Re: hoping to initiate a discussion about touch
Posted by kenzi on January 07, 2000 at 23:04:21:
In Reply to: hoping to initiate a discussion about touch posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on January 07, 2000 at 20:35:24:
I wish I could give you an exact cite but all I can remember is that
there was a study where they raised baby monkeys (or chimps?)...some
were isolated completely from touch, and others were handled
regularly and affectionately (I can't remember if they were touched
by other monkeys or by humans). They found that the ones that were
not touched were much more aggressive and less-well balanced mentally
and socially.
I also read recently a review of several books about children's
development and some of them mention the importance of touch (along
with other sensory stimulation) for creating neural pathways.
Here are the books mentioned in the review:
"The Myth of The First Three Years" by John Bruer (Free Press)
"The Scientist in the Crib" by Alison Gopnik, with Patricia Kuhl and
Andrew Meltzoff (Morrow)
"What's Going On in There? How the Braina ndMin Develop in the First
Five Years of Life" by Lise Eliot
These mostly relate to child development but they might refer to
studies involving touch.
I remember reading something in Loretta Roome's book which struck
me. She said something like, "henna is one of those rare occasions
where women will find themselves holding hands for a long period of
time".
I am not a very touchy person...I was raised in a family where there
was not a lot of physical affection shown so I have a slight aversion
to touching and being touched. (Am I telling you more than you
wanted to know?! ;-) Henna seems to be one thing that breaks through
that aversion for me...i can take someone hand (or leg or whatever)
and hold onto it for as long as I need to for the henna. It does
create a comfortable intimacy that, for me, wouldn't exist
otherwise. So henna helps me heal and also allows my clients to be
touched and feel comfortable and pampered.
- touch Eliz. 18:17:51 1/08/00
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