The Mind/Body Connection

"The human body structurally demonstrates the fundamental and natural necessity for boundary-setting as a means of sustaining health, especially in two locales: the skin and the immune system. The skin is both our outermost organ and the site of physical contact with the world, marks where the self ends and the "outer" world begins. Also known as the "integument," it functions as the built-in delineator of our separateness and our integrity as individuals. When someone touches us lovingly and appropriately, we feel soothed, stimulated, "in touch", and connected. Gentle touch not only elicits a cascade of mood altering endorphins and the relaxation response to make us feel good, it also triggers the skin to release thymopoeitan, a hormone which bolsters our immune competence by stimulating maturing immune cells. When someone touches us without our permission we feel "invaded" and "violated," and our fight-or-flight response kicks in, along with a gush of stress hormones, aborted digestion, elevated blood pressure, and increased muscle tension. Negative contact with the world is an emergency." (Deep Feeling, Deep Healing by Andy Bernay-Roman LMHC, NCC, MS, RN, LMT, 2009, p. 69)