Indeed a very sensitive issue.
Touching of others is so often associated with carnal desires or violence and ill treatments.However the touch that I am referring to has nothing to do with all of those but rather as an element of necessity for any human being.Most people have some reserve towards touching of other people; understandably we should go about it very sparsely as it is so precious that it should be reserved for the right time and the right person.Who then, are the right people that we should give that symbol of intimacy, care and concern?Our Parents, Children, Grandparents, Spouses, close Friends and those we have sincere motivation to express their care in a patient or people who ask for our help or support.Not long ago I met a young man who after a long counseling session and after sharing of his feelings of “being lost” I embraced when he was ready to leave. At that moment he burst out in a long intensive crying, hugging me and not wanting to be let loose. With sobbing and in staggered voice he exclaimed “Why did my dad never hug me in my life?”, “I am feeling so rejected and unloved and am longing to be held and given the feeling of being cared for and loved”. It is not the time to go into the analysis why his father had such a distant approach to his children but I am only using this incident to bring awareness of the need of human beings to feel that they are cared for and this being expressed with body contact.
So many times I have experienced similar incidences. Once, when I was in the University Hospital In Mainz, Germany taking care of AIDS patients, I had one patient who seemed to distant from me (or me from him), that despite looking after him almost every night for more than 2 months, we had a mere functional relationship. I was unhappy with this and could feel that there was something that needed to be done. On one of the nights when it was “calm on the ward” I went to his bed, sat beside him and just took his hands into mine and gave them a good squeeze. We were both silent, but the language of touch moved him and he burst out with tears streaming down his cheeks, time was no more a factor that was in the way. At last when he recovered his composure he said with shining eyes
“Yakob, this was the best you did for me in all these months you take care of me”.
It was a message that changed my life in respect of touching people that I take care of and I learned the meaning of the healing power of touch. Since then, I have experienced it over and over again, that people’s trust is stimulated via the touch of the person. Let us be generous with touching those we love or those placed in our care. Let the touch which communicates the sense of being wanted, cared for, recognized, accepted, loved etc. become part of our daily human interaction. Let us start recognizing the value that lies in this gesture.
“It’s (the sincere touch) free, it’s powerful, it’s healing and makes a person feels good”.
Touching of others is so often associated with carnal desires or violence and ill treatments.However the touch that I am referring to has nothing to do with all of those but rather as an element of necessity for any human being.Most people have some reserve towards touching of other people; understandably we should go about it very sparsely as it is so precious that it should be reserved for the right time and the right person.Who then, are the right people that we should give that symbol of intimacy, care and concern?Our Parents, Children, Grandparents, Spouses, close Friends and those we have sincere motivation to express their care in a patient or people who ask for our help or support.Not long ago I met a young man who after a long counseling session and after sharing of his feelings of “being lost” I embraced when he was ready to leave. At that moment he burst out in a long intensive crying, hugging me and not wanting to be let loose. With sobbing and in staggered voice he exclaimed “Why did my dad never hug me in my life?”, “I am feeling so rejected and unloved and am longing to be held and given the feeling of being cared for and loved”. It is not the time to go into the analysis why his father had such a distant approach to his children but I am only using this incident to bring awareness of the need of human beings to feel that they are cared for and this being expressed with body contact.
So many times I have experienced similar incidences. Once, when I was in the University Hospital In Mainz, Germany taking care of AIDS patients, I had one patient who seemed to distant from me (or me from him), that despite looking after him almost every night for more than 2 months, we had a mere functional relationship. I was unhappy with this and could feel that there was something that needed to be done. On one of the nights when it was “calm on the ward” I went to his bed, sat beside him and just took his hands into mine and gave them a good squeeze. We were both silent, but the language of touch moved him and he burst out with tears streaming down his cheeks, time was no more a factor that was in the way. At last when he recovered his composure he said with shining eyes
“Yakob, this was the best you did for me in all these months you take care of me”.
It was a message that changed my life in respect of touching people that I take care of and I learned the meaning of the healing power of touch. Since then, I have experienced it over and over again, that people’s trust is stimulated via the touch of the person. Let us be generous with touching those we love or those placed in our care. Let the touch which communicates the sense of being wanted, cared for, recognized, accepted, loved etc. become part of our daily human interaction. Let us start recognizing the value that lies in this gesture.
“It’s (the sincere touch) free, it’s powerful, it’s healing and makes a person feels good”.
For mobilenursing care or MOBILE DOCTOR contact: http://www.hnp-mobilenursing.com/ or 006 03 78777202 or nursing@hnp-mobilenursing.com
No comments:
Post a Comment