ABSTRACT
Entrainment of psychophysiological rhythms results in a shared state of consciousness between practitioner and client. Touch therapies are a ritual that facilitates an overarching state of consciousness called somatic empathy. Bodywork therapies extend the therapeutic range of interpersonal synchrony through talk by cultivating intentional somatic empathy. This form of interpersonal attunement is cultivated and directed to help the client to heal. The efficacy of touch depends on its isomorphic utility to help transmute pain and suffering through somatic awareness and discovery. Body therapies may serve at every stage of PTSD and complex trauma treatment. They may serve as exposure therapy, integrate body image in body dysmorphia, and reduce dissociation and pain. Attitudes about touch are culturally and historically determined and occur in the context of present-day taboos and resistance. There are as many touch therapies, including polarity therapy, massage therapies, cranial-sacral therapy, as psychotherapies. Clinicians can teach clients self-care methods like rocking. Animal companions play an essential role as co-practitioners in animal-assisted therapy for trauma treatment; they can facilitate safe touch and trust, and restore attachment behaviors.
