Ah, the power of touch. It is a powerful tool and can be useful in many ways but the slideshow made me realized how often it can be misinterpreted. Depending on religion, culture, or personal preference, touch (or the lack of it) can convey many different meanings. It is important to know about different cultures especially if we want to use touch to convey nonverbal messages.
One of the questions on the slides that asked about my own comfort level with touch made me sit back and think for a moment. I used to be much more open about it when I was younger but as the years have gone on, I realized that I tend to use it less, even with some of my family members. With other family members, it hasn't changed hardly at all. I don't know where the change came into play, but it happened somewhere along the lines.
Indeed,l the power of touch is powerful. It can be both positive and negative. I knew that touch could be misinterpreted I learned that from a great therapist. I am careful when I don't know a person but can see that they are in need of some comforting. I have learned to difference between a full hug and a partial hug. If someone I don't know needs comforting, I will stand by the side of them and put my arm around them, if they are someone who I know I will open my arms and wait for their response. I agree about knowing and understanding others religion, culture, and personal experiences. You don't want to comfort someone the wrong way, hence the reason I use two different approaches. Sometimes if they are sitting and are in need, I will place my hand on their shoulder, noting sexual or misrepresented there. I am validating what they are going through and telling them it's okay. The normal response I have had from doing that is they will place their hand on top of mine, smile and tell me thank you. Like what was discussed place and timing have a lot to do with it.
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