If you think about it, your skin is your biggest organ. It wraps itself over,
under, and all around inside you. Skin is your oldest and most sensitive
organ, too. Before you were able to hear or speak you could feel. Your sense
of touch began in the womb.If you’re giving advice or information to another person you may touch him
on the hand, arm, or shoulder to deepen your connection and reinforce your
message.Before touching another person you need to establish a connection with him.
You wouldn’t touch a stranger any more than you’d invite a stranger to touch
you. In a relationship between two or more people, the dominant person, or
the one holding authority, implicitly has the permission to touch.Notice people travelling in a crowded tube or train. Most draw into them-
selves to keep from touching the people sitting or standing next to them.Jo went out to lunch with her friend Caroline who was having problems with
her boyfriend. At one point during their conversation Caroline was on the
verge of tears. Instinctively, Jo reached out and gently touched Caroline’s
hand. She let her hand rest there until Caroline composed herself. Jo’s touch
felt reassuring and had a calming effect. By combining this gesture with a for-
ward lean and speaking sympathetically, Jo was able to help Caroline relax
and see things from a more peaceful perspective.Inappropriately touching another person can be perceived as rude, threatening,
and intrusive.Increasing your influence ..................................................................
Out of your five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch) your sense of
touch is your oldest and most responsive. Your body reacts viscerally to
touch, leaning into the hand offering comfort and pulling away from the hand
that harms.Chapter 8: Arming Yourself 137
The mother of the senses
An embryo, rocking in its mother’s amniotic
fluids, is sensitive to touch. At 9 weeks old, its
fingers bend in a gripping motion when its palm
is touched. At 12 weeks its fingers and thumb
can make a fist. When the embryo’s foot is
touched on its back or its sole, its toes curl in
and fan out.