Because we are living a human experience, physical touch impacts the spirit. People need physical touch for their well being. Without it people can feel disconnected and withdrawn. Touch can alleviate stress and be an expression of love and caring. The physical body wants to be touched.

It is well known that babies need gentle touch, holding, and cuddling. With their limited sensory perception, touch is what makes them feel loved and protected. Babies will not thrive and can even die without physical touch, even if they are given proper nutrition and otherwise cared for. Babies need touch to bond and to feel safe in their environment. It is the first method of communication they learn.

Children enjoy hugs, and parents touch their children to offer love and support. When a child is hurting it is natural for them to gravitate to their parents to be touched and comforted. Parents hold, rock, and cuddle their children to alleviate fear. Children look to their parents for assurance and stability, and a gentle touch can ease stress. A child feels grounded when a parent affirms their connection through touch.

Adults also need physical touch. Anxiety, stress, and mental fatigue can all be part of a chaotic day. Sometimes when things go wrong it can be overwhelming. A hug from a trusted friend or partner can make one feel like they are not alone, and tension can be released. A touch on the arm or shoulder can be a friendly gesture of comfort and can help calm frayed nerves. Many people enjoy getting massages to loosen tight muscles, which also frees the mind of negativity and brings the self back into balance.

Those in intimate relationships crave touch from each other. Touch acknowledges the union between two people, and it is important and necessary in order to feel harmony within the relationship. There is nothing more exquisite than the gentle touch from a caring partner. That touch can soothe, excite, and solidify the bond between the couple. People in love enjoy gentle touch in the form of hugs, caresses, kisses, and holding each other.

Physical touch when exercised within respectable boundaries can heal, comfort, and form connections. Touch is essential to release tension and pain, and brings order to the mind and body. Love, caring, and empathy is expressed through gentle touch, and that skin on skin contact gives a feeling of unity with another person. Touch brings us closer together as human beings, and helps to achieve peace within the spirit.