Nurturing Touch & Companionship

Nurturing Touch involves the gentle holding of the body, providing the physical experience of support and connection. Co-regulation through platonic, safe touch is vital to your overall well-being from infancy through death and is foundational to your physical, emotional, and hormonal health.  As a child, you require a great deal of safe, nurturing touch to comfort and create space for your emotional expression; this supports the development of healthy habits of self-regulation. We are no different as adults, but our opportunity to receive touch further decreases while stress and trauma compound. If we don't learn self-regulation and have little access to safe co-regulatory touch, we may experience a sense of disconnection, dysregulation, and isolation. Touch practices support the mind-body connection, expanding your capacity to cope, recover and thrive.

You rely on your body and senses to connect to your surroundings and all life's experiences.  The quality of your relational connection to yourself and others determines your resiliency and scope of satisfaction. When you come together with a Nurturing Touch Practitioner with understanding, intentional boundaries, and adherence, you experience a safe relational connection — encountering a secure relational connection guides you in transmuting harmful energy into what can only be described as felt unconditional love. You free yourself of expectation, compromise, and performance to simply be, rest, and recharge. When you combine Nurturing Touch with Trauma-Informed Coaching, you allow yourself to connect with the story of the body, releasing a lifetime of stored stress and toxic emotional chemicals. 

                                                <~~Ask yourself simple questions ~~>

                          ~>Where am I aware of physical sensation in my body?

                                  Chest, arms, stomach, legs, jaw, forehead, throat, etc. 

                       ~>How can I describe the physical sensation I am aware of?

                     t feels like a red hot balloon in my stomach. My jaw is like a vise, etc.

                    ~>When have I felt this sensation in this part of my body before?

                    I felt this red hot balloon before when I was embarrassed during a date.

   ~>What emotion is seeking attention through this sensation in this part of my body?

       I get embarrassed easily, especially when I am seeking attention and acceptance. 

                                         ~>How can I help this emotion express? 

           I do silly things when I feel uncomfortable, and I was teased a lot as a kid. I need to honor and love that version of me that was humiliated and try to do the things that I know will make me feel confident and comfortable while accepting the silly things I do and not  

                  being harsh on myself, like the bullies were harsh on me as a kid. 

Each session is uniquely tailored to the needs and experiences of each participant; however, all Nurturing Touch sessions begin with...

• Communication and somatic exercises (breathwork, meditation, EFT, etc.) to build comfort and connection.
• Establishing a foundation for safety through consent practices, including guidance through communicating rules, boundaries, expectations and consent.

From there, each session provides an opportunity to...

• Explore physical connection and embodiment through touch.
• Develop comfort in expressing your needs and limits while developing consent language to support safe connections with yourself and others.
• Discover and communicate preferences related to touch.
• Gain all the benefits of relaxation and healing by releasing endorphins and hormones (serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, etc.) while simultaneously diminishing the stress and anxiety hormones cortisol and adrenaline, reducing physical symptoms of depression and restlessness.
• Experience relational and somatic connection through fun and playful exercises.
• Build confidence in approaching and forming relationships with others.
• Enjoy relaxed conversation and shared space with a Trauma-Informed Specialist.

Participants may receive Nurturing Touch & Companionship in various ways, from having companionship outdoors in nature, going to events and outings, being comfortable and close in a private room, holding hands, hugging, and cuddling.  

I offer private, professional spaces for in-person work in Indianapolis, IN and Lebanon, OH. 

Nurturing Touch Practices are not limited to physical presence. Virtual participants enjoy soothing self-touch practices aimed at self-regulation combined with the benefits of companionship and connection. 

A Nurturing Touch Practitioner can ally with Therapists to add a therapeutic element of touch to treatment. A session can significantly benefit those who are:

• Experiencing general overwhelm, anxiety, depression, or disassociation.
• Living with chronic pain, isolation,  body dysmorphia, or physical/mental disabilities.
• Overcoming relational discord, codependency, and related attachment disorders.
• Recovering from trauma, substance abuse, grief & loss, or suicidal ideation
• Have the desire to develop healthy communication skills, achieve empowerment, and build a solid mind-body connection.