Do you know someone who has struggled to break free from anxiety? According to a study conducted by Patricia Heidt, Ph.D., R.N., therapeutic touch could bring a new dimension to their healing.
In this study, published in Nursing Research, Dr. Heidt looked at the effectiveness of therapeutic touch on 90 subjects’ anxiety levels in a cardiovascular unit in a New York City hospital.
The subjects, who consisted of males and females between the ages 21 and 65, were asked to fill out a self-evaluation of their anxiety level before being split into three groups.
One group received 5 minutes of therapeutic touch, one group received casual touch, and the final group received no touch of any kind. After their treatment, the subjects were asked to fill out another self-evaluation on their anxiety levels.
Dr. Heidt found that the group who received the therapeutic touch had significantly lower post-treatment anxiety scores compared to the subjects who received either casual touch or no touch at all.
Of course, any form of touch is not appropriate for all patients and, when used, needs to be done with permission and in a respectful manner.
When anxiety levels are high, it is harder for the body to heal itself. Therapeutic touch could be an effective means to help people who have experienced PTSD to lessen their anxiety around their trauma, facilitating healing and therapy.
That is one of the reasons why I find Sensorimotor Psychotherapy to have so much potential. Encompassing the body, the mind, and the spirit, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy works to integrate these vital components of healing into a sound method for treating trauma.
By working with the body in the present and using therapy that moves beyond words, Dr. Pat Ogden, the founder of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, is able to treat patients on multiple dimensions.
We’ve prepared a short video for you − just click below to watch.
If you’d like to hear more, be sure to check out the modules in our series on Treating Trauma.
Do you know someone who’s experienced healing through therapeutic touch? Please leave a comment below.
I thought it was interesting to see that individuals who participated in touch therapy had lower anxiety score ratings than those who didn’t. I have a friend who suffers from anxiety due to PTSD that is currently looking for some help. I’ll let her know that touch therapy might be a good place for her to start.
How does one become a sensorimotor psychotherapist?
I am delighted to read your article and definitely want to maintain contact. Touch is so extremely important and therapeutic when it is welcomed and done by someone who is very comfortable and sensitive in giving and receiving the wonderful Healing properties that touch offers. I have worked in healthcare for many years and have felt this has been a very neglected area that so many people can benefit from.
I am interested in learning more. Therapuetic touch for healing the body/mind continuum is my main interest as a body work professional. I recenty completed a Hakomi Training. There is so much to learn. Thank you for sharing your gifts.
Inquiry, please contact me.
Nice Post, Thanks for that awesome posting.
David Waking up early and having a panic attack cause I thought I lost my phone cause it wasn’t next to me like it always is when… Meak
Hello,
I enjoyed contemplating your blog. The content was worth the visit and I certainly hope that you will continue to follow your writing interests.
As a practitioner of craniosacral therapy I have witnessed many people shift from a high sympathetic state to a very relaxed parasympathetic state in as little as 30 minutes with this modality. That, coupled with empathetic presence and Somatic Processing therapy, has helped many people restore resiliency to their nervous systems resolving years of trauma-bound energy. I am excited to see the rapid growth of body-centered modalities!
It is inspiring to see mire and more information on the correlation of touching the body and the healing of emotional issues. As a psychotherapist I have incorporated Eden Energy Medicine in my practice. I have watched with great success the reduction and healing of anxiety and other emotional issues. The beauty of this modality is that clients learn how and where to tap or massage or hold their own points on their bodies to heal themselves. This is very effective for PTSD as well as a host of issues.
As a qualified kinesiologist, I come across anxiety and phobic behavior regularly. Wayne Topping’s work in ‘Emotional Stress Release’ addresses these issues in a non-invasive and speedy manner. It is done by finding the priority meridian through muscle testing and tapping on either end of it to dissipate the anxiety. It is like EFT but more precise by targeting specific meridian involved in creating the client’s stress.
Even after one session, the transformation can be unbelieveable!
For example, I had a client that had upto 12 years of stress with social phobia and being in public. He had tried alot of doctors and phycologists and was on an anti-anxiety percription for at least 8 years. He just wanted to be ‘normal’ and asked with frustration, ‘Why me!’. After a one session, the client and myself went to the local store, bought groceries and talked to people the client knew. The client had not done this in years!
Reiki has the same effect on people who are anxious (in my experience working with clients). The presence of a practitioner alone can help soothe someone with anxiety.