Touching

In "Touching", Ashley Montagu offers a fascinating new dimension to the importance of Human Touch

"The skin is the largest organ in the body and is involved physically and behaviourally in the growth and development of the whole organism………….

Tactile experience OR lack of it, as an infant, affects subsequent behavioural development of the man".

Ashley Montagu offers a fascinating new dimension to the importance of human touch.

He comments that the western world is beginning to discover its neglected senses – he calls it "painful sensory deprivation". Noting that whilst we live in a technological world where we can reach out to other planets – we aren't always able to reach out to our fellow men.

"Our senses frame the body of our reality". Shutting out any one of our senses will reduce the dimension of our reality and we "lose touch with it". We then make words a substitute for experience and replace those lost senses with words by expressing ourselves in terms of what we think instead of what we feel.

Ashley Montagu believes that it would help our re-humanisation if we could pay closer attention to the need we all have for tactile experience. The impersonality of life in the western world means we have produced a race of "untouchables".

Throughout our lives we learn to ward off all forms of unnecessary physical contact, hence we become lonely and afraid of physical contact. We wear other people's images of who we SHOULD be – so it's not surprising that we remain unsure of whom we really are.

We rely heavily on communication of distance senses – modern technology like video conferences, mobile telephone with pictures etc is evidence of how we rely excessively on verbal communication and this can become a minefield for those who are not "good" with words!

On the other hand, the language of the senses (chiefly touching) is capable of enlarging our appreciation and of deepening our understanding of each other and the world in which we live.

Montagu believes that where touching begins – love and humanity begins - it is a powerful means of establishing human relationships.

Hence the importance of learning the language of love, through touch, right from day one of our baby's life.

Learning to massage your baby is NOT a therapeutic treatment. You don't have to worry about "technique" or how many times you carry out each stroke or for how long. Massage at this level is a vital means of communication. Babies have no understanding of words – however, eye contact, tone of voice and POSITIVE TOUCH, speak volumes and that logic is equally appropriate for adults and children.

LANGUAGE

In the constant search for human contact, we use language (words) to replace touch.

We say that we are getting "in touch" or "making contact" or we have been "out of touch" with others. We say people have the magic touch, human touch, delicate touch, feminine touch and soft touch. We describe people as being "hard", "soft" - "softies". We might say that some people have to be "handled" with care or "kid" gloves. People are described as "touchy" or "tetchy". Some people get "under our skin". Or things go "skin deep". We lose our "grip". We talk about the "healing touch" of time.

We use words to describe the "feel" of things – "tacky", some people are "tactful" or "tactless"; the "healing touch" of time, we "grapple" with problems, children are "clingy". When something is pleasurable or scary we get "goose pimples".

Through "feeling" we refer to emotional states – happiness, joy, sadness, melancholy. We describe unfeeling people as "callous" – ie hard or thick skinned.

When we feel insecure we say we want to "hold onto" something. Or if we don't understand something we say we need to get a "firm grip of" something, or we need to "grasp the point".

Going back to his comment that "Our SENSES frame the body of our reality". Montagu goes on to say that when we feel we are losing touch with reality that someone else has lost touched with reality, we are removed from it, and we say things like "out of touch with reality" – "not quite all there" "a little bit touched", "out of touch". If we can't relate to someone we say they are "untouchable". In order to establish reality – we put "our fingers on it". We "reach out" or "keep our distance". We "pat each other on the back". Voices can sometimes make us "tingle". Fear can make our skin "creep". We may say, "It is no skin off my nose". Or we escaped from something by the "skin of our teeth".

There is something special about the feeling we associate with touch, by using particular expressions we indicate that special attention is being paid – "professional" touch, "feminine" touch, "individual" touch.

SKIN

The "mind of the skin". Montagu believes that touch is the "chief sense" and reminds us that the skin is like a cloak – "it covers us all". He also describes it as the first medium of communication and a most efficient protector, physically and emotionally.

The sense of touch is the earliest of senses to develop in the embryo. When less than 6 weeks old and less than an inch long, light stroking of the upper lips or nose will cause this "stump" to turn away from the stimuli! At this stage, it has no eyes or ears yet it skin is highly developed. At 9 weeks these tiny fingers will turn as if to grip when the palm is touched and at 12 weeks the fingers and thumb are capable of closing. Pressure at the base of the thumb will cause the foetus to open its' mouth and move its' tongue. Firm touching of the back or sole of the foot will result in the curling or bending of the knee and hip.

Skin may be regarded as an exposed part of the nervous system – the skin enables the body to learn about its' environment. It is the medium by which the external world is perceived. You only have to touch something hot, cold, prickly, silky soft, or wet to understand how we perceive the outside world through touch.

Throughout our life, skin is in a continuous state of renewal by the activity of the cells, at a very deep level. Every two hours the skin forms two new levels. Skin cells shed at a rate of more than a million every hour! It varies in texture and flexibility in various parts of the body, also in colour, scent and temperature AND it carries it's own memory of experience. Particularly the face, a whole gamete of life's experiences is projected onto it like a cinema screen.

The only organs with a larger surface are the large and small intestine and the alveoli of the lung but the difference is, of course, that these organs are internal. We were our skin like a garment – it is exposed. There are many functions of the skin:

• It PROTECTS the body by acting as a barrier. It is our first and final line of defence

• It is THE base for sensory receptors – the "seat" of the most delicate of our
• senses – touch

• It is a "mediator. Skin is capable of processing and organising information. , People who are not able to feel pain are in extreme danger.

• It is a major role player in regulating blood flow and blood pressure

• If we absorb noxious substances (things we may put into our body through the skin. Creams, sprays, oils etc) it has the ability to excrete them via the normal body's waste disposal processes.

• It is a temperature regulator for the rest of the body

• It is involved in metabolism and the storage of fat

• It metabolises excesses of water and salt as perspiration

• It is a reservoir for food and water

• Sebum which is secreted naturally from the skin, lubricates and insulates
• the rest of the body and is probably involved in killing bacteria

• It has the ability to cleanse itself

Massage (positive touch) aids and stimulates ALL of these processes. An important factor and benefit for everyone from babies to the elderly.

Ashley Montagu suggests that the skin is a two-sided mirror with a triple function. Firstly it reflects the objectivity of the outside world as well as what is going on inside. It also reflects our state of being - psychologically and physiologically. We go white with fear or red with embarrassment. We "tingle" with excitement or go "numb" from shock and in this way; the skin MIRRORS our passions and emotions

The skin represents much more than something designed to keep the skeleton from falling apart. Our perception of the visual world is associated to what we have "felt" in past experiences of the same incident – in this way, we "acquire" some senses, they are learned.

Skin can also compensate for deficiencies – particularly for those who are deaf and/or blind. These people use touch to speak, as a means of communication. External stimulation of the skin (massage) maintains sensory and motor tonus. If a leg falls asleep it results in difficulty in initiating leg movements (not a good idea long term!). This is because the nerve impulses from the skin, muscles and joints are failing to reach the brain. Needless to say, feedback from the brain to the skin MUST be continuous – even in sleep. Massage (positive touch) will aid and maintain this process and is particularly important in babies when all their processes are maturing.

Ashley Montagu goes on to ask some questions. Ie what kinds of skin stimulation are necessary for the healthy development of the body? What are the effects of stimulation? In the course of early development should we be encouraging certain kinds of tactile experiences and if so, what are they?

He then goes on to discuss various studies and research, which has been carried out in the animal kingdom. In an experimental group with rats one group were petted regularly and there was a greater number of survivors. These animals also appeared to be more relaxed. During the same experiment, in the standard group, the animals were fed routinely with no petting. They appeared timid and apprehensive. When the tests were carried out in reverse. Ie the previously petted group were fed but ignored. ALL the symptoms also reversed.

The conclusion of this experiment was that gentle handling could make all the difference between life and death. He also concluded that gentle touch also made a remarkable difference to behavioural development. He described the difference between the two groups as "gentle and unexcited versus fearful and agitated".

LICKING AND LOVING

"Washing" in animals is considered to be essential to the animals' development. Man is the only mammal that does not carry out this function.

In animals, licking is FUNDAMENTAL to life (particularly of the genitals). If it does not happen, the animal is likely to die. Licking teaches them to defecate – eliminate – without this function, the animal will die from infection.

Self-licking – STIMULATES all the life saving systems of the body. If the breasts can be licked in pregnant cats/rats, they will be unable to produce milk and would therefore be very poor mothers. Therefore cutaneous self-stimulation is an important factor, AT ALL STAGES, particularly in the early days of the newborn. Licking also exerts a highly beneficial influence on the immune system, ie in building a resistance to infection and disease. Studies have shown that rats that had been handled in infancy had more anti-bodies than those who had not been handled (touched). Ie those animals that had been STIMULATED (massaged/touched) had more anti-bodies and were therefore MORE resistant to infection and disease than their counterparts who had not been.

The "babies" who were massaged/handled/touched/stimulated also proved to be bigger, became more active, less fearful, and more able to withstand stress and had lower incidences of illness.

In tests on sheep, if the mothers were separated from their babies for only a few hours immediately after birth, (BEFORE she had a chance to lick them), those mothers later appeared to have "no behavioural resources" to do anything further for the newborn, even if VISUAL contact was maintained. They needed PHYSCIAL contact.

Separation from their babies was found to change the behaviour of "nursing" sheep and goats and further influenced the structure of the rest of the herd.

Stimulation of the skin constitutes an essential condition, which causes the pituitary gland to secrete hormones (prolactin) important for the initiation and maintenance of "broodiness". The same hormone is associated to the initiatives and maintenance of "nursing" – and this also includes humans.

In studies involving dogs, removal of the pups for JUST OVER AN HOUR immediately after whelping, seriously retarded the mothers' recovery evidencing the fact that nuzzling and nursing accelerates recovery.

Similar undesirable effects have been recorded with human mothers.

Maternal affection wanes progressively if bodily interaction decreases and these experiences are passed down the generation. Ie bitches who had not been handled as pups had problems, either they were smaller or defecated less etc.

Mice raised in communal nests were found to have a better survival rate. They benefited from more nutritional and higher quality milk from more than one mother. They also appeared to benefit from the tactile stimuli of additional littermates – more insulation – therefore more metabolic energy, which was devoted to growth.

The conclusion of these tests were that those animals which were handled responded with increased overall functional efficiency in all systems in the body whilst those animals who were not handled failed in all respects and were less able to meet the "assaults" of the environment.

Hence Ashley Montagu concludes that licking and loving OR skin stimulation is an essential ingredient of affection in the healthy development of an animal or human life.

In fact, he goes on to report that very real effects of early tactile experiences have been impressively demonstrated by a serious of independent experiments.

The touch of a human hand is very much more effective than the application of impersonal mechanical apparatus. He states that hand reared animals yield more and richer milk than machine milked animals.

He states "one learns to love – not by instructions but by BEING loved".

He further demonstrates this statement by reporting on studies carried out by monkeys. Some were fed by wire baskets representing their mothers whilst another group had the wire baskets covered in terry towelling which had a light bulb fitted to it. The monkeys clung to the terry towelling baskets.

In the monkey world, the mother or another female adult is never away from the baby in the first week of its' life. The baby will be groomed and stroked, even when it is asleep. At this stage, this is more the mother's need than the babies.

The infant is virtually in constant touch, through clinging, suckling and climbing - great deal of TOUCHING.

Montagu goes on to stress that touch is a basic behavioural need, much as breathing is a basic physical need. The infant grows socially through contact – so much so, that if the need remains unsatisfied, abnormal behaviour will result.

In what Montagu calls the "womb of time", he asks, "If licking, grooming is an essential condition necessary for survival. Why is it that human mothers do not lick?"

In answer, he states that in some Tibetan highlands and Polar Regions where there is a water shortage, Mothers do sometimes resort to licking their older children as a substitute for washing.

We often talk about "licking" someone "into shape". Bears are shapeless masses when they are first born – a little larger than white mice. Mothers LITERALLY lick them into proper shape!

He then asks "What, if anything, are the equivalents that human mothers give their children in order to prepare all the systems for proper functioning?"

One consideration is the long delivery – human deliveries can be upwards of 8 hours – during this time, the uterus contracts and provides MASSIVE stimulation for the foetal skin.

In the womb, the foetus is CONSTANTLY stimulated by amniotic fluids and the pressure of its' body against the walls of the uterus. And this is all intensified during labour.

This is particularly important in humans, as gestation is only HALF complete when the baby is born.

Human beings are born in a state SO immature that they cannot even crawl. Sheep, cows, horses and many others can get up and run around almost immediately. A newborn elephant can run with the herd AS SOON as it is born. It can take 8 – 10 months and another 4 – 6 before humans can walk and a good many years will pass before they can fend for themselves!

Humans are born are born, and remain, immature, for longer than any other animal.

Gestation periods vary from animal to animal but humans are distinctly in a class of long gestation – so why are we so immature at birth? The gestation period is about the same for apes and humans yet there is a marked difference in the growth of the foetus.

In humans – a large body size – especially the head – necessitates birth at 9 months – it could be dangerous, indeed lethal, if the baby was NOT born at that time. There is rapid growth of the brain in the last trimester – this does not happen in apes.

As a result of evolution (changing from crawling on all 4 legs as apes do to an erect posture), the pelvis has undergone major re-arrangements, ie a narrowing of the pelvic outlet – though it does enlarge during labour (enough to permit the head to pass through the birth canal).

There are a large number of factors, which cause the human baby to be born before gestation is complete.

Humans adapt to the situation, (skull bones and membranes of a human grow more slowly than apes) and allows for a considerable amount of movement and overlap to adapt to the compressive forces. However, the rate of growth of the brain during the last month of pregnancy would render birth impossible if the foetus was to continue to full growth – hence the foetus is born BEFORE maturation.

Also, certain enzymes (liver and duodenal) are not present in human infants and do not appear for at least 7 months. Very good reasons (if we need them) why we should be VERY careful what we feed our babies prior to this time!!

The gestation period is extended in humans but the latter half takes place OUTSIDE the womb!!

Utero-gestation (inside the womb) takes 266 1/2 days

Extero-gestation (outside the womb) also takes 266 1/2 days

In its' first year – an infant brain grows more than it EVER will and by the time it is 3 years old, it is almost fully grown – ie a full adult brain. …… At 3 YEARS OLD!! NO WONDER you look at your little one from time to time and think you are looking at an old head on young shoulders!!!! They are FAR brighter than we give them credit for.

It is dangerous to go over term in pregnancy – the mortality rate is higher and also congenital abnormalities are greater – there is reduced capacity for the foetus to adapt.

A human infant is like a baby kangaroo but does not have the security of the Mother's pouch. Humans are not quite as immature when the yare born but develop much slower than kangaroos.

In the womb, the baby is elaborately prepared throughout pregnancy and to continue after birth but are we meeting the needs of every child? Our babies are NATURALLY designed to continue in the shelter of the womb and are very much in need of sustenance … not JUST in terms of nourishment from food but from nourishment of support, security, love and nurturing.

One of the most important of these needs is the SIGNALS the baby receives through the skin – its' FIRST medium of communication.

Human Mothers do not have the same in birth reactive mechanisms as animals – ie to lick etc – indeed, much of the human Mothers' responses will depend on her own "learned" experience as an infant and child and if that's not very good – she has no role model upon which to base her Mothering skills.

If her experiences have not been good, it is possible that she may well be inadequate, and in the worst-case scenario, this can endanger the continued survival of her baby.

When the skin has not been stimulated to "kick start" all the organs in the body to function on their own, failure can occur. Which is why a baby is sometimes "slapped" into action by the midwife/doctor. It is the cutaneous stimulation, which activates the automatic nervous system, which in turn, activates the respiratory system, then the circulatory system, the digestive and eliminatory processes etc.

Contractions of the uterus during labour are perfectly designed to STIMULATE life.

Non-stimulation in this way, ie through pre-mature births/caesarian operations can result in respiratory problems, especially in the first year of life. Gastro and urinary functions may surface and later development than normally born (full time babies) is common. Attention span in these babies can be short, resulting in babies being "jumpy", anxious and even deafness.

CAESARIAN BIRTHS

Montagu asks us to think about the shock involved for a caesarian baby – snug in that warm, supportive environment and suddenly they are "yanked" from it into a hard, technological, white, bright, noisy outside world!! Stressed from the first breath. Not the best way to start life, yet many mothers are ELECTING to give birth in this manner for many different reasons, with apparently, no consideration for the baby. Obviously there are MANY mothers who do not have a choice – Caesarian operations for them, are a matter of life and death. But the circumstances for the baby should ALWAYS be a consideration from the first moment they draw breath.

There are other disadvantages for caesarian births. The obvious disadvantage is that the mortality rates are actually higher. Death from certain diseases is also higher. There is no cutaneous stimulation as in normal births (which is an obvious disadvantage for the baby). It has been recorded that "lethargic" babies are the result, with less frequent crying and decreased excitability. Also, there are a number of bio-chemical differences. There are higher levels of acidosis and lower sebum proteins. There are lower levels of calcium and protein and more significantly, lower levels of sugar production in caesarian born babies but interestingly, not if the mother went into labour BEFORE the caesarian operation. The importance of labour then is "preparation" … ie it is VITAL for the baby's survival.

Failure of the pancreas can also result from caesareans. The pancreas can fail to produce protein splitting enzymes which lead to inadequate peristaltic action in the intestines, which may go on to produce digestive problems. And allergy likes conditions.

Caesarian born children tends to be more emotionally disturbed. It is suggested that the lack of cutaneous stimulation during the process of birth COULD be the deciding factor here.

Postpartum cutaneous stimulation can compensate for a lack of stimulation during the birth process.

In human births, when the head is well down the stimulus to the face, head, mouth, eyes and nose is considerable. It could be said to be the same as licking and nuzzling, presumably producing the same results as in animals!

The skin and gastrointestinal tract meet not only at the mouth but also at the anus which means that the same mucous membranes line this tract from the nose right through to the anus. No surprise then in later life that people who have sinus problems GENERALLY find that they also have digestive problems. If the digestive system cannot eliminate properly the problem will back up and eventually cause problems in the respiratory system! The system is merely looking for "another port of call". And if all those avenues are congested what is the last "port of call? ". The skin – why? Because it is the LARGEST eliminatory organ in the body. Even more reason to keep the skin functioning and eliminating through massage from day one!!

Contractions of the uterus are as beneficial to the Mother and baby as licking and grooming in other animals. It is the beginnings of caressing the baby, which SHOULD be continued in very special ways IMMEDIATELY after the birth and for a considerable time afterwards.

During the pregnancy, the mother has been prepared for this union and she needs to minister to the baby's dependent needs in the manner that she ALONE is best prepared. It will now become even more intensified – this NEED for EACH OTHER.

Giving birth reinforces and deepens the mother's interest and involvement – her whole organism is prepared to caress and communicate lovingly at the breast. Here, not only will the baby received colostrums (immunological and physiological benefits) and laxative (insures against diarrhoea) by suckling, the baby will also benefit the Mother. This is vitally important for further development, ie weariness of labour and pain, emotional gratification, feeling of strength and power, composure and sense of fulfilment.

PREMATURE BABIES are often exposed to prolonged births. Subjecting the baby to trauma. A combination of many factors pre-disposes these babies to a higher degree of nervous irritability and sensitivity.

The lack of time for birth prepared responses is crucial and bowel and bladder control, respiratory responses are significant observations.

BREAST FEEDING

Suckling will contract and constrict the uterus muscle fibres to help expel the placenta and reduce the size of the uterus. Breast-feeding is augmented by secretions from the pituitary (hormone chemicals - prolactin). The breast becomes the all-important substitute for the umbilical and the placenta. Stimulation to the face involved with suckling improves respiratory functions, which in turn oxygenates the blood and subsequently every single organism within the body. Also, colostrum encourages the growth of "friendly" bacteria in the gut, which discourages the growth of "undesirables" like Candida, which is almost rife in the intestines of not only adults, but also children in our society today.

Breastfeeding is the primary mode of nurturing. After birth, colostrum comes in within the first 10 days, transitional milk appears from 8 days and permanent milk is there from 18 days. Are these stages are designed to gradually meet the developing metabolic needs of a baby and deal with the various substances it ingests, ie proteins and digestive enzymes.

Babies need to breathe when they are born and to breathe deeply. The best way to do this is to put them to the breast immediately after birth and let them suckle. This will bring into being a deeper inspiration, which may otherwise remain shallow. A condition many people suffer from throughout their life without being aware of it.

The importance of "mothering" in helping the child to breath can not be stressed enough. If it does not happen – the baby may resort to foetal breathing, which will not oxygenate the baby's blood. Foetal breathing is meagre and fast diminishing. The baby must start to breathe oxygenated air and quickly otherwise blood vessels will not develop properly and all the other jobs involved with the rest of the systems will be hampered. And anyone who has delivered a baby with respiratory distress syndrome will understand the consequences of foetal breathing.

Evidence has shown that frequent breast-feeding on demand has more than a nutritional purpose – these babies seldom burp or vomit. In non-literate peoples, mothers have their babies strapped to them in the same way that monkeys do.

It is unnatural for a human baby to spend the first year of its life (remembering that this is the second half of the gestation period) in a crib. But this is the way we have become accustomed to bringing up our babies and if we do otherwise, we can be accused of "spoiling the child". It is mainly in westernised cultures that babies spend their time away from the mothers. Throughout this entire period the baby still needs to be nurtured as if it was still in the womb. It therefore should be close to the mother or another human for most of that time.

It goes without saying that breast-feeding for as long into that period as possible is also very important. This can also be a natural method of birth control because as a result of suckling whilst still feeding, the pituitary releases prolactin.

In studies, babies who were not breast feeding had 4 times as many respiratory problems, 20 times more diarrhoea, 22 times more miscellaneous infections, 8 times more eczema, 21 times more asthma and 27 times more hay fever.

Those who were breast-fed were shown to be physically and mentally superior. If babies were breast fed up to 9 months – they were shown to be significantly more advanced. So it is suggested by Ashley Montagu that babies should be breast fed for at least 12 months and only terminated when the infant is ready, by small steps in introducing solid food, beginning at 6 months gradually substituting mother's milk.

It is not merely nutritional and immunilogically advantageous to breast feed. It is the humanising interactive experience of the "nursing" coupled with the fulfilment for both baby and mother of their emotional and physiological needs.

What is important is the SUCKLING as opposed to sucking and touch. Suckling is a different form of behaviour to sucking.

A breast-feeding mother holds a child at alternate breasts to stimulate the opposite side of the face and corresponding parts of the body.

Montagu suggests that if a baby will not suckle – check whether it is wrapped up. If so, remove it to allow the baby's skin to come into contact with the mothers own skin and try again.

It may be confusing for the baby to mix breast and bottle-feeding. Suckling and sucking means that the baby will have to use a different mouth and tongue muscle action. The baby may lick the nipple and areola first to prepare for feeding. Later on, this can have an effect on the development of teeth and jaws, including the development of speech. It can also stimulate cheek and bone development and subsequently reading ability and confidence. Ie if there is any speech impediment as a result of immaturity of the developing facial structures this may well leave the child lacking the confidence to read.

BREAST FEEDING AND SPEECH

Montagu advises mothers to speak to their baby whilst feeding. The aim is to give the child something more than nutrition – to provide it with an environment of security and love in which the WHOLE creature can thrive.

He reports that Charles Darwin's grandfather suggested a relationship between breastfeeding and behaviour and traces the origins of a smile. It is through body contact with the mother that the child makes its' first contact with the rest of the world.

TENDER LOVING CARE

Extreme sensory deprivation such as light and sound can be survived as long as sensory experiences at the level of the skin are maintained.

To have cutaneous contact with a partner and to feel the warmth of another body remains an essential component to all love relationships. When all else fails in calming your baby – this may be all that they need to make them feel secure. They need to know that you are there. FEEL that you are there in the only way they know how. After spending so long in the womb – to feel the mother or the warmth of another human being may be all the security that baby desires.

Intense pleasure in warmth, frequently manifested in neurotic bathing is usually encountered in persons who simultaneously show other signs of passive – receptive orientation – to receive affection, means warmth. How many people say that whenever they feel depressed or stressed, the first thing they do is run a bath? The feel of the warm water on the skin is reminiscent of amniotic fluids in the womb.

Ashley Montagu reports that babies kept at temperatures of 80 - 90 cry less and sleep more than when kept at 78.

Babies are also able to make frequent judgements about who is holding them from the WAY they are held, in just the same way as adults are able to draw inferences about a character from the quality of a handshake.

We learn to speak by being spoken to and we can learn to respond by the way we are being touched or by the type of skin stimulation we receive…. If that touch feels negative it will have a knock on effect to how the baby feels emotionally. POSTIIVE TOUCH is imperative to how your baby feels, to how he/she will view and respond to the outside world later in life.

It is quite probable that something of the manner in which the individual comes to carry himself, hold his head, shoulders, limbs and torso is related to early conditioning experiences. An anxious individual (whether child or adult) will rigidify movements with tense muscles and by over elevating shoulders.

Thoughts and feelings are often communicated in non-verbal ways through movements of the body. It is in this way that the child establishes its first communicative relationship. See how a child will turn its back on you to avoid making eye contact, communicating displeasure or when trying to hide something from you.

These interpersonal relationships involve the receptors of the gastro intestinal tract and conditioning can take place conducive to the formation of hypersensitivity which later show up as conditions in the form of colitis, IBS, ulcers, asthma, hay fever, eczema, heart and lung problems.

The need for touch therefore is considerably more profound than most of us have previously understood.

POSITIVE TOUCH is therefore fundamental in the development of a human life.

It is vital for physical as well as emotional survival and so must be considered to be a basic need.

Other physical basic needs are air, water, food, rest, activity, sleep, bowel and bladder elimination, avoidance/escape from danger and avoidance of pain.

Whilst sex is considered to be massive tactile stimulation it is clearly not a basic need.

The evidence provided in this book points to the fact that no organism can survive without cutaneous stimulation.

POSITIVE TOUCH is the satisfying contact or feeling of another's or one's own skin.

Different cultures vary in the way they express the need for tactile stimulation but the NEED itself is universal.

The evidence is also huge that adequate tactile satisfaction during infancy and childhood is of fundamental importance for healthy behavioural patterns.

Deprivation of skin stimulation leads to maladjusted, dysfunctional adults. Therefore tactile stimulation in the form of positive touch should begin with the NEW BORN baby.

Fondling of a baby can never be over done. Therefore - where ever possible and as much as possible babies - should be carried on the mothers or fathers back or front.

Parents are advised to be open and feel free to express their affection more demonstratively – not so much words, not so much stimulation in the form of toys or technology and MORE tactile action. THAT is the ONLY way children learn to love.

Inadequate tactile experience in a the early days of a baby's life results in a lack of association or a consequent inability to relate to others later in life.

In other words "you reap what you sow".

Harper and Row Publishers
ISBN 0-06-096028-00

Thursday, 25 January 2007

© 2007 Bromley Health Management