"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