incorrect. According to Dr. Benjamin, “our need for touch does not disappear” as we get older. Something as simple as a hugging for 20 seconds has been found to release serotonin and dopamine (the “feel good” chemicals), reduce high blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially in women. It has also been found that therapeutic touch can reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as restlessness, pacing, vocalization, searching, and tapping (How). Not only this, but it has also been found to reduce pain. People with fibromyalgia who received therapeutic touch, “experienced a significant decrease in pain and reported a significant improvement in quality of life” (Chuong). It is obviously no secret that touch is extremely important and can help with a number of different health problems.

Even with the knowledge that has been found about the benefits of touch in different studies, it does not seem as if this information is utilized to the extent that it could be. I think that considering touch therapy as an alternative to medications that millions of people take for health problems such as high blood pressure, depression, and others, would be so much more beneficial for them. After all the only side affects that come with touch therapy, are increased levels of feeling good, and after all who doesn’t want more of that? In addition, I think it is important for people to be more observant as to how they interact with people and especially their children. I’ve realized that many people I’ve come in contact with are hesitant when it comes to something as simple as hugging, this of course is a result of their experience in the world and the way they were raised. In my opinion, physical contact would not only help with health problems but also with the many aggressive children/teenagers who are acting out for attention. The way that our society tries to discipline these children/teenagers is by making them feel as if they are outcasts, when really a hug would probably be ten times more effect. It really is not rocket science; any form of sincere physical contact, such as a big, meaningful hug would benefit everyone in more ways than one.

Works Cited

Benjamin, Ben, and Ruth Werner. "The Primacy of Human Touch." Health News (22

Nov. 2000). Web. 12 Dec. 2009. <http://www.benbenjamin.net/pdfs/Issue2.pdf>.

Chuong-Kim, Margaret. “The Health Benefits of Physical Touch.” Natural Health: Chet

Day's Huge Collection of Healthy Eating Recipes and Natural Health Articles.

Web. 13 Dec. 2009. <http://chetday.com/gentletouch.htm>

“How Hugs are Proven to Help Your Health: Have You Been Hugged Today?”

SixWise.Com. 26 July 2006. Web. 13 Dec. 2009.

<http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/07/26/how_hugs_are_proven_to_help_y

our_health_have_you_been_hugged_today.htm>