Can you utilize physical touch in therapy? How does physical touch help an anxious patient to remain in the present moment? What are the ethics behind using physical touch in session?

MEET JOAN BROOKS

At the end of a day-long workshop with Ilana Rubenfeld in 1997, Joan knew that not only would this be the work she'd do for the rest of her life, she also knew in my bones that she would one day teach this work to others.

As a lifeline learner, Joan has continued to hone and deepen her skills as both Synergist and teacher.

I have devoted my life to helping others heal from the wounds and trauma of life.

Today, in her private practice, Joan primarily helps women who have experienced sexual trauma heal so they can step into their full power and take their rightful place in the world.

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IN THIS PODCAST:

• Can you introduce physical touch into counseling sessions?
• How to introduce physical touch
• Ethics of touch

CAN YOU INTRODUCE PHYSICAL TOUCH INTO COUNSELING SESSIONS?

The first thing to do is to educate your client about what touch is. You can do this via virtual therapy as well because you can describe and show your clients what it is that you want them to do.

Educate them about what you mean by touch. I describe … in the guide the soft, full contact … it’s very soft and I’m not applying any pressure, and help the client be able to listen to the body and to start with physical sensation. That’s usually the easiest thing for people to be able to do when they first make contact with their body … to be aware of the physical sensations. (Joan Brooks)

Help your clients be aware of their bodies. Ask them:

• Is there a message your heart wants to give you?
• Is there a message you want to give your heart?

This opens a dialogue up to the client interacting with their body. They can then learn to see their body as an entity that can store emotion and experiences.

It helps the client to practice empathy, awareness, and kindness towards their body instead of seeing it only as a mechanism for living.

HOW TO INTRODUCE PHYSICAL TOUCH

Ask your clients:

• Where they feel their anxiety or their emotion in their body,
• What physical sensations are they feeling?
• How is their emotion manifesting in their body?

I would then ask my client if she would be willing to put her hand or hands there. I would already have talked to her about a full, soft contact, not pressure. We’re not kneading it, it’s not massage, we’re not trying to fix it. What we’re doing is listening. (Joan Brooks)

Have your client visualize that they have their awareness, love, and attention in their hand, and they are then placing that hand softly on the spot on their body that is currently enduring the anxiety.

You want your client to focus on the physical sensation because when they concentrate on the physical sensation, then they are in the present moment, in the here and now.

ETHICS OF TOUCH

Words can do damage and yet as therapists we’re … taught to use words in a way that’s not harmful, in a way that is helpful rather than harmful. So, the same is true of touch, and the benefits of touch are so tremendous. (Joan Brooks)

• Touch builds, enhances, and maintains the therapeutic alliance because it is a method of communicating the therapist’s intention and presence through touch.
• It enhances the client outcomes.
• The client is a full participant in the session because touch calls on the body to be a part of the client's healing.

The most effective way to contact innate healing is through touch, although touch needs to be done with training and consciousness.

With proper training, touch can be a huge benefit for therapy, but it needs to be spoken about and taken seriously and openly.

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Resources Mentioned And Useful Links:

• Simple Holistic Habits for Overall Wellness with Gennifer Morley
• Practice of the Practice Podcast Network