Service Through Touch

Touching Stories and Photos

Everflowing Touch Sessions

Michael

Michael was a man in this 30s and was the first person with AIDS to be cared for by our hospice. I met Michael in July of 1982. No one knew much about the disease back then. Everyone was very frightened. He had a strong support system including his parents who left their home and came to San Francisco to care for him.

I visited Michael 3 times a week as his massage volunteer. He loved having his legs and feet massaged because they were so painful. Michael's father, Mike Sr., would sometimes stand in the doorway and watch as if he were touching his son through me. Michael was 6 ft. 2 in. and had weighed 260 lbs. He was now 120 lbs. It was very hard for Mike, Sr. to be present. His grief was overwhelming.

One day Mike Sr. stood at the door a very long time and then asked me if he could join me. Michael was pleased and we invited Mike Sr. to pull up a chair by the side of the bed. I was deeply moved as father and son used humor to fill the intimate space of the first touch. The moment eased and Mike Sr. mirrored my movements. Sitting on opposite sides of the bed, we gently massaged Michael's feet. I was honored to be a channel for this level of permission, intimacy, healing and courage.

________________________

Peace Realized One Toe at a Time

One afternoon I went into the nursing home to see one of my massage clients, whom we will call M. M had been a health care provider for forty years and now reveled in receiving care. Massage had become one of her most beneficial care modalities and I had been seeing her twice a week for two years. M especially liked foot massage and enjoyed her session in the day room while sitting in the wheel chair. As I entered the day room I saw M sitting in a large circle with about twenty-five other residents. I approached M and after getting permission to massage her feet, I went to her room and got a pillow and a towel. I returned to the day room and put the pillow on the floor in front of M and sat down. I laid the towel in my lap and placed one of M’s feet on the towel. I began to massage one of M’s feet very slowly and gently. Because verbal communication was difficult for M and sometimes impossible, I paid close attention to her facial animation and body movements.

After a while M’s eyes began to widen and a look of awe began to emanate from her face. Then M’s head began to slowly lower and her body leaned a bit forward. M was totally immersed in the rhythmic stroking on her big toe. I was deeply humbled. “Oh yes,” I said, “The art of massage is so beautiful.” “Nooooooo,”said M in sheer wonder pointing at her foot, “my toe!” Tears whelmed up in my throat as I took in M’s sheer innocent and undisguised revelation of herself.

What greater gift can I possibly bring to another human being than such a depth of self awareness.

This raising of self esteem through a focused sensitivity to the wonder and beauty of self allows us to embrace the perfection of others and in turn witness the awesome harmony of earth and all its living beings.

Originally published January/ February, 2001 issue of “Massage Magazine.”

________________________

Susan

One afternoon a client of mine, Susan, called me from a hospital psychiatric unit and asked me if I could come over and give her a foot massage. Susan had tried to commit suicide and was in deep depression. During the massage I noticed tears running down her face and a short while later she opened her eyes and reached out to hold my hand. “Thank you, Irene” she said. “This is the first time I've loved myself in a very long time.”

________________________

Everflowing Outcomes

Irene Smith with Janice, 1992.

Janice was a 38 year old client with transverse myelitis, a degenerative nerve disease.

"Everflowing sessions are about honoring vulnerability. As a practitioner we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable if we are to sit by the bedside, slowly touching, just breathing, just being there."

Everflowing Touch Sessions assist in the management of pain by helping the body to release endorphines (the bodies natural pain suppressors) and by easing feelings of isolation, loneliness, fear and anxiety. These are stressors that contribute to the experience of pain for the client.

Irene Smith with Patrick, 1986. Photo by Lee Abel.

Patrick was a client with Karposis Sarcoma, a cancer associated with AIDS. I worked with him for 2 years.

“Knowing hands-on precautions and contra indications is essential to working with the seriously ill. Then you can be comfortable and stay in your heart.”

Everflowing Touch Sessions assist the client in developing a more positive attitude about his or her body that might have been changed due to debilitation and disease. This helps ease attitudinal symptoms such as anger and depression, allowing the client to more easily receive care and for the family and health care team to more easily give care.

Irene Smith with Peggy. Photo by Rick Gerharter.

Peggy was an 84 year old client who had suffered a stroke. I worked with Peggy for 8 years. In this photograph, Peggy had been unable to speak for several months.

“Everflowing touch sessions are about being present for the gratitude that is expressed.”

In some cases seriously ill clients may not have access to family or close friends who would normally provide emotional safety and nurturing. Everflowing touch skills can serve as the missing family link between the seriously ill client and health care staff by providing feelings of nurturing and support.

Irene Smith with Joseph, 1984. Photo by Jim Bell.

Joseph was a 40 year old client with AIDS with whom I worked for 2 years.

“Everflowing touch sessions are about responding to the intimacy and allowing ourselves to be touch as a practitioner.”

On a psycho-social level Everflowing Touch can provide the friends and family a way of re-establishing hopeful relationships and a common bond. When a seriously ill client no longer looks like the son or the daughter or friend that once was a new method of communication must be established. Everflowing Touch Rhythms can provide this method of communication.

________________________

When Everflowing touch skills are structured into a massage session, the physical outcomes usually associated with massage are mirrored. These outcomes are: (A) releasing tight muscles; (B) increasing lymphatic flow - thereby strengthening the body’s defense against disease; (C) improving blood circulation - thereby helping to ease body aches and pains; assisting in the prevention and/or healing of pressure soars; helping to ease depression, insomnia, constipation, and promoting better digestion.

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Touching Stories and Photos

Everflowing Touch Sessions

Michael

Michael was a man in this 30s and was the first person with AIDS to be cared for by our hospice. I met Michael in July of 1982. No one knew much about the disease back then. Everyone was very frightened. He had a strong support system including his parents who left their home and came to San Francisco to care for him.

I visited Michael 3 times a week as his massage volunteer. He loved having his legs and feet massaged because they were so painful. Michael's father, Mike Sr., would sometimes stand in the doorway and watch as if he were touching his son through me. Michael was 6 ft. 2 in. and had weighed 260 lbs. He was now 120 lbs. It was very hard for Mike, Sr. to be present. His grief was overwhelming.

One day Mike Sr. stood at the door a very long time and then asked me if he could join me. Michael was pleased and we invited Mike Sr. to pull up a chair by the side of the bed. I was deeply moved as father and son used humor to fill the intimate space of the first touch. The moment eased and Mike Sr. mirrored my movements. Sitting on opposite sides of the bed, we gently massaged Michael's feet. I was honored to be a channel for this level of permission, intimacy, healing and courage.

________________________

Peace Realized One Toe at a Time

One afternoon I went into the nursing home to see one of my massage clients, whom we will call M. M had been a health care provider for forty years and now reveled in receiving care. Massage had become one of her most beneficial care modalities and I had been seeing her twice a week for two years. M especially liked foot massage and enjoyed her session in the day room while sitting in the wheel chair. As I entered the day room I saw M sitting in a large circle with about twenty-five other residents. I approached M and after getting permission to massage her feet, I went to her room and got a pillow and a towel. I returned to the day room and put the pillow on the floor in front of M and sat down. I laid the towel in my lap and placed one of M’s feet on the towel. I began to massage one of M’s feet very slowly and gently. Because verbal communication was difficult for M and sometimes impossible, I paid close attention to her facial animation and body movements.

After a while M’s eyes began to widen and a look of awe began to emanate from her face. Then M’s head began to slowly lower and her body leaned a bit forward. M was totally immersed in the rhythmic stroking on her big toe. I was deeply humbled. “Oh yes,” I said, “The art of massage is so beautiful.” “Nooooooo,”said M in sheer wonder pointing at her foot, “my toe!” Tears whelmed up in my throat as I took in M’s sheer innocent and undisguised revelation of herself.

What greater gift can I possibly bring to another human being than such a depth of self awareness.

This raising of self esteem through a focused sensitivity to the wonder and beauty of self allows us to embrace the perfection of others and in turn witness the awesome harmony of earth and all its living beings.

Originally published January/ February, 2001 issue of “Massage Magazine.”

________________________

Susan

One afternoon a client of mine, Susan, called me from a hospital psychiatric unit and asked me if I could come over and give her a foot massage. Susan had tried to commit suicide and was in deep depression. During the massage I noticed tears running down her face and a short while later she opened her eyes and reached out to hold my hand. “Thank you, Irene” she said. “This is the first time I've loved myself in a very long time.”

________________________

Everflowing Outcomes

Irene Smith with Janice, 1992.

Janice was a 38 year old client with transverse myelitis, a degenerative nerve disease.

"Everflowing sessions are about honoring vulnerability. As a practitioner we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable if we are to sit by the bedside, slowly touching, just breathing, just being there."

Everflowing Touch Sessions assist in the management of pain by helping the body to release endorphines (the bodies natural pain suppressors) and by easing feelings of isolation, loneliness, fear and anxiety. These are stressors that contribute to the experience of pain for the client.

Irene Smith with Patrick, 1986. Photo by Lee Abel.

Patrick was a client with Karposis Sarcoma, a cancer associated with AIDS. I worked with him for 2 years.

“Knowing hands-on precautions and contra indications is essential to working with the seriously ill. Then you can be comfortable and stay in your heart.”

Everflowing Touch Sessions assist the client in developing a more positive attitude about his or her body that might have been changed due to debilitation and disease. This helps ease attitudinal symptoms such as anger and depression, allowing the client to more easily receive care and for the family and health care team to more easily give care.

Irene Smith with Peggy. Photo by Rick Gerharter.

Peggy was an 84 year old client who had suffered a stroke. I worked with Peggy for 8 years. In this photograph, Peggy had been unable to speak for several months.

“Everflowing touch sessions are about being present for the gratitude that is expressed.”

In some cases seriously ill clients may not have access to family or close friends who would normally provide emotional safety and nurturing. Everflowing touch skills can serve as the missing family link between the seriously ill client and health care staff by providing feelings of nurturing and support.

Irene Smith with Joseph, 1984. Photo by Jim Bell.

Joseph was a 40 year old client with AIDS with whom I worked for 2 years.

“Everflowing touch sessions are about responding to the intimacy and allowing ourselves to be touch as a practitioner.”

On a psycho-social level Everflowing Touch can provide the friends and family a way of re-establishing hopeful relationships and a common bond. When a seriously ill client no longer looks like the son or the daughter or friend that once was a new method of communication must be established. Everflowing Touch Rhythms can provide this method of communication.

________________________

When Everflowing touch skills are structured into a massage session, the physical outcomes usually associated with massage are mirrored. These outcomes are: (A) releasing tight muscles; (B) increasing lymphatic flow - thereby strengthening the body’s defense against disease; (C) improving blood circulation - thereby helping to ease body aches and pains; assisting in the prevention and/or healing of pressure soars; helping to ease depression, insomnia, constipation, and promoting better digestion.

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