{"id":7074029,"date":"2026-10-03T07:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074029"},"modified":"2026-10-03T07:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:42:16","slug":"the-healing-power-of-hugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074029","title":{"rendered":"The Healing Power of Hugs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"h1kma408\" id=\"viewer-h1kma408\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>One day several years ago, I spontaneously hugged a patient of mine, Gretchen. It was during a moment in which her despair and distress were so intense that it seemed cruel on a human level not to reach out my arms to her, in the event that she might derive some relief or comfort from an embrace. She hugged me for dear life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"_0vncC\" id=\"viewer-5q3273531\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"kx2gb xHTp2\">\n<figure class=\"vscz7\" data-hook=\"figure-IMAGE\">\n<div data-hook=\"image-viewer\" class=\"KDEWi\">\n<div class=\"_80IYq OuB-T bCpAv\" style=\"--dim-height:946;--dim-width:960;--ricos-image-default-border-color:unset\" data-hook=\"image-viewer-5q3273531\">\n<div class=\"oz1f0\">\n<div style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0\" id=\"5q3273531\" class=\"TTsMm\"><wow-image id=\"b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg\" class=\"undefined svv3P\" data-image-info=\"{&quot;containerId&quot;:&quot;5q3273531&quot;,&quot;alignType&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;displayMode&quot;:&quot;fill&quot;,&quot;isLQIP&quot;:true,&quot;isSEOBot&quot;:false,&quot;lqipTransition&quot;:&quot;blur&quot;,&quot;encoding&quot;:&quot;AVIF&quot;,&quot;imageData&quot;:{&quot;width&quot;:960,&quot;height&quot;:946,&quot;uri&quot;:&quot;b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;displayMode&quot;:&quot;fill&quot;}}\" data-motion-part=\"BG_IMG 5q3273531\" data-bg-effect-name=\"\" data-has-ssr-src=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/true\" data-animate-blur=\"\" data-is-responsive=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg\/v1\/fill\/w_144,h_142,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto\/b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg\" alt=\"Hugs are healing as they deeply affect the systems in the body.\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%;max-width:100%;position:absolute;left:0;top:0\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/the-healing-power-of-hugs\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg\/v1\/fill\/w_960,h_946,al_c,q_85\/b99787_121c0431b0594802a15295fbfcfc7108~mv2.jpeg\" draggable=\"false\"\/><\/wow-image><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"vP2vO\" type=\"button\" data-hook=\"image-expand-button\" aria-label=\"Expand image\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 19 19\" class=\"_4HXfd\"><path d=\"M15.071 8.371V4.585l-4.355 4.356a.2.2 0 0 1-.283 0l-.374-.374a.2.2 0 0 1 0-.283l4.356-4.355h-3.786a.2.2 0 0 1-.2-.2V3.2c0-.11.09-.2.2-.2H16v5.371a.2.2 0 0 1-.2.2h-.529a.2.2 0 0 1-.2-.2zm-6.5 6.9v.529a.2.2 0 0 1-.2.2H3v-5.371c0-.11.09-.2.2-.2h.529c.11 0 .2.09.2.2v3.786l4.355-4.356a.2.2 0 0 1 .283 0l.374.374a.2.2 0 0 1 0 .283L4.585 15.07h3.786c.11 0 .2.09.2.2z\" fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"_0vncC\" id=\"viewer-ksg6m3535\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<p><figcaption class=\"_0Kxft\" style=\"padding-top:16px;padding-bottom:16px\"><span>Hugs are healing as they deeply affect the systems in the body.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"boola340\" id=\"viewer-boola340\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>Months later, Gretchen reported to me that the hug had changed her. \u201cThe motherly embrace you gave me that day,\u201d she said, \u201clifted the depression I have had all my life.\u201d Could a hug really have such an effect? The notion has stayed with me ever since.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"cu03n343\" id=\"viewer-cu03n343\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>Freud used touch in his early work but later denounced it, citing its dangers in cases of intense transference. Since then, psychoanalysts, lawyers, risk managers and ethicists have advised therapists to avoid touch as part of talk therapy, arguing that it is a \u201cslippery slope.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"935hg346\" id=\"viewer-935hg346\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>The slippery slope argument is well intentioned; no one wants to sanction or encourage inappropriate touching. But the argument arises only because of the lack of a firm theoretical distinction in the psychoanalytic literature between nurturing touch and sexual touch. That distinction is precisely what matters in any thoughtful discussion of the therapeutic use of touch, be it by a psychoanalyst or anyone.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"wfe2q349\" id=\"viewer-wfe2q349\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>I started thinking about hugs during my psychoanalytic training. Every so often I was assigned a patient who would hug me without warning, either at the beginning or the end of a session. When I talked about this with my supervisors, some suggested that I stop the hug and instead analyze the meaning of it with the patient. Other supervisors suggested the opposite: that I allow it and accept it as part of a cultural or familial custom. Bringing it up, they suggested, could shame the patient.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"qtyt8352\" id=\"viewer-qtyt8352\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>I remember consulting the ethical guidelines from the National Association of Social Workers and the American Psychological Association. I assumed \u201cDo not touch\u201d was overtly spelled out. I was surprised to discover that those organizations, while expressly prohibiting sexual boundary-crossings, did not expressly prohibit touch.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"txl80355\" id=\"viewer-txl80355\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>The nurturing touch is hardly a new idea. In the early to mid 20th century, object relations theorists like Otto Rank, Melanie Klein, Ronald Fairbairn and D.W. Winnicott helped shift the focus of psychoanalysis from Oedipal development to pre-Oedipal development \u2014 that of infants and very young children \u2014 in which soothing touch plays a critical role. Later on, psychological researchers furthered our understanding of how essential physical touch is to providing comfort and emotional regulation in adults as well as children.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"or9qk358\" id=\"viewer-or9qk358\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>Today, neuroscientists have learned that when humans get emotionally upset, our bodies react to manage the increased energy. These physical reactions bring discomfort at best and at worst are unbearable. What can we do to obtain immediate help when we are distressed so that we don\u2019t have to resort to superficial balms like drugs or psychological mechanisms like repression? What kind of relief is affordable, efficient, effective and nontoxic?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"_0vncC\" id=\"viewer-hw73157\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"pjpBg xHTp2\">\n<figure class=\"vscz7\" data-hook=\"figure-IMAGE\">\n<div data-hook=\"image-viewer\" class=\"KDEWi\">\n<div class=\"_80IYq OuB-T bCpAv\" style=\"--dim-height:1799;--dim-width:1440;--ricos-image-default-border-color:unset\" data-hook=\"image-viewer-hw73157\">\n<div class=\"oz1f0\">\n<div style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0\" id=\"hw73157\" class=\"TTsMm\"><wow-image id=\"b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg\" class=\"undefined svv3P\" data-image-info=\"{&quot;containerId&quot;:&quot;hw73157&quot;,&quot;alignType&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;displayMode&quot;:&quot;fill&quot;,&quot;isLQIP&quot;:true,&quot;isSEOBot&quot;:false,&quot;lqipTransition&quot;:&quot;blur&quot;,&quot;encoding&quot;:&quot;AVIF&quot;,&quot;imageData&quot;:{&quot;width&quot;:1440,&quot;height&quot;:1799,&quot;uri&quot;:&quot;b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;displayMode&quot;:&quot;fill&quot;}}\" data-motion-part=\"BG_IMG hw73157\" data-bg-effect-name=\"\" data-has-ssr-src=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/true\" data-animate-blur=\"\" data-is-responsive=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg\/v1\/fill\/w_147,h_184,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto\/b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg\" alt=\"Me and my sister giving each other a therapeutic hug for calming and deep connection.\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:50% 50%;max-width:100%;position:absolute;left:0;top:0\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/www.hilaryjacobshendel.com\/post\/the-healing-power-of-hugs\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg\/v1\/fill\/w_1440,h_1799,al_c,q_90\/b99787_8c8318deb3a342c0aee7e01d727bb9a0~mv2.jpg\" draggable=\"false\"\/><\/wow-image><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"vP2vO\" type=\"button\" data-hook=\"image-expand-button\" aria-label=\"Expand image\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 19 19\" class=\"_4HXfd\"><path d=\"M15.071 8.371V4.585l-4.355 4.356a.2.2 0 0 1-.283 0l-.374-.374a.2.2 0 0 1 0-.283l4.356-4.355h-3.786a.2.2 0 0 1-.2-.2V3.2c0-.11.09-.2.2-.2H16v5.371a.2.2 0 0 1-.2.2h-.529a.2.2 0 0 1-.2-.2zm-6.5 6.9v.529a.2.2 0 0 1-.2.2H3v-5.371c0-.11.09-.2.2-.2h.529c.11 0 .2.09.2.2v3.786l4.355-4.356a.2.2 0 0 1 .283 0l.374.374a.2.2 0 0 1 0 .283L4.585 15.07h3.786c.11 0 .2.09.2.2z\" fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"_0vncC\" id=\"viewer-v5ryu945\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<p><figcaption class=\"_0Kxft\" style=\"padding-top:16px;padding-bottom:16px\"><span>Me and my sister giving each other a therapeutic hug for calming and deep connection.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"2heaw361\" id=\"viewer-2heaw361\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>The answer is touch. Hugs and other forms of nonsexual physical soothing, like hand-holding and head stroking, intervene at the physical level to help the brain and the body calm down from overwhelming states of anxiety, panic and shame.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"u770j364\" id=\"viewer-u770j364\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>This insight was driven home for me when I underwent training in trauma psychotherapies such as accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (A.E.D.P.) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (E.M.D.R.). These therapies, which are somatic, or body-related, in emphasis, taught me to make use of my patients\u2019 fantasies and imaginations to help them satisfy unmet needs or regulate their rattled nervous systems. Those fantasies, I have found, are often rooted in physical comfort. I frequently guide my patients\u2019 present-day adult selves to act as their own nurturing mother or father, to offer solace to any suffering \u201cparts\u201d of themselves that need or want hugging and holding.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"90mhk367\" id=\"viewer-90mhk367\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>I also encourage my patients to learn to ask for hugs from their loved ones. A therapeutic hug, one designed to calm the nervous system, requires some instruction. A good hug must be wholehearted. You can\u2019t do it halfway. Two people, the hugger and the \u201chuggee,\u201d face each other and embrace each other with their full bodies touching. Yes, it is intimate. The hugger should be focused on the huggee with purposeful intention to offer comfort. It is literally a heart-to-heart experience: The heartbeat of the hugger can regulate the heartbeat of the huggee. Lastly and very important, the hugger must embrace the huggee until the huggee is ready to let go and not a moment before.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"pmy95370\" id=\"viewer-pmy95370\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>The paradox of hugs is that though they are quintessentially physical, they can also be enacted mentally. I often invite my patients, if it feels right for them, to imagine someone they feel safe with, including me, holding them. This works because the brain does not know the difference between reality and fantasy in many ways.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"wn1qm373\" id=\"viewer-wn1qm373\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>Gretchen, for example, sometimes feels small and scared. I know her well, so I can tell just by looking when she is being triggered into shame. To help her feel better, I intervene using fantasy. \u201cGretchen,\u201d I say, \u201ccan you try to move that part of you that\u2019s feeling shame right now to the chair over there?\u201d I point to a chair in my office. \u201cTry to separate from that part of you,\u201d I continue, \u201cso you can see it from the eyes of your present-day calm and confident self.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"l9c1m376\" id=\"viewer-l9c1m376\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>I gesture with my hands to convey a part of her coming out of her body and joining the two of us on the chair a few feet away. Gretchen visualizes in the chair the shame-filled part of her \u2014 in her case, her 6-year-old self. In this fantasy, Gretchen hugs and soothes the 6-year-old. Sometimes, however, that 6-year-old wants me, not Gretchen\u2019s adult self, to hug her. I invite Gretchen to imagine that I am hugging the girl. In this way, I \u201cpretend hug\u201d many of my patients without actually touching them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"a1688379\" id=\"viewer-a1688379\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>I still have my Freudian-trained self sitting over my shoulder, judging the use of \u201creal\u201d hugs in treatment. So even when I think a physical hug would be therapeutic, I continue to rely on fantasy. And ultimately, I believe it better for the patient to learn to self-soothe, and that is an ability that fantasy cultivates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"j9kp3382\" id=\"viewer-j9kp3382\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><span>But sometimes, as in Gretchen\u2019s case, actual touch changes something deep. It seems, at those times, that there is no substitute for the real thing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-breakout=\"normal\">\n<p class=\"_9Nlgm Dd46l fUDW- lqKvG\" dir=\"auto\" data-ricos-paragraph=\"k28ul388\" id=\"viewer-k28ul388\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"KmEWy\"><em style=\"font-style:italic\"><span>Details have been altered to protect patient privacy.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One day several years ago, I spontaneously hugged a patient of mine, Gretchen. It was during a moment in which her despair and distress were so intense that it seemed cruel on a human level not to reach out my arms to her, in the event that she might derive some relief or comfort from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7074030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9903,25371,1783],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7074029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-healing","tag-hugs","tag-power"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Healing Power of Hugs - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074029\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Healing Power of Hugs - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One day several years ago, I spontaneously hugged a patient of mine, Gretchen. 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