Touch is powerful. It releases oxytocin, lowers blood pressure and cortisol, and boosts immune responses. To be held is a basic human need. And in this time of COVID-19, on top of the mental effect of the fear, many are being deprived of Touch.
 

Psychologists have a name for this condition: “skin hunger.” Skin hunger describes our universal need to be touched and, like true hunger, the health consequences of being starved of it. The first thing we do to a newborn is plop her or him, skin to skin, right on mom’s chest. From the start, touch is life giving and is hardwired into our brains as a requirement for survival.
 

The benefits of human touch are many and it can act as a “magic bullet” for emotional distress. Being touched by someone we trust can lessen feelings of isolation, loneliness, stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disruptions. Not only does physical touch positively affect our emotional well-being, but a reassuring touch from another also has physiological benefits, including:
 

1. Calming the nervous system
    

2. Boosting dopamine production
    

3. Positively influencing the serotonin system
    

4. Spurring production of oxytocin, the bonding hormone
    

5. Reducing the production of stress hormones (cortisol)
    

6. Lowering blood pressure and heart rate
    

7. Improving healing and decrease pain
    

Always being mindful of the times we live in, I keep my offering open to you and invite you to surrender to the Healing Surrender of a Tantra Massage.