"There’s no such thing as too much hug!” -Winnie the Pooh

It amazes me how often Winnie the Pooh gets it right... man that show had great writers back then. There really is no such thing as too much hug!

When I think about the importance of touch in my own life, images of my friends and family surround and embrace me. To hug, to be hugged, to hold, to be held, to stroke, to be stroked… for me all of these forms of touch will always be filled with love and compassion. I am so grateful to have been given the gift of love so freely in my life… I feel as though I am surrounded by love wherever I go and until recently I am not sure that I fully understood what a blessing that truly was. On the days when it seems as if all the walls are crashing down around me, when I cannot pull myself up alone… I find comfort in those around me. I find comfort in the loving arms or the loving words of a friend. Be it one embrace, one look, or one loving word… be it physical or unspoken… the healing power of touch is incredible to me.

Here at work I am reminded on a daily basis the importance and power of touch. Some days when there is a lull around the hospital I often find myself sitting in a ward holding or rocking a baby and singing to them. To hold a neglected, lonely or scared child and for just that moment in time be a presence in that life, no matter how little it seems, I know makes a difference. In my own life, the simplest touch on some days has made all the difference when I am down or in pain. Child Life takes on all sorts of different roles at the Red Cross Hospital, one of which I cannot pull myself from... the treatment room on the Burns ward. The simple loving, caring touch and smiling face I know make it a brighter place no matter how horrible it may be. It breaks my heart to see what some of the children have to go through on a weekly basis in the treatment room... but to be able to be a part of that in a non-threatening way, to be able to hold the children gently during the dressing changes or blow bubbles with them or just talk to them makes me feel like I am able to be a part of something that really does makes a difference, even if it is just for one day in the life of one little guy.  

Last week on C2, the burns ward, I was working with a child when across the room Cadida, a baby of less than two years old, started gushing blood from her head like a little geyser!! One of the doctors on the ward had picked at a scab on the child's face and reopened a wound that wasn't even dressed. The child has been in the ward for the treatment of fire burns that cover half of her face, one of her arms and the majority of her legs. The child was of course screaming and crying at the top of her lungs due to the fact that there was blood pouring down her face and into her eyes and mouth. The doctor continued carrying on and joking with the nurses in the room while shoving an old sheet on the child’s head in a passive attempt to stop the bleeding. After hearing the baby wail I ran over to see what was really going on. The doctor had the child’s legs pinned down to the crib with his huge arm in attempt to keep her from kicking him. He screamed at her for being “so naughty” and carried on his light conversation with the nurses in the room. I was horrified. While he continued to hold the sheet to her head, I began to wipe the blood out of her eyes and mouth and move the sheet out of her face so she could see the world around her.  The blood wouldn’t stop pouring out from her tiny little head and the green sheet was soon covered in her blood. In order to slow/stop the blood flow she needed to stop crying and the doctor reminded me this over and over again. I told him I understood that quite clearly… but couldn’t help from thinking what in the world are YOU doing to calm this little girl down? Why would she stop crying when she is half pinned down to her bed, blinded and covered in blood? I sure as hell would cry my face blue if I were her! I had been stroking her, wiping her down and talking to her but I was near breaking point with the doctor who was still acting as though this child was nothing more than a loud noise in the room. I couldn't take watching her flail anymore... so I scooped Cadida up into my arms and held her close to my chest with my hand on the sheet holding pressure to her head and in the very same moment that I picked her up and cradled her in my arms she stopped crying. I don't think that I have ever seen such a drastic or more powerful change appear before my eyes before. In an instant she had calmed her movements and stopped her crying. After we moved her to the treatment room the doctor disappeared and I stood singing and rocking Cadida waiting for him to return to take care of her dressings. Before he got back she had fallen asleep in my arms. The magic and power of that moment astounded me… all she needed was for someone ANYONE to hold her.

I was so taken by my experience with Cadida and my recent “m-technique” course that I have been inspired to learn more about the power of touch and what people have to say about it. I love finding all these studies and articles that have been done on touch and the importance of touch.  They make me smile just thinking of how beautiful the whole thing is… the power we have as beings to share our love through touch.. agh I just love it! It's ELECTRIC!

“The power of touch is grossly underrated, undervalued, and underutilized in today’s world. We are energetic beings in a constant flux of creating, radiating, and receiving energy. We crave energy in the form of love and touch…. Believe it or not, we all possess the healing touch. The power of touch in the form of a caring, reassuring hug or pat on the shoulder, has been repeatedly demonstrated to have a powerful impact on healing. Patients will frequently get better just by touch alone. Part of the process of healing is the bond between patient and physician/healer. Call it trust, faith, or placebo. Ultimately, call it love. The power of love is the power to heal!”  -Dr. Corey Sondrup

May I 'M' you?

I recently took a certification course in the ‘M’ Technique and just about keeled over I was so happy to be able to be a part of such a wonderful experience. This course has given me the tools to take my ability to communicate with patients while also relive pain, anxiety and stress in their lives to the next level. In our certification we not only had the opportunity to give full body 'm' treatments but also receive full body 'm' treatments.... oh so heavenly!!

What is the 'm' technique?

Touch is one of the basic forms of communications, yet many of us are afraid to touch those who need it most. The ‘m’ technique is different from massage and can be learned by anyone! The 'm' stands for manual to separate it from massage which needs many more hours of study

Dr Jane Buckle created the 'm' technique® as a communication tool for nurses. Her patients were critically ill: many had breathing tubes and were unable to talk. She wanted to find a way of communicating with her patients and felt that touch was the way. She trained in massage, but found that much of what she learned was inappropriate in a critical care setting. So, she started experimenting with slow stroking movements. Gradually a pattern emerged and the 'm' technique® was born! After Dr Buckle moved to the USA, the 'm' technique® became an integral part of her certification program, Aromatherapy for Health Professionals. This program has been taught in almost every State in the USA since 1994 and is one of the most respected trainings in clinical aromatherapy. 

Student found the ‘m’ to be a valuable tool. It was particularly helpful to nurses as it enabled them to ‘be’ with their patients. Nurses in critical and palliative care appreciated being able to do something pleasurable for their patients, or to do something when there was nothing that conventional medicine could do. Massage Therapists enjoyed being confident to touch very fragile clients. The word spread and a separate certification course was created for those wanting to learn the ‘m’ technique® without doing the Aromatherapy for Health Professionals course. The word spread to England and in 2004, the first courses were held in Colchester and Oxford, UK.

Non-health professionals wanted to learn the 'm' technique® too, and in 2006 the 'm' technique® course was opened up (in the UK) to anyone wanting to touch a sick loved one to relieve pain, anxiety or distress. The 'm' technique® is suitable for all health professionals, but also caregivers, family members, or volunteers.

The 'm' technique® is a method of structured stroking. Each movement and sequence is done a set number of times, in a set pattern, at a set pressure and set speed that never changes. This makes it extremely easy to learn. And because the technique is structured in terms of order, number and pressure, the technique is almost completely reproducible and therefore useful in touch research. The 'm' technique® works on skin receptors that send signals to the brain. The technique has been described as physical hypnotherapy and a 'spiritual dance'. The ‘m’ is also effective through thin clothing.

In 2005, research was carried out at University of Pennsylvania using SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) analysis. A radiopharmaceutical was injected intravenously into subjects who were SPECTed then ‘m’ed and then SPECTed again. The scans before and after the 'm' technique® were compared (65 areas of the brain). This research is being presented at The American Massage Therapy Conference in Cincinnati September 2007.

(www.mtechnique.co.uk)

Just think how much you can do in just one day!!

Where am I? What am I doing?? What is a Child Life Specialist??



Some of our toys sitting out to dry

I am currently interning with the Child Life Program at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCCH) in Cape Town, South Africa. And I love every moment of it!!!  I cannot even begin to express in words how good it feels to finally find something that I love to do that fits me so perfectly and fully. For the first time... in a long time... I feel like I have actually found a true balance in my life and it feels so incredible!! Who would have thought that waking up at the crack of dawn and going to work Monday through Friday would be right up my alley? Not me.

Buddy gets an amputation

Setting: The Red Cross is the only pediatric hospital of its kind south of the Sahara, RCCH has about 200 inpatient beds as well as outpatient clinics and emergency departments. Roughly 250,000 children receive care annually at this medical facility and the need for supportive services is great.

Mission: Our mission as the Child Life Team is to apply child life principles and interventions to best meet the needs of the children and caregivers treated at the RCCH, reducing their anxiety and fear and empowering them with culturally effective coping skills.

Our Motto: Just think how much you can do in just one day!!!!!



Hands from the memory tree



What is a Child Life Specialist?? In the hospital Child Life Specialists work with patients and family members providing procedural support, procedural education, caregiver support and emotional support. Child life specialists are trained professionals with expertise in helping children and their families overcome life’s most challenging events. Armed with a strong background in child development and family systems, child life specialists promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families, and encourage optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to hospitalization. Because they understand that a child’s well being depends on the support of the family, child life specialists provide information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members throughout the hospitalization and bereavement process. They also play a vital role in educating caregivers, administrators, and the general public about the needs of children under stress (Child Life Council).

The Child Life Team at the Red Cross works with the Palliative Care and Pain Management team. We currently work on the Oncology/Hematology ward (G1), the Burn Rehabilitation ward (C2), the ICU, the Tracheotomy ward (E2), the Cardiology and Medical specialty ward (D1), and Day Surgery (A7).  I spend most of my time on G1 and ICU and I float onto C2 as often as possible. I am also currently working with the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic. Each and every child that I spend time with brings so much light into my life. Every day is filled with new challenges and struggles... coupled with so much joy and light that some days I feel like I might explode. I have found that in the very moments that bring me to my knees, in the very moments where I almost feel like it could be too much to take... I am reminded more than ever the reason why I am supposed to be here. It is in those moments that I am reminded of the power we have to make a difference (in whatever we do) in just one moment, in just one hour, in just one day.  AGHHHH!!!!!!