For years I have sought to understand why. What is it about touch that can have such a profound impact? What is it ‘saying’ and how is it ‘saying’ it? 

Why was it that as I gently massaged an elderly lady’s hands as she sat rocking in her chair, staring at the floor, did she gradually lift her gaze to meet mine, and then, as if a veil had lifted from her eyes, did she whisper, “Am I still alive?”

Why was it that the teenage patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital were much more likely to share their hopes, dreams, fears, and worries with me when I was giving them a hand massage. 

How is that a recent study showed that 8 out of 12 emotions can be communicated through touch alone?

And why is it that holding a dying persons hand can feel like the most important thing to do? 

Maybe it’s because: 

• Touch has its own ‘language’. A language that is uncomplicated, authentic and gets under the skin.
• Touch is the first language we learn. And, if we’re lucky, it’ll say:” I see you and you are worthy of gentle touch and care.” As Psychologist Barboor Fredericks says: “Somewhere in our brains we carry a map of touch, of sitting on our mothers lap, holding hands, a caring embrace and when we are alone just knowing that these are there to hold if we fall gives us a sense of peace.” 
• The Hand Chakras are intimately connected to the heart chakra allowing loving energy to be transmitted.
• Touch helps people feel safe and “Humans are born with a “longing not only to feel safe but to feel safe in the arms of another”. Stephen Porges 
• Gentle touch causes brain waves to slow down and a cocktail of messenger signals to be released which positively affect all aspects of our biology and physiology. 
• A network of dedicated nerve fibres, called CT afferents, found in the skin, specifically detect and emotionally respond to the touch of another person, affirming our relationships, our social connections, and even our sense of self. Not surprisingly these nerve fibres are particularly attuned to three things: a light touch, gentle movement, and around 32 degrees Celsius, (skin temperature). Once stimulated, these nerves send signals to parts of the brain that deal with who we are socially, reassuring us we have a place in the social world of other people. Thus, touch brings us back into contact with ourselves and others. 

As the research continues I am sure we will find many more fascinating facts about why gentle touch has the silent ability to say so much and affect us more than words alone can ever do. 

“TOUCH HAS A MEMORY“

John Keats

For more information about future training days, events and offerings you can read more in The Gentle Touch Spring Newsletter

words: Helen Prosper

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It’s been lovely to have still been able to connect with each of you in person when we’ve not been in lockdowns, and also through distance (remote) healing while we’re isolating.

Needless to say, distance healing has really taken off during this last year. It’s a great way to keep ‘healing the nation’ until we can meet in person again.

What will a distance healing session involve?

At a mutually arranged time you, the client, will lay down somewhere quiet and undisturbed in your own home. If you wish you can light a candle and play some gentle music of your choice.

I will send Reiki to you via symbols, light, love and positive intentions. It is beautifully uplifting and cleansing and works like a cosmic telephone wire, healing the mind, body and soul in order to improve any physical manifestations or reduce symptoms.

Some have described the experience as “a euphoric dance” or “bathing in sunshine”.

Now it has never been so important a time as to keep physically fit and boost our immune systems, also to keep our minds from reaching a low point, which then opens us up to being more vulnerable to infection.

So let us raise our vibrations and create and prepare a better life, so that we are ready to step out into the sunshine once again – and meet up at the beautiful Yoga Life Studio!

Sending love and light to you all.

words: Claire Nicole

If you’d like to book a distance healing session with me (£10 for 30 minutes), please contact me at model_nicole1@hotmail.com

www.angelicwaves.co.uk

Gift vouchers are available directly from me and sent via email once payment is received.

Reiki & Therapies for 2021 – Regular (in person) prices

• 30 mins – Reiki Treatment – £25
• 1 hr – Reiki Treatment – £30
• 30 mins – Aromatic back, shoulder & neck massage – £30
• 1 hr – Aromatic back, shoulder, & neck massage – £40
• 1 hr – Aromatic back massage & Reiki combined (30 mins each) – £50

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Touch is the only sense we cannot live without and is fundamental to the way we feel and the way we communicate and bond with people. It is vital to our health and wellbeing and affects both the giver and the recipient physiologically and psychologically. So let’s take a deeper look at why we need to touch and its benefits.

Touch is the most developed of the senses at birth

Touch is the first of the senses to develop and begins in the womb around weeks 7-8 of the gestation period. A baby’s body will then start to develop the network of nerves that make up the sense of touch. Incredibly by week 32, almost every part of the baby’s body can feel cold, heat, pain and pressure. This means at birth, the sense of touch is the most developed of all the senses. It is a critical survival sense as it enables the baby to swallow, suck and cough, and to take in the amniotic fluid while in the womb. As they get older babies that do not experience enough touch can fail to thrive. This is called ‘marasmus’ and in the worst cases may lead to the death of the child by the age of 2!

Common benefits of touch include:

• Comforts and heals
• Boosts immunity
• Manages anxiety and depression
• Improves sleep
• Lowers blood pressure
• Relaxes and calms
• Eases pain
• Enhances sense of wellbeing

Oxytocin

When we have connection, we create a hormone called oxytocin. We’re actually born with lots of it and it’s vital for life, though the levels of the hormone that we have will fluctuate. There are a number of ways we can produce oxytocin including comforting and supporting someone, and one of the best ways is hugging. Scientific studies have proved that by upping our oxytocin levels we can actually lower blood pressure and heart rate.

If we look at this in more depth, we start to understand why touch has all these benefits. Once oxytocin is released, it in turn triggers the release of nitric oxide and ANP with the resulting dilation of the arteries and reduction in blood pressure. Oxytocin is the ‘calming and connection’ hormone, sometimes known as the cuddle hormone which decreases anxiety, making us feel peaceful with a strong sense of wellbeing. It also stimulates the relaxation response, which is the ultimate antidote to stress and so overall we feel better physically and emotionally. We also get an ‘emotional sense’ of who we are through touch and our sense of self-worth is influenced through the way we are touched.

Ways of increasing oxytocin production:

• Massage
• Holding hands
• Self-massage
• Giving out hugs
• Stroking pets
• Connecting with partners, friends and family
• Making eye contact

Skin is our largest organ with 640,000 sense receptors, making it very sensitive and responsive. When you hold someone’s hand the warmth radiates through your whole body and stimulates the relaxation response as does a relaxing massage. Self-massage can include rubbing your hands together and then cupping them over your closed eyes and then experiencing how calm you feel as your eyes and facial muscles relax.

A cat or a dog can be good for your health and wellbeing

Try to embrace all human contact; make eye contact with people when you are out, when shopping for example. If you live alone pets are a wonderful way of fulfilling our need to connect and make contact. An interesting aspect of touching is that it benefits not only the person being touched, though also the one doing the touching.

As a massage therapist and instructor, I have experienced the incredible therapeutic value and positive impact that touch/massage has on people’s all-round health and sense of wellbeing. From babies to the elderly we all need positive touch in our lives. To learn more about the courses I run on ‘the Power and Importance of Touch’, particularly for the elderly please visit prosperwithmassage.co.uk or call me, Helen on 07545 227272

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“Most people I see are actually suffering from the effects of everyday stresses and strains on the body. Many have chronic neck, shoulder or back pain, tight shortened muscles or soft tissue pain around stiff joints. Stress can cause surprisingly painful tension in the neck and shoulders. Anything from digging in the garden to sitting down all day hunched over a computer can result in muscular pain which responds amazingly well to Sports Massage. Obviously I treat many sports injuries too, and even past muscle damage can improve significantly, especially when scar tissue has formed or adhesions within the muscle fibres need breaking down to improve performance and help prevent further injuries. The body often adapts to move differently following an injury and this compensatory movement can cause problems which can be alleviated by Sports Massage.”

Elisabeth spends an hour with each client on their first appointment for their assessment, treatment plan, initial massage and exercise advice. After this they can book either hourly or half hourly treatments as required. She is always mindful that someone who’s never had a massage before may find it slightly daunting, as she herself did, so she strives to create a friendly, relaxing atmosphere and checking that they are comfortable and happy with the amount of pressure applied. She strongly believes that Sports Massage can help anybody whatever their age, size or level of fitness.

“Sports Massage is fantastic for keeping the muscles in good condition, as strong, flexible, smoothly stretching and contracting muscles enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury. Perfect for sports people and just as great for people at the other end of the scale who want to relieve the pressure on their joints, release their tight back, improve their mobility or ease their pain.”

Elisabeth Benson

Elisabeth can be contacted on 07840 708424 or via woottonsportsmassage.com

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We promote the use of complementary therapies as a tool for improving the quality of life, a way to decrease physical stress levels, improve circulation, ease eye-strain, headaches, back ache, ease aches and pains throughout the body, aid restful sleep, decrease anxiety and emotional stress, promoting of a sense of calm, tranquillity and serenity, increasing the feeling of wellbeing and bringing about a sense of rejuvenation. There is also a ripple effect from the client’s wellbeing improving, which has a positive effect on the relationships around them, on their work performance and on their positive mental attitude.

Our clients are giving feedback informing us that they feel the service is great value for money and return repeatedly. They enjoy being able to access so many different therapies in one space so can, for example, come in for a reflexology treatment and afterwards can have a pedicure or sit down and have a homeopathic consultation. They like that they can choose to have shorter sessions of 30 minutes, or can book for an hour or more.

The resident practitioners are all qualified and insured and often offer more than one therapy. Currently the physical therapies we are providing are Hand Reflexology, Deep Tissue massage, Holistic massage, Swedish massage, Indian head massage, Facial massage, Craniosa- cral therapy, Zero balancing, Metamorphic technique and Crystal Reiki healing. We have a guest therapist providing Shiatsu treatments, and have beauty treatments on offer so you can have a manicure, pedicure or a deep facial cleansing treatment. We also offer Homeopathic consultations in two forms; the first form is the acute consultation where the homeopath looks specifically at an acute illness, for example the common cold, and prescribes a remedy specifically for that ailment. The second form is the full consultation where an in depth family and personal medical history is taken then a remedy is given on the day, or may be delivered a few days later. Our homeopath is able to make a phone consultation with you if you are unable to attend the project in person. We provide Iridology consultations. Iridology is the analysis of the iris, which is the colourful area of the eye that surrounds the pupil. By analysing the iris, a person’s level of health and specific areas of nutritional deficiency can be identified. This allows appropriate remedies to be recommended.

Our clients have shown that there is a need for us to provide them with in depth information sessions, so all of our practitioners are able to offer time at the weekly clinic for questions regarding their particular practice. We provide animal healing for pets at the weekly clinic (by appointment only).

Gift vouchers can be purchased, so you can gift friends or loved ones at any time of the year. We keep our costs as low as we can. Clients pay for the amount of time spent in the space. We charge the full price for people in employment and the lower price for retired, students and unemployed people. The cost for 15 minutes is £7.50 (£5); 30 minutes: £15 (£10), 45 minutes: £22.50 (£15), one hour: £30 (£20) The low cost weekly clinic is at the heart of the project. We are growing and evolving; developing ways to support the clinic by offering our service to local businesses on site. This allows employees to gain health benefits, be supported in their work space and give back to their community, as 20% of each fee paid is given back to and used to fund the hire of space for the weekly clinic. We attend local wellbeing events, helping to raise money for charities. In the coming year we plan to offer our service to local care providers, taking the service on site to residential homes and day centres. We’re developing a programme of ‘affordable workshops for all’ and aim to start delivering that programme and to begin to provide ‘affordable sessions of Laughter Yoga and Bliss Out Meditation’.

To access any of our therapies you can drop in to the weekly clinic. It is held on most Wednesday’s from 1.30 to 4.30 pm at The Shoreham Centre, Shoreham by Sea, BN43 5WU. You can also book an appointment for any of the therapies, for a homeopathic phone consultation or for an information session by contacting us on 07796 518667 or by leaving a message on the wall of our Facebook page at facebook.com/thehumantouch1 If you are unable to attend the weekly clinic, some of the therapies are provided at other times and locations. For more information regarding this, to buy a gift voucher, to request a visit from the practitioner team to your event, business. school, rest home. day centre, or for information regarding upcoming workshops and classes contact us on 07796 518667 For more in depth information about any of the practitioners or the therapies please visit our website at thehumantouchshoreham.com

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Fortuitously at our next Bookclub meeting, an old friend Jon Ross had been invited to join us. Jon owns Glynleigh Organic Farm, near Hilliers Garden Centre at Stone Cross, and he said he may be able to help me out! In exchange for a days work a month on the farm I could put up the yurt from time to time to do treatments. What a wonderful place to work, surrounded by the beauty, fresh air and natural sounds of the countryside. My clients found their treatments more deeply relaxing and restorative than usual.

John and his wife Becky were most interested in the work I was doing and loved the yurt. After many discussions, cups of tea and a whole range of delicious homemade cakes and biscuits, the idea of a Well Being Centre in yurts was born. Our Well Being Centre is an environmentally friendly and holistic health centre for complementary and transformative healing work, in all its many forms, on the edge of Pevensey Marshes.

We open on Monday 23rd March 2015 with weekly classes in the big 24ft yurt, of Yoga, Pilates, Qigong and Meditation and others in the offing. The smaller yurt will have available a range of different therapies such as Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Shiatsu, Massage (Deep Tissue, Acupressure, No Hands) Reiki and Wellbeing coaching. Workshops are planned in Hot Yoga, Mindfulness, Qigong and Meditation as well as monthly Sound healing Gong baths! Both yurts have beautiful wooden floors and wood-burners. There is parking available, washing facilities and ecological compost toilets.

We have an Open weekend on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th April with a mixture of free tasters, demonstrations, talks and refreshments. The centre is to be officially opened by Andrew Durling of Eastbourne Green Party and Friends of the Earth. If this feels like something you would like to be part of, please have a look at the website and get in touch with us. We look forward to meeting you and showing you around the place!

Contact Nick Neter MRSS, DipQT B’ED Hons, The Well Being Centre, Glynleigh Farm, Hailsham Rd, Stone Cross, BN24 5BS – 07773 061309 – handswork @tiscali.co.uk glynleighwellbeingcentre.com

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We can provide you with Homeopathic consultations (including remedies), Facial massage, Swedish massage, Indian Head massage, Deep Tissue massage, Manicures, Pedicures, Deep Cleansing facials, Craniosacral therapy, Zero Balancing, Hand Reflexology, Angelic Reiki, Crystal Reiki, Animal healing for your pets, Angel Card Readings, and Shiatsu will be provided when our guest therapist Clive Gilbert is available. Our Homeopath Sarah Pearce will be offering an extra service of acute diagnosing and remedies; this is ideal for all of the common winter ailments.
All our treatments are £15 (£10 for concessions). You can contact Mary for an appointment by leaving a message on our Facebook wall at facebook.com/thehumantouch1 or by text or phone to 07796 518667. Please visit our website for more in depth information at thehumantouchshoreham.com
We’ll be closing for our winter break, last session being 10th December, and will re-open on 7th January.

Our project leader Mary has embarked on her new exciting adventure and attending the School For Social Entrepreneurs – more news to follow in the next edition of Wellbeing Magazine!

The Human Touch Wellbeing Fayre is taking place on 8th November, at The Shoreham Centre – from 12 noon until 5pm. Please come along and visit; there’s plenty to do, see and experience: Taster Therapies: 20 minutes for £5 Zero Balancing, Hand Reflexology, Metamorphic Technique, Angelic Reiki, Crystal Reiki, Indian Head Massage, Facial Massage, Mini Manicures and more! Healthy food from Rawgeous, and Bliss Out meditation (please bring your own yoga mat), talks and workshops.

We look forward to welcoming you there!

The post Affordable therapies for all! appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Asha Rani has joined us. She is an experienced nutritionist and iridologist. Asha worked as an in-flight cabin crew member for many years and realised her full time occupation was becoming increasingly unhealthy; flying all over the world and often eating poorly. This led to an interest in nutrition and complementary health therapies. Today Asha is a fully qualified nutritionist and iridologist, she has also completed a course in Indian head massage and cranial sacral therapy. Asha will be offering a short iris diagnosis which will identify your constitution with some general nutritional advice. A more in depth consultation can booked separately.

She will also be offering Indian head massage which can be done with or without oils. Massaging the scalp stimulates the flow of blood to the follicles, improving the supply of nutrients needed for healthy hair growth. Head massage not only improves the condition of your hair, it also provides an invaluable treatment for stress related problems. Asha will also be offering taster sessions for cranial sacral therapy. CST is a powerful hands on therapy, where the touch is gentle and non-invasive. Patients find CST to be effective for a wide range of problems including discomfort, pain and dysfunction.

Sarah Pearce has also joined us. She is a homeopath and has been using homeopathy to treat her family for over 20 years. Homeopathy is a way of treating the whole person, so it is known as a holistic therapy. In taking your case Sarah will consider your emotional and physical wellbeing through the use of a consultation allowing for information gathering about your medical and your family history. Homeopathy can be used safely on anyone, with any ailment. It can even be used on babies or very frail people. The remedies can be taken during pregnancy or alongside other medications you may have been prescribed. This is because the remedies are safe and free from side effects.

Sophie Joseph has left the project to pursue other options related to her development within teaching meditation, and we wish her continued success.

We will continue to be open most Monday evenings from 6 till 9pm. For further information regarding opening dates and times, to enquire about the affordable therapies, or to make a booking call Mary on 07796 518667 or see The Human Touch on Facebook  The Human Touch West Street, Shoreham by Sea.

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