Imagine what it might be like to never touch or have been touched, skin on skin. For those who have held and touched the skin of a newborn baby, no description is required. Gorgeous as it is to experience the little cheek-pads gently landing on your shoulder, infants need handling to thrive. Indeed, human touching is essential for survival. The grief-stricken need a hug and the sick heal under the influence of a caregiver's hand. The importance of contact by touching is reflected in the language we use: we want to stay "in touch" with friends, may be "touched" by deep feelings, find tension "palpable", dislike being "rubbed" up the wrong way.
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