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This is a preview of the second article in our Personal Integrity Series. Please read the freely available introductory article of the Series here:

https://press.kineoasis.com/posts/personal-integrity-series

Touch - the “lost” treasure of life.

The sense of Touch is one of the most powerful and impactful senses we have. In simplest terms, through our sense of touch our brains receive information about the pressure and temperature changes in our external and internal environment (vibration, pain, and texture are also identified via our sense of touch). The very purpose of our sense of touch is to gather this information, then further use it to interpret and respond (adapt) to it.

Why do I think that our sense of touch is a “lost” treasure of life? Because over time - as our society became busier and busier, rushing through life and taking relationship shortcuts - we have let go of the slower parts of ourselves, the most subtle and powerful ones. Of course, I am referring to trends, not a blanket generalization applicable to every single human. Examples of these parts of ourselves we let drift away are handwriting, reading an actual book, touching one another, etc.

With regards to touch, the global COVID crisis has accelerated the rising culture of no-touching, and depending on the local culture this has disrupted humans’ ability to connect with one another.

Because communicating through touch is a slow and subtle process, in our rush to accomplish more and more, we exacerbated and enforced isolation. Touch cannot be rushed, it cannot be forced, and it cannot be called “dialogue” if it is not mutual. Just like reading a book, touching someone and being touched requires our physical, mental, and emotional presence.

When our lifestyle is plagued by stress, we fail to be fully present and we end up being everywhere and nowhere. This, in essence results in isolation and shallow, superficial connections with the world around us. As human beings, we end up doing more and having less.

What this article will explore is what it means to us, humans, in the context of the quality of our relationships, and specifically the physical, mental, and emotional implications of our sense of touch within our Movement practice.

This article does not intend to dive into the physiological research surrounding the sense of touch. At the end of this article I will provide links to a few excellent sources where academically inclined readers can explore more and keep up to date on the latest research, including how it affects medical applications, and more.

While my training is focused on Martial Arts studies, this information applies to any form of movement - from Yoga, Tango, Rock Climbing, and more.

In this article we will look at how our sense of touch is a behavioral modifier and how we can use it as a communication instrument in the context of our Personal Integrity Series.

The Context

Our sense of touch perceives pressure, vibration, texture, and temperature changes. As a system, our sense of touch comprises Somatosensation and Viscerosensation, respectively gathering and transmitting external and internal sensations to the brain.

As our brains receive this information, it responds and adapts accordingly, thus making our sense of touch an informational communication pathway via which we can - and often do - transmit specific messages to one another.

In Movement practices, we train alone, with a partner, or in a larger group. As training happens, messages are continuously being sent and received, making this exchange of sensory information a feedback mechanism and also a dialogue.

In one of my articles, I wrote about the ABC’s of Martial Arts, where “attacks become conversations” and “touch” comes into play almost every time we interact with one another. Attacks are practically focused forces directed at another person, regardless of the form they take. By definition, an attack is unwelcomed and it is an intent to harm - at some level or another. It could be a slap, a scream, a push, or an insult. In that article I was stating that any attack can be converted into a conversation and therefore a path to transformation.

For context, here are a couple of examples to think of when exploring how touch is an intrinsic part of the way we communicate:

In Tango - and partner dancing in general - a mere squeeze of your partner’s hand can signal a change in speed or direction. In Judo, the smallest muscle contraction can be “read” by a trained opponent waiting for an opening to counter a technique (this can also be used to deceive an opponent as well). Essentially, in any partner-based practice, we exchange information for the purpose of communicating specific prompts meant to trigger specific reactions.

In other words, our sense of touch is fundamentally involved in the quality of our conversations.

Introduction

“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.”

~ William Hazlitt

Personally, I interpret the above quote as “understanding” rather than being able to use our ears and voice. Additionally, by understanding I mean fully engaging ourselves, in order to correctly decipher, interpret, and relate to the messages we receive.

This engagement requires our attention and awareness vis-a-vis the other person, coupled with a focused critical thinking process taking place before we reply. Done right, conversation has the potential to become an art we all can participate in. Ideally, in terms of conflict, this means a mutually constructive resolution.

Within the context of touch being used as a means for communication and interaction, touch becomes a two-way path where we can use our sense of touch as an instrument or means of communication.

To fully take advantage of this instrument, we have to contemplate and explore both aspects of this communication path - the receiving and the sending mechanisms involved. We will then explore a variation, a third state of being engaged, one with tremendous value and power.

• Receiving, in this context, is akin to “listening” where our awareness and attention is consciously directed to focus on what sensations we feel during our interactions with others.

• Sending, in this context is the qualitative aspect we place within our actions towards our conversational partners (opponents, in the case of martial arts).

Receiving is the inward and outward focus of awareness.

Sending is calibrating our (re)actions via intent and purpose.

Let’s dive into each one, and explore how both can influence the quality of our interactions with our partners, the quality of our relationships, and the transformational power literally available at our…fingertips. Please keep in mind the context of this exploration, where touch plays a leading role in our conversations.

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Next in the Series:

Communicating (Sending) Through Touch - How to Train one of your most valuable relationship assets, regardless if you are applying it to Parenting, Marriage, or Business.

The Personal Integrity Series is published weekly. Please Subscribe to our PREMIUM membership to access the entirety of this content.

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At KineOasis we are dedicated to the empowerment and creative freedom of our students through the exploration and intelligent study of movement in a relaxed and non-toxic learning environment. We use Movement as a means to naturally empower ourselves and our students, to intervene with development as needed, and to enhance everyone's quality of life. Movement As Sanctuary - A method and teaching philosophy life.