Touch and Self-Compassion
During this session, I found self-touch to be so valuable. As the speaker directed a kind of body scan, in which she directs us to seek out comfort in our bodies, it became more and more difficult because I store tension and discomfort in my upper body, especially: forehead, behind the eyes, jaw, neck, shoulders, upper back, even my chest. I simply couldn’t find comfortable areas there. So I laid my hands on each of those parts of my body: first my belly and chest, then my shoulders, then the back of my neck and my face, my forehead. And the warmth of my hands seemed to send comfort into those areas—there was warmth, but, perhaps more important, there was love and self-compassion. I’m in a chapter in life where that kind of touch and care is largely missing from other people, but I’m gradually learning that I can be the source of my own love, nurture, care, & compassion.