Touch and Arousal

There’s so much evidence demonstrating the healing power of touch. An episode of the 1993 video series, Healing and the Mind depicts a week-long retreat for cancer patients. at Commonweal, a healing center in northern California. There is one scene of a patient receiving a massage. As the massage therapist kneads each muscle, she sings a lullaby. The love that comes through her is palpable.

Rachel Naomi Remen, Commonweal’s Medical Director, comments that touch is essential to life. She adds, “A mother’s touch sends a message to her baby saying, ‘live.’”

Not all touch is healing. The extent to which touch heals depends on the intent behind the touch. Loving touch is healing. It releases the “feel-good” hormone, oxytocin. It relaxes the body. Relaxation is the key to good sex.

Some researchers are predicting an explosion of sexual activity as Covid rules are relaxed. If you are planning to make up for lost time, remember the importance of loving touch. Research shows that sexual arousal precedes desire and touch is more frequently cited than the other senses as the main source of arousal.